What don't you like?

[Kretz]

We all like our rides, but they do have their faults.

So what DON'T you like about your bike? What should have been changed, designed or done differently?

Mine:

1. That silly little luggage rack on what is essentially a touring bike it should be much bigger

2. No Passenger grab bars as standard (or as an accessory)

3. Very few accessories available for the RSTD & not many places to mount them.

4. A bike of this vintage (2009) shouldn't (imo) be using carbs. it should have Fuel Injection

5. A gear indicator would be very useful

Edited November 11, 2016 by Kretz
added 4 & 5

[SilvrT]

I simply don't like riding much anymore ....

[BigLenny]

We all like our rides, but they do have their faults.

So what DON'T you like about your bike? What should have been changed, designed or done differently?

Mine:

1. That silly little luggage rack on what is essentially a touring bike it should be much bigger

2. No Passenger grab bars as standard (or as an accessory)

3. Very few accessories available for the RSTD & not many places to mount them.

 

Kretz,

I'm with ya on the silly little luggage rack. But, as you can see from the pic, it hasn't stopped my wife and I from piling stuff on it for our long trips. LOL.

 

 

I also wish my bike had a 6th gear.

 

Big Lenny

[M61A1MECH]

No high powered forward pointing laser to vaporize stupid cagers.

 

No gear indicator, I am old and sometimes I forget what gear I am in , I am glad the Goldwing will start from a dead stop in 4th gear with out a lot of complaining.

No passenger volume control on the Goldwing.

[snyper316]

83 Venture

 

the fact there is no gear indicator due to the high rpms I often find myself trying to put it in a nonexistant 6th gear..

alot of new parts that you would normally have to replace are discontinued.

the silly dash mine has if the lighting is just right I can not see the monitor.

They look kinda silly Naked

other then that I can't really think of anything else.

[slowrollwv]

I am happy with mine, just don't get to ride as much as I would like.

[videoarizona]

1: as i age, my legs are shrinking making for riding a1st gen more problematic.

2: the knowing that at some point in the future, no more grins when I crack that throttle.

3: wish I had started riding Ventures earlier.

 

 

Oh.. Don't like about the bikes? Hmmm... Serious thought. But really... Nothing. Yamaha did an incredible job of designing the scoots. I've accepted both gens for what they are!

[ddoggma]

I dont like all the plastic stuff. UV and such turn these bikes into brittle, time bombs. Mech wise they are very, very good.

Also, I dont like how my HD "friends" hate me cause my "jap" bike that weighs 780lb, smokes most of their sleds...lol!

 

 

 

PS: They super hate how I got it foe $1500 bucks off CL, 10 years ago,and all told I put about a grand in it so far.

So for $2500 I can go farther,faster and in more comfort then bikes that cost way more...lol love it.

Edited November 10, 2016 by ddoggma

[cowpuc]

87 to 2016 wearing out 5 MK1's and working on our 6th I gotta say, IMHO, Mom Yam did an amazing job on em.. Spent many 16 to 18 hour days in the saddle and I have zero complaints in comfort design.. Being a 1st Gen rider all these years I can also say I have always been impressed with their performance and frugal fuel economy (almost said I wished they would have came with the V-Boost but I had a V-Max and MPG went right out the window).

 

,,, this is toughy cause I have REALLY enjoyed my Ventures,,, Ok,, I got it..

- better stator's and proper oil cooling for em from the get go.

- correct metalurgy on the thrust washer that caused 2nd gear issues (that's a tough one though,, have REALLY appreciated buying em cheap cause of this and short shifting for 250k miles on a 500 dollar scoot).

- coulda had something besides ink pen springs for fork springs

- better clutch

- better brakes,, loose the link and use dual disc on front.

- better headlight

- could have designed a mechanical advantage center stand like Kawi did on the Voyager 2.

- could have designed a much better carb rack IMHO,, one that would allow for bowl removal with out deracking for wayyyy simpler access to the goodies inside - be nice to just be able to pull the rack, flip it over and open em up.

- could of put zerks on the mono, swing arm and neck.

- could have designed the exhaust system so the frame rails were the lowest part of bike.. Better for off roading and easier to put on a frame lift.

- "B" plugs instead of "D" plugs so they arent so sensitive to choke blackening.

- the reserve lighting unit was a waste of time and money.

- could of kept that little zerk on the swing arm that does nothing and saved a million dollars...

 

 

 

 

-

[camos]

83 Venture

 

the silly dash mine has if the lighting is just right I can not see the monitor.

That is my only pet peave. On my 90 VR I rotated the angle of the dash to be more vertical by about an inch. It helped but needed more, probably another two inches would be close. To get more rotation it will take adding an extension rather than just reshaping the mount. One of these days I will get to it on the 89 that I am now riding.

[uncledj]

On my second gen, I miss the gear position indicator, and I REALLY miss the Tach. Don't like the rev limiter.

Other than that, I think it's a great scoot.

[Kretz]

Kretz,

I'm with ya on the silly little luggage rack. But, as you can see from the pic, it hasn't stopped my wife and I from piling stuff on it for our long trips. LOL.

I also wish my bike had a 6th gear.

 

Big Lenny

 

Wow! that sure is loaded Lenny, does it make it top heavy with that amount of luggage?

With ya on the 6th gear (though 4th & 5th are supposed to be OD

I also would appreciate a tach & a gear indicator (being a forgetful old begger!)

[gggGary]

The last, let's say 200 pounds...........

[BigLenny]

Wow! that sure is loaded Lenny, does it make it top heavy with that amount of luggage?

With ya on the 6th gear (though 4th & 5th are supposed to be OD

I also would appreciate a tach & a gear indicator (being a forgetful old begger!)

 

 

 

I only feels top heavy at parking lot speeds. That's when I really have to pay close attention. I actually, it does amazingly well otherwise. But it sure does look gaudy. LOL.

[gggGary]

Got distracted and managed to get the RSV away from a stop light in 5th LOL.

Even the green OD light wasn't enough...........

[baylensman]

1. LACK OF GEAR INDICATOR

2. LACK OF TACHOMETER

3. GEN 2 LACK OF ON BOARD AIR ADJUST (REALLY MISS THAT)

4. CRUISE CONTROL SUCKS

5. LARGER GAS TANK

6. FUEL INJECTION.

 

Never mind that started becoming a wish list. The question is what don't I like about my bike?

Cruise control & range on a tank of gas around town. That's about it.

I like the styling and the performance (yes I think my gen 1 was a little quicker) I'm very comfortable on the bike. I can see at night (better light than my car) The ride is smooth. Speaker are loud and clear ( use the aux port). vibration is minimal. She can see over me.

[WildBill1]

When I had my 06 Venture my two main gripes where:

 

Yahama's setup of the bike too tall on front forks.

 

Mono rear shock.

 

I greatly improved low speed handling by leveling the bike. Lowered it front and back. I lived with the one shock on the rear. I'm a fan of duel air shocks on a touring bike. I also spent the time to install a tach. and gauges for engine info. With this said I've yet too find a perfectly factory built motorcycle. Been riding 50 years.

[CaseyJ955]

89 Royale. I haven't spent much quality time with it and I will adjust for date of manufacturer and resist saying EFI, which would be the biggie.

 

It squeaks and rattles like a Chevy over bumps and washed out roads, so quality of the plastics I would say. I think everything else is fairly easily addressed. Really surprisingly difficult to complain considering it's nearly 30 yrs old. When I consider what I paid I really have no right to complain about anything.

[Kretz]

Agree totally with posters who comment on the lack of EFI. That should have been on my original list. A bike manufactured in (in my case) 2008-9 should have EFI. Most manufacturers were using that in the early 2000's or even before.

[snyper316]

Agree totally with posters who comment on the lack of EFI. That should have been on my original list. A bike manufactured in (in my case) 2008-9 should have EFI. Most manufacturers were using that in the early 2000's or even before.

 

If you are referring to the EFI that was throttle body had an 85 chevy citation with that the 83 motor I put in it did not but it was easy just took the throttlebody off original motor and put in place of carburetor and I am not certain but with a little modifien you could probably do it to all these carbs but I would assume that would require a fuel delivery box of some sort.

[Kretz]

If you are referring to the EFI that was throttle body had an 85 chevy citation with that the 83 motor I put in it did not but it was easy just took the throttlebody off original motor and put in place of carburetor and I am not certain but with a little modifien you could probably do it to all these carbs but I would assume that would require a fuel delivery box of some sort.

 

Not sure of the intricacies of how Fuel Inj works but on my 2006 Vulcan, it usually starts first go & no messing with choke. Full? half? maybe? maybe not? Once running the the carbs are fine but I find the fuel delivery for the first few minutes a bit suspect. The Vulcan runs from the word go.