Low-tech questions 86 Venture Royale

[jayplayz]

Hi, I am new to the boards, and to bikes. I came here to learn more about the Venture Royale. I have never ridden, but someone is offering me a part cash part trade for my truck. The trade he is offering is a 1986 Venture Royale. I have always wanted a bike, and now might be a good time for me to start riding, but because I do not have any practical experience I am hoping to get some help from the experts (all you). My biggest concern is the size, weight and seat height. Im not a tall guy (5'4") and I tip the scales at 135lbs. We have a very extensive safety certification process where I live, but im a little worried that a large touring bike might be too much for a beginner. On top of that there is the seat height to consider. If anyone has some advice or experience they could share I would be grateful.

[zagger]

If you cannot sit on the seat and have your feet flat on the ground (not just your toes), then the bike is too tall for you, IMHO. It weighs nearly 800 lbs. and won't be easy to push around or avoid dropping if it starts leaning over a little. Might be a good deal but it does seem like you might enjoy a lighter, lower bike for your first motorcycle.

zag

[jayplayz]

If you cannot sit on the seat and have your feet flat on the ground (not just your toes), then the bike is too tall for you, IMHO. It weighs nearly 800 lbs. and won't be easy to push around or avoid dropping if it starts leaning over a little. Might be a good deal but it does seem like you might enjoy a lighter, lower bike for your first motorcycle.

zag

 

Sounds like good advice. The other problem is that he is 2.5 hours away, and so he had wanted to just ride it in and drop it off sight unseen. So yea, it looks like a good deal on the surface, but its a risky deal.

 

Thank you for replying.

[cecdoo]

I am 5'5" I owned an 87 VR, I would not recommend that bike for a beginner. You can have the seat shaved lower and narrower but you are still not going to be able to flat foot it. I think it would take a very long time for you to feel comfortable on that bike.

 

Craig

[cowpuc]

Hi Jay, Puc here,, nice to meet you and to VR..

 

If you have 0 = zero experience on a scoot I personally would suggest a much smaller bike to start off on - something along the line of an XR100 if you have access to trail riding would be PERFECT, maybe a 250 Rebel if your stuck with parking lots = a LOT of people dont know this but a lot of the advanced motorcycle racing schools still use the XR100's for trainers because of their perfect size and they allow the rider the ability to "own" the bike because of its weight (lack of). Something that you can play around on in parking lots, fields, back yards or any place void of any form of motorized traffic.. Ride this small bike and keep on riding it until shifting, braking, stopping, clutching, throttle control and on and on become second nature. Regardless of what the modern day training schools are "selling" - IMHO, the roadways are the LAST place a person should go to complete this agenda..

Obviously,, I think the Venture is way to heavy of a scoot to learn on.. Just the weight alone takes some getting use to even for most experienced riders.. This may sound crazy but its not even the actual moving down the road riding the scoot where just the weight becomes on issue.. A some point while out having fun on that great big gorgeous scoot the rider will come to an intersection and he/she will have to stop.. When you put your foot down to balance the bike, if you tip just a couple degrees more than you should = that 900 pounds of you, your passenger and the bike will instantly be on your sides with the potential of having someones leg pinned under the managerie.. Have seen this happen on more than one occasion, even with properly school trained/licensed/seasoned riders..

All that said,,, it still might not be a bad idea to think thru the deal before you say no.. There is definitely value in a decent 1st Gen MK2 Venture.. They are really great bikes.. I might suggest that if you could into this scoot for $1000 on the swap and it is a decent running, good looking stock bike with less than 100,000 miles on it - you stand a fairly decent chance at being able to resell the bike after the swap and make some more $$'s in the process = capitalism is a wonderful thing!!

 

Puc

[Flyinfool]

With these bikes most people seem unable to notice even extensive damage when they are selling. I have gone to look at a few bikes that were near junk that the owner claimed to be in great shape. it is nearly impossible to see small details in pictures that will be a giveaway to internal issues. Unless you know the person well I would be very careful about a sight unseen deal on a 32 year old vehicle. There are some gems out there and there are some great deals out there, just be careful, there is a posting in the 1st gen section of this site with a list of common things to look for on these bikes. IF you do decide to go ahead with this meet, make sure that it is well understood that you each have the right of refusal if the trade is not as advertised.

 

As far as an 86 Venture for a first bike, It can be done, But as mentioned above it is over 800 lbs. It does not take much lean before you get to the point of no return and it is going down. IF you get to the point of no return and it is going down, let it, trying to stop 800lbs in motion has broken more than one leg, it is actually not that hard to pick it back up once you learn the proper technique. But be aware that when it falls over it will go all the way to flat on the ground, some bikes stop tipping at the crash bar, this is not one of them. Learning how to ride will be difficult on a bike this big, not impossible, there are some members here that have done it, but it will be much more difficult. My recommendation would be to get a real cheap 400 to 600 cc bike to learn on for a year.

 

If this deal is good enough it might be worth picking up and spend the year that you are learning on the smaller bike going over this new to you Venture, At 32 years old there is a good chance it will need some work.

[MiCarl]

I'll go one further. I've got a friend (former Motorcycle Safety Foundation instructor) that likes to say "Any damn fool can ride 70 mph but it takes skill to ride below 5 mph". The Venture is a very difficult bike at slow speed. Get your experience on something else.

 

Your weight won't be an issue once you know instinctively how to ride properly. I wonder though if your legs are long enough to keep it upright. My inseam is 32" and to me that seems about a minimum. Remember, roads aren't perfectly flat and sometimes you'll stop with your feet over low spots.

[Flyinfool]

I have a 29 inch inseam and it only took once stopping with my feet over a low spot and finding nothing but air for me to learn to pay close attention to where my feet will be landing EVERY time I come to a stop.

 

I have a stock seat and on level ground I can put one foot flat and the other toe down while seated. If I stand up then I can get both feet flat for duck walking the bike if I have to. I have thought of getting my seat lowered by Rick the Butt Butler so that I can get both feet flat while seated.

[Guest divey]

Hi, I am new to the boards, and to bikes. I came here to learn more about the Venture Royale. I have never ridden, but someone is offering me a part cash part trade for my truck. The trade he is offering is a 1986 Venture Royale. I have always wanted a bike, and now might be a good time for me to start riding, but because I do not have any practical experience I am hoping to get some help from the experts (all you). My biggest concern is the size, weight and seat height. Im not a tall guy (5'4") and I tip the scales at 135lbs. We have a very extensive safety certification process where I live, but im a little worried that a large touring bike might be too much for a beginner. On top of that there is the seat height to consider. If anyone has some advice or experience they could share I would be grateful.

As others have said here, do yourself a favour and pass on this bike, regardless of the condition you find it in. Having never ridden before (appreciate your honesty), you'll get discouraged in a big hurry if you drop it over, or worse, a more serious impact that may cause injury to yourself or others. Go with something smaller that you can man handle around at low speeds, take a safety training course (not sure you can still get one this time of year where you live) and practice, practice, practice. Take a summer of riding to get comfortable with the ins and outs of riding and then move up to something bigger/better. Used motorcycles are a dime a dozen and you should be able to pick and choose what suits you best once you've experienced the thrill. Welcome to the forum and even if you don't end up buying something this Fall, stay with us here and you'll learn a lot from some very knowledgeable people. Hopefully your first post here will give you a sense of what kind of a family this forum is. Doug

[Kretz]

Agree with all the other posters here. The "Venture Family" is not a beginners bike.

Too big, too heavy, too high. Cut your teeth on something smaller & more manageable & you'll have way more fun. I'd also recommend taking a training course if there's one in your area. They teach you all the stuff you think you already know but often don't! When I came back to motorcycling after a long break I started on a 900cc Kawasaki Vulcan LT. (I'm 6ft & 235lbs with a 31" inseam).

To begin with that bike felt quite big & heavy to me, but once I got used to it it was OK. Now it feels a bit like a toy after riding my Royal Star Tour DL. so much lighter & easier to maneuver. I think it's also around 220lbs lighter than the RSTD & it carries it's weight lower down, so doesn't feel as "top heavy" as the Venture family does.

I took my course on a Yamaha 250cc but it just felt so small & I felt unsafe on it. That's why I bought the Vulcan much more suited to my size & weight.

If you want a cruiser style m/c might I suggest you look at a Yamaha VStar 650cc The Kawasaki Vulcan (older ones were 800cc) the newer ones are 900cc. Suzuki Boulevard family at 800cc is another great beginner bike. Honda Shadow 750cc. I'm sure there are many other bikes that would suit you too, try them sit on them are you comfortable or are you struggling to reach the floor?

Trail style bikes are easier to ride & are often used by schools due to that fact, but some have higher seat heights & may be difficult to feel safe on (flat footed at stops)

I only mention the bikes above as I know them & have ridden them, but my requirements may not be yours. We are also different in build/ weight etc.

But please don't jump in on something that is too big for you just cause sounds like a deal.

Good luck whatever you choose.

Edited September 25, 2017 by Kretz

[BlueSky]

Yep, listen to the riders. A Venture is way too heavy and too hard to handle at low speeds for a beginner. You need to ride something much smaller until controlling everything is second nature. Both hands and both feet have things to do and you need to be thinking about handling the bike and not what your hands and feet are doing. Things like never stop a heavy bike while turning. It will go down and take you with it.

[bongobobny]

Yup! Although it may be one of the best TOURING bikes ever made, it is WAAAAAAY too big of a bike to learn how to ride on!! Find yourself a nice small to mid-sized lighter bike to get your feet wet on, and then after you have been riding for a while then try out a "Big Boy's" bike...

 

And, as was mentioned, if you can find a motorcycle training program in your area it is a very worthwhile investment!

 

Welcome to the biking community and we hope you find it a very enjoyable lifetime hobby!!!

[Condor]

All of the above are some great advice, but here's a way-out thought. Rather than re-inventing the mouse trap to make it work, why not get a trike?? At 5'4" it must be a PITA dealing with height issues. I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum, and a tall bike has never been an issue, but getting old and loosing one's balance occasionally is scary. So I now have a trike. With a trike it's get on and enjoy the ride... If I were shorter, no matter what the age, I'd seriously give a trike a thought.. . IMHO