Another fairly accurate take on the new Venture..

[cowpuc]

A buddy sent me a link to this video report of a test on the new Venture recently..

Having demoed the same bike at Sturgis and forming my own views of the new machine, then watching other reports and wondering if those reports were talking about the same bike I had ridden (lots of claims of amazing performance, no getting hot legged from the air cooled motor ect. ect.) because my take on the scoot was sooo far from others was kind of causing me pause thinking I had been dreaming about what I thought I had experienced.

Even things like the Star guys claiming one of the HUGE pluses with using the narrower V-Twin was a narrower width at the knees when setting on the scoot and me actually thinking it was much wider and splayed my knees wayyy more than my supposedly wider V-4 motored 1st Gen but - I didnt put a tape measure to it so = confusing that which is already confused....

Now after watching this report and listening to this fellow riders step by step descriptions of what he felt and smelt as he rode the same bike I suddenly realized that, IMHO, this guy was pulling no punches and his "take" was about as accurate as it comes..

Take it peek and see what you think..

 

[MikeWa]

Finally an honest report. Thanks for posting Puc.

 

Mike

[Drews]

Thanks puc

[perfpix]

An interesting review for sure. My demo experience was a bit different. I'm not sure how tall the reviewer is in that video but at 5'9" with a 28" inseam the Star Venture fit me like a glove. I could easily flat foot the bike, and did not feel the bike was "wide" at all. I'm thinking someone with a longer inseam and therefore higher knees might have to straddle the tank a lot more than I did. I don't remember where my knees were in relation to the tank when I drove the Star Venture but I definitely felt it was now wide. Now the 2002 Goldwing I had, that was a wide bike. With my feet up on highway pegs, I felt like I was straddling the grand canyon. Even though on paper the Wing only has a 1.5" higher seat height compared to the SV (29.1" vs. 27.4), it felt like more like 3-4" from what I remember because the wing was so wide. I could bend my knees and flat foot the SV whereas on the wing I had to be on tip toes after sliding far forward on the seat. The seat and the seating position of the SV was immediately comfortable to me on the short ride I took.

 

My demo ride was on a sunny 75 degree day, and I could feel no heat coming of the engine. Its good to know that sitting in traffic in the 96 degree Florida heat how much the engine/tank throws a huge amount of heat. Although I've never sat in traffic on a sunny 96 degree day on even liquid a cooled bike and not feel like I was getting baked.

 

I agree with the reviewer about the power. I too was expecting more power based on the size of the engine and all the hoopla about it in the Yamaha videos. I also was kinda shocked by the really low RPM limiter. However the reviewer kept mentioning the FJR1300 and compared to an FJR most anything short of a full out liter sport bike is going to feel slow. Compared to my vStar 1300 the SV had a bit more grunt. Still, it really does seem like it should get moving faster.

 

My other opinions on the SV: Love the big floorboards, didn't miss the heal shifter and would not add it if I got one (its an option) allowing more freedom to move around my left foot. I also loved the suspension. My demo was 2-up with my wife (neither of us being lightweights) on the back and the SV absorbed bumps like a champ, even better than the Goldwing which has a very harsh front end due to its anti-dive implementation. Unlike the reviewer I didn't feel like the bike was very top heavy at slow speeds even 2-up, and I didn't feel the handlebars were strange at all like he did. Slow speed handling was actually a lot better than I expected. The wind deflectors under the mirrors made a huge difference on the amount of wind hitting the driver and passenger as did the windshield when raised and lowered.

 

Now all of my opinions are based on a 20 minute demo ride which included some stop and go in traffic, some riding at 40-45mph on some back roads, and about 2 miles on a highway on which we got up to 60mph.

 

As far as the passenger seat goes, my wife gave it the double thumbs up. We've test ridden Victory's, HD, BMW's and more. The SV was the only bike that had passenger accommodations comparable to the Goldwing which is the gold standard according to my wife.

 

John

[Sylvester]

Thank you, Puc. I am not in the market for the new Venture as you know, but appreciated the riders comments. Seems to parallel your earlier comments plus "awe poop". My 2000 Ultra fried my legs so when I bought my RSMV I was in heaven. My wife loved it too and the room up front for me was great.

 

[cowpuc]

Thank you, Puc. I am not in the market for the new Venture as you know, but appreciated the riders comments. Seems to parallel your earlier comments plus "awe poop". My 2000 Ultra fried my legs so when I bought my RSMV I was in heaven. My wife loved it too and the room up front for me was great.

 

 

 

Your welcome Sly and THANK YOU for reminding me of my "awe poop" moment = that was so long ago I forgot all about it

 

Thats hard to believe too cause that little "AWE POOP" comment is what got me involved in this little 1/2 time disaster out at Americade during the unveiling.

 

Edited September 27, 2017 by cowpuc

[djh3]

I think the lowers have something to do with the heat. I finally talked myself into taking mine off on the XCT for the summer. Man what a difference. But if these are like the 2nd Gen there is equipment in them things and they might be hard to ditch.

[cowpuc]

I think the lowers have something to do with the heat. I finally talked myself into taking mine off on the XCT for the summer. Man what a difference. But if these are like the 2nd Gen there is equipment in them things and they might be hard to ditch.

 

Yep,, the lowers on this new one are permanent and house lots of electrical and braking components. Also, if you look at the face of the lowers it appears that they are vented top to bottom.. All but the bottom two vent slots are fake - only the bottom two openings on each lower unit is functional for air movement - not kidding,, I dont understand it but I am serious..

[djh3]

Sooo no ventilation at all thru the lowers???? Hole Saw baby.

[cowpuc]

Sooo no ventilation at all thru the lowers???? Hole Saw baby.

 

If you look closely at this pic of the lower I took out at Sturgis you can clearly see that only the bottom two openings on the grill covering the lower is functional.. The grill slots above those two are fake and just for looks.. Behind those fake grill slots on both sides and of the lower case behind those fake grill slots are where lots of components are located.. I have never owned a 2nd Gen V-4 Venture but, as I recollect Mom Yam did the same thing with those scoots.. On the 1st Gens like I have ridden for the last 30 years, those electrical components were mounted inside the fixed fairing. I always theorized that Mom Yam mounted the stuff down there in the lowers on the 2nd Gen to reduce weight in the fairing because the 2nd Gens have a fork mounted bat wing fairing that any additional weight therein would cause additional "top heaviness" associated with having the additional weight pushing against the riders upper body while trying to steer the thing (common problem with Bat Wing design when used for touring purposes - especially in heavy cross winds IMHO).. Thing here is that this bike IS a Fix Wing fairing scoot = makes no sense why they didnt keep those lowers empty and place the components elsewhere where they would be better protected from falls, water and so on and, as you said,, make the lowers easily removeable.. I KNOW I am no guru when it comes to touring bike design stuff but this whole package still makes no sense to my pea brain...

[snyper316]

I will not watch Videos of ppl who are represented in anyway by Yamaha. well any motorcycle maker for that mater, Time and Time again heat has been an issue, but IMHO Tinker makes me sweat on hot days but no where near the heat I would feel coming off of Shorty, or for that matter my TAOTAO Powermax I was actually shocked when I would be doing anything under 30 on it I would feel the heat rise up. Not bad heat but could tell it was there.

[Zzyzx]

Ha my been on the site much but this past year but I thought I might put my 2 cents in on the 2018 thing.

 

My thoughts on the new 2018 Yamaha Star Venture.

 

Let me start by saying I know everyone has their opinion and I'm by no means an expert on motorcycles but I know what I like and so far I'm not very impressed with the 2018 Venture "Wannabe". In you could say I'm quite disappointed.

 

After all the talk, and guessing everyone did, wondering what a new Venture might look like, or if there would even be a Gen-3 Venture, I'm still wondering if I will ever see one?

 

All of the anticipation waiting for this Yamondavicsaki is a real letdown for me and nowhere close to what I would consider to be a Star Venture.

 

When you first see the 2018 Wannabe in person it is defiantly an eye catcher, somewhat futuristic, with sleek lines and low profile with an overall appealing stance.

 

Up front there is plenty of LED lighting with a four headlight system 2-low beam and 4-high beam plus lower LED fog/night lights that stay on even when the high beams are on. The rear is also well lit with plenty of LED lighting.

 

During my walk around the Wannabe I could see a touch of Victory, a bit of Suzuki, a little slice of Harley, and a lot of "W.T.H." wheres the Venture?

 

As far as the ride, the air cooled V-Twin has plenty of torque and the dual mode (sport/touring) throttle is a great feature but, 1st and 2nd gear hit the rev limiter way, way, way to early, to the point where I feel this could be dangerous in an emergency. The lower center of gravity made for a nice ride. Making tight turns and powering through the twisties was a breeze and is well balanced for 1000 pound motorcycle. The extra heat coming off the air cooled V-Twin was a nice addition during the cool morning I rode but it made me wonder??? what it would be like riding in hotter weather?

 

The addition of extras like the LED GPS/Radio/Infotainment display, comfort controls, hand and seat warmers, and larger tour pack are great features. The best new feature thou has to be the Sure Park.

 

My initial thoughts:

(I'm still thinking)

 

The Good:

Sure Park, lower stance, dual throttle mode, adjustable windshield, large tour pack, infotainment system, rider and passenger comfort features, LED lighting, riders adjustable seat back, handling, torque, integrated anti-lock break system,

 

The Bad:

A V-Twin that is NOT water cooled, low 1st and 2nd rev limits, belt driven, plastic fuel tank cover opens backwards, poor fit and finish, saddle bag lids are thin and flimsy and the hinges seam poorly made, powder coated shifter and brake arms, lots of brushed aluminum trim where chrome should be, no place for a rider backrest, no luggage rack...

 

I only got to take one demo ride but my initial impression is, what were they thinking? Where the heck is the Venture?

 

After a five year hiatus from the touring market, (for what I would guess would have been some extensive R&D), I feel Yamaha really missed the mark, and may have lost a lot of current Venture riders as well.

 

We were going to do a two up ride but I'm so disappointed in this Wannabe I'm no longer interested in riding it further.

 

The new Transcontinental Venture could have been the next generation ultimate touring bike from Yamaha but the only thing Venture I see about this Wannabe is the passenger foot pads, apparently left overs from previous RSV production.

 

For my money, and if I ever decide to purchase an air cooled V-Twin, I would lean more toward the Indian Roadmaster.

 

On a positive note thou, it appears Yamaha finely ran out of cassette players.

[BlueSky]

And carburetors!

[Condor]

The new 2Venture theme song....

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GFjItWGsbY

[BigLenny]

Ya know? that video highlights 3 things that are very concerning to me:

1. The rev limiter issue.

2. The less than desired throttle response for such a large power plant.

3. The heat coming off of the bike.

 

I might could maybe live with the rev limiter being too low, but not really sure. Who wants a bike with a rev limiter setting that is so low that it's that easy to peg on a regular basis?

The throttle response that he talked about is really sad. It's like Yamaha overdid it on the "making the ride experience smooth" plan. Touring riders absolutely want a smooth running, and smooth riding bike, but that doesn't mean we don't want a hand full of throttle response. I test rode a Harley Road Glide Ultra last week at Bikes Blues and BBQ. It had the new Milwaukee motor in it. That dang thing would get after it! Plenty of torque, plenty of throttle response. By the looks of this video, the new SV doesn't seem to have that much.

The thing I'm not gonna be able to live with, is if this new bike is hotter than all get out. And what that guy on the video kept complaining about makes me very leery. It was 94 degrees Saturday while we were riding around experiencing BBB, and it was freakin hot! There wasn't much heat that I could feel coming from my RSTD, but, just sitting and riding in slow traffic with 94 degrees beating down on us, I about got too hot. The last thing I need is to be getting it from the bike I'm sitting on too.

 

I'm in the market for a new something. We're in our 10th year with our RSTD, and we're really getting the urge to make a change. I purposely held out to see what the new Venture would be like. And, while I'm liking the styling and a ton of other stuff on the bike, the 3 areas I mentioned above could move me away from it.

 

Now, that redesigned Goldwing that I'm starting to see glimpses of? That might be the ticket.

 

Big Lenny

[Brew]

I too was looking forward to the new Venture, not to replace my FJR but for a better two up touring bike, but now will have to look at the new Goldwing.

We test drove the HD RGU with the new M8 and it was very nice, good power and smooth running for a HD, didn't notice a lot of heat although it was only around 80 out.. I've said I'd never get a Harley but if the Goldwing dosn't do it for me I may have to bite the bullet.

 

Or maybe just find a nice used Gen 2 Venture IDK.