HELP! Before I buy another Venture...

[malenurse13]

I've got a chance to purchase a 2000 Yamaha Royal Star Venture. It's on Craigslist and loaded for $3000. The owner says it has 45,000 miles on it.

So I have a few questions:

1. How many miles do y'all have on your Ventures? Is 18 years and 45k miles too much for this bike?

2. When I test drive... What are some of the most common problems with older model Ventures to look for?

3. When I test drive... What do I look for to make sure I'm not buying something that's going to break down on me soon?

4. What questions do I need to ask the owner?

 

I have never owned a motorcycle with more than 26k miles... so I want to make sure I'm not making a mistake.

Any advice y'all have would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you...

[slowrollwv]

First Welcome to this forum. As for your questions the miles and age are not a problem with this bike. The most common problems with this bike are the rear shock and the clutch will start to slip a little at this age and mileage but both can be replaced very easy. The valves may need to be checked soon also. But over all it is a great and dependable bike that you can put a couple hundred thousand miles on with regular maintenance. I have an 03 with 100,000 on it and would not hesitate to go coast to coast at any moment. Good luck with your buy.

[Desret Don]

First Welcome to this forum. As for your questions the miles and age are not a problem with this bike. The most common problems with this bike are the rear shock and the clutch will start to slip a little at this age and mileage but both can be replaced very easy. The valves may need to be checked soon also. But over all it is a great and dependable bike that you can put a couple hundred thousand miles on with regular maintenance. I have an 03 with 100,000 on it and would not hesitate to go coast to coast at any moment. Good luck with your buy.

I just picked up my 04 with 50k miles for 3500$. Love it, awesome bike.

 

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[B.E. Coyote]

I just bought a 99 with 91k on it for $1200. I put a lot of time into it, a bit of money and made quite a few upgrades.

 

After all the TLC it runs pretty dam strong. The 91k doesn't concern me at all. 50k is just broken in.

 

If the owner doesn't have service records indicating the valve check and it is something you can't do on your own then figure the cost of that service into the price.

 

Mine handled horribly, almost dangerously but after making the raising links, lubing and tourqing the steering head, fork rebuild and new tires I am amazed at how well this bike bike handle.

 

So far I found this an easy bike to work on and pars are cheap and easy to find.

[malenurse13]

Thank y'all so much! That's exactly what I needed to hear. I'll at least go take it for a test drive and look out for what you mentioned. Anything else??

[mraf]

Although I do not ride a 2nd gen I would not hesitate to ride my 86 anywhere I can point it for as long as it takes. You ask if there are any problems. I believe this link can answer any and all questions that pertain to the 2nd Gen Venture. This site is the best place to be for any and all help with problems, bike or otherwise. Welcome. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?87-Known-Problems-and-things-to-look-for

[mabeline]

Some Ventures have gear whine ( transmission ). Some worse than others. I've got it too but it's not bad enough that I can't stand it.

You may find the Venture a little top heavy at low speed. But there's a number of quick fixes, that can fix that.

My 08 has 127000 km (79000 miles ) and I'm looking forward to another 16000km (10000 miles)next summer.

Welcome to the site. Great people and ton of information. Best $12 ever spent!

[WRIDR]

Welcome, Malenurse!

 

At 45,000 miles, that Bike is simply broken in (probably nicely if Original Owner's - can u check that?). The tip-off is the FIVE year warranty provided by Yamaha on most of these - ours was an '09 RSTD, and nothing failed.

 

Two most common squawks have already been covered: Gear Whine (no big deal at all), and for sure it is TOP HEAVY in the parking lots - be aware we're talking nearly a half ton loaded with all your stuff.

 

There's almost nothing to add aside from personal preferences like grips, seats, handle bar risers, and the like becuz the bike comes LOADED to begin with.

 

Summing up: if you like the 'look', there nothing else to worry about. They'll run all day, all week, month, year - depending where you live. Take care of it, and there's a good chance the bike may outlive YOU!~

 

Then add in the 'Comfort Value' provided by this amazing site. These guys have the answer to ANY question or problem you might some day encounter. They are also VERY entertaining to gab with.

 

RGDS, WRIDR

[Venturous Randy]

Before you ride it, either you or the owner should check tire pressures. Low pressure can make these bikes feel even more top heavy and hurt handling.

Randy

[cowpuc]

First things first = = glad you found us Doc!!

 

2nd things 2nd,,,, yippeeeeeeeee,,, a thread about motorcycles,,,good grief I LOVE talking bikes!! Unfortunately though,, I have never owned a 2nd Gen Venture so you probably will want to take what I have to say here with a grain of salt and maybe even allow some elbow room for any corrective :Im not listening toyou and I might get from the 2nd Gen guru's around this joint... Understand,, my points to ponder come from some experience with the 1st Gen Ventures..

 

This is what I would do... I would call the owner on Craigs to set up the look over and I would ask him to please not start the bike = I would want it cold..

When I got there I would reach down and feel the jugs to make sure it was indeed cold.. I would turn the key on and listen for the electric fuel pump to cycle thru,, I would also pay attention to how the electrical system comes up when I rotate the key to "on" as I have heard the 2nd Gen's have had some issues with key switches.. I would then toggle the kill switch off and then back on and listen to the fuel pump again.. I would do this until the pump slowly cycled off signifying the bowls are full.. Key off, I would then look at the carb overflows to any sign of fuel leakage,, pay attention to gas odors too.. I would then pull the choke, key on, kill switch on, hit the starter and with the throttle closed she should fire up nicely. Let it idle and slowly slip the choke in after just a couple minutes,, as soon the bike idles on its idle circuitry I would spit check the headers to make sure it is hitting on all four..

Next I would check the bikes charging system by asking the owner to "blip" the throttle while I watched the headlight = it should brighten up noticeably as the R's come up off idle.. You can also do this alone easily if the bike is in a garage that you can bounce the headlight beam off from.. It may help to click the beam onto highbeam first..

Now I would shut the scoot back off, sit in the seat and roll it back and forth to feel its resistance to roll.. Next I would squeeze the front brake hard enough to not be able to roll it and release the front brake expecting it to return to free roll indicating no sticky caliper.. Do the same with rear..

Now I would squeeze the clutch lever and hold it in for 15 or 20 seconds paying attention to resistance and feeling for clutch action.. Then I would release it and do the same again to see if I notice change = checking the hydraulic clutch system..

Now I would bounce the bike up and down some forcing the rear of the bike to stroke thru on the rear shock.. I would then take a peek under the rear of the bike in front of the rear tire and locate the bottom of the rear shock. I would look very closely for any sign of oil leakage around the bottom of the rear shock..

I would at least smack the tires to make sure they seem to be aired up fully.. I would also take a peek at the rear brake rotor while down there and see if it agrees that the bike only has 45k on it (amount of wear edge on the rotor).

Now I would crank er up and head on down the road if the guy would let me ride it.. I would get out of sight of the owner, put er in 2nd or 3rd gear and wick er up - she should run like a scalded dog (I know my 1st Gens do and the 2nd Gens I have ran with run almost as strong as my 1st Gens) = this is a good test for carb diaphrams.. IMHO,, the fuels we run now adays are with their alcohol content are very hard on diaphrams..

Doc,, I am on my 6th 1st Gen since 87.. Although a completely different model (not as cool looking as the 2nd Gen's) the 2nd Gens are pretty much the same engine internally/drive train with total Yamaha quality (did you know that Yamaha has held the top notch for bike quality for many years?) and I gotta tell ya = the durability of these machines and their far rider friendliness is uncanny.. The side covers that were on my original Blonde 84 Royale that I bought in 87 are still in use on our current 83 and those side covers have over a million miles on them... 200k is pretty much a standard and I have seen 300k plus on a couple of mine with out much more than lots of brake pads, LOTS of tires,,, 2 fuel pump failures, a half a dozen stator failures after upgrade (the upgrade thing was a 1st Gen thing) and keep this in mind = all but this latest 1st Gen was ridden out to those high miles with blown second gear - no joke = short shifting skipping 2nd for 10's of thousands of miles and other then having to "click-click" = never even really missed having 2nd!! Loaded up,, riding 2 up and that little V-4 pulls like mule strong enough that 2nd wasn't even needed!! THEY ARE AWESOME ENGINES!!!!

O.K.,, I'll shut up,,, I know I talk to much (wait till you come out to one of our club rallies and meet Marcarl or Saddlebum though,, like a couple cackeling old chickens ...

Before I go though,,, everything mentioned before I commented here is spot on IMHO.. Doing those and everything I wrote should take no more then 30 minutes of your time.. Personally,, even if I found some of thing wanting I would still grab the scoot and not be afraid to invest some $$'s into it to make it worthy! Usually, once these scoots are sorted out they are the best of the best for long riders and amazing around town bikes too..

Fingers are tired,, hope it all works out,, high potential for a GREAT scoot at a really good price my friend...

Puc

[Yammer Dan]

Check as Puc says then Park it and Walk Away!!! Stop when you get just out of sight and Listen!! Do you hear your name??? If you do GO BACK!!!!

[s.tyler58]

Check as Puc says then Park it and Walk Away!!! Stop when you get just out of sight and Listen!! Do you hear your name??? If you do GO BACK!!!!

My 83 called to me for about three months before I rescued her from the P.O.. He was a neighbor that wasn't tall enough for it. He dropped it on it's side in the yard one day and left it like that beside house for a year and a half. Finally he got her picked up and moved it next to his shed, which then made it visible to me for the first time. One stormy day the tarp blew off and for a few month I'd see her sitting there every time I looked out my kitchen window while doing dishes. At first she just smiled shyly, flipped her hair a couple times to let me know she was interested and then one day, she tired of my not picking up her signals, lured me down the hill to get a closer look at her. When I finally laid my hands on her, a shudder shot threw us both! Sort of like a shelter dog who's facing the gas chamber, I rescued her! We've been frustrating and loving each other for a year now.

 

Without the folks on this site, I might have tossed her out, but these guys are awesome with tips and videos and parts and experience! They've even inspired and coached me into doing the work myself which has been very rewarding.

 

You're starting out in a much better place and I wouldn't be afraid to jump in on that 2nd gen.

 

Me and "Farm Truck" had a rough first year while chasing down her issues and nursing her back to health, but the entire time we've been sharing our dreams and visions for life together on the road. Spring's coming and we're both getting a Little giddy about what it will bring.

 

Good luck.

 

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[s.tyler58]

My 83 called to me for about three months before I rescued her from the P.O.. He was a neighbor that wasn't tall enough for it. He dropped it on it's side in the yard one day and left it like that beside house for a year and a half. Finally he got her picked up and moved it next to his shed, which then made it visible to me for the first time. One stormy day the tarp blew off and for a few month I'd see her sitting there every time I looked out my kitchen window while doing dishes. At first she just smiled shyly, flipped her hair a couple times to let me know she was interested and then one day, she tired of my not picking up her signals, lured me down the hill to get a closer look at her. When I finally laid my hands on her, a shudder shot threw us both! Sort of like a shelter dog who's facing the gas chamber, I rescued her! We've been frustrating and loving each other for a year now.

 

Without the folks on this site, I might have tossed her out, but these guys are awesome with tips and videos and parts and experience! They've even inspired and coached me into doing the work myself which has been very rewarding.

 

You're starting out in a much better place and I wouldn't be afraid to jump in on that 2nd gen.

 

Me and "Farm Truck" had a rough first year while chasing down her issues and nursing her back to health, but the entire time we've been sharing our dreams and visions for life together on the road. Spring's coming and we're both getting a Little giddy about what it will bring.

 

Good luck.

 

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Cowpuc isn't the only one who can spin a yarn! Hahaha

 

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[Yammer Dan]

Pays ta keep your boots handy round here!!! LOL

[bongobobny]

I can't say anything else that hasn't already been said! It's nothing to get more than 200,000 miles out of these, and at 50K it's hardly broken in!

 

Yes, they are top-heavy at low speeds but there area few cures for that, running a 130 size tire in the front and lowering by shoving the front forks further up the triple tree are two of the most effective things to do. Yes, the rear shocks are known to rupture and leak, but there is a guy on this site that rebuilds them for a very modest fee. The clutch wine can make the bike sound like a George Jetson special but the noise is harmless, just turn the radio up louder! The clutch can start to slip, but there are a couple of different routes to take, depending on how involved you want to get and how much money you want to spend. BTW these bikes are, for the most part, very easy to work on! The carbs occasionally need service, one of the most important things is to periodically sync them!

 

You will find this site loaded with technical information and great and helpful friends as well!! Welcome aboard, spend the $12 per year for membership, it is well worth it!!!

[snyper316]

My 83 called to me for about three months before I rescued her from the P.O..

You're starting out in a much better place and I wouldn't be afraid to jump in on that 2nd gen.

 

Me and "Farm Truck" had a rough first year while chasing down her issues and nursing her back to health, but the entire time we've been sharing our dreams and visions for life together on the road. Spring's coming and we're both getting a Little giddy about what it will bring.

 

Good luck.

 

Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk

 

Thought its name was Shrek???

[s.tyler58]

Thought its name was Shrek???

I'm not even positive she's a she at this point. Like a dog it takes some time for them to reveal their names. Took a little over a month for Bacca, aka Chewbacca to turn into Bud.

 

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[snyper316]

Fiona was shrecks wife lol yeah mine was Marie at first then the name didn't fit so now she is Tinker Marie Venture when I need to scald her but mainly tinker.

 

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[Cowboy270674]

I've got a chance to purchase a 2000 Yamaha Royal Star Venture. It's on Craigslist and loaded for $3000. The owner says it has 45,000 miles on it.

So I have a few questions:

1. How many miles do y'all have on your Ventures? Is 18 years and 45k miles too much for this bike?

2. When I test drive... What are some of the most common problems with older model Ventures to look for?

3. When I test drive... What do I look for to make sure I'm not buying something that's going to break down on me soon?

4. What questions do I need to ask the owner?

 

I have never owned a motorcycle with more than 26k miles... so I want to make sure I'm not making a mistake.

Any advice y'all have would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you...

Love my 06 Royal Star Venture

 

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[bongobobny]

Just so you know, all 2nd generation Ventures from '99 to '13 are basically the same bike, just different colors and a couple of minor differences, the '99 had some lower trunk issues which were corrected with the '00, and the newest versions had a modification to the audio system, something to do with using an iPod or something like that, and the optional CD changer became standard equipment.

[Yammer Dan]

I would say it was the Best 12 bucks I ever spent but a few years ago this cute little thing moved in next door to me and I went over to welcome her to the neighborhood with a bottle of Boone's Farm Strawberry hill!! So my 1st date with the Warden only cost me about 3 bucks & change!! Now that's a deal!!!

[videoarizona]

I've got a chance to purchase a 2000 Yamaha Royal Star Venture. It's on Craigslist and loaded for $3000. The owner says it has 45,000 miles on it.

So I have a few questions:

1. How many miles do y'all have on your Ventures? Is 18 years and 45k miles too much for this bike?

2. When I test drive... What are some of the most common problems with older model Ventures to look for?

3. When I test drive... What do I look for to make sure I'm not buying something that's going to break down on me soon?

4. What questions do I need to ask the owner?

 

I have never owned a motorcycle with more than 26k miles... so I want to make sure I'm not making a mistake.

Any advice y'all have would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you...

 

 

Last thought. These are high reving motors. Don't lug the thing...wind her out. The rev limiter will kick in if you exceed the rev limit. Won't hurt a thing but will feel like you hit a wall! Shift and crank some more!

[RedRider]

Welcome. 50k miles wouldn't worry me a bit. I have 157k miles on my 2000 and would be comfortable taking it across country (if the weather were a bit warmer) at any time. Bombproof engine. It will likely need a little maintenance, but we can help you through that. Fairly easy bike to work on.

 

Depending on the options/add-ons, you might be able to get the price down a little bit ($2500 or so).

 

Go for it.

 

RR

[bongobobny]

Yup, cash talks, bull**** walks...

[BlueSky]

New 2013 Ventures are still available!