Pictures of my 2018 Yamaha Eluder GT

[Texas Tom]

I appreciate the participation in the thread and I too had tried a couple BMW 1200 LT when I got ride of the 2nd Gen, loved the bike and features, it was an 05 and was much lighter and had more up to date features than the 1300 Venture, but the seating position was not conducive to my hip issues, the rearward angle created pain and safety issues for me so I sold it. I didn't have a bike at all for about 5 or 6 years and then bought the Stratoliner Deluxe because it was the closet thing I found to the Venture that was more up to date, lighter, better seating position and height for me. I was disappointed with the smaller tank and the handling of the bike, while better than the 2nd Gen, still not as nimble as I had hoped and I like riding it, but can't say it was enjoyable, as it lacked the higher end features off the show room floor that the 2nd Gen did, but with no other alternative in the Star line and no Venture update in the foreseeable future I "settled" and was happy, but not ecstatic. It handled better than the 2nd Gen, the stock seat was comfortable enough, but still not the nimble I had really hoped for. At the time I bought it, there were no "demo bikes" and little did I know they were discontinuing the line shortly after. When I saw the new Venture/Eluder articles and the comments, I got the "I really want one" bug and the announcement that they would have the demo ride program with them, it was "what can it hurt" and gave it a shot. I waited a long time before one was in stock and the dealer called me as promised. I looked at both, like the look of the Venture, but the bulk kind of put me off, but the look was definitely appealing and the features were what I was looking for.... price.... not so much. My wife liked the Eluder look better and her arthritis limits her ability to ride as often as we had hoped and it isn't getting any better. As a result, I decided to try the Eluder and as I stated in the original post, immediately loved the weight, handling etc. That along with the price point and financial aspects of it, I declined the Venture and have no regrets. My commute to and from work is about 100 mile round trip and I have found the seat to be acceptable, but am disappointed that Mustang doesn't plan on making a seat for them ( the didn't with the 2nd Gen either), I had a Corbin on the 2nd Gen and would never buy one again.... talk about a brick. I would need to have assurances that it would be more comfortable before I would even remotely consider it. Yes I know they will soften it, but I am not a fan of having to send it off without knowing how soft/firm it will come back and taking it to them to have it done while I wait is out due to time and distant. When I have the $$ for an after market, I will see what is available. MPG is between 37 and 39 on the highway so far. Will be watching it after the breaking period... which will end tomorrow when I take it in for the first service and oil change (560 miles on it right now). As Russ stated, each ride gets better and the adjustment period to the bike characteristics is virtually non-existent in my mind. Very easy to handle. I have even had a couple of HD riders comment on the looks of the bike and the features and warranty being a real bargain for the price in comparison to what they would get $ for $ from the HD line. The are hardcore HD lovers and I doubt they would switch, but I think the HDs come with a Matrix type Red pill that you take to develop that die hard mindset. I am not a pill taker and am thrilled with my Yamaha products, especially this one. The 1100 classic was a great bike and mustang had a seat for it, but the 2nd Gen was bigger and more feature laden, but had the previously noted trade offs, the Stat Deluxe was okay, but the Eluder is my "cats meow" so far.

 

I will keep looking for and posting updates as tie passes and will be interested to see what aftermarket items are offered in the coming months.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tank capacity is a big plus... yesterday I averaged 40.5 mpg driving up to hills cruising at 70 and hammering the throttle occasionally. I rode with my wife 120 miles. Started with a full tank and made it home with a half tank.

 

yes, the seat is a one piece and is heated... I have used it a few times and had to turn it down to the 1 setting because it works so well. You can run it all the way up to 10. You can also set the driver and passenger settings independently. I find the seat to be damn good for a stock setup, which is usually not the case. My 120 mile rides caused zero fatigue for both me and my wife. It provides decent driver back support, which I need as I am getting older. I contacted Mustang to see if they were designing a seat for the Eluder. They indicated no at this point. I had a Mustang seat on my Stratoliner and absolutely loved it.

 

I keep hearing complaints from folks that the Venture lacks performance due to the extra weight. All I can attest to is the Eluder GT... it has plenty of power and loads of torque. If I wanted a race bike I would own a Hayabusa. But I don’t. I want a nice looking “get around town” and occasional “hit the hills” bike. And this bike does both very well!

 

i have the GT package but no heated grips... I do have heated gloves that I used to use during colder rides. Heated grips would be cool.

 

thanks, Rich :-)

[Russbug1]

Here are couple of pictures of my new Eluder GT and my first impressions and some comparisons between the ELUDER GT and the 05 RSV I previously owned

 

Eluder GT – First Impressions / Comparison with my 05 Royal Star Venture

A week ago I purchased a 2018 3^rd Gen Star Venture GT at Houston Motorsports after 10 mile test ride. First impression was WOW! what a difference the redesign of the retro style Royal Star Venture. Immediately noticed a significant difference in the seat height. The old model left people my height vertically challenged in achieving a flat footed stationary position. The modern design provides me with a solid foot on the ground with some knee bend. Next was the change in weight of the bikes. It comes up off the stand easily and has a well-balanced feel.

 

I was leery about taking the bike out, having never ridden one (it is actually the first time a dealer has let me test ride any bike I have purchased) and the less than comfortable first experience when I got on my brand new 2^nd Gen for the first time. Once in motion, any trepidation I had felt went away. The bike is very nimble at slow speeds, responsive to very little throttle and the clutch is very smooth. Once on I turned onto the street and gave it some gas, it moved out nicely. I would say the torque of both bikes is similar (it has been a while since I have had my 2^nd Gen). First gear has a higher speed than the previous model (not being a mechanic, I can’t say the gear ratios are different or not with any certainty). The Eluder GT has the six speed transmission like the previous version, but, also has 2 different ride “modes”, a touring and sport mode. I haven’t experiment much with them (I had to read the manual to know what the mode button did other than show a T and a S on the console). According to the book it lets the bike response be like a sport bike (to some degree) or the standard touring bike responsiveness. The first negative of the bike was the windshield, it was too short, and the wind buffeting was the first thing I noticed. Toss in a crosswind and it only made it worse. I will admit that it is something that I got used to after 2 days of riding to work, but coming from a taller windshield, it was something that I knew I would change on the very first ride (the dealer threw in the medium windshield including installation). On my 2^nd Gen the stock shield was too tall and I ended up going to the Clearview medium windshield.

 

Speaking of consoles, the new console is light years ahead of the 2^nd Gen, but in all fairness, technology has advance so much it couldn’t have stayed where it. It is a combination of analog speedometer and tachometer, the odometer and gear indicator are digital and the GPS/Infotainment Center is touch screen digital, has a big display that can be toggled to show Audio, GPS, Phone, MPG, Battery and Communications connection information. All of this is controlled from a set of buttons on the left side of the handle bars. It takes some getting used to (reading the book really helps too) but given what it does it is pretty intuitive as well. The Eluder GT is alarm equipped and uses a key-less radio frequency fob like may of the new cages. The ignition took me sometime to figure out since it only requires a push, hearing a click and turning the knob. Overthinking Tom, though you had to push, hear the click and keep it depressed while turning the knob (which, by the way does nothing). If the buttons on the fob are pushed too many times trying to figure it out, it locks out for about 5 minutes as an added anti-theft safety feature.

 

Mother nature has cooperated 3 whole days for me to ride it, 2 days to work and back (53 miles each way). Today I got to ride to the dealership to have the new medium windshield installed, and a bit of around town before heading home(about 50 miles. The taller windshield makes all the difference in the world with the wind buffeting. Who knows, if Clearview offers up a windshield for it, I may invest in one, I like the S-curve at the top and the vent you can get in them. The bike has a 6.6 gallon tank an to date I have been getting 38 mpg on the freeway and 37 in the around town riding. If memory serves me right, the RSV I had would get about 36 on the highway and less in town. I am interested to see if the mileage stays as high or gets better after the break in period.

I know this has been long winded, but those who remember me from my days on the forum as DK Knight, it is to be expected. It is nice to be back, I hopefully will be able to make it to some of the ride-ins that come up and make some new friends in the local area, I was happy to see so many in the Cypress/Houston area. Those to the north (Dallas/Ft. Worth, Austin and San Antonio) ae only a couple of hours away and would be great to have a lunch meet and greet. I remember one of the reasons to ride was to find a good place to eat!

I will post more as I get more saddle time and miles behind me on the bike.

 

 

 

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=111800

 

Well, I went ahead and ordered the taller windshield... I noticed a lot of buffeting during my last ride with cross winds. Looking forward to less wind in my eyes :-)

 

Rich

[djh3]

Here is a good example of the type of person I am talking about who explains what I am saying in a little more detail.. Noticing the 1st gear on the old old old 1200cc Venture = 70mph, 2nd = 80mph and 3rd = 95 mph compared with the numbers showing on the new one as it bounces off the rev limiter ...

 

 

Well Puc I looked up a couple specs that will help maybe. The stroke on the Gen 2 is 66mm (2.59") , the "new" Venture is 112mm (4.40"). Almost a 2 inch difference so no way its going to spool up like a short stroke motor. I will say I finaly got to ride the eluder Wed @ Daytona. I started in "sport" mode and found it to have "jerky" throttle response for me. Probably more to do with getting use to fly by wire and the way it felt lower geared. I figured how to adapt to it so not as jerky. Later I flipped over to the "tour" mode and it felt very much like my Victory acts, comfortable to me so rode that way for awhile. Over all I liked the bike.

[David Lee]

Hey Tom - I'm a newbie to the group. I'm looking to upgrade to a bagger (Yamaha Star Eluder). I currently ride a 2007 Kawasaki 900 custom that I have modified over the years for the longer haul. I test rode the Eluder and was blown away (easy to be after what I've been riding for 12 years). I'd like to get an opinion from anyone who may have this bike, and I just read an old post from you. I see you have this machine? I haven't seen any on the road, I live in Los Angeles. Any advise? Words of wisdom? Thanks, in advance.

[Du-Rron]

Hey Tom - I'm a newbie to the group. I'm looking to upgrade to a bagger (Yamaha Star Eluder). I currently ride a 2007 Kawasaki 900 custom that I have modified over the years for the longer haul. I test rode the Eluder and was blown away (easy to be after what I've been riding for 12 years). I'd like to get an opinion from anyone who may have this bike, and I just read an old post from you. I see you have this machine? I haven't seen any on the road, I live in Los Angeles. Any advise? Words of wisdom? Thanks, in advance.

 

I have a VN900 and a RSV. I know you didn't ask specifically me but I cant resist.

 

If you can get the Eluder for a highly discounted price it might be something to think about. I have a 2012 RSV and for some reason it rides better every day which means I am not in the market to sell it to get a new Venture/Eluder. The VN900C is what I use when I want to ride light and within a 50 mile radius of my house.

 

Now, Indian is coming out with a liquid cooled Challenger in 2020 year model that will have 50 or so more horsepower than the Eluder. Dunno the price on it. Might be a good thing to wait a bit and see what Indian has to offer.

 

[David Lee]

Ok, thanks. Appreciate the response. I may just keep the Vulcan for commuting. Take off all the touring accessories and keep it clean. Am seeing some prices for the Eluder down to $16,999 now.