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After being blessed with a beautiful baby boy 19 years ago, I decided to sell my '99 Venture due to not being able to get the 'what if' thought out of my head every time I rode it. Ironically, it was my wife who said "don't sell it, you love that bike". I can still hear her saying those words to this day. I think she also loved it, we took many trips together up/down the coast, Yosemite, Mt. Lassen and Shasta, beautiful country and amazing rides. At times I wished I'd kept it and took my son riding, but baseball was his passion in life from when he was 2 years old, so we ended up spending most weekends at the ball field anyways and the bike ultimately would not have fit into our lives and sat unused for too much of the time. Well, last August we dropped our son off at college in St. Louis (where he's playing ball!!) and in September I purchased my new baby, an '07 Venture. As a funny little side story, I was recently searching for some family photos from 2010 and came across a photo of the blue/black '07 that I had apparently downloaded to my computer late one night in 2010! I have no recollection of doing that but apparently my love of the '07 color scheme goes back a good 10 years. It's taken 6 long months to work through carb issues, then getting a trust & wills set up (at my wife's, the responsible adult here, insistence) and then finally some nice weather for this day to finally happen. Our first ride together in 20 years. It really is amazing how time flies, the whirlwinds of parenting, getting older and then suddenly right back to where we started and hard to believe that these 20 years passed in the blink of an eye. I'm blessed to still be here, healthy, to have a wife who gives me no grief about having a motorcycle and to have experienced the greatest joy of all in life of having a child. In the end, I can't say I would change a thing but now, its time to ride!

Yeah, sounds terrible.

I decided to put a drink holder on the Venture and did not want it attached to the handlebar, so I made an aluminum bracket that uses the factory screws and mounting holes for the side fairing cover. Using a piece of 5052 aluminum sheet .092 thick. 5052 aluminum will bend and not crack like 6061 will. I polished the sheet metal but will probably hydro dip it carbon fiber now that I feel comfortable with the dipping process. Purchased a CIRO DRINK HOLDER WITHOUT MOUNT part #50003 and a CIRO ECONOMY PERCH / UNIVERSAL MOUNT part #50132. I really like this cup holder and it will hold a one quart water bottle with no problem. I am thinking about producing a few of these if there is any interest.

Today I took my youngest on her first ride. She loved it, she thought it was so cool when other riders would wave and I would wave back.

My wife and I took an 11 year hiatus for much the same reason, selling our '06 Vulcan 2000 Classic LT in '08 because our kids needed parents. By the time our youngest turned 16 in 2019 we could wait no longer and purchased the '08 RSV we have now. My life now is rough - my wife, my 22 year old daughter and my 17 year old daughter fight over who gets to ride with me. We live about a 45 min ride from Daytona so I have to make a minimum of three trips to Bike Week and Biketoberfest each year so that all three can attend.......poor me. 😁 This was my wife and I on a bike trip to North Carolina from Florida in '07 on the Vulcan.

Great story, as I can relate, only my wife does not ride, and I had girls that were basketball and volleyball junkies. They are moved out now, and I try to get an early afternoon ride in every day possible. I prefer that blue color over all the others as well. Be safe!

Congrats on getting back on the horse. I too took a 20+ Hiatus. Wife and I enjoy traveling on the Venture much to the dismay of our kids. The one in med school is sure we’ll get killed on it. The blue/black is the best paint scheme of em all, it took me a year or two to find the one we have.

No ignition bypass on bike now but will do the check to see if is the switch. Battery on charger right now. Was at around 12.35vlts. Cleaned terminals and cables. Will also check ground by horn. Oh wife says NOOOO to new bike!!!!!!!!! Have to get going so when my parts come in I can get valves adjusted. I just can't seem to win!!!

Doug Simpson I've been riding for 56 years. I've had my Venture for about 15 years. I don't do long trips but do like to ride and enjoy doing it in comfort.