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I hope you don’t mind if I chime in here? As a previous owner of a 91 Venture Royale and a current owner of the new Star Venture with over 76k miles on it, I may have an interesting perspective. Granted anyone’s perspective is personal and subject to dismissal. I loved the heck out of my 91 Royale. It was my first touring bike and was beyond anything I’d imagined. It had the best “tech” of the time and I really liked the easily adjustable air ride suspension. As far as power goes… it was indomitable! Even sport bikes refused to tangle with it. It did great for many multi state trips my wife and I took and never gave me a problem except ONE and that was the clutch. The motor was so strong and the only weak point was the clutch. I found a fix on line though that all you had to do was ADD a second concave clutch spring ring to it. It was much harder to pull the clutch in but when you revved that motor and let the clutch go there was no place for the power to go except lifting the front end up! Did it many times. In a way, the old Venture was like having a luxury sport touring bike. Fast forward almost 13 years… I was shopping for a bike and truly there was nothing out there that truly fit the “touring” model except the Goldwing. I did not and do not like the upright seating position. It feels like you’re riding ON the bike and not in it as a part of it, however the wing was my only option for reliability and performance. I was just about to pull the trigger on a stage 3 2017 wing when Yamaha debuted the SVTC. As soon as I saw it I KNEW that’s what I wanted. It didn’t look like a cookie cutter bike like every other manufacturer out there. It was unique, had its own badass stance and was factory loaded with almost every tech you could imagine. I even went so far as to purchase the bike sight unseen! Had never seen or sat on one nor taken one for a test ride until the day it was delivered 29 Dec 2017. Now, having had the bike for over 5yrs and putting over 76k miles on it I feel uniquely qualified to comment on it. It’s 964lbs but is incredibly nimble at slow speeds and is extremely predictable and steady when you throw it hard into corners. Myself having taken it at 75mph into a corner marked 40mph, and I have the scrapes down both pipes to prove it. It’s super comfortable on very long rides and there something relaxing about that sound of a v-twin low unhurried rumble at 70 mph and about 2600 rpm. Is the bike “underpowered” , I don’t think so. I was looking for a touring rig not a full dress racing bike. There’s more than enough torque to move the bike 2 up loads and with a loaded trailer. No problems passing either. Yes, the 4750 rpm limit took some learning to adjust to but that’s MY issue not the bike. And since having had the Ivan’s flash tune to the ECM, the bikes performance is vastly more impressive. Actually more in line with what I’d had expected straight from Yamaha but that’s neither here nor there. The fact is the performance increase IS available. I don’t know about you gentleman but when riding and especially long trips, having an excellent sound system is very important. The Harmon Kardon Surround system on this bike is truly spectacular. As good as some I’ve heard on other bikes who spent a couple thousand dollars for and this one is stock! Add to that the DUAL audio where the passenger can listen to what they want at their own volume levels regardless of what you’re listening to and you have a system that provides customized enjoyment for BOTH people. Every single volume item.. CB, COMMS, NAV, MUSIC, PHONE. Each one has its own volume control INDIVIDUALLY customizable by rider and passenger. Again, they had each person in mind when they did this obviously. Now the electronic “quirks”. Yamaha was made known about many of these issues but never addressed them. 1. When CB was ON and you used COMMS, what you said between the two of you was also broadcast over the CB. Yeah, not good. They needed to separate it so that COMMS were VOX control (like the Royale was) and CB required you to push the transmit button. The NAV system worked well BUT was only limited to 5 way points and your destination so 6 total. Some of us however found a way around that by utilizing a gpx1.1 with POI and were able to get it to accept routes with as many as 27 way points! Of course another issue is that you could not save any address as a “name”. You could only save the address. That was frustrating cu I may not remember where “Robby’s Ribs” are but I remember the name. So you see the issue. Another tech piece I like is the VOX control of all functions. I just tap a button and it says “say a command”. Everything from placing a call to volume control or source selection etc… THAT is very nice cuz I don’t need to look to see what I’m doing. Sure Park is great! Honda has only reverse but this has FORWARD & REVERSE and trust me, riding 2up loaded with a trailer and trying to maneuver in gravel, sand or loose whatever, this is a true lifesaver! Another complaint said often is about the “heat”. The Royale was water cooled true, but when the cooling fans kicked in where did that heat go? YEP ! It got blown but up on you the rider! This bike is air cooled. If you’re stuck in stop and go in the summer YES it’s gonna be hot. I have found since the Ivan’s ECM Tune that the bike runs cooled. I have a hunch that these bikes were factory tuned lean to meet emissions standards hence the heat issue. Even when stuck in traffic with 10’s of thousands of bikes like the last Rolling Thunder in DC which I attended, the heat was still bearable but I’ll admit not by much. Has the bike has some issues, yes. Has Yamaha stepped up in every issue except the software… YES. IMHO, Yamaha made the most awesome v-twin touring bike available but you can’t get past peoples stereotypes and people don’t think v-twin when they think Yamaha. I think their poor marketing and initial release are to blame for much of the poor sales. Another big part of it is the many here who just cannot envision the name “Venture” and v-twin being in the same sentence let alone the same bike. TRUTH! See, the “stereotyping” exists on all sides. Would I have loved to see them stuff thw 1700 VMAX motor into this? HECK YEAH! But I also know I would not be getting 42mpg with that NOR would the bike have a 6.6 gal tank for range because of the down draft design of the VMAX KOTOR. There’s always gives & takes. This current design in the SVTC truly is the best “touring” package available. That’s my 2 cents… well maybe buck fifty. 😁

That is the big question that I have. Do you think that they will build another larger touring bike or even a large cruiser? I have to tell you, I am one of the, probably few, here who truly like the Star Venture when it came out. I actually like the large V-Twins and except for the painfully low rev limiter, it was really fun to ride. Yamaha has a pretty long history of a lifespan of at least 10 years with no major changes on their models, the fact that they dripped the Star Venture and the Elude so quickly is ample proof that it was a resounding sales failure though. Even though I do like the bike, I will always wonder what the heck were they thinking. To me, the facts are pretty clear, American rides who love the big V-Twins are always going to buy an American bike. Harley or Indian primarily. If you want to draw sales away from them, you have to offer something compelling and different. The Honda Goldwing carved out their own niche. Most V Twin riders won't give them a second look but they weren't targeting those riders. They target those who yearned for a more rifined and smooth running bike. Yamaha did the same with the original Venture starting in 1983. After dropping it in 1993, they came out with a cruiser style in 1999. A lot of the ld die hard Venture riders didn't like it but many of us did. Those of us who lover the cruiser styling but also the smooth power of the Yamaha V 4 engine were quick to accept it. It would never really compete strongly for the V Twin riders but it was unique in the industry and was a proven and good running V 4 engine. They owned that segment. The RSV was a beautiful, and dependable bike. I will be the first to admit that after more than 10 years, it was time for an upgrade but they already had an engine that was ready. The new VMax motor was ready to go. With some slight modifications, and more much less research and development that was spent of their new air cooled V Twin, I believe they had a winner waiting. Will they do it now? Doubtful. with big touring bikes on the decline, I fear that the time has past. Yamaha may surprise me but it would indeed be a surprise. I'm a member, some of you are also, of a Facebook group named Senior Riders. It is riders primarily between 60 and 90 years old. There are riders of all brands in that group and some still ride big Harleys, Indians, BMWs, etc. I will say that the vast majority however have moved to lighter and more agile styles. Adventure bikes, standards, even some sport bikes. I stil have to wonder though. Would Yamaha have had more success if they had come out with a new touring bike with a V Max V4 instead of the air cooled V Twiin. If I were looking to buy a new touring bike right now, it would likely be the Indian Pursuit. It's a liquid cooled V-Twin rated at 120 HP and dynos at 108 HP at the rear wheel. Now look at these two pictures. For me, there is no contest on which is the better looking bike. Put a 120 - 140 HP V Max based water cooled V 4 in this Star Venture and I would favor it at least 10 to 1 over the Indian. I think that Yamaha did great on the styling and it had most every advanced riding feature you could ask for. I think that they could have kept their existing Venture Rider base and added to it. What do you think?

My son has been recording/mixing music for Beyonce' for over 10 years. She won 4 Grammys last night and my son who recorded/mixed her music was awarded 2 Grammys. This makes 4 Grammys total for him! Had to brag a little! Sorry!

Chiefgunner, I agreer with pretty much everything you wrote. Mine truly was a pleasure to ride.. I had absolutely no issue with excess heat or anything else. My only small complaint was the very low rev limiter. As you stated though, you get used to that. I also have no problem with a V Twin as I've owned a number of Harley's. I just feel that from a sales standpoint, a VMax based tourer might have done better. I guess we'll never know though.

The rear master cylinder was actually perfect. The brake pedal was the issue. I managed to free it up and bleed the brakes. They are working as they should now!

Agree the price of a touring bike could be a stalling point. I know for us it is a consideration for sure. Also the generation that would be coming of age to buy a bike to travel on are not interested in motorcycles.

I test rode the new venture and though it was nice, unlike some I was not overly impressed and was more than happy to climb back onto my 1st gen. I have never ridden a Harley so I cannot really compare. Not being a jump on the band wagon sort of guy, and go for something just because it's popular I lean towards what I like for me not what impresses others. Am I bit curious to take a Harley for a ride once in awhile? On occasion I am but that's about it.

Totally Agree Don. After my accident went from RSV that I Loved to a Harley Heritage,105th anniversary which was great but was not as smooth as RSV. I sat on, test rode Star Venture, but too heavy for me at that time. Felt like Yamaha was just trying to hard to compete with American Bikes and missed the point of Loyal Yamaha Riders that loved their Smooth, Liquid Cooled bikes. Now Riding a Harley trike that has Liquid cooled heads, go figure. But do not see Mother Yamaha coming out with another touring bike unless they compete with a V-max engine and whole new frame. Will always love my Yamaha bikes, but...

Same here when I sold my 04 venture...I really liked the look of the New Venture and all it's bells and whistles.. I got a Harley Road Glide (water cooled cylinder head) and enjoyed it but always missed the venture... That time has passed me unfortunately and For now I'm sticking with my 3 wheels for now. I'm thinking of maybe getting a small 2 wheeled Bike for local rides. (just like @Freebird old folks Facebook group.). I miss the ride / lean of a Bike but my shoulder would not be able to handle a full dresser anymore..

We loved the RSV. But the top heavy-ness worried me. Ride and performance was very good. The V3 Venture, well all I ever did was a test ride around Daytona Speedway roads. It seemed OK and I liked it had selectable "performance" modes. But was disappointed it wasnt water cooled. I had rode Victory's at several test ride days and liked the handling and performance. I liked the angular looks, kind of like the V3, definatly dont get confused with "the other American motorcycle". Would I buy an Indian? For me its a hard sell. Polaris pulled the rug out from under us Victory folks once, and you cant fault us for being a bit gun shy of them a second time around. As for going with the crowd. Not likely. I raced Dodges when everybody else ran a Bow Tie. Drag racing kind of same thing I worked with a guy on a car and we ran big ol Mopars with big blocks. LOL

I never was much into the whole Harley thing. A lot of folks think "If it ain't a Harley, it ain't s##t". That attitude was always a real turn off to me. I've always been a Honda or Yammy fan, and you can't deny the styling of first or second gen Ventures. Add to that the reliability and the performance...especially of the first gens, and it's a no brainer to me. Let's not forget the bang for the buck aspect either. As I'm getting older, I'm starting to look at 3 wheels. I worry more than I used to about flats and keeping the bike upright, whether rolling or stopped, ....especially when Lisa's on the back. There's probably a Can Am in my future, but I can't imagine ever giving up my Venture(s) , although some day I'll have to. As for Yammy, I'd have to agree that they'll have a hard time competing against the likes of Harley and Indian, only because they're considered the "Cool" bike, regardless of other factors.

I would have bought a new Venture if it had been a 4-cylinder, liquid cooled, but settled for a used Venture. I am not really into the V-Twin, I prefer more cylinders. Since I am pushing 70 real hard, I will keep riding my Venture bike and trike as long as I can.