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Don't know how long it will last but I'm going to ride while I can. I was looking at a BMW K1600 Grand America but the more I read, the less I wanted it. A lot of great features but it has known and verifiable stability issues. So much so that they have it speed limited to. just over 100 MPH. That wouldn't bother me really but further reading confirmed that the stability issue actually. reared it head at much lower speeds. Turbulence from trucks, grooved roads, etc. So I decided against it. BMW has actually discontinued that model. Then I almost pulled the trigger on. a 2016 Indian. Roadmaster with the stage 3 kit. That means bigger jugs, cams, throttle body, and more. Sounded nice but the owner was the second owner and he had no idea who did the stage 3. Was it Indian or some aftermarket kit. He had no idea. What really turned me off was the heat. I have to tell you the truth, I have NEVER felt so much heat coming off a bike of any brand. It was brutal. Then I did some more research and found that some people actually have blistered right legs from riding them. I decided against that one also. So, I went back to something I owned before and really liked it. The Harley Road Glide. This one is a Harley certified (meaning another year of warranty after the factory warranty expires). It is a 2022 Road Glide Limited with 11,000 miles on it. It has the 114 engine and definitely feels much stronger than any of my previous Harley's. All the bells and whistles.

I thought I remembered a topic in here called "What did you do on your Venture today?" On Saturday I rode 576 miles from Palatine, IL to Norton, VA. On Sunday I rode 586 miles from Norton, VA to Palatine, IL. Got a hair up my fanny to go and I went. This may be the last time I do something this stupid but I enjoyed the heck out of it. I rode the interstate mostly as the question was, "Can I make it there and back in two days?" Kentucky 15 through the Cumberland Mountains was beautiful, 55mph and no potholes or traffic. Not sure how many miles but I was in the hills from 8am til noon. There was a big yellow dog on one long sweeping left hander that was just standing in the road staring at me. My '08 RSV, the SofaGlide, handled it perfectly. I couldn't have asked more of my pretty, gray Yamaha. The whole time in the mountains that I wasn't stopped for gas I was in 4th gears doing 55mph. The whole time I was on the prairie that I wasn't stopped for gas I was in OD with the cruise set at 75. Simply fantastic. What did you do on your Venture today? B The SofaGlide on Bart Campton's Mountain Parkway 150 past the Welcome To Virginia sign on Rte. 119

Hello all, I've been meaning to post this for a while....too busy riding and other things. I wanted to give a huge shout out to a member who worked on my bike last winter. I met Carl @Marcarlat last years Ontario get together in Paris. He offered to work on my 84 VR and said he would do a thorough job fixing anything that needed to be fixed. I gave him a whole wish list of things that needed some maintenance/fixing and he worked from front to back adding new rubber (Dunlop E4's), four brush starter, @skydoc_17fuse kit, fixed oil leak in the front forks having had progressive springs installed at the local dealer the year previous, new carburetor diaphragms, carb sync, braided brake lines, new brake pads, added a thingey 😀(spacer) to the rear axle and grease nipple as well as Wolo air horn (loud) and PIAA running lights (bright but expensive) as well as resoldering the air compressor. I'm probably missing some fixes...Also, he bought a Plastex kit and showed me how to repair cracked fairing parts using his Dremel tools. Special thanks to his lovely wife for providing lunches for all those winter lunches trying to solve all the worlds problems. Special mention goes out to @saddlebum who provided advice and some "spare" parts for my machine. Always enjoy riding this machine but its just that much sweeter of a ride now. Planning a trip to Vermont in a couple of weeks. I hope everyone has a Carl and a Ben in their area that they can count on for advice and assistance. Thanks to you both... Mark

A lot of changed on this Milwauke 8 motor. Standard Road glide ultra comes with the 107 engine but this limited is the 114. It.runs strong. Certainly. not a drag. bike but around 100 HP with 122 ft. lbs or torque and you can really feel the torque. And though some hard core Harley riders might not like it, they reduced vibration about 75%. I was initially looking at a 2018 mode but all the research told me that there were some initial problems with their motors having to do with oil sumpping. In 2020, Harley corrected that issue with a new oil pump and some crankcase venting. I'm not sure how widespread the problem was but decided that I didn't want to chance it. Didn't find a good deal on a '20 or '21 model but did OK on this '22.

Thats a real pretty bike Don. My buddy just picked up a 2015 Road Glide with 11,000 miles. One owner bike. Came with a trailer and travel pack etc. Its a really nice bike! He let me ride it home and all and all I enjoyed it. It has the 103 and it's got plenty of power, still no Venture though I'm still riding my first gen, just crossed over 90k miles after doing a 1400 mile 3 day ride to the Black Hills and back. I bet that 114 makes for a super fun machine! Don, have you had the chance to ride one of the new GoldWings yet?

Feels Great to get out for a ride like that. Good for you....I'm "Jelly".

Nice!!! Jealous!!

If you haven't removed the carbs yet, let me say that it's not that hard at all! I did it twice... With nothing more than reading the posts from guys who have done it on this site. It's just time consuming. I think it took me 2 hours first time. Stopping to take notes and pictures so I could get it back together. When I got the carbs out, I thought "that really isn't that hard". Just saying...

Crossing fingers the person who has come forward works out the way you wish. I found this site late, but having met you and so many others from here....I have come to love my friends here! Such good people.. and.... This is the only site I've found where positive human values are evident with all who live here! It's a pleasure to know you.... and all of the Venture riders! Prayers Up for your health, Don!

Folks, let me be clear. I have no intention for this site to go away. I also gave no intention of selling it. My intention is to turn it over to a current member who shares our passion. No final decision will be made until after my next doctors appointment but somebody has come forward that might just work out. I think you will all be pleased.

Don, Say it aint so!?!? I have broken bread with you at your home, I have worked on motorcycles in your garage, (NOT my own!) I have even showered in your bathroom! After all these years, you have been kind and thoughtful, and have taught me to be a better person! Not to mention, the advanced riding skills I developed over the years riding with YOU, Bongo Bobbie, Those Crazy Canucs, and of course the West New York Posse. I began my Yamaha Venture Journey when I purchased my first Venture, an 86' MKII VR back in 1991. Here we are, some 32 years later with over 350,000 miles just on the several Ventures I have owned through the years! What a journey! The quality of that journey has in part been a direct result of knowing YOU and the other members of this excellent forum. The new mantra for this forum will have to be, "What would Don Do"? ANY member that would try to put on your shoes, so to speak would earn his money, there's no doubt about that! It goes without saying that both Jean and I wish that your current vision issues work out in your favor Don. And we also wish you the best of luck finding your replacement. Maybe Elon Musk will buy the forum, and change the name to "Venture Twitter" or something catchy like that. My only regret is that after you have done so much for this Forum Don, I can do so little for you, my friend. If there is ever anything I can do for you Don, just let me know. It has been an Honor to be a member of this wonderful Forum Don, and it has been all your doing! Earl and Jean Harrell.

Wow, I have no words. Don, you have done a fantastic job since the site was first formed and have maintained it well. Meet and eats as well as maintenance days spawned from here. Your personal dedication to the venture community will not be matched. Unfortunately we get older and changes will happen. Step back knowing that you have done well and take care of your personal life. I certainly won’t forget you and your contributions to the motorcycle community.

@Freebird. Don, I am very sorry for what you must be going through on a personnel level and truly hope something can be done for you to ensure your quality of life does not get compromised more than it already has. My prayers and thoughts are with you and wish you only the best no matter what. As far you handing over the reins of a horse you raised from birth, it will definitely be a big pill for all of us that know, love and mostly respect you, to swallow. Finding someone with your convictions and dedication, to this site will not be easy. This site has always been unique and superior in so many ways and in comparison to so many other web sites, not just because of the caliber of its members but mostly because of you and your dedication to it.

There is a change coming to the way that you login to the site. This is not something that I am doing, it is being implemented by the software developer. In the very near future, you will no longer be able to login with your username. You will have to login with your email address. Your username will still show up once logged in but you have to login with your email address.. You can already do that and I recommend that you start doing it now. This is a security issue. Your usernames are known to all and hackers use advanced methods to try and crack your passwords so that they can login under your name. Your email address is not publicly available here so it makes it harder to hack your account. Right now, you can login with your username or password but username login is being removed from the software.

I started Venturerider.org, I don't know, maybe 15 or so years ago. It has been my baby for all these years and I've met some truly amazing people through our club. The fact is though, it may be time to pass it on. As many of you know, I have struggled with some vision issues, mostly cancer in my right eye, for many years now. My vision is now getting bad in my good eye. I am having a harder time seeing and it seems to be progressing quickly. I have an appointment yesterday and they have referred me to a retina specialist,. There is an as yet undiagnosed problem with my good eye and it doesn't look good. All that being said, I think it's probably time to find somebody to take over this site. I am looking for somebody with some website experience that understands how to keep this thing going. I am also looking for somebody who understandss and shares my values for what this site represents. If I find the right person, then I will turn it over completely. That means transferring the domain name and everything about the site. I would stay on as a member and a consultant if you want me to as long as possible. This is a huge decision for me but one that I know must be considered. My next appointment isn't until the miiddle of September but I feel that I need to get this discussion started. I had an opportunity to sell this site a few yards ago for pretty big money but made the deciosn to not do so. I still don't want to sell it and to be honest, it is no longer worth wait it once was. But I would rather give it to somebody who shares my vision of what it is. Please PM me if you are interested. I