VentureFar

I was sitting on the 2018 for a good 15 minutes with the engine running and I have to report that the bike is so comfortably stable that I had the kick stand up the whole time. I could never do that on my Gen 2. They low cg makes itself real obvious in situations like this. I could never consider refueling my Gen 2 without putting the stand down but if the gen 3’s gas door flipped open “correctly” and not backwards I believe I could comfortably balance the bike and refuel it. Wife woke up with a bit of a sore throat so she is questionable for tomorrow’s two up test. VentureFar...

FYI in my pix of the up high 25 watt Led spots you might notice a zip tie. There is so much air pressure on them that they kept loosening up at the base. I use the zip tie to keep forward pressure and they haven’t come loose since. Venturefar... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Right. It is every riders dream to have a friendly neighbor with a rotating stable of bikes. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Big vision improvement by mounting way up high. They are 25watt vision x light cannons. VisionxUsa.com. I tried them both ways and up high I could play tennis in their light. I have ridden through the night and felt comfortable going 75mph being able to see far enough ahead to stop comfortably. I mounted them on doubled up hardware store angle brackets on the mirror stalks. The right is tight and lights up the right side of my centerline. The left is left loose enough for me to adjust while riding for maximum coverage. They light up reflectors for over a mile. I have 10 watt down low because when I turn them off for oncoming two lane traffic I felt like I was totally blind. With the 10 watts at least I can see what I am running over until I can get the 25’s back on. cdn.com/20180209/3a0352f1daa2fff025ef552c97507a1c.jpg[/img] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I started the venture and idled it for a long time messing with the gadgets and dials. As my left leg got hotter and hotter I was uncomfortably reminded there is NO fan on the Eluder or Venture Venturefar...

Sorry to disappoint but the venture is in my garage and the beemer isn’t. Last weekend was the eluder and this weekend is the Venture. I don’t know how many hall passes I can pull off in a row but I will try. Promise.

I am 99 percent sure there is no fan on the bike but I will look closely tonight. Venturefar...

The k1600b is sitting in his garage waiting for me to take out. Gee, which should I ride first, the k1600b or th 2018 Venture? Never had such difficult choices except at the cereal aisle at the market ( that was the cleanest analogy I could come up with :-) i saw 43mpg on the data read out at 70mpg. at that mpg I am thinking of making my out bound leg of 512 miles with only one gas stop. Might be too bring though to ride that slow when the speed limit is 80. Just a thought Venturefar...

Everyone has different body geometry for where they like the controls. I prefer feet forward and controls forward. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Trying again with the pix Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks. Look how close I am. Can almost touch it :-) IMG_6273.jpeg Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yup that back off whip is my personal bling on the borrowed bike. Here is the link everyone. I’ve been published :-) https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2018/02/07/2018-yamaha-star-eluder-test-death-valley-bust/ Hope you all enjoy the read. VentureFar... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

As I wrote on my Eluder 500 mile day thread, I have a new very bestest friend in the whole wide universe that works for UltimateMotorcycling.com and is feeding me all this fun. Tomorrow night I will have in my hands a brand spanking new 2018 Venture for test riding. Saturday I plan to ride 2up with my wife to get her ( and my) impression of the pillion verses my Gen 2. On Sunday I plan to head from Los Angeles to Tucson AZ and back to do an official Saddle Sore Iron Butt. I have done 2 before on my Gen 2 so I know what to expect and how to compare. Yamaha says the bike is "Transcontinental" so I want to put that to the test. The weather looks great for a warm winter day in the Southwest. @cowpuc this is what we have been talking about for 6 months. I am concerned about the pain that will come from the hyper extension position of my feet on the forward end of the floor boards. I don't like to have my feet under me due to old knees and extending out on the long floor boards is great for the knees but causes a hyper flex of my feet at the ankles. picture a check mark with the small part of the check my foot and the long part my leg. The Venture won't have highway pegs. More as I get it. Glad I have this opportunity to share this fun stuff. VentureFar...

The heal toe shifter is an option. I never use it on my Gen 2 so I didn't miss it. The cruise control was absolutely solid going 70, press the button and stay at 70, up hill, down hill or flat. I even set it at 35 going thru Stovepipe Wells to make sure I didn't get a ticket. BUT, kicking out of cruise control was a jar every time. Didn't just feel like deceleration, would feel like I tapped the front brake hard. I am told I should have the link to my ride report tonight sometime... fingers crossed. VentureFar....

Thanks for your patience. As @cowpuc says, wait for it...wait for it... I have to wait for the link. As soon as I get it I will post it. I have never done a ride report and I must say I am pretty proud of my first. Venturefar...

Actually the food at furnace creek was reasonably priced and I am vegan and they had a vegan burrito in the middle of death Valley and it was delicious. Interestingly the gas in stovepipe wells just a short distance away was about 3.45 per gallon. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ahh this friend that was riding, not me... was doing 85-90 for more than 1/2 the 500 miles. At 70 this ‘friend’ saw over 40 mpg on the data screen. The write up will detail more. Zoom in on the point of view pix Speedo - this friend took this photo.... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Eluder has no reverse. But with the low seat height it is slightly easier to back up than the gen 2. The gps orients north despite the travel direction. I am 5-10 with 31 inseam and zero helmet buffet. But total wind in my face. Finally figured out to slouch to not have my modular helmet shield keep being forced down. Due to wind hitting from my eyeballs to the top of my helmet. But zero buffet. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The middle pix of the bike in the middle of the road was not a setup shot with police blocking traffic, it was that isolated. To stop in the middle of the road and take photos and not see another vehicle in either direction to the visible horizon is awesome. I love rides like this. Don’t look closely at the POV shot. Disclaimer “ professional drive on a closed course. Do not attempt” I wasn’t really driving that fast, the bike was on a stand and what you see surely was a green screen projection. Everyone good with that explanation... Full write up hopefully tomorrow. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So I guess the above is the trailer for the movie which comes to theaters near you (hopefully) tomorrow. The last photo is the big problem with this bike. Look where that exhaust pipe is relative to your left leg. The heat is a big problem. At temps above 73 degrees it was uncomfortable at freeway speeds when the airflow should have been pushing the heat away- but it didn’t. At 85 degrees I was obsessed with thinking of protecting my left leg with tin foil, asbestos, a wood block anything to stop cooking me. Yes the rumors are true, the left side heat is a real problem. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi all, I have some good news and some better news. I wrote up my ride and submitted to Ultimatemotorcycling.com magazine, the good folks that gave me FOB to the Eluder. The good news is they will be posting it and we can link to it. Probably tomorrow. The better news is .......here are my photos. @cowpuc demanded lots of pictures. I know, like watching your favorite tv show on mute. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Almost ready to post my ride review. Just getting permission from those that gave me the FOB. VentureFar...

Ah...ok. Hope I can remember all this .... bike has 663 miles on it now. The computer said act mpg was 37 and I reset it. It is 1” wider than my gen 2 at the mirrors i will be putting on about 490 miles so I doubt if we will see any wear. Fun day tomorrow. VentureFar...

First impression: rode it about 1/4 mile to my house and up the driveway and into my garage. Wowza! What a bike. Super stable low speed handling. Very responsive acceleration. Very low seat height. But really weird looking out over a frame mounted fairing. That will just take some getting used to I am sure. Folks this is a nice bike. Can’t wait to ride the venture later this month. Tomorrow is roughly 12 hours saddle time. More as it comes. Venturefar... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Congrats. $2800 for a excellent condition Gen 2 - good on ya! I am a light weight mechanic but I would recommend you take the time to check the fuel pump “points” for wear and buy the ignition key switch bypass “thingy”. Both as preventative. Enjoy your new scoot. It is gorgeous! Venturefar... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk