cowpuc

I got me a sneakin hunch that the last thing on Yamsters mind when he took that picture was whether or not his camera was zoomed in and cutting Charlottes pic in half.. Personally,,, I'm thankful he even contacted us and made a post.. I sort of expected to not hear from him again until he had crossed over the border headed in Mexico and even then,, only to see if any of us knew how to say "THIS THING ROCKS" in Spanish.. :dancefool::dancefool::dancefool:

:clap2::thumbsup: I type wayyyyyy to slow now that I am in geezerland By the way Yoop,, on the stickers,, clean off the area good before you apply them after the bike has earned the sticker, carry a permanent marker so people can sign them,, figure out a way to clear coat over the signatures (I have never done that and now regret it miserably because I think my Yammer Dan signing has faded off )... Get er done brother,, IMHO - YOU are on the right path!!!! out Get out and ride!! Puc

In many of the commentary's concerning how much more a person is getting for their money by buying the Venture over the $500 more MSRP Road Glide I would counter claim with the truth that yes,, the HD does not have reverse BUT,, one of the things that HD does have that neither Yamaha or Polaris does is WOWZY can they paint a scoot = it is one of their claims to glory that they have perfected over the years, simple as that.. The Polaris bikes are known to show rust lines on fender seams while sitting on the show room floor and have very soft paint and Yamaha squirts the stuff like they always have - it's decent but it's not HD quality by any stretch of the word.. I also notice that numerous folks are complaining about the paint on the new Wings.. I would say if you really want the paint to "pop" = pay for a custom job by a really really good painter or do like Carl mentioned and wet sand the clear coat off, buff out the paint to perfection and redo the clear coat... Otherwise, just figure you swapped high end paint for the things you got on the new Venture that HD doesn't have and ride er till the cows come home..

Yamster,,, what "standards top ones" are you refering to? I dont recall seeing an upper set of deflectors on any of the new Ventures I have ridden. By the way,,, WOWZY that Charlotte is gorgeous!! CONGRATS to you both!! Or should I say the three of you,, cant forget your ride partner in that congrats!!!

By the way Yamster,,, WOWZY WOW WOW WOW!!!! That Charlotte is drop dead GORGEOUS!!!! MAJOR congrats!!

I agree,, I still think if Mom Yam woulda made the entire vent/grill/jet intake looking lowers functional instead of just a couple of the lower vents at the very bottom of each one operatable so only your feet are getting air thru, she could have completely avoided the need for air deflectors for heat management. As it is, you are really short of options for that purpose as the lowers are not detachable..

I rode em numerous times out in Sturgis last year and put the engine/exhaust pipe heat smack dab between the Polaris bikes with the 111 in em and the HD 103/110 which I have some experience on both of those too.. The Polaris Indian being considerably hotter and the Harley being the lesser of the 3.. Keep in mind that my opinion is coming from a "2 up" touring perspective. Ironically,, one of the major bike magazines just spun out a comparison between the three and totally agreed with what I experienced HOTTEST = Polaris 111, HOT = Yam TC and lesser of the three when coming to heat = HD Road Glide with the M8. All my opinion (which we are all entitled to IMHO) - always best do your own test!! Another close friend of mine, brother and fellow VR member also did a journalist ride on the Eluder and SVTC and he found the exhaust header heat on the left side to be unbareably hot and shared your concern.. Personally, I know the person who wrote this and can tell you he has a ton of experience on the tour and I trust his word.. His experience and professional opinion can be read at the link at the end of this paragraph. https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2018/03/01/iron-butt-comparison-2018-yamaha-star-venture-vs-personalized-2007-royal-star-venture/ A new member here at VR named Zelthian purchased the new bike and wrote this as a summary of his ride experience: [h=2]"""" 2018 Yamaha Star Venture - Mike's Personal Review[/h] I'm going to attempt to make this concise. Please feel free to ask questions, and I'll add things as I see fit from these questions. INTRODUCTION I'd had my eye on this bike since it was announced back in the June timeframe last year. I was still feeling the effects of the Victory closure announcement (I had a 2011 Victory Cross Roads), and since that time I had been window shopping for my next bike. I had mentally settled on the Indian Roadmaster, as I wanted a v-twin touring bike, but I wasn't completely thrilled with the option. I'm a bit of a geek (as some might have noticed), and while the traditional styling of the Indians is nice, it just wasn't really my mug of coffee. I still remember the first time I saw the new Star Venture. My first reaction was, "Yeah, like that!" on the styling. I was hooked, so I had to force myself to curb my enthusiasm. I wasn't yet in a position to be able to afford it, and I didn't want my fan-boy feeling to cause me to overlook flaws that may give me reason not to buy one. My biggest concern going in was the weight; 963 pounds is nothing to sneeze at. So I did my research, read the reviews, kept up with things in the news and bid my time until my daughter finished school. It was then I saw on on the showroom floor at the same dealer where I bought my Victory. I made the mistake of sitting on it and letting the sales guy hold it so I could check my sitting clearance for my legs. It was, of course, a perfect fit. I let the guy "tell me all about it" (not mentioning the research I had already done), told him I was considering it, and left. A week later I brought my teenage son in try out the passenger seat. Of course he loved it. Told the guy I was still seriously considering it, and left. It was another week and a half before I returned, having done due diligence on finances and whatnot. I insisted on a test ride. The sales guy immediately agreed. I was so nervous I was going to drop the thing, but I didn't. It just didn't feel like a 963-pound bike, even at low speed. It accelerated far more effortlessly than I imagined and it turned and handled very well. When I returned to the dealership, I bought the bike. THE GOOD Now that I've put 2000 miles on the bike, I'm comfortable saying I am more confident riding this bike than my Victory Cross Roads, which surprised me given the 200-pound difference in weight. At low speed it feels like a much lighter bike. On the highway it doesn't break a sweat. Indeed, my son, having eaten good BBQ before a leg of a ride as dozed off on the back more than once (he's ok, no worries). The passenger seat is equally comfortable, and I find myself debating on whether I really need highway pegs (I'm 5' 9" in boots). Despite its bulk, it is a well-engineered machine. Power is awesome for a stock v-twin. Now that I can rev the engine beyond 2600, I've been able to get a better idea of the engine's capabilities. I'm not a expert (this is only my third bike), but I haven't found myself wanting for power. The transmission shifts easily (though I find myself occasionally over-shifting neutral). Storage space is cavernous. This is my first tour trunk, I've been kicking myself for not investing in one sooner. What I normally carry fits well in the saddlebags, leaving the trunk to stash my helmet and jacket when I stop. The cubbies elsewhere are nice but I haven't found a use for them yet (yet) outside of holding and charging my phone. I have the Transcontinental model, so features are vast. I haven't use the CB yet (I have along trip coming up), but I've taken in most of the other audio options. It's easier to list what doesn't come with the bike than what does come with the bike, which is saying something. This is also my first bike with heated seats and grips. And you can set the levels for High/Medium/Low heat in the infotainment system. I also got the accessory headed grips for the passenger. My son loves them. Generally, I'm getting about 35-37 mpg in the city, and 44-47 mpg on the highway. One year warranty, four additional years extended warranty. THE NOT-SO-GOOD Does the engine put off heat? Yes. Is it enough to be a real bother? No. I've found it's most noticeable when I've been on the highway, then I have to stop and wait for several minutes. It's not going to burn your leg off, but it will warm you up a bit on cool days. Also, this heat can be mitigated a great deal by opening the vents just forward of the floorboards to let air in by your legs. My biggest gripes are with some of the niggles with the Infotainment System. These are documented ad nauseam elsewhere on the forums, so I won't go into too much detail. The voice prompts on the GPS can't be adjusted (the voice breaks in too often for my taste). Importing a route is needlessly complex. Routes are limited to 5 waypoints. The Pandora control isn't stable and breaks randomly (viva la Bluetooth). Despite these niggles, it is quite functional. An update should be available "Any Day NowTM". My bike does get a bit of transmission whine from time to time, though it seems to be lessening a bit as time goes on. The throttle can be a bit twitchy. It's a throttle-by-wire system, and there are times when I feel I may have let off just a tiny bit only to have the engine down-rev more than expected. It has taken some getting used to. SUMMARY I've gotten into the habit of telling folks that this is the bike I was waiting for. I really like this bike, and I find myself trying to come up with excuses to get out on it. It is fantastic for what it is, and I'm very glad I made the upgrade."""""""""" And yet another one of the new members who is suppose to be picking up his brand spanking new Red SVTC today, wrote the below after he was finally able to procure a 50 mile test ride up near his home in Ontario Canada. Personally, I think that until we hear of actual riding of the SVTC in the kind of temps you are speaking of in the desert regions where many of love to ride so we know exactly how the new Venture is gonna handle the heat - it is still up in the air.. Here is the report from the person getting his today:

Read em an weep....

and THANK YOU Lil Yammer for feeling free to jump in here and share with us - what you did here is GREATLY appreciated Lil Yammer!!!!! PLEASE dont let it stop here!! I think it's club policy for your Dads account to be permantly left open so immediate family can continue doing what you did for,, well,, for as long as our club remains.. If this is not so and you would like to continue doing this,,, I will rattle our Presidents cage here ( @Freebird ) and let him know that I would be happy to pay your Dads club dues so this can continue!! Condolences to you and your family Lil Yammer,,,, many many people are praying for and thinking of you folks at this time - your Dad was truly a loved man!! Puc

Cant remember who it was wayyyy back then but I know that Snype asked about it recently sooo,, """"In one of my other video's about an experiment using beads to balance my motorcycle tires instead of lead weights, someone asked me to give an opinion of bead wear after usage... Here it is!!People from Checkered Flag - ya got a good product!! Only problem I incured along my experimental trial here is that the beads came in a bag not seperated into 1 ounce servings as deplicted... Took a little doings to seperate the little buggers out in to usable measures but we got er done!! DEFINITELY a good product!! Puc""""" www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU7EBg1ID3M

:rasberry:

I am right there with ya Kev and was considering ripping apart another parts bike to grab another shock thinking Tweeks old +300k miler was obviously kaput but then I found this posting by Fits and thought I would give a shout out to see what kind of feed back I got,,, I also sent Fitz a P.M. but haven't heard back from him.. Unless the 2nd Gen's shock is completely different internally,,, it sounds like we might be missing something somehow... THANK YOU for your input brother!!!!!!! MUCH APPRECIATED!! Here's what Fitz had posted long ago: [h=2]RSV Repaired Rear Shock 2000 Mile Update[/h] I would like to thank DaNetFlunky, thanks Mark, and Rbig1, thanks Rodney, for sending me their leaking shocks to work with. I disassembled both units, visually inspected them for damage, cleaned the internal surfaces, replaced the leaking o ring and recharged them with fresh shock oil. I tested each unit with 40lb. of air pressure for a couple to day to insure there was no oil or air leaks. I did notice some variation in air pressure, both up and down, and discovered it was from changing temperatures in my garage. I experimented with a few types of oil looking for the best results. I used 5w Honda Shock Oil, 10w Honda Shock Oil and 15w Spectro Fork Oil. I found the best results using the 10w Honda Shock Oil. The response/rebound from the 5w seemed to fast and from the 15w to slow. A special note here: Not all of the original oil us removed from the unit during the repair process. Some oil is retained in the oil friction shock itself. Only the oil in the reservoir can be removed and replaced. I cycled the shock through several strokes and replaced the oil again to dilute the old oil as much as possible. The oil that I removed from each unit was thin, appeared dirty and was black in color. I don’t believe that it was installed in the shock in this condition. I can only guess that it was effected by wear, being forced through the shock and from heat. It could be possible that the deteriorated oil causes the o ring to break down and leak. I’m thinking about changing the oil in my shock, at 20K miles, that has not begun to leak as preventive maintenance. More about this later. After repair of the first unit I mounted it on my ’03 RSV and put on just over 1000 miles riding one up on a mixture of highway and secondary roads. Performance was similar to the stock shock. My wife and I attended the WNY Rally riding 2 up with a full load of gear. The performance was good and it survived 500 miles of mountain 2 lane, main roads and super highways at max load plus some. Added another 200 miles that weekend of 2 up and another 300 miles of one up since returning. A total of 2000 miles with no issues. I mounted unit number 2 on my RSV last week and with 250 miles the results are the same. Now, back to changing the oil in your shock. This is easier that you might think. You may want to do this a couple of time to get as much old oil out of the system as possible. Once you are set up it’s pretty easy. The tools required are: A valve stem tool to remove the air valve stem. An open end wrench to remove the air hose at the shock body. (10mm I think.) A measuring cup to catch the oil. A shop press or some way to compress the shock. Here is how to remove the old oil: Remove the valve stem to relieve the air pressure in the unit. Remove the air hose at the shock body. Drain the old oil from the unit via the air inlet Catch and measure the oil so you know how much to replace. Use as narrow of a measuring cup as possible (more on this below). To replace the oil: Remove the rubber accordion boot from the bottom of the unit (so it won’t be damaged in the press---don’t ask how I know this.) Reinstall the air hose with the valve stem removed. Discard the old oil noting how much was removed. Fill the measuring cup, the narrower the better, with fresh oil (as much as was removed) Compress the unit in the shop press, top end up. (edit) Support the shock by the clevis not the shock body to avoid pressing the shaft out of the bottom. Caution: Allow at least 1.5” of the bottom canister exposed. Compressing beyond that point may cause the internal shock to push the o ring beyond the housing (once again, don’t ask how I know this.) Place the end of the air hose in the oil and slowly release the shop press. The suction will pull the oil into the unit. Be patient, this may take a couple of minutes. Replace the valve stem. Cycle the unit a couple of times. Caution: Allow at least 1.5” of the bottom canister exposed. Compressing beyond that point may cause the internal shock to push the o ring beyond the housing. Replace the rubber boot, mount the shock and ride. Thanks to the generosity of Mark and Rodney we now have a unit that I can exchange with any paid forum member. I’m not looking to make any money on this project but I will have some expenses such as parts, supplies, shipping and handling. This repair will work best with a shock that is leaking and has not yet begun to “pogo stick”. Keep an eye out for the tell-tale drops of oil under your RSV and I can get a unit on the way to you so we can limit your down time. PM me for details. RIDE SAFE, Fitz

Confounded lop eared dork wad wanna be gear head varmint that I am,,, in the process of swapping out Tweeksis's rear shock (her Progressive just aint cutting it - going back to stock), my little "gotta push ALL the buttons to see what happens" finger pushed the shrader on the replacement with it laying on its side and SKKKKKKAAAAAWIIIRRT,,, out shot a bunch of oil.. Gonna empty out the rest by the same method and then refill thru the hose with a syringe while Tip bounces on the bike after I get it back on BUT,,,,,,, it sure would be nice to know I am refilling with somewhere close to the amount its suppose to have.... Thoughts? Ideas? Predictions? Got a headache yet - I got pills for that

Y Back at cha Skidder,, your welcome. How ya doing with it all brother? Hope your ok.. Coming to MD? Gotta "missin our brother DanL' " hug for ya if your there cause we are hoping to make this one... Wanna hear something crazy,,,, I always called Yammer Dan "DanL'" because I likened him to one of my early childhood hero's from down yonder = Daniel Boone,, whose side kick always called him DanL' - I know,, goofy but DanL never seemed to mind.. Anyway,,, was google mapping the location/road that our brother lost his life on and could not help but notice the name/title of that road (58) popped up as "Daniel Boone Trail" = that moment in this on going nightmare cost me another box of tear wipers bro!! Hi to Leslie,, love ya both.. Puc

:sign yeah that::sign yeah that::sign yeah that::sign yeah that::sign yeah that: I miss my friend and I miss my sweet brother.... I wanna go down and hug The Warden,,,, not out of pity either but cause I love her too and know she has gotta be REALLY hurting if Dans extended family here is hurtin like this... Life can sure throw ya some curves,,,,, thankfully we have all the memories to bask in until that final day when we all ride side by side again... Thanks Mama for penning that... Love ya Sis.... Puc

Demoed one of the new 114 Fat Bobs last year that kind of had that attitude.. Little tweakin on that fly by wire program thingy and WOWZY WOW what a difference!! I have always been a carb, points, kick start kind of gear head but gotta say,,, a guy could get sorta spoiled diggin o this modern day stuff... If I could ask Mom Yam one question I think it would be "Why on Gods green earth didn't you drop EFI into our Gen 2's,, ya coulda removed the cassette deck and paid for it and would of cost ya nothin"..

Actually modern day piston ring and cylinder wall wear has come to an almost non existent issue because of the types of materials now employed. I have a fair amount of time now running high R's with Nicasil bores and can tell ya that even with thousands of fairly hard miles - its amazing how many times one can open a motor to find factory cross hatching still in place. As far as rings go,, on my V-4's I have ran 5 of the early 1st Gens out well over 200k miles (one over 300k) - beaten on em all the way, and have yet to have to open em up for a rering. While I have no experience with the 113, I have been told that this new one has ceramic cylinder bores and if this is so,, I highly suspect these jugs will even be more durable than the Nic's as long as good air filtration is maintained - that ceramic stuff is tough stuff.. Concerning cam lobe wear,,, in dealing with building numerous HD air cooled V-Twin motors, I found it necessary to use improved bearing roller tappets and roller rockers in some cases to protect against this.. The reason was not high R related (fact is,, that due to piston speed limits in stroking a motor to increase Cubic Inches - the redline is usually dropped some and not uncommon to have to stay below 5252 R's where Hp takes over on the dyno curve) but was 100% about the amount of valve spring pressures being put on the cam lobes.. At least thats been my experience...

I only mentioned spark knock as a possibilty cause normal valve train noise is usually not load dependent in my little bit of experience. I am no Strat motor expert but I do seem to recall hearing about valve noises being produced by them do to automatic decompressors on the exhaust lobes of the cams.. I know for a fact (techs at Sturgis told me so) that the SVTC shares valve/top end parts with the other 113's and I wonder if the design for decompressing the engine for start up was carried over and if that is what is being heard..

IHMO,, our brother/friend Yammer Dan was not the type to stick around if he felt like he wasn't wanted/needed/loved. Here at his home in the VR clubhouse, that being wanted/needed/loved was a two way street for Dan and he knew he was loved: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnFKaSHN_MQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-93hX1UpROs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEAHQJX4SLk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRmp1P25yn8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFVFtzPENpU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kS0F0s1mQ8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdLA2Y3Nq6Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sy6GQsJqi6E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-b4fA_vwR8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD9PXf9kiGk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLAc3diuvas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XxbUI3FZ7c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmtkbDg-n1g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zZvt4HmvRo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dgxj-n62X-M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wvIArLOhUQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzhDbExmE6g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbuc9xq9qhw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOdCiZ9YWz8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsPDTSU-Rw8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJhj6VmUdm0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn6i08Z2-A4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKreVomkkCQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9cc1uLy5FM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=663rT6kNvnM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9JoKda6zgM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Se_PmAPMyY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G-8Aosf41w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI278i0ceeU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAhmJEvaY_M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk3F3arWzOM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGJexnnWEBg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TN6fJWY-yA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49G8M-I8lRc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcoQXhRCMAw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do62TZRIaE4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f94qRwuENLQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzhwMMHdZ4s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZHP15nFXX4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVcv3zpocxk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0R9AgGygG98 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gaWdahYw-A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xorGikQzWDc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5R5mp3Yu7o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haSt6SsxrTw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkc24pGKpeY

Back at cha brother, you are more than welcome! What precious memories we shared with our friend Barry!!

Zoey, IMHO - under a load/during accellaration is usually where spark knock will peak its ugly head if its gonna happen. No idea what your using for fuel and/or what spec is for fuel grade on the new one but for an experiment you may want to try some higher octane fuel just to see if it helps.

I know that OEM 1st Gen pumps seem to be more durable.. I wonder if anyone has looked into swapping a 1st Gen pump into a 2nd Gen?

and Yammer was always ready to learn more about our the worlds ultimate touring machine and it's mighty V-4 from his fellow VR guru's!!! Sometimes he could even be coerced into joining in for a group picture.. It always intrigued me though cause he usually ended up on the edge of the group - I teased him about that and asked him if he always planned an escape route..

and our Yammer Dan was a very patient man too and his patience usually paid off (start at 2:40 on the timeline):

Never!