cowpuc

FULLY GUARANTEED Venny!! I saw him looking at me when I said "OH POOP" when they hit the start buttons on the new Yams. He came walking over, said something about it being obvious I was not afraid of crowds, told me it would be fun and he would send me home with all my pieces and parts intact = good enough,, you know me brother - I'm always a sucker for adventure and always wondering whats around the next corner Oh sure,, laugh it up ya lop eared snow makin Consin varmint,, always easier to laugh when your not the one getting knives tossed at cha Hey,, speaking of adventure,, how comes the space ship? :thumbsup2::thumbsup2:,,, took me a while but after getting half way across Kanuckian, passing everyone and wondering if any of your fellow countrymen had a car that could actually get closer to the posted speed limit and maybe even do more than 60 mph, I stopped for gas (WOW - whole nuther story - could have saved enough to have boughten lunch if I would have been smart enough to exchange some of my cash for some Kanuckian coin) and got counseling on the matter!! I actually have a video of the young man counseling me on the matter and will post it up for your enjoyment when I get a second 5 Buck!! Along this same line,, anyone traveling in New York might wanna take note of this: "NO STANDING" on a sign along the edge of the street does not mean you cant stand there - it means you cant park there,, as in "NO PARKING"...

Gotta agree,, todays belts are amazingly durable compared to those produced just a few short years ago.. I am sure the wear factor is up high and, as suggested, maintenance is a piece of cake. I will add though that I have stopped to assist more than one failed belt over the course of time. While all of those I have been involved with were Harley's (lots of HD's out at the rallies and HD has been belt drive for a good while now) and, on a Harley the process of installing a new belt is just as involved as taking down a drive shaft. The entire primarys (compensator and sprocket on crank, complete clutch assembly) has got to come apart plus - definitely not a road side repair. Not sure on the new Yam but I am almost positive the swingarms gotta come apart on a Strat to do the belt and this new one may be the same.. Now,, I know,, normal people dont ride off road much on a touring bike.. I know that on my bikes I have come "out of woods" dragging sticks and having a row of weeds dragging behind and beside me big enough for a squirrel to build a nest out of it.. If I were riding a belt driven scoot under those conditions I would probably be reluctant to adventure much across creeks and deer trailing along the rim of the Grand Canyon for fear of picking up a stick stout enough to cause belt damage.. Plus I know for sure that a lot of those Utah dirt pits in the back road mountain trails out there have some pretty good rocks in em cause I have had to stop and knock em out of my tire well (even had it happen on a front tire once). Matter of fact, I have often said that if I ever did end up going back to anything other than a shaft drive for my touring needs I would probably need to find something I could convert back to chain/sprockets like my 78 Low Rider I toured on had (or my dirt bikes).. Modern day chains have also come a LONG ways in durability with zero maintenance (O-Rings) and, personally, I would far trust a chain/sprocket more to avoid stick/stone/debris failure even with todays belt quality. Chain/sprockets also usually give the owner a very easy means to toss gearing at his bike simply by swapping out front sprockets and making a huge difference in performance thereby (always carried a full set of front sprockets for my dirt bikes - 1 down on the front of my KX500 would turn it into a rock crawling monster and 2 teeth up on the same and you could ride it on the back wheel for miles and it dominated the drag strip/ had a top speed of over 120 - talk about fun!!

Tip, Tweeksis and I beat foot it home after hot shoeing it across Canada out running massive thunderstorms, experiencing the "Peace Bridge"and checking out a castle on the New York side of that bridge (anyone have a clue what that castle is all about?), touring the Adirondack mountains in New York in the rain, watching the unveiling of the new Yam, hydroplaning at speed and hitting that water so hard it knocked Tips feet off the riders pegs and soaked her legs up to her knees, completing Tweeksis's break in period by adding over 2200 miles to her all while making it home in time for my most recent Cancer checkup.. It all worked out with us just barely getting home in time for me to get my blood work for the followup today (oh wait - its after midnight,, make that yesterday). I had more internal biopsies taken a couple weeks ago and the results were waiting for us when the Doctor greeted us.. He also had the results of the recent blood work. He also complimented me on seeing my weight finally headed back up as I had been on a steady downward spiral for the 8 months prior to removing that grapefruit sized tumor from my abdomen and my weight had dropped to below what I weighed in High School - basically giving me the look of someone being starved to death even though I was gobbling food like crazy - I had gained another 4 pounds since my last appointment! After giving us all the GREAT results, he said "what ever your doing = keep up the good work!" After making that comment he glared at me over his glasses and asked "so what have been up to?" (I got a hunch these Cancer doctors are always keeping an eye out for Depression and the like). He recoiled slightly when I told him I had been goofing around working on my motorcycles.. He REALLY drew back when I told him we had just hauled butt back from Americade after touring and camping in the rain/cold of New York state. I didnt bother to tell him about how much fun Maggy and I been having and how much headway we had been making in our bonding during these bucket list days and that my spirited recovery process may actually have something to do with that putzy little 1000cc Super Bike too. Before I left today,, yesterday,, he smacked me on the knee, smiled and said "well I am glad to hear your enjoying your retirement = all's good here = keep up the good work".. When we pulled into the garage after arriving home from the Dr.'s office on Tweeksis I noticed a funny grin on Maggies pretty little face - any one who has ever owned an R1 can probably attest to the characters they can be. I honestly believe that Mom Yam created them with a permanent grin on their faces (next time you see one = look carefully at that gorgeous set of headlights and see if you dont agree) cause she KNEW that permanent grin would escalate and instantly become part of anyone fortunate enough to be found as caretaker of such a magnificent piece of machinery. I walked over to Mags, scratched her belly pan and padded her on her rear tire and asked if she wanted to go celebrate the good news.. Of course she did... The private road that we play on is just barely long enough for Mags to stretch out in 5th gear. Tip keeps telling the two of us that she is gonna take us out to The Bonneville so we can find out if Mags 6th gear even works = Tip, Tweeks and I had a BLAST out there a few years ago and now Tippy just cannot wait to get back out there!! Me n Maggy - we just look at each other and giggle fiendishly when Tip talks like that!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiNH0-swxUo

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Sure,, take a spray bottle like an empty windex bottle - fill it half full of water - put in 3 or 4 table spoons of dish soap in it - shake it a little to mix good and make sure its sudsing - if no suds add a couple more table spoons of water - inflate the tire to max PSI - spray tire across tread on down beads where they meet the rim - if its leaking the soapy water will bubble up - after spraying section let it set of a couple minutes to give bubbles a chance to form - watch closely, if no bubbles rotate tire and try another section - work methodically and you will find the leak. Also check air valve with no cap and around valve at rim. If all this fails - work the rim, I have found porous spots in cast wheels that started leaking this way.. If all fails = remove wheel from bike - find a creek or use a dunk tank to stick aired up tire into - dont give up till you find the leak = flat tires are no fun.. Possibly you have some dirt in a bead causing it to leak. This can fairly easily be repaired on the bike by using a small hand held bead breaker like the one I use from Harbor Freight - break the bead, clean the rim and tire and pump her up.. Personally I dont use fix a flat in bike tires but not because I dont want to ruin my rims - more cause, like patching or plugging a bike tire = I simply dont trust the stuff for long term usage..

Me and my BIG MOUTH - its amazing how much trouble a guy can get into just by ..... That juggler was a good act - apparently he has won several awards including best comedy in the State of Pennsylvania.. Good juggler but TERRIBLE with a knife!!

WOWZY that was a quick trip - it was a last minute decision on my part to just ride thru the endless rain forecasts and make the unveiling.. After all the messing around, seeing the sites and dodging rain bullets we just made it in time for the unveiling, then had to beat foot it home to get my blood drawn for a Doctors appointment tomorrow.. My apologies for missing allll you amazing folks offering shelter and food here = YOU are all GREATLY appreciated!! Hopefully we can get back to NY in the future to hug and thank you all IRL for your kindness!! WOW - have toured Lake Placid, Finger Lakes and the like but never knew about "8" thru the mountains = AMAZING!! Also, the announcer at the Unveiling mentioned riding the "Talhacky" or something like that = anyone have a clue? Also, right across the border of Canada/NY in NY is a "Castle" that looks like something from the Knights in Armor days = anyone have a clue what thats about? Public tours? By the way,, Enhanced Drivers Licenses work AWESOME! Unlike Raggy always getting popped for random search - we just showed the licenses and passed (knock on wood). May have been Tips smile though,, maybe..

For the life of me I cannot make out which screw you are referring to. I have successfully removed ruined screws by placing a good prick punch on head of the screw and making a punch mark in it - then angle against the head of the screw with the punch end in the punch mark and rapping it with a hammer with a good smack - most times this will break them loose.. Another method is to take a cut off disc in a dremel and cut a flat screw driver slot in the screw and then use a flat screw driver in your hand impact wrench - works great too..

Cha I think you should spring for the new Venture = then ride it up to Michigan for a Pucs MGnEM where you and your new bike will be treated to endless WONDERFUL Hot Dogs AND you will get Star (no pun intended - Star Motorcycles) billing and folks will come from miles around just to meet you and pet your new scoot = PROMISE!! Of course,, you and your old bike with a new tire on it would be treated the same brother if you wanna save $26000 minus the price of a new rear tire for her =

Yeppers,, that was none other than Tippy herself laughing at her poor suffering Pucster getting made fun of - sure Tip,, go ahead and laugh young lady,, this guy sticks me and you are gonna have to ride Tweeksis home with me on the back with a knife sticking out of my leg (or worse).. Tip sends her love young man!!! Glad you enjoyed watching your Dad make an idiot of himself

Ya know bro,, my Dad was a Police Officer and I used to snag his cuffs to play with when I was a young varmint.. He had real deal genuine Cop Cuff's with the little tiny hole on the bracelet that you would push the pin on the end of the keys into to double lock them (not sure if these are still used today). I messed around with a bobby pin on his cuffs and got good enough pickin those things that I could even release the "pin" lock with a bent bobby pin = true story!! My dad was always amazed that he could lock me in em and, as long as I had a bobby pin - within a couple minutes I was free!! We make good partners in grime bro Dad also carried a sawed off pump 12 gauge in his squad car - it was a strange weapon with a "slide" that slid out of the back of the receiver when you racked it = no idea of brand but Dad loved the thing.. One time he left it out and I got my hands on it, was showing my little brother how it worked = racked it and it ripped a bunch of skin off the back of my hand - told my little brother = DONT TELL DAD as I wrapped my hand in towels!! That night when my dad got home from bowling I got my back side WHOOPED (he used to wack my so hard I felt like my body was a pin wheel).. I kept screaming "what did I do" = after the whoopin he showed me the blood on his gun and asked me to explain the slide action marks on my right hand

Oh,, by the way = TOTALLY AWESOME FIND BROTHER!!!! Offer em 7000 cash in a non running = unknown condition and get er going, some new tires, clean her up and have a blast covering the planet on that sweetheart I tell ya!!:clap2:

I made a good living thru the years resurrecting barn finds and the like.. One of the issues that I ALWAYS insisted on when chatting about them was doing my best to get the previous owner to NOT attempt to start the machine if it had been sitting for more than a year. Honda (and LOTS of other companies) use line bored aluminum castings including cam journals for bearing surfaces. If they dry out and it takes a second for the oil pump to move oil across the journals - bad things can happen instantly.. If I were looking at that bike the first thing I would do is dig around a little and see what is necessary to insure something bad (like smudging a bearing surface) isnt gonna happen and, if possible and necessary how you would do a pre lube.. Can you spin the oil pump, does it have oil check bleed screws on the jugs (my R1 has these = little bolts to pop out to check for oil flow after an oil change = many people may not realise this but Honda did this with the later model XR100's = there is a 10mm bolt located right above the spark plug just for this purpose - kids would fall over, oil pump would lose prime = pull the bolt and kick till the oil comes out of the hole, do the same for oil changes - doing this could have saved hundreds of ruined XR100 top ends thru the years.. ,, am I making any form of rational sense here? sometimes I embarrass myself..

Yep,,, talk about a strange time of life! We used to recite the pledge of allegiance to the American flag back then right in the classrooms before school started.. I remember right where I was standing on the day President Kennedy was slain and it was announced at our school... My Dad was a bouncer at Grand Haven roller rink during the "Beach Bash" days when small groups of hit rock n roll bands came to play at the rink = Herman's Hermits, The Monkeys, Tommy James and the Shondells, The Archies just to name a few - came and played at that little rink - AMAZING time to be a kid I tell ya!! Also remember wearing flowered covered hip huggers and the smell of pot rolling out from under the bleachers during football games. Pumping Sunoco 260 into real muscle cars right out of Detroit.. The first colored tv in the neighborhood belonged to the rich kid who's dad was the bank president in our town.. Losing friends to the war in Nam and finding their names on the Wall in D.C. = made me cry.. Losing my little league baseball coach to a person going the wrong way on the highway next to our town - my coach was riding a 59 Harley that I LOVED.. Going around at night and playing with the bomb shaped smudge pots that our village road guy used to mark road work - things looked like the bombs that Boris on Rocky n Bullwinkle would light and throw.. Leaving notes on buddies bikes to tell about a party - this was wayyyy before texting and was awesome cause you could ride around town and read notes to find all the parties oh yea,, one more thing,, Mini-Skirts ,, ouch,, OUCH = let go of ear Tip:12101:

Ohhh come on Don,, me n Yammer Dan been put on Club probation and had to suffer extreme humiliation for far less then that!! :stirthepot:

We had fun, we saw some AWESOME country, we met some AMAZING people, we covered just under 2300 miles, we got wet and it was cold, we found out that the area in the mountains where Americade was held had just lost their last bit of snow 3 weeks ago = I have proof, Canada's 100 mph speed limit is not 100 mph = its 100 Kilometers per hour, Kenda Challenger tires are good stuff for rain,, the unveiling was amazing and fun but disappointing for me = I was hoping for a 1700cc V-4 V-max motored turbo charged bike = didnt happen BUT still a nice machine, when they pulled the covers off the bikes and hit the starters I instantly knew I had been hoodwinked into thinking the mighty V-4 Venture was once again gonna dominate the touring market - out loud I said "OHH POOP" and apparently I said it loud enough that others heard me.. From that, I got selected for this Mid Unveiling Comedy Act..

I havent been home long enough to even know what all this is about but gotta say,, hopefully no one is offended by any form of my banter or opinions.. Bikes and bike chat is suppose to be fun.. When I was a kid in High School we used to settle our "who's bike is baddest" lunch time discussions out on our 1/4 miler that runs along side I-96 = a country road called Kendra Road (look it up, its still there but, of all things,, has a HUGE Church on it now - a bunch of kids could have used that back in the day:guitarist 2:) - just outside of Fruitport Mi.. Bumped into one of my arch nemisis a while back = he rode a Kawi 350 Avenger and could just never get beyond the fact that my rat bike Honda 350 could put a whoppin on him (he was bigger than me - had him HP/weight BIG TIME = those Kawis were BAD TO THE BONE!! We used to fight continually about it.. Having recently ran into Mark (kawi owner) - we both laughed and laughed and laughed about those days.. The anger associated with "my bikes better than yours" discussions were long expired.. Funny thing now,, he rides a GORGEOUS new Harley and is a very successful business man.. After complimenting him on his HD - He checked out Tweeks, setting there on his new Harley and says = gotta say Scooter (thats what they called me back in the day) = that is allll 100% you and she is GORGEOUS,, its a piece of crap Yamaha but still GORGEOUS,,,,,,,, thats when the fight broke out:crackup: Dont nobody leave over this stuff - wont be long and we will be back to normal around here!!!

Yep,, can only imagine - that is one tough job brother.. Proud of you and VERY thankful you are in charge here so our friends/family members are never forgotten - may each of them Ride In Peace on those streets of Gold. THANK YOU DON - very well done!!! FYI = the "In Memory Of" forum listed on the main forum page is different than the Memorial Page - if you are having a hard time locating the memorial page Freebird is referring to try this = http://www.venturerider.org/MEM/index.php and it is located in the community section of our Clubs site..

Yep, I sure did and wait till you see what my GREAT BIG MOUTH GOT ME INTO (I SAID "OOHHH POOP" wayyyy to loud when I heard that Strat Motor start up) !! I am uploading a video right now that will explain it all... Me and my BIG MOUTH!!!! Nope - nary a Hot Dog in the ride!! Did have a GREAT Country Fried Steak covered in AWESOME gravy though - thinking I gained 5 pounds over that one.. Saved allllll my Hot Dog cravings for upcoming MGnEM's!!! TOTALLY 100% tracking with you MM = you are right on target.. Thing is though,, and this is where "touring" becomes a subjective term IMHO, if you watch closely at most of the Rally's (this is real easy to spot at the Sturgis Rally) a lot of the air cooled V-Twin scoots are being trailered into those Rallys.. I know,, I have commented about that on several occasions and have almost gotten beat up several times for making comment about that observation but it's simply something I have observed - Rally life has changed MAJORLY over the years.. This is especially common, IMHO, in regions where temps rise above 100 on a common basis.. Personally I cant help but wonder if the actual touring industry (meaning = people who pack up their scoot and are gone on it for 3 or 4 weeks at a time instead of taking a motor home or truck/fifth wheel) is actually quite small.. Seriously,, I dont consider Rallying even remotely related to touring - two different experiences from my perspective.. Rallying is HUGE and, people riding touring bikes during rally's is HUGE.. From that perspective,,, very possibly Yamaha is on to something BUT - that there is a Harley world and I still think that going toe to toe with the King is tough.. Especially if your looking for the same MSRP.. Still think a 165 MPH, arm stretching V-Max motored touring scoot would have been a hands down touring bike KING - a real game changer!!

As always = looks GREAT Don!!! Definitely a welcome addition to the family - I cant wait to read all about the opinion of the new bike once a club member or 2 or 20 take the leap.. As always, the REAL proof is in the ride!!!!!! Hopefully it sells and we get to see some new iron on the open road!! WOW what a party in New York!! Lots of people regardless of the rainy weather we had.. It was a really fun time being surrounded by Venture lovers and touring comrades from all over the place - even had a guy ride in from Guada La Hara Mexico for the unveiling. VERY good turn out!! Got Tweeksis parked inside the gate, looked up and there sat a pretty Blonde MK2 at 11 oclock and a 2nd Gen at 2 oclock. The 2nd Gen belonged to another club member named "Russ". We chatted for a while about the unveiling soon to take place.. Was fun!! Anyway, THANKS for getting right on making any future Venture riders welcome here by getting the site ready!! LONG LIVE THE Yamaha/Star VENTURE!!!!

Just got in from the unveiling in NY Coff - sounds like you got things under control = hope its all going smoother for you now = got EXCELLENT advice as always happening here!! Those little hand held impacts are awesome little tools.. Also have successfully used a very small brazing tip on the torch = heat up the bolt when stuck, helps to break it loose.

I have had my share of flat tires on bikes thru the years.. The art of riding a full sized, fully loaded tour bike with a passenger on the back down from 70 miles an hour with a flat tire is an unforgettable experience, especially when you get below 25 mph and the bike does the dog track routine down the road with no intent of staying upright - that precision counter steer required to maintain forward motion to a stop without high siding always makes me sqweemish.. The memories I have of those experiences with both Tips and/or one of my kids fingernail prints forever imbedded into my sides are a constant reminder to me that = yes,, its ok to have fun wearing out cheap tires (as long as they carry at least a 75H load rating) but once they, or even a high end tire, get a hole in em I get the spoons out.. I may do a road side repair (I havent had good luck with repairing tires once I have ridden them down from a high speed flat) to get to a new tire but thats about the full extent of my trust of a patch/plug on a bike tire.. Car = YOU BETCHA,,, Bicycle = alll day long,, dirt bike = patching tubes is a way of life,, 2 up touring - not me,, never did trust ol Murph...

Be it ever soooo hummmmmble there's nooo place like home - and WE MADE IT!!!!!!!! Wowzy = what a trip!! Lots and lots to write about,, Route "8" thru the Adirondike Park is amazing - OH MY GOODNESS IS THAT LAKE GEORGE AREA AWESOME, Tweeksis did SUPER and the new $45 Kenda Challenger back tire that I spooned on before we left turned out to be one of, if not THE best rain tire I have ever owned (yep - we got soaked,, WOW did it RAIN - I swear those New York rain drops were 3/4 inch in diameter)!! Found out that, probably because of its Nylon carcass, once it got warmed up the high speed bounce I was experiencing completely vanished = smooth as glass 2 up, loaded for CTFW and running 85/95 smooth as glass... Americade was AWESOME to say the least,, I know - I am a geezer but I REALLY liked the antique bike display - they had an inline 4 early Indian with a side car that was BREATH TAKING!! Oppss,, got off to an early hijack - this thread is about the unveiling.. Gotta admit,, like some of you other passionate V-4 lop eared varmints, I too was really hoping for something that really was gonna turn the touring market upside down as marketed.. I confess,, having been around Yamaha for many many years with a fair amount of those years straddling the V-Max powered MK1 Venture that I love so much,, plus KNOWING that Yamaha has always been known for extreme innovation like "the v-boost", turboing that lil 650, the Banshee, the RZ's, the RD's, the Mono-Shock, that AMAZING 5 valved motor in my R1 (talk about putting a smile on your face the size of Texas and scaring the daylights out of ya - that little 1000cc bike will lift the front tire at 140) , the YZF400 and on and on I was having dreams of a 1700cc V-4 twin turbo boosted motor with shoulder seperating TORQUE to die for right off the bottom and HP on the pipe that not even one of the new 170 hp Beemers could even come close to allll while maintaining amazing the MPG's that only turbo motors can dream of - literally,,,,,,, I let my imagination get the best of me... As everyone knows, that didnt happen... Similar to the Indian unveiling out at Sturgis, they had the bikes covered and in a dark area beside the stage. They pulled the covers and hit the start buttons and I instantly knew we were talking V-Twin - POOP I said out loud. As the guy riding the new Venture pulled up close to Tip and I (sitting in the front row) I instantly recognized the motor as a 1900cc Strat motor (I am familiar with them, my nephew bought a brand new Strat in 06 - have spent a fair amount of time on it - GOOD MOTOR but being a long bike/Chopper guy - I prefer that 113 inch push rod sweet heart in the Raider but thats just me). Double surprise for me was the Victory Vision look of the new bike, IMHO - I could not help but wonder if some of the design staff from the now defunct Polaris Victory line had made their way into Yamaha RnD or something.. I like to play on bikes,, allll bikes, and I do a LOT of demoing bikes just for the fun of it. I have ridden my share of Vics thru the years and gotta say - I was always amazed at how they rode, especially the Vision 8 Ball and,, for some reason,, I could sense that style in the new Yam.. Maybe this one will have that "feel".. Something that occurred to me as I sat there thinking thru all that fog,,,,,, Polaris dumped Vic because they simply did not sell (right from the Polaris history book) - I am sure the folks at Yamaha have done a TON of research and have some awesome ideas on how to pull Harley Davidson air cooled V-Twin, belt drive riders away from The Motor Company like Polaris couldn't do with the Vics but, for the life of me,, I dont know how - them HD riders are a very loyal bunch.. Polaris is currently trying to do the same thing with their new Indians and, IMHO, they seem to be having a rough go at it - especially while maintaining at matching MSRP to comparable HD's. Like the Vics,, there seems to be a fair amount of left over Indians (and AWESOME prices) in the dealerships around Michigan. Truthfully,, I was 100% shocked by the whole unveiling,, was it fun - INDEED.. Was it a let down - yes but only because my perspective of what constitutes a "touring bike" is very skewed from years of CTFW.. I am used to seeing lots of Wings, a fair amount of Gen 2 Ventures, numerous Beemers, an occasional Voyager out on the tour, a fair amount of modern day adventure bikes and, of course, my backside is shaped like the seat of the most amazing touring bike of all time who has the heart of the most Iconic muscle bike ever made - the MK1 Venture = have seen my share of the MK1's and 2's too. Those are "touring bikes" IMHO.. Get close to town, any town, and the ENDLESS stream of Harleys and clones become thicker than fog in the Smokies - V-Twins RULE the suburbs but,, again IMHO,,, the tour is a different breed and I honestly thought this unveil was about a straight up, over turning of the touring bike industry, full fledged touring bike as I knew it - I was wrong = definitely an attack on the HD target market and not a threat to the Wing industry = IMHO, the folks at Honda can now go back to work knowing the piece of the touring pie they have owned for a longgg time is still not threatened.. I know one thing,, one of the games I love to play at the air cooled v-twin Rally is to give that little 74 inch motored V-4 Tweeks some reigns when we pass a large group of those air cooled v-twin riders headed that way.. Then get onto main street and watch the riders we passed back there come slowly working thru the crowds while duck walking with their legs splayed wayyy out and ladies on the back telling them they are cooking all while trying to keep from burning their thighs while maintaining composure.. As I examined the passenger design lay out on the new Venture it dawned on me that it appears Yamaha chose to protect the passenger from heat on the new bike - pretty amazing actually. I looked closely at this new bike while I sat there with it right in from of me at Americade and could not help but wonder if keeping mama happy because she wont be getting burned is Yamaha's way of agreeing to that old saying about "if Momma's happy everyone's happy"? Personally, I still think I will continue to play "the game" and see whether Mom Yam's new air cooled touring bike riders will still be competing in it even though their passengers might not be..

Wowzy, 8 thru the adrondakes is awesome. Nothing hair pin like the dragon but nice sweepers and amazing scenery. Right date, in lake george n bikes every where. Talked to mom yam folks, 7 pm is a go.. wish i could sneak past security and get this over with, we been waitin a longggggggggg time for this new 1700cc vmax motor venture lol

Rain chased us all the way to victor ny before we tossed the tent at 2 am. Zigged n zagged across canada to avoid the wet n worked good. Great spot to camp in the willies of new york. Now ay syracuse, skys are on and off clear, nice. Was told americade where the new 1700 vmax motored venture is being uveiled is the sturgis of the east coast, funny we have seen no other bikes but us headed that way. Hope we have the rightbdates for rally n unveil. Be going north out of utica across the adirondakes to lake george. Dont care if daye is wrong, tips, tweeksis n i are having a blast. Feels good to be back ctfw afterb3 years off. Love to all Tip, tweeksis n me