videoarizona

Funny how those packages just keep on coming..... My house too... But I'm swapping out 2 golf cart batteries with 1 lithium in the trailer... And it's not just a swap! Lot goes into the move. I'm learning as fast as I can....

Agreed. Trying to copy HD is/was a ridiculous waste of time. The Star rider idiots that influenced Yamaha to design the Star Venture should have been taken out and hung. Seriously angers me.... It's obvious they had no clue.... (I could feel @cowpuc's disappointment when he saw the Star Venture for the first time. We were on the phone when the bike rolled onto the stage. Such a huge letdown for us.) To continue: There are rumors of a liquid cooled V4 touring scoot behind introduced this coming year by another company with a +$30k price tag. I'm waiting to see more and will share if it comes to be! Yamaha had also dropped the ball on street cruisers. The VStar 950 Tourer and VStar 1300 Tourer we're excellent bikes. Handling, performance, reliability and the huge fun factor were what made those cruisers so good on the road. My biggest mistake with a motorcycle was selling my VStar 950 Tourer. Look at all the 900cc cruisers out there now! It seems everyone has one except Yamaha. Perfect for just about any type of riding except dirt. I guess you could call the Yamaha Niken a mid level cruiser, but you won't find one at a dealer... So what good is it? Regardless, Hopefully Yamaha learned their lesson with the Star Venture. Great bike in so many ways but not really a Yamaha..... Just another copycat trying to survive in an HD world. I'm sure Yamaha will get back into the touring business in a few more years. And if they build it "their way", it will be a seller. But it will be too late for me to enjoy.... I'm nearing the end of my run on 2 wheels. Been a great ride since 1965. Maybe another year to go. We shall see... And yes, if the Star Venture had been what we were hoping...I would have bought one right then there... David

Agreed... Only turn the knob in direct sequence and do so slowly..... Then you will notice a big difference in ride.. As @cowpuc mentioned in his post. Great info there!!!

Sounds like pot is dirty. Contact cleaner spray might do the trick. Worth a shot anyway before you go try and replace the potentiometer.

Yep...had a 2009 VStar 950 Tourer. Best bike I've ever owned. Comfortable (once seat was rebuilt), quiet, responsive, frugal and nice quick handling. Only drawback was floorboards are mounted low and will drag on spirited cornering. But that's ok as they flip up and have replacement metal pieces that spark nicely at night! Only extras I added were a tach, rebuilt the seat, Clearview windshield with vent. Well built. No issues. Easy to maintain. 45 to 50 mpg at 70 mph. Cruised all day at 75 back and forth between Tucson and Phoenix. I really enjoyed that scoot, especially on the 2 Lanes here in southern Arizona. Fun bike. Biggest mistake I made was selling it! The only thing I'd look into besides brakes, tires, fluids and general condition is to check tension on the drive belt. Some dealers would overtighten the belts leading to premature wear on the final drive bearing. I would "assume" at that mileage, the bearing and belt with maintained properly. If everything checks out, I'd recommend that bike. David

Good morning, Ronnie, Mic mutes. Don't have it but that would be my first guess.... Something inside that box? If you take it out of circuit, does the intercom now work normally?

Richie C. Just saw your post......whoa! A screw stuck in the stator. Never seen that before. I would think a simple replacement of the stator is all you need to do. From your description and pictures.... All else should be good. But I'm not that well versed in stators.... I'm surprised no one else has pitched in to comment...... There are others here much more knowledge than I... @Marcarl???

Clean them good. They can cause problems....

Davvid , looks like you've been covered with answers. I enjoy the cassette. I make my own mixes and once in a while cruise the old music stores to pick up pre-recorded tapes for cheap. I also use my Garmin, connected via a Y cable to the audio system aux input. It has a SD card slot that I use for my music library. I get music and turn directions that way. You can easily add a Bluetooth transmitter if you don't want the gps unit. I even added a passive mixer so I could add an XM receiver as well. That and the GPS live on the bars just fine. In addition to maintenance mentioned, every thing you do to bike from now on should be considered a baseline for your future maintenance. So basically, the more you do after purchase, the better off you will be... Even in terms of getting to know the bike. As mentioned, the bike feels heavy when you first start to ride it. Ponderous is the word that comes to mind. I lowered the front forks about an inch and that changed the handling dynamics for the better! Procedure is on this site. I've been across country with scoot and found it to be a very pleasant experience. Seat is very good. I bought the widest/tall Clearview windshield with vent and stayed dry in Oklahoma storms. (Except the knees). I could ride all day and not be tired. Says something for the comfort of having a heavy bike. And I'm not young anymore! Good luck, stick around here. Good people and lots of help available! David

I agree with saddlebum.... Even a relatively new battery can develop a dead cell. Battery voltage looks good, but when a load is put on battery...the voltage drops to low to be usable. Most auto parts stores will do a load test on a battery for free. Just make sure you tell them it's a motorcycle battery so they don't put a 400 amp load on it! They should be able to read the battery label..... Hopefully!

Nope. Never did find the leak. I did replace the shift shaft O ring and the neutral switch orange O ring... But I still got a tiny drop of oil after a day run. Gave up! Wasn't enough to bother me anymore. The bike ran so good.... Decided to enjoy the ride! Sold to a friend's son. I hope he's having fun as well. It was a great bike!!

Agreed. The 777HD has the ride comfort and stickiness of the 230 but built for heavier bikes. I'm about to put another 777 on the RSV rear. It's time. I don't mind the price of the Commanders, but their wet handling is not what I want. The hard compound is great for some... But I want the ride and weather capability only a softer compound can give.

There are two bolts in the same area that can cause the same type leak...the top bolt for the clutch slave needs to have a sealant on it when installed and the bottom bolt of the middle gear cover needs a washer. In addition, the o ring for the clutch shaft and the rear cylinder valve cover can leak oil and appear in the same areas.

I don't know guys.... This lane splitting idea just scares the crap out of me. To many idiots out there.....

I would go 40 to 42 in rear and 38 in front. I also recommend Shinko 230s for handling and Shinko 777HDs for handling and high loads. I've owned both tires and the RSV loves the 777s, the 89VR loved the 230s. There ya go!

Not really. Most of the cheap tachs may not be able to handle the V4. Barons uses a small box to adapt single fire motors. That firing issue may not be adaptable in a cheap tachs so you need to be sure what you are ordering. I'm not an expert on this... Maybe someone else can elaborate. But for me, the biggest issue on my VStar was tach bounce at low tpms. A good tach shouldnt bounce. So I've been hesitant to put a tach on the RSV.

Ah man... I'm on my first cup of coffee and youse guys got me salivating already! Not fair! But thanks for all the smoking tips!!!

Pictures? Without knowing more, guess I would replace the cable and connect it to the throttle at the carb. In working, it would be no different that going to the stock linkage. It's just a connection between the cruise and the carb. Did PO leave the stock throttle cables intact?

Agreed on all above. Only thing I would caution is using tpms units. They are great for trailers but not really for bikes or cars. By the time the unit alerts you to a low pressure problem, you are already under inflated! On some vehicles, that can be a serious issue. Use a gauge and check frequently. Don't be like my better half who relies on her car to tell her when pressures are low. She has a Mazda 6 with very low profile tires. I checked her tire pressures one day and she was way low. Tpms didn't go off! She drives 80mph on the freeway. Zoom, zoom. Not good.

Congratulations! Wishing you fun and frolic(and getting too all those " honey do" chores) in the coming years! Be well, stay safe and relax!!! D

Don't know if this post will make it.... I'm out in the woods work almost no cell signal. Understand about you not being able to lean bike over by yourself. Do not understand about leaning will hurt bike. About the only damage I can think of is to the plastics if it fell. Won't hurt the fluids at all. You aren't leaning it over 90 degrees, just enough to lay down beside it and use a carb cleaner and a brush to clean up the bottom.

One last thought before I head out of town again... Both the neutral switch and the shift shaft are down low on the left side of motor. Under the stator wires. All three of these areas can leak. The neutral switch had an orange O ring, the shift shaft has on O ring and the stator wires coming out of the case can leak around the seal. RTV is your friend in that case. The most important information is that most screws and bolts are not tightened down hard. Most are torqued to inch pounds... Not foot pounds. Overnighting will cause leaks. The valve cover gaskets will leak if tightened down like you would a car's. In fact, they will leak more if you try to tighten them even more. A good torque wrench really is important on these bikes. Other than this... They are very dependable scoots. I think the link I sent you earlier about my oil leak also shows pictures of the neutral switch and stator wires. If not, do a Search on posts with my name on them.

Sorry, I've been out of town. Getting ready to go camping tomorrow. That area looks like directly below and to the rear of the oil pan area... Under the transmission. If you have wet oil there, I'd look forward of that to the oil pan drain plug. It should not be very tight. If someone replaced without changing the gasket on the bolt....that might be your leak. There are a few other hoses and connections under there that can leak as well. You really need to clean the area with carb cleaner before you do anything else. Get the underside clean. Then run motor with UV fluid in it for a few minutes. Turn off and look for fluid with UV light. You may have to wait a few minutes before the oil shows up if it's coming from somewhere above. Have patience... You will get this. Ask @Marcarl for help if I'm still not available due to camping in the woods! Good luck! David P.S. download RSV manual from this site if you haven't yet.

By the way, if your vent tube is missing or tucked up under something, that could explain oil everywhere along bottom of motor. I haven't looked hard under my 2nd gen so my knowledge here is risky....

Not necessarily from deep in engine. Let's cross fingers and hope not. The point about the oil level being only halfway up the sight glass is very valid. Both of my Ventures will blow oil out the intake, air cleaners and the breathing tubes from the air cleaner with any more oil than that in them. Once you ride, it's blows excess oil out. When you stop, it will drip down from wherever it blew out of. Hard to figure out sometimes! Hint....clean engine as best you can before using the UV to trace the leak. Start looking high in a darkened room....not black, just not bright. Here is the link for my pesky oil leak on my 1st gen. Same motor so most applies to 2nd gen. Post 46 shows the color of the dye in the oil.