CaseyJ955

I read something about retooling for the V4, which fit just fine as many of the forward thinking engineers knew it would come to this, but they were having trouble with plumbing for the turbo which will now sit behind the rear cyl in a ceramic downward vented doghouse instead of between them as originally designed. We should be able to get our 186hp/232ft lb 3rd gen Ventures well before Xmas.

I watched the first video, I find it interesting that they make a video for motorcyclists that spends virtually the whole video telling motorcyclists why motorcycling is great. They could make videos selling sociology professors on value of education:happy65: The other thing is, and I'll steal part of an old cliche', Fool me once! I'm not going to wait on the edge of my seat while Yamaha gradually leaks tiny tidbits of information on a new model, again. Their secrecy/hype/grand unveiling tactic is quite stale with me, I still have the taste of nut-clad feces on the back of my tongue from their last marketing stunt. You guys want a power tourer?! another VENTURE!! YEA!!! AWESOME!!! V4 BABY!!! POWER/PERFORMANCE! VENTURE!!! Fixed fairing slice the wind at 130 all day long! do or die!! wait for it, waaait for it.... keep waiting... wait some more... wait... we said wait..... there, now take this Road King instead Instead of a video with guys posing in leather describing why motorcycling is great (Yamaha, we got that) they could open with some actual information on the motor, options, chassis, or what other existing models it will compete with/supersede. I will be following this from a novelty standpoint but I'm afraid Yamaha squandered any real chance of selling me any bike newer than the RZ500 I have my eye on. I wish I could just tell Yamaha to stop with all the advertising gimmicks and overproduced videos telling us nothing. Just tell us what we're waiting for, we're all adults here, to much to ask? Rant mode off I feel better now! Tourists area almost gone, time to take the Venture off into the hills and enjoy!

I get that. I just had quite a sit down with a calculator about spending the bucks. Im just getting to the place where earning potential is slipping and a medical retirement may be within another 5-10 years if not sooner. Since the V3 turned out to be a crushing disappointment to those of us that were looking for something different I was on the fence about a Trophy. At this point I have decided to pass on buying any new (or used) bike and instead replace my 21yr old Lexus, not because it needs it but because its a rear wheel drive and it sits all winter. It will be sold and replaced with a 10 yr old TDI Jetta while I can still legitimately and honestly consider it a business expense. After all I only just got my 1st gen Venture and it could conceivably last many more years. I also agree on the BMW boxer. I say air cooled twin as a blanket statement but the boxer is an excellent mill and exception to the issues plaguing the narrow angle air cooled twins. BMW knows how to do engines, thats why they have spammed the inline 6 for so many years. I have loved them in the 3 series cars and I was blown away to hear they narrowed one down enough to put into a K bike. If I ever buy a later bike it would almost have to be an inline 6, Boxer or Triple since the V4 is apparently off the table. By the time I'm ready for a new steed I'll bet the K1600 will be $6000 for a clean used one. German bikes (and cars) are excellent but come with the increased cost of ownership and occasionally finicky behavior which is why I've gradually moved towards Japanese cars and bikes. Now it looks like I may be slowly moving back and budgeting accordingly. I have never stopped being fascinated by the K1600. BMW clearly has their finger on the pulse of the power touring market and riders like me. But just like the V3, its a whole lot of scratch to plunk down for a bike.

Im on both Vmax and this Venture board and I cant recall hearing about a timing chain/guide failure. Not saying it cant happen but my guess is you can blow flatus smoke rings if you choose. I dont have a high opinion of dealerships in general, id you have a stethoscope or even a screwdriver you may be able to narrow it down by listening. I found a knock in my clutch that way.

The arguement of emotion vs function vs market is highly valid, I enjoyed VideoA's take greatly. Very well thought out. I also know the emotional aspect is maybe #1 . I think the emotional aspect that put me on the Venture and Vmax also kept mee off the Goldwing, which is a picture perfect tour bike in every regard, except its missing some zazz, some soul (and legroom). I can respect Yamahas position on needing a newly designed model to appeal to as many as possible just to cover R&D cost and sell enough to turn a nice profit. As much as I have enjod racking them over this I do get their rational. Time will tell if they cant make them fast enough or if they sit on showroom floors taking up considerable real estate. The best way to make sense of this is to figure they did use considerabl resources to conclude that we distance riders are indeed a dying breed.

First, hats off to you. I dont really enbrace the connotations carried by the word "biker", as I'm sure it has morphed over the years. IMHO you/we are motorcyclists, not to be confused with motorcycle owners (trailor owners). We own them, we ride them, we are likely highly put off by the notion of trailoring one anywhere. Explorer and traveler works into the soul of a touring rider, adventure to at least a small degree, perfect solotude being one of the aspects that I enjoy a percentage of the time. Off the beaten path works into it too. We love and live it. Motorcyclist is my vote. Thanks for the good read!

Im working about a block away this month, I believe its an out of state but I see it frequently. I saw it last year during rally week in the same place IIRC. Anyone here?

They did promise to turn the touring world upside down, and you doubted them! Betcha feel silly now, huh?

The untrained eye understandably has trouble with it, 1st gen mistaken for a wing is common, I've gotten that too but an HD owner mistaking a Venture for another HD I imagine is much less common. As far as rebuild intervals, its understandable considering the op temp of an air cooled twin. Ive never had one go 65k.

Get the best lawyer you can afford and the judge may just see things for what they are. On the upside he probably saved someone else from the same fate by bringing out said trash. Thoughts are with you both, hoping for a favorable outcome.

Back in my day folks could take a joke. Back in my day the guy on the custom chop was probably the guy who built it.

Dayum, very sorry to hear this. Tendons are avascular so healing will take some time. As mentioned follow physicians orders exactly. I hope its as easy and fast as possible. Do keep us posted.

Nice bike, glad she found a good home. Sounds like tbe buyer is about to have some fun! By the title I feared your Venture went over the chopping block!

It could be Subaru with a low mounted radiator. Hard to see but not looking like a type I.

Aside from a few nice sport tourers I cant think of one dedicated Japanese touring bike other than a goldwing, that has more than one cyl per wheel. Someone besides the Europeans need to build a competitor to the goldwing. It looks like Yamaha is not going to be it. Will it happen, dunno but you guys might be right, it could be a dying breed of bike, and maybe of rider. After all, try manufacturing, marketing and selling childrens toys that require putting down the damn phone and going outside. You would starve. IMHO this wont change, we have to simply adjust our expectations, adapt, move forward and enjoy. In the world of dating it means not getting hitched or becoming legally vulnerable to anyone, in the world of toys it means WiFi enabled or bust, in the world of bikes it means riding old bikes like early Ventures, or a Goldwing if you have no legs, I accept this. Times change. I get that Yamaha is probably not catering to me, and the 2nd gen Vmax is likely the last V4 they will bring to production..I may ride my Venture right into the grave but I'll have a ****ing great time doing it

Yup, the bigger the can the deeper the note. There are two variants of baffle for this system and I have the smaller one. Its pretty loud but I dont want it to be obnoxious. It shreaks like a mofo between 6k and 10k and is a tad louder than I would choose, but its so musical. There are systems out there that are ear splitting, and many of those actually hurt performance. You can buy faster bikes now but the Vmax is iconic, recognized by anyone that has been into bikes for awhile. Ive wanted one since 85 and it took me this long. Lots of tude' but not HD sort of tude', its far more sinister than that. Good times my friend!

Your not crazy at all. Fact is when we get taxed and stressed, exhausted we need to relax. After a rough month Im good for a shorter trip, and solo at that. Im working 24/7 from last week until end of this month. A 9 day bike trip might be more work than a 9 day ruise in the Lexus, or a 3 day bike ride. Your not crazy at all. Alls good. Take whatever vehicle you want and enjoy your new cage. Life is too short to have to justify anything. Long days in the saddle can be fatiguing, esp in hot weather. Yup, do whatever you want, its all great. I would have to think about a long bike trip after a rough work stint, I'm not 25 anymore. Have a blast and stay safe regardless of ride. I understand perfectly and riding has been my passion since age 14. Just enjoy your time with your wife and the scenery. Peace my fellow rider!

This is Maxine, shes a 99 VMX1200. This machine reminds me of how completely awesome the Yamaha V4 really is. You will never get more grin for the buck. Her engine is stock other than a Kerker 4-2-1, COPs, Morleys Muscle intake/jet kit and carefully tuned. FUN FUN FUN. Once you hit 6k the world gets blurry and you need to. Im into it for about $4500 including my home paint job, custom seat and rack/backrest. Shes a monster and if your thinking it, go for it. The Gen2 is even more nuts but your looking at $10k used, I have a friend in Fargo with a very sweet gen2 for sale now. Either way its a serious kick in the pants for a modest investment. It was this bike that brought me to the Venture, all about that amazing engine. Oh, the sound, sheeesh, its musical! Wifey likes to ride on this more than the Venture, she said its the sound.

Rotalla is a great choice, very commonly used in Ventures and I use it in my Vmax as well (also Yamaha V4) and that clutch gets pounded fairly often. I use the non-synthetic Rotella 15-40, clutch and trans seem to like it. Try the drain and fill method outlined above and see how that works. Definitely keep us posted and ask all the questions needed so we can help. Sometimes older bikes need a little extra love and patience but you should be rewarded with a really decent road bike when its done. Its no accident that the V4 is so loved here. Welcome and congrats on the new steed!

Customer base is a good point, as a former HD owner I guess I could see tbe appeal of tbe big twin but I never felt it, if that makes sense. My first ride on a warmed up KZ with the 4-1 pipe completely removed my ability to enjoy a narrow Angle twin. So here is another thought, a more toury version of the FJR, its not a V4 but its a stonkin' mill using current technology. Sort of like the difference between a KGT and KGTL. Ergos and wind protection more like a traditional Venture without major changes to the whole platform. Sort of performance of a sport tourer and ergos more remisicent of a purpose built tour bike. I know I'm going way off but a more toury version of the FJR would pacify. Sometimes I just like to bang it off the rev limiter in every gear and feeling the tear jerking acceleration, that ability to pull hard from 80mph while 2up and loaded. My inner child demands it! Sorry about going way off, but an FJR (or my other bike crush, the Connie) with a variant pushed more into touring from sport touring would make me shut my mouth and open my checkbook. Ive had many bikes but this gen1 is easily the most comfy, and even in its obsolescence performs admirably well. I guess I'm just amusing myself (and maybe only myself) with speculation of how Yamaha can make it right with those of us that were disappointed in the 3rd gen spec sheet. Maybe they are working on something as we speak, I hadn't thought of that...

After reading the last few posts and points made about its Venturehood I have to agree, they call it a Venture so its a Venture. That being a good move is much more arguable than the accuracy of the reviews saying its better than other twin cruisers on the market. I personally cant see how HD isnt long defunct. I like the mustang analogy, I know some folks can get by with a twin and even enjoy it. I grew up here in HD country so I see it every day. I dont get it but different engine configurations for different riding styles is sound reasoning. I dont see this argument going away. I get that the Venture as we know it has been officially retired just as we thought it was getting a spectacular upgrade, it was replaced with something entirely different and designed for a very different rider, so after all the months of hype it stings a bit when this bike would have fit so squarely into their line of Strats. I guess I just have some anxiety over knowing that the power tourer we have all loved is officially a thing of the past whilst an air cooled twin marches into the future wearing its name tag. Times change and other mfrs do make power tourers so were not completely boned when new bike time comes. My rant aside I do want buyers of the new bike to feel welcome, this debate doesnt change the welcoming of new brothers and sisters, the debate is only about the machines and not the buyers.

Yamaha has the highest reliability ratings according to CR, I think its 11% chance of major issues in the first four years. Closely followed by the other 3 Japanese mfrs, HD is way at the other end just ahead of the Euro bikes and well behind Polaris (Indian is way ahead of HD in both reliability and cust satisfaction). If I were to go by Consumer Report I would go Indian or Yahama for a twin. As we all know the first years of an entirely new model can be critical for bugs and glitches to be exposed and worked out, but if anyone can pull this off a bike like this without headaches its Yamaha. Im particularly concerned about the techy options. Im betting the engine, trans and final drive are going to prove solid. Alot remains to be seen but IMHO the time to buy a new Stratoliner (Venture) would be after new owners have had a chance to voice wishes and grievances, so gen3 MKII if you will. CR goes back 4 years but Im riding a nearly 30 yr old Venture so I can only speculate on how a 3rd gen will be after 3 decades of the elements and use, im not betting its a 30 year bike with all the extra complexity and the air cooled mill.

http://m.ebay.com/itm/Autometer-5880-Speedometer-GPS-Enabled-Phantom-0-140-MPH-3-3-8-in-Analog-Electr-/321845359765?nav=SEARCH I found these because I have a Samurai with many suspension and driveline mods, it looks like this does it. How exactly it works is above my pay grade too but the tech is out there. At that price it wont be a surprise that I use an old road pilot loaded with BH trail maps.

Perhaps its a GPS driven speedo, doesnt the bike have GPS or only on the less cost effective intercont package. Could be fed right from the onboard distracting system. I doubt it but it is possible. I see aftermarket GPS speedos here and there. It would be the first bike to have a speedo that does not require math on the fly to calculate actual speed. When I test ride I'll see if I can get the standing burnout through 4th gear and watch the speedo