CaseyJ955

Theres a first gen goldie about 40 miles away, an 84 Royale with a 1300 in it for $500 firm. If Keystone werent so full of tourists right now I might have already gotten it. It's on CL if anyone else here wants to have a throw at it.

When I was in my 30s I would have laughed at myself for buying something like a Venture with all the nonsense and dead weight. Now I rather love the bike for the comfort and ability.

That has to be it. I'm shocked by how well this old bulky obese turd handles. It's very easy to get carried away in the twisty roads, it accelerates pretty damn well too. I have yet to ride a 2nd gen but they sure got the 1st gen right on! I cant take a lot of the corners in the BH at 10-20 over the speed limit without feeling like I'm pushing the envelope at all. Very poised and composed, especially for being as old and big as it is.

Yes, correct. 1st gen bikes took on some changes starting in 86, like bigger luggage, bigger forks, 1300cc and some other misc stuff. So 1st gen is cut into MKI and MKII, 86 being the first year of MKII and said changes. So for example, a blue one 86 or newer is in fact the ultimate Venture!

410 is just too damn hot. I'm a lifelong air cooled VW fan so I've seen lofty oil and head temps. If I stumbled onto a Karmann Ghia today I would snap it up so I guess I see why someone would go air cooled on nostalgia. Its more of a stretch to see manufacturers still using building vehicles using it. Heat management becomes a real issue, especially if you start trying to add displacement and performance. It's just a limiting factor no matter how you slice it. Liquid cooling just doesnt add enough wt or complexity to not use it. It's not like it can really be seen, look how well Triumph hid it on the open engine Bonnie variants. One thing about the old BMWs and Urals is the placed the cylinders where they get the best possible cooling, and equal cooling between the cylinders. I find it genius. One huge difference is the newer air cooled boxers are posting decent performance numbers and they do last quite a long time, they have gone to liquid cooling on some of the boxers which are awesome for a twin cyl. I didnt mean to hijack but it's fun to explore the different ways manufacturers deal with cooling, displacement and performance. http://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/2015/october/the-air-cooled-boxer-is-here-to-stay/

That is nice!! That Rocket III is a significant machine. I bought new in 00 a Sprint ST with the 955 Triple. Maybe the best bike I have ever owned. Put 80k trouble free miles on her, she didnt care if I treated her like a Goldwing or a Gixxer, those triples have awesome torque from the basement on up. I toured this bike everywhere. Having owned it my view on Triumph bikes has increased dramatically and I liked them before. It toured well, I got it with the detachable factory hard bags which were handy for those two week tours around the middle states. Truly loved this machine and would buy another Triumph without hesitation, X2 if it's a triple. I always accepted Hinkley era Triumphs as an apology for MG, Alpha, Jaguar and Triumph cars.

Glad you made it safely, there is a little tour of the Bullock basement and it's pretty cool. Probably the best food right there is above the Old #10 . Give me a call and let me know what your scheduling looks like. I'm pretty open for the next few days.

They did go out of their way to create the retro appearance. They did a pretty fine job of it. I have yet to ride a newer Bonnie or 120 to compare it to my former 69 but the resemblance is striking. I'm not sure how much it effects performance but back when I was in RAT (Riders assc of Triumph) and did some group rides the Bonnie guys had no trouble keeping up and they seemed quite well received. For those that like absurd torque there is always the Rocket III. 147tq@2500rpm, 140hp@5750rpm it's sweet. I think the RocketIII Touring is a full $10,000 cheaper than a Venture but lacks the techy options. Not created for the same buyers no doubt but if someone is in it for tq and performance it would sure be a fun demo ride.

As much as I dont believe air cooled engines have any place in modern motorcycling any more than carbs and points, I do like the diversity of those that do. It would seem that if someone wants a bike that looks like a Venture with an air cooled twin they have almost limitless choices. I guess I'll have to ride a 1900 and see what the love affair is all about, with all that torque it might be sweet in a bobbed bike. It just seems like we're asking a lot of it to move a half ton criuser down the highway 2up. Heres one just for fun. 8 valve, twin cyl cruiser, liquid cooled, 747lb wet weight, 56mpg US, only 1699cc, 98hp@5200rmp and 115.4tq@2950rpm bone stock? Sounds like a fun engine? it's a Triumph Thunderbird Storm and has a parallel twin rather than a V. Pretty decent HP and still respectable tq for a smaller twin. We've been batting around Vtwin vs V4, liquid vs air. I figured it deserves honorable mention given it's smaller size and formidable performance. Besides whats more retro than a parallel twin?

Just like that, usually timing belts of today are recommended replacement intervals of ~90k give or take. On your old Mustang, probably a 2.3L. one of the easiest timing belts to replace and if it breaks there is no damage. Not like anymore, timing belt breaks, valves hit pistons and you can play with the hot oily peices. So stretching that 90k replacement interval is really a very bad idea for timing belts, just as with drive belts.

What he said. It bears a resemblance to a timing belt and cam pulley. Here, this is a fair explanation and although it's a drawing it does articulate the idea. Pretty cool really. http://www.howmotorcycleswork.com/articles/article024.htm

Now theres a guy that can flick a massive touring machine around like a YZ250. That is something to see!

That is sleek and smooth! Excellent acquisition! Dont worry about Mother Yamaha, she didnt worry about us . Luckily Mother Yamaha is free to produce air cooled narrow angle twins and put them in bikes that weight more than the effen sun! Luckily We are free to purchase performance touring bikes from manufacturers that still make them with a focus on a gem of an engine. I think your really going to like that K1200. Pretty silky smooth liquid cooled inline 4, DOHC, 4 valves/cyl, EFI and other. I got to ride one a short ways and it was impressive, the torque and silky smoothness. I most recall how relaxed and stable it was at very illegal speeds. It was the first big bike I rode and by the time my feet were up it felt like a much lighter machine. One thing I respect about the Germans is they prioritize Function before Form, then go back and perfect the form. Many of the tourers for the American market are Form before Function, which might become obvious if you go in with high expectations and push them to hard. I suspect you and I are on the same page about what a touring bike should be, or you would not have bought that thing! Telelever is sweet but might take some getting used to, it feels different. Google final drive issues, a few had them. They can be finicky so maintenance is critical on that actual authentic Performance Touring Bike! I suspect you may be spending a few bucks to get her back on the road. Dont forget to check tire date codes since it's been parked a while. You can "chip" that bike for a boost in performance and get some neat exhaust systems if that is necessary. Please keep us posted on how this comes along, I'm really interested in this. Had I found that bike instead of you it would be in my workshop. See, I'm excited for you, on your behalf!

32.8 seems thirsty for not flying along at 90. Mine was almost that good and nothing I did helped until I added the needle drop shims, now I'm around 40mpg. The fact that this worked makes me think that the emulsion tubes might be worn (known issue) plenty of these bikes are getting around 40mpg without shims. I set the floats at 1.125", installed new diaphragms and made sure the block plugs were snug and that got me from ~24 to ~ 29. Adjusting float levels made quite a difference on my VMX12 The worst part about getting poor mpg is where your fuel gauge is after only 100 miles. Now when I hit 100 mi I still have half a tank left, or very close to it. Are the diaphragms all good, all synched up and AF screws set? I use the backyard "by ear" method and I'm not quite 2 turns out on all. On float levels, I did both my Venture and Vmax and found the factory settings to be too high. These CV carbs really react to small changes in float levels.

What kills a belt in a hurry is getting a rock or something stuck between the belt and pulley. They work if they are guarded against this. They are light, quiet and long lasting. I think replacement intervals is 100k mi (?) Which is further than many of the air cooled bikes that use them will go without major work, or at all. I think a broken belt in a properly maintained bike would be less common than a flat or dead battery. IMHO the belt was the right choice for this bike. This thing with the Venture is going to blow over eventually. I think calling it a Venture was a serious misstep by Yamaha but other than that it sounds like they made a bike a lot of non-venturers cant wait to get their hands on.

I too am very sorry to see someone want to leave over the controversy. Some of us are quite disappointed and baffled by the new thing, and just letting off some steam. I have glossed over threads that weren't my thing and it's no big deal. None of it is required reading and it is fairly well isolated in threads titled accordingly. I hope the folks that were frustrated over this will stick around and just ignore the objectionable material. Again, hate so see any of these good people head for the exit over it. Sleep on it and come back, this really will blow over pretty soon and normal programming will resume. Really hope to those of you taking a break come back.

Wow, I like the look of those Day Longs. Like Cimmer I have a narrow backside, so hard seats like Corbins are out of the question. Oddly enough seats that are too soft are not much better. I dont think I could comfortably do 1000 mi on the stocker but I did over 1000 in two days in the first real ride of the year with not to much difficulty. In my experience thats pretty damn good for a stock saddle. I figured Buttlers mod would get me where I need to be but I'll have to investigate the Day Long. I think bang for the buck it would be virtually impossible to beat Buttlers mod.... Ok, just got off the phone with Russels. It rang 3 times and a guy answered the phone (not an automated system) and had all the answers, was patient while I formulated questions on the fly, never felt like he had something better to do than talk to customers. In my experience outstanding customer service like that is strongly indicative of a quality product/service. After a conversation with this highly peasant, knowledgeable person I found out that to have my driver seat redone and the full saddle with both backrests recovered in Brown/Tan leather I would be out about $1000. It's a decent amount of scratch, especially for an old bike but I have had a couple custom saddles made before and this is not the place to be cheap. I will spend the money but my production date would be Aug, so I'm just going to do it over the winter when I have the bike apart to install the Vmax heads/cams. As long as I dont buy one of the BMWs I'm test riding this week I'm going to get a winter production date from him and go forward. It looks like just a basic solo seat redo is a lick over $500 for the Venture so thats quite reasonable. I'm going to do the full monty to get rid of the black vinyl.

I carry plug kits and sticky rope in all my vehicles. One of my Samurai tires must have 6 plugs in it. To replace those tires (35x12.5) cost almost what I paid for my Venture, so I'll plug the hell out of those and replace them only when there is no tread left. For a bike, I'll plug it and inflate it to get going again, I may even ride into town gently but it's getting replaced fairly soon. I often end up ripping up twisty roads and sometimes find myself doing 100+ on the long stretches without meaning too. The price for failure of a bike tire can be immeasurably high under the wrong circumstances. I vote to replace it when you can even though a plug in the medial part of the tread will likely hold just fine. It would always be in my head as I'm sailing down the superslab or carving up Custer State Park.

Puck! Glad your back man, sounds like you had a great time and lots of adventure! You got up close and personal to this new thing that has everyone excited one way or the other and got us a pic. Must have been a rush. No ride is complete without some adverse weather and a good soaking. Glad you got some scenery and had some fun. Thanks for reporting back and have a great weekend!

I'm not groaning or *****ing anymore, I see a poster was really offended by all the bellyaching and he's probably not wrong, so I'll keep it light as simple debate to address your excellent point. I'm a gen1 guy, and I have to respectfully confess, that is exactly what I wanted! That thing you said, I want that! Heres what drew me to the 1st gen initially, in order of importance: -Reliable, high-powered, unique V4. -No cruiser pretense. -Full bodied/excellent ergos/wind protection of a dedicated tourer. -Comfort and displacement of a full dedicated tourer, but when asked to dance, ***** can dance! -Good option package for era. -Complete package that functions in all fronts, including spirited hills riding, open road and surprisingly composed for city use. -Notice I didnt say shaft drive, It would be nice but a belt with robust rock guards would be perfectly fine with me. So if Yamaha wanted to update that and throw it back in my face with the new Vmax V4 and the refinement consistent with todays manufacturing processes and current hardware. Yes please! THAT would be a real Venture in my opinion. There is a lot of subjectivity on options so here is how I might have liked to see it. Again, not complaining but just what I would have liked to see. Would any of you guys buy my gen3 Venture? As above but options as follows Standard Venture (~19k) Bluetooth connectivity/stereo/intercom/CB/headset only, basic cruise control/manually adjustable windscreen/manually adjustable suspension/Basic info center-gear indicator something similar to what it has now Tech Package (~22+k) Adaptive cruise, central locking, alarm, heated seats-grips/NAV/External speakers-amp/power windscreen/electronically adjustable suspension Venture Royale (~26+k) Standard and Tech Pacakge with Reverse/dual zone audio/directional assistance/off-axis ABS/riding modes/Traction control/powered center stand. pretty much the run down of what is on the actual new Venture that some folks want. You could put me down for a standard, maybe a tech but probably not. A royal would be a bunch of stuff I never needed and dont want now, but I realize it's important to many buyers so it should be included in an option package. I didnt expect it to be exactly like this but to minus the V4 is just a bridge to far to still call it a Venture. I might appreciate the current gen3 if it were called a Stratoliner. I could even see it as it is now but with the V4, that could be a Venture, I probably wouldnt buy it but I would respect it as a Venture. With all love and respect due our fellow members, the updated gen1 is exactly what I wanted and what would have brought me down to Yamaha with my checkbook.

I have to admit that each time I see it, it is better looking now that the initial shock of it not being a Venture is over. I did notice boasting torque numbers but completely omitting HP figures. I also noticed they have taken a page from the HD marketing manual in using words like "traditional" when antiquated and obsolete are much more fitting. It would seem that they are looking for Harley buyers, not us. Do we have an actual HP figure yet? I have a feeling that this "traditional" twin is going to cut it for most of us. There is no such thing as the presence of luxury in the absence of competence.

Im going to guess that one that comes up that nobody talks about is trying to get out from under the financial obligation. Lets face it, $25-30k is a great deal of money, even for the comfortably well off. Think about a used RT and putting the other 20 large into an IRA or invest. My feeling is when folks see and ride it becomes a must have item inspite of better financial sense. A purchase is made with passion and emotion. But down the road when the calculator comes out the burdon becomes clear. Im also going to guess that it is too much bike for some riders, im not sure off the top of my head but I'll bet the cost of maintainance is up there too, which is a reservation I share. I might have made such a decision had the new Venture been a more serious effort at a world class tourer and now I'm glad it wasnt. Im sure many reasons but ill bet this is a big one.

I saw one Listed in the Ozarks somewhere for $13.5, the deals are out there. I was really starting to seriously consider a new Venture before its unveiling. Im glad not now because I would like to get a house paid for first. By 2019 I should be ready to go with a new or new(er) tourer. That fits in better with my financial goals. Unless someone comes out with something better than the K1600 thats likely what I'll go for. Ill bet by 2019 I can have one for under 10k. I will also bet that its still going to be baddest tourer on the roads. What can I say, I demand ample (even obscene) high speed passing power with my $30,000 (by the time you pay the taxes and get the plates) bikes. Even though I want one for a measly $10k:biker:

So if it were liquid cooled it would cost closer to $30-31,000? I know there are some reasonably snappy reliable air cooled twins out there but it is dated tech that gives up plenty to their liquid cooled counterparts. Cyl head temps can go crazy on air cooleds, especially if you run hard or start milling and decking to tighten up the comp. Not to mention if head and cyl temps are lower than charge temp can be kept cooler as it enters the cyl, thats more free power. For the price of the bike I dont think modern cooling would be to much to ask for given all the pros and inconsequential cons. It just seems odd for Yamaha to go this direction on a top dollar machine.

Here is a direct link to his classified. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/photopost/showproduct.php?product=21&title=butt-butler-seat-mod&cat=16 I didnt know there was a Corbin for a Gen1. My experience wirh Corbin has been overwhelmingly negative, they are very heavy, very hard and usually shaped all wrong. I couldnt sell the one off my Vmax fast enough. After 2 hours it was pure torture. Some of the bigger guys do like them, if you have a robust posterior you may find it comfortable but im not aware of to many narrow guys that like find Corbin usable. I cant wait to have rick do mine but im using it as a daily rider. Ill have to get with him on it pretty soon..