CaseyJ955

That works out great for me. First week of each month I usually work, 2nd week is the MD in OH but the last two weeks are wide open. I see the dates, I should have just returned from OH by then, it looks like a go.

I've had mine since last year and aside from the 300 mile ride home I have hardly ridden it. On the way home from purchase I already had a full list of the TLC it would need and over the winter I completed nearly all the work. I got my first real ride last week and I'm in love too. I'm taking her to WY, CO and NE in a few days. Thanks for letting us see her and congrats!

I know that an engine with EFI and nice fresh rings is a bit easier on oil than a carburetor equipped engine with a few decades of service under it's belt. I could buy a year on some Mobile 1 under ideal conditions. For a Venture Ill change it in the spring and maybe again around late August. I use Rotella 15-40 dino, anything more expensive seems unnecessary for these bikes. Normally I'll only use synthetic or a blend in engines that called for it from the factory. I put Mobile 1 in my lexus and if it gets changed once a year then its a good year. Not sure I would leave any oil in the Venture for a year of active riding. I should add that I have not seen the TV spots. Blissfully enough I never see or hear advertising:guitarist 2:

. That is hard to disagree with, I was thinking/hoping it would be more along the lines of a higher performance Goldwing, along the lines of a K1600GTL. Bikes like the FJR are awesome but fall more on the sport side of touring, I found it less comfortable than even if the Gen 1. There has to be a market for performance full touring bikes, something like a Goldwing that offers space and amenities but the ability to pull like a MF at highway speeds with two adults and trunks loaded with gear, that isnt a Goldwing. We all know that even the best twins do not shine in this important area of performance. I want a full relaxed touring barge but I want performance too. Honda saw it and sold the snott out of Goldwings and BMW saw it with the K1600 to a lesser degree in the USA. When I heard of this new Venture I right away thought of something like a seriously updated gen1 with that big 4. Something to go head to head with the aging Goldwing. I believe something like that would capture a decent slice of the pie. The market is literally saturated with twin cruisers and tour/cruisers, the competition has to be enormous. So the Goldwing is a touch too stodgy for me, with all due respect to its tremendous success, its close but not quite, and with the GL1800 growing long in the tooth and lots of folks put off by the cost of ownewship of BMW there should be a vacuum for a highly capable full on Japanese touring machine. I have not done any studies and not intimately familiar with market trends, its just hard to imagine a bike cooked from the same recipe book as the goldwing but i fused with more performance and passion would fail to capture its share of buyers vs yet another chrome clad big twin. Wings are great but...yawn haha. Give me that tourability with some passion and Im in. I think it would be well received by the buying public. I also cant figure out why its so hard to buy a car with 2 doors and a manual transmission, so I know I'm probably wrong and you are right. With the gen 1 way older than my adult children I know it will get replaced at some point. It sucks that Euro bikes like the K1600 and Trophy are the closest matches. . My gen 1vmax can get 40+ if Im gentle and even today it will easily smoke any v twin cruiser im aware of, including a Vrod. The gen1 Venture near as I can tell gets about the same. I think with more conservative cams, heads and the magic of modern EFI/engine management even the big V4 could be on the good side of 40-45. Even if dropped to a 1550 with smaller slugs its sure to be a formidable performer. I have to say, Ive heard the Gen2 Vmax with the 1700 V4 gets pretty dismal mpg and range with its ~200 hp. It would sure have to be retuned for touring. Maybe even with variable length runners like BMW.

This is dawning on me but its sort of hard to take. Being a Gen1 Vmax owner myself I have been fascinated, the first time I bacame aware of the Gen2 Vmax I knew that one day it would see a touring brethren with this big snorty V4. Nobody I know would say, "aww darn, a 1700cc EFI v4 with enough torque and power to move two touring bikes, I was actually hoping for more options in a twin cyl tourer.":hihi: A twin can make good power and if we put a little more daylight between the jugs a loftier redline is possible. If they are thinking more Ducatti and less Harley it just might be worth looking at. I know what was in the video but It still makes no sense. This better be one stonkin' twin.

What a mower! That looks like it could last a bunch of seasons. I mow and trim our 3 acres in tbe hills here, mowers are short lived because of all the rocks but knocking down high spots with a line trimmer works ok, helluva way to spend mpst of a day though. We had a couple goats for awhile and they really didnt put much of a dent in it. They were cool though.

X2 on getting the synch tool after it, trying to adjust it without that is like pissing up a waterfall. Its satisfying to turn the screws and hear it straighten out as you get the bars closer and closer, get the nice crisp idle and effortless off idle ridability, yup, thats when life is good! Really glad she feels like a good fit, I only just started really riding mine and I'm surprised by how comfy and competent it is.

I can see how it could be tough to miss, maybe if all the rallys and MD, M&E threads appeared under a single parent thread for gatherings and events and moved up between watering hole and tech threads, or right jnder the tech threads where (I assume) a lot of members spend a lot of time. I know nobody asked me but it seems like that would be an intuitive place to find it.

What a great fun looking bike! I know you know your way around a scoot so I wont tell you to be careful, so go have a blast with her... And ya know... Be careful brutha'.

Couldn't agree more Steve. There is quite a bit of uncertainty about this machine, and as a consumer I would really prefer updates through development of a new model for 3 reasons. 1. I just dont care for sales tactics and artificially building hype, it feels more like Yamaha is playing salesman-y games rather than ramping up genuine enthusiasm based on accurate projections of what kind of bike it may even be. Its going to be unveiled shortly and most of us have no idea if it will be a twin with 6 more HP than a HD or a fire breathing V4 with 6 more HP than a K1600. As an adult consumer I would prefer to be informed and develope realistic expectations as development is ongoing than be surprised and quite possibly disappointed. 2. The secrecy feels pretty gimmicky, suspense is fine when watching "Jeepers Creepers" but not when considering a new steed. I wont lie, im put off by Yamaha not sharing more (any) information with its customer base. See whine #1 . After all this hype if this bike is anything less than spectacular I will likely go back to Triumph for my next bike. 3. If I'm on or preparing to enter the market for a new bike I'm researching offerings outside Yamaha as well. There are currently some damn fine bikes on the market whether you want a twin cruiser/tourer or a full on touring rocketship. As a consumer I would appreciate at least enough information to make a decision on whether to wait for it or buy something else. If I knew we were getting the V4 I would likely wait, but if I wait for a grand epic Venture and they roll out the successor to the VTX I will not be a happy consumer and may never buy Yamaha after that if I have a bitter taste from this waiting game. I know there is some overlap in my numerically itemized whinings but unrealistic expectations are sure to leave a percentage of us highly disappointed for the reasons above. If they make another twin thats great but dont keep us performance oriented riders hanging. All I can tell Yamaha is if this bike is a twin cruiser after hyping up a fantastic new Venture then thay have lost the chance to ever sell me a bike in the future. For you as a dealer waiting has to be at least a little frustrating, yes? If you love and sell bikes I would assume knowing the basics about whats coming would probably make it easier to guide your customers thinking about a new machine. It would have to be a benefit to the customer for the same reasons I better take a breath and get some water

No worries, no credit history is easy to fix, easier than patching up damaged credit. Never know when having credit will be a saving grace. I never had the disciplin I do now and its not as hard ot tedious as it would seem. I just for kicks looked at the tech sheet for the Trophy, that 1215 is a triple! Looks like a super sweet steed. I would be thrilled to own another Triumph triple! I would hate to cheat on Yamaha, but I have needs. If it is a twin I will forgive them if they spread it out to. 65 deg and toss a huffer of some kind on it, no NA. A big plus for a faint supercharger whine!

Point well taken. That sounds sound. Good for making that much by 19, thats awesome. She could have got you a new bike, just sayin'. The whole being cheap and counting every bit is a completely new way of thinking, I gotta say it feels great to see how far not much can go. The hard part is realizing how much I could have saved by now had I listened sooner.

That does look cool, one best not get ones chowder bag tangled up in that menacing looking rear suspension.

When you lean on the throttle enough to move the slides they will pulse some as the intake valve open and closes, sort of a wave of vacuum, that vacuum gets behind the diaphragm and lifts the slides, the pulses are visible on the slides as they move, maybe flutter would be a good word to use. If they are all doing the same thing thats positive. Minor/moderate flutter I should choose my words better, some times its tough to be nuts. If yuou ease into the throttle tbey will be semi smooth, but if you blip it or whack the throttle open they would flutter more.

The only other plus to having a real CC is most of them have pretty decent buyer protections built in, that can be really nice for online shoppers or travelers. Besides you might need one if you ever have to rent a car or something.

I believe its true that paying it off vs paying partial has no perk for credit building but with a carried balance you end up paying a financing fee. If this fee is added up and examined at the end of the year its a fair chunk, its sobering to see the results of " renting" money. My experiences with paying balance off in full is not only gratifying but financially sound since I start thinking of my savings on an annual basis. Its like free money not to carry a balance. I save on average $200-300.year by doinf this, pay auto insurance 6 month policies up front i stead of making payments, another $240/year in my pocket. Credit union instead of bank, another 50-100/year saved on redicilous hidden fees. Its a two part approach of building credit and not giving away any more than I must. It really ads up fast. I guess I can think of this as about three free bike payments a year for nothing more than adjusting some spending hobbits. As for getting the new Venture at MD, we dont need rides but we really should have a Yamaha sponsored burn-out pit in which to showcase its 175+ rwhp. Yes?

I agree with what has already been said, especially NEVER EVER make a late payment and NEVER EVER carry a balance. A finance fee probably looks small but most of us make a finite amount of money a year and it adds up and comes right off your bottom line. First go to your credit union and you can almost surely get a credit card (not debit) but an actual Visa with a stupid low limit like $200 and an insane APR, the APR doesnt matter because you will never ever carry a balance. And the limit is not critical bacause all you have to do is show activity, get gas or a bag of groceries and pay it off immediately when you get the bill. I dont see any perks for charging more, just monthly activity and paying off demonstrating a pattern of responsible credit use. Your rating will come up well. I only go with $0 annual fee, they will never make a cent off me. If your still using a bank, knock it off and find your best rated local credit union. Much easier for lines of credit. I walked into mine and told them I want a CC for rebuilding my post divorce credit and thats what I got. Ideally you can end up with two credit lines and use, even just a little and pay off and you will soon see results. Make sure and get your annual credit reports free and clean up any old messes. My mentor showed me all this and it works. Im seeing results. The other thing I got plenty of flack about was not living beneath my means. Made lots of changes a couple years ago with a mentor. I cut cable and landline, ditched verizon and have a Cricket sim in my old phone, saving hundreds a month there alone. I have stand alone internet for $26/mo. I stopped with the daily coffee and just got generally frugal. I got rid of car and bike payments and some other needless expenditures. It is possible to live well without making 6 figures if care is taken. I only meention this because it came up and I have been given a successful method and hope some of it might be useful to someone else. How does this tie into a new Venture. Simple, I will not likely buy new, if they hit the mark I'm going to let some other chump take the depreciation and pick up a minty low mileage one for thousands less after a year or two. There is always someone buying then reselling, maybe it is to much bike, maybe the owner is enough of a poon to let his wife make him sell it, whatever, ill probably buy it for around 40-60% MSRP. Because I have been rebuilding my credit and watching what I spend I will be able to slap a hefty down and payoff within 8-12 mo. This better be a special bike and not just a slightly improved version of what everyone else is already doing or I will not think twice about throwing that money into an IRA instead. If Yamaha does this right, churns out a bike I really want to own, I can and might buy. A great realization is I already have a couple great bikes and I dont need to buy anything. So it better be good if I plunk down thousands on one. If this bike is what I hope it is I may wander into Yamaha and ride one home... Not likely but sure possible.

That will be an amazing ride, some of my favorite states to ride. Im in the Black Hills close to Rapid.

Loss of power... Are you sure someone didnt steal it and leave a gen2 in its place? Ok, just messin' about! Seriously though, a synch is a good thing but first, before paying for a synch, i have never had one so far out as to have it do what you describe. I may throw out some bassics first. It sounds more like a different fuel management issue. Good fuel? How does the air filter look? Plugs as you said, rich or lean they will hopefuly all look consistent with each other. One easy backyard way to make sure your actually firing on all 4 is the downpipe spit sizzle test when hot idling. These bikes run fairly well on only 3 cyl. More than anything else this may tell us you have spark from all 4 coils (30 yr old coils with venerable caps and connections). I have a pretty decent amount of tools at home but the only socket I have that fits the plugs is the one from the bikes onboard tool kit, hopefuly you have that. I think 3500 is about where the needles start to lift, maybe closer to 4k... While you have the air filter out for inspection you can fire the bike up and look down into the carbs, as you blip the throttle all the slides should be doing the same thing, if you have a lazy one we'll need to know that. Its normal for it to cough and run like crap with the air filter out so dont let that alarm you. I know you said your not an experienced wrench so these things will hopefuly be a straight forward and might give us a starting point. Do you know any other bike people around you, maybe anyone with a synch gauge that may lend a hand? When you said you had to adjust the carbs to get it running at all, can you elaborate on that? Oh yea, Welcome!!

I will confess that when it gets warm I tend to loose the gloves and just go with jeans and boots. I always without exception wear a proper full face, Ive always spent the scratch on decent lids and they vent well but when it hits triple digits its way hot with or without a lid. I can only remember a couple times when It was just too hot to wear a lid, I then considered it too hot to ride. I live where traffic is only bad in town and all the open roads let you keep moving so even in heat its okay. I almost never put the visor down while riding the Venture. I like the fresh air coming in. There are no adult helmet laws in this state (as should be the case for all states) but I would NEVER go anywhere naked headed for any reason. Even a 3/4 leaves too much of your melon unprotected, but sure better than not. I will bend on some things, which I know is less than ideal but never compromise on head gear. A lot of guys here ride with chaps, vest and a dew rag and they look like members of the The Village People ( you young guys can youtube search that!) haha. I know that you didnt ask this but a white lid seems a little better in heat and much more visible than please-kill-me-with-your-car-cuz-u-didnt-see-me flat black. I have a heavy leather with kevlar elbows and shoulders and for hot days a vented mesh jacket with se elbow/shoulder protection. Its actually better than just a sleeved shirt for comfort in heat. I guess if there is any take away here its that warm weather gear is very good and never buy a cheap lid, never buy only part of a lid.

Check battery voltage across + and - and see if the battery has juice that is not getting anywhere or of the battery is indeed flat. If you go to an autoparts store make sure the battery is fully charged first and most importantly make sure they have a load tester suitable for bike batteries. Bikes run around 200-300-ish cold cranking amps (CCA) and cars are closer to 600-900. So the autoparts store must have a load tester suitable for small batteries, and a clerk that knows enough to know that, and how to test it, and how to enterpret the test. That last part might be tricky. Sounds like it might be a bad cell, good luck.

I now recall how I plugged the front port of the rear MC. I didnt want to go to town and fight traffic so I used the banjo bolt that came out and found a nut just big enough to slip over the banjo bolt. So yea, a nut (in leu of the banjo fitting) with a crush washer on each side, snug er' down good and not a weap. As I put the pieces in order and ran it up finger tight on the MC I could almost hear duelling banjos (no pun intended).

I have a MKII and I went with 5.5" from the top, collapsed and no spring. It seems to work just fine. I cant recall where I read that but IIRC it was the tech library at Venturers.org. oh, and as a seperate point there was some question about what to do with the collared washer that no longer fit into the ID of the Progressives because ID is smaller than OEM. I turned mine upside down and let the collar reside in the cap (aluminum cup with O ring around it). Not sure if its correct but shes working great now.

Well if that wallpaper of the aggressive quad lamp setup is a glimpse into the eyes of the new Venture, it sure aint no twin or cruiser style. Thats the face of a really big dog (not the maker of generic choppers) fixin' to take a piss in some really tall grass. Big, high power tour/sport-tour full fairing mile eaters is a segment with a couple highly competent, dominant occupants. That wallpaper suggests to me that they have a big middle finger for BMW and arguably Honda with its less powerful but still awesome 6. This is not a fight they are going to pick with a naturally aspirated, narrow angle (or any angle) twin. Underscore this with the long rich history of the iconic Vmax and Venture from which it was spawned. Yamaha has no choice but to put fourth an ultra nasty, tire smoking, canyon carving, mile eating, fully loaded with options machine and after releasing that wallpaper if they bring anything less they will feel some backlash. If we dont get at least two cylinders per wheel they will have some splainin' to do.

Im intrigued by your response, I know a couple RIII guys that seem too be in love with the big triple, my Triumph was a 955 triple and it was an amazing bike. I guess I have yet to hear or experience any notable negatives with Hinkley era Triumphs. If Yamaha makes the new Venture a twin then the Trophy or Rocket III would be my first go to. I have not ridden the new Trophy but I got a weekend with a Rocket III with a head, cam and exhaust package and its performance was literally tear jerking. I dont know how anyone keeps rear tires on these things. So thumbs down on a 2300 as an alternative to an underwhelming updated Venture?