Zelthian

The email that we got from Yamaha mentions: These questions might be a good use of this dedicated customer service initiative...

The statement was, "may take up to 45 minutes". Probably a hedge. My update took about 10 minutes. Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

That's a whole different story. Slow down to save gas? Dude, I gots places to be! Seriously though, it's a choice, and sometimes I just have to get there on time, ya know? Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

My bike hits about 2700 RPM in 6th gear at 75mph (the specs say 2750rpm @ 75mph). I'm not enough of a gear-ration wiz to be able to figure out where 75mph would be in 5th gear, but it would rev the engine up more, of course. I'm ok with the bike going above 3000 for a short time when accelerating, but sustained running that high can't be all that healthy for a bike that lopes around at 2750. I could be wrong, but I don't see how going the same speed at a higher RPM is going to save gas. If you look at the link below, max torque comes in at 2700 rpm. Horsepower continues to climb (as HP is just a function of torque and rpm), but it seems appropriate that 75mph comes at 2750 rpm, right in the torque sweet spot. http://ridermagazine.com/2017/07/21/2018-yamaha-star-venture-road-test-review/ (Dyno chart is just about half-way down, just before the comments section)

I believe it. I get similar gas mileage on mine, so long as I don't have a strong head wind.

Yup, go to: https://www.yamahamotorsports.com/motorcycle At the top of the page, click "My Yamaha Login/Signup".

Yamaha has released the 12.06 version of the 2018 SV Infotainment System Firmware/Software/Whatever. Get it here: https://www.yamahamotorsports.com/transcontinental-touring/pages/infotainment-software-update According to Windows, it's 599 MB in size.

I signed up for the whole "My Yamaha" thing, and when you create your profile you specify which bike you own. I thought there would be folks here who bought the bike but didn't sign up, which is why I decided to share the email.

Pretty sure he meant 8GB. Common mistake to make.

Got this in my inbox today. Rather than trying to copy/paste the whole thing, here's the link to "view email in web page": Star Venture Infotainment Update and FAQs Key quotes in my opinion:

Shouldn't you be able to make a public dropbox share/link?

I didn't have this problem at all. *shrug*

This is the first I've heard of this problem. My advice would be to stay away from cheap USB thumb drives.

Excellent info, thank you. I'm not out to start a war (I find that such things on forums rarely resolve anything), but with these numbers I have a better idea what my options are. The post showing the evolution from the "00" part number to the "30" part number is quite interesting, though.

I bit the bullet and called my dealership and asked what they put on my bike. He gave me the same "60" number. When I asked about the "50" that was more common, they checked and confirmed that the "50" is a retired number, and that the "60" number is the new part number, but it's the same part.

Does anyone else find it frustrating that the Owner's Manual and the Service Manual only refer to the oil filter for the 2018 SV as "Cartridge Type"? Is there an OEM part number for the oil filter? Bonus brownie points for the K&N equivalent.

It's just the 20w-50 that's suspect. The Mobil 1 10w-40 checks out fine, and is one of the ratings specified in the SVTC manual.

Yes, I did, thanks for catching that. I get the same sense about the V-Twin oil. I think it's a tad misleading, given that V-Twins are not exclusive to HD, but that's just my opinion.

I researched a bit of this today, and oddly enough, the V-Twin 20w-50 synthetic (Mobil 1) isn't JASO MA rated, though the Racing 4T 10w-40 synthetic is (see attachment).NAUSMobil-1-Motorcycle-Oils.pdf I thought this might be a trend, as Castrol says its 20w-50 "has been engineered and tested for performance in Harley-Davidson® motorcycles". But when you look at the specs, it IS JASO MA rated (MA-2, even): https://www.castrol.com/en_us/united-states/motorcycle-oil/motorcycle-engine-oil/4-stroke-engine-oil/power1-v-twin-4t.html I found it very odd on Mobil-1's part that the 20w-50 V-Twin synthetic omitted this. The manual does recommend at least Standard JASO MA (and API service SG type or higher).

Yes! Forgot to mention those... Thank you! Adding now...

Can you post a pic of this from the warranty? I'm ashamed to say I can't find my copy. That said, in the specifications in the owner's manual (page 11-1), it states "Recommended brand: YAMALUBE". It does not say "Required". Also, in the YES warranty (various forms found here: https://www.yamaha-motor-yes.com/tsncs.jsp), it says (in the 48-state version), "Follow Yamaha guidelines for the quality and type of fuel, oil, and lubricants used. Failure to follow guidelines in the appropriate owner’s manual may result in denial of certain claims." Quality and type; brand is not specified, nor is there at that point a recommendation for YAMALUBE. The only gap I have in my documentation is the text of the base 1-year warranty. I'd be very curious to see the wording therein.

Yes. Yes it do.

I stay out of sports mode. The twitchy-ness I speak of was while in touring mode. *shrug*

My first bike was a 2003 Suzuki Volusia, which is what the C50 used to be called. The only thing I really didn't like about the bike was that it wasn't fuel injected. It seems they changed this in the later models (the 2008 included). Solid bike.

I'm going to attempt to make this concise. Please feel free to ask questions, and I'll add things as I see fit from these questions. INTRODUCTION I'd had my eye on this bike since it was announced back in the June timeframe last year. I was still feeling the effects of the Victory closure announcement (I had a 2011 Victory Cross Roads), and since that time I had been window shopping for my next bike. I had mentally settled on the Indian Roadmaster, as I wanted a v-twin touring bike, but I wasn't completely thrilled with the option. I'm a bit of a geek (as some might have noticed), and while the traditional styling of the Indians is nice, it just wasn't really my mug of coffee. I still remember the first time I saw the new Star Venture. My first reaction was, "Yeah, like that!" on the styling. I was hooked, so I had to force myself to curb my enthusiasm. I wasn't yet in a position to be able to afford it, and I didn't want my fan-boy feeling to cause me to overlook flaws that may give me reason not to buy one. My biggest concern going in was the weight; 963 pounds is nothing to sneeze at. So I did my research, read the reviews, kept up with things in the news and bid my time until my daughter finished school. It was then I saw on on the showroom floor at the same dealer where I bought my Victory. I made the mistake of sitting on it and letting the sales guy hold it so I could check my sitting clearance for my legs. It was, of course, a perfect fit. I let the guy "tell me all about it" (not mentioning the research I had already done), told him I was considering it, and left. A week later I brought my teenage son in try out the passenger seat. Of course he loved it. Told the guy I was still seriously considering it, and left. It was another week and a half before I returned, having done due diligence on finances and whatnot. I insisted on a test ride. The sales guy immediately agreed. I was so nervous I was going to drop the thing, but I didn't. It just didn't feel like a 963-pound bike, even at low speed. It accelerated far more effortlessly than I imagined and it turned and handled very well. When I returned to the dealership, I bought the bike. THE GOOD Now that I've put 2000 miles on the bike, I'm comfortable saying I am more confident riding this bike than my Victory Cross Roads, which surprised me given the 200-pound difference in weight. At low speed it feels like a much lighter bike. On the highway it doesn't break a sweat. Indeed, my son, having eaten good BBQ before a leg of a ride as dozed off on the back more than once (he's ok, no worries). The passenger seat is equally comfortable, and I find myself debating on whether I really need highway pegs (I'm 5' 9" in boots). Despite its bulk, it is a well-engineered machine. Power is awesome for a stock v-twin. Now that I can rev the engine beyond 2600, I've been able to get a better idea of the engine's capabilities. I'm not a expert (this is only my third bike), but I haven't found myself wanting for power. The transmission shifts easily (though I find myself occasionally over-shifting neutral). Storage space is cavernous. This is my first tour trunk, I've been kicking myself for not investing in one sooner. What I normally carry fits well in the saddlebags, leaving the trunk to stash my helmet and jacket when I stop. The cubbies elsewhere are nice but I haven't found a use for them yet (yet) outside of holding and charging my phone. I have the Transcontinental model, so features are vast. I haven't use the CB yet (I have along trip coming up), but I've taken in most of the other audio options. It's easier to list what doesn't come with the bike than what does come with the bike, which is saying something. This is also my first bike with heated seats and grips. And you can set the levels for High/Medium/Low heat in the infotainment system. I also got the accessory headed grips for the passenger. My son loves them. Generally, I'm getting about 35-37 mpg in the city, and 44-47 mpg on the highway. One year warranty, four additional years extended warranty. THE NOT-SO-GOOD Does the engine put off heat? Yes. Is it enough to be a real bother? No. I've found it's most noticeable when I've been on the highway, then I have to stop and wait for several minutes. It's not going to burn your leg off, but it will warm you up a bit on cool days. Also, this heat can be mitigated a great deal by opening the vents just forward of the floorboards to let air in by your legs. My biggest gripes are with some of the niggles with the Infotainment System. These are documented ad nauseam elsewhere on the forums, so I won't go into too much detail. The voice prompts on the GPS can't be adjusted (the voice breaks in too often for my taste). Importing a route is needlessly complex. Routes are limited to 5 waypoints. The Pandora control isn't stable and breaks randomly (viva la Bluetooth). Despite these niggles, it is quite functional. An update should be available "Any Day NowTM". My bike does get a bit of transmission whine from time to time, though it seems to be lessening a bit as time goes on. EDIT: This problem went away after my 4000 mile service when I switched from the Yamalube 15w-50 full synthetic to a certain name-brand 10w-40 full synthetic. The throttle can be a bit twitchy. It's a throttle-by-wire system, and there are times when I feel I may have let off just a tiny bit only to have the engine down-rev more than expected. It has taken some getting used to. SUMMARY I've gotten into the habit of telling folks that this is the bike I was waiting for. I really like this bike, and I find myself trying to come up with excuses to get out on it. It is fantastic for what it is, and I'm very glad I made the upgrade. EDIT 1: Added info on air vents to mitigate engine heat. EDIT 2: Updated statement on transmission whine.