YamahaParExcellence

Hi American...man...your first post REALLY got me thinking all about it...from a different angle...and opened up my eyes, this morning. Now...it makes total sense to me, why the uptake was so much better, with most dealer's sold right out on the Canadian SVTC's...IS, because we as a nation...are a nation of V-Twin lovers...I NEVER PUT THIS TOGETHER, until this morning...never. Myself now included...as a 'coming out of the closet' V-Twin rider myself! Whether one is part of a pack, or a few exclusive rides, here or there...is not truly what I am focusing on...but that what did I see? At Tim's on Monday....ALL of the bikes were one manufacturer's V-Twin offering...metric as well HD. Of course I saw Kawasaki Ninja's...VERY popular here with the X gen and Mill crowd, the very target that Honda hopes will jump ship to a larger ST, with some weekend baggage capability...but man...Ontario in thinking about this...is, 'the V-Twin rules', province. Yamaha saw this...and are making hay, while the sun shines... What a hoot! What they should have done...is had ample supply, and believed in their own supposition. They didn't...they were cautious...and lost out in sales....something that I think won't be happening as they crank out the new 2019's next month.... Joe

Wow..now that you mention that...wow...same here for around the Toronto area. Never even gave that much mind...but neither have I. They have all been 2017's and down. Tons of those! BUT...I did see one other SVTC on Younge Street, just north of the Hog' Hollow dip. So...that is a revelation! Never even thought of that. Not one. The other SVTC was a grey one. Post Edit, I never even saw one on the way to Niagara Falls, yesterday...not there, not ever on the highways...not ever at any of the three Tim Horton's I took a coffee break at? Some of those 40 'out the door's' that Puc was talking about at just one dealer...need to make a show up here in Ontario, to encourage the other's to pull them out of their garages...and ride the things...lol. Just kiddin'....lol. At the Tim Horton's, I saw the usual suspects...Harleys, V-Twin Honda's, let's see, thinking....one Suzuki, something...also a V-Twin...and one really nice looking Triumph Bonneville (newer liquid cooled one) that the owner had modified the baffles...and was way louder than the bike needed to be...., but...not one 2018 Honda in all of that! I must say...that you have me actually thinking about it...the greatest volume of bikes as a make...was any different model and year of Harley Davidson. Really big, up here in Ontario. Harley has a great presence, and of course, are all V-Twins. Really thinking about it...I can't ever remember seeing a 1rst or 2nd gen Venture. I need to keep an eye out for them, when riding. Harleys, lol, you could be blind and if you didn't see 'em...you certainly would get run over by one of them.... Post edit 2: Ok...this post this morning really made the dust fall from the ears...most of EVERYTHING that I saw on the roads...or sitting in front of Tim Horton's that I haunt....were one form or another...V-Twins! Man...this is starting to make sense...in why Yamaha at least, chose a VERY traditional V-Twin...(totally air/oil cooled) as their next brand new, ride. Now (eyes wide open...brain thinking..)...up here in Ontario...and probably, (Canadians LOVE past traditions...and embrace them like all get out, myself included!) all across Canada...they (Yamaha) saw this trend, when THEY were out upon the roads, taking visual surveys...when THEY turned into a Tim Horton's...when THEY hit the bar parking lots....they saw V-Twins...everywhere...from Yamaha, from Honda, from Suzuki...and of course, everywhere under a rock, under a pillow...an HD! Gawd...this is making sense this morning AND, Puc...making sense why they sold out much better in Ontario..and perhaps Canada as a whole country...because...the plain, basic truth of the matter...(thinking about it this morning..) is that the most popular engine format motorcycle IN Canada...are V-Twins.... Yamaha Sneak Teams saw that...and it wasn't the Raider Group that propelled the brand new, from the ground up 2018 Yamaha Venture Trans Continental....is was CROSS PLATFORM, MULTI MANUFACTURER---->PRESENT RIDERSHIP...out there on the roadways, of Canada...that propelled the first SVTC down the assembly line, headed for CANADA! Wow...I need to get another cup of coffee... It was THAT...that put them out on the roadway this summer! Morning all...and especially American...who got me THINKING about this all, this morning....Have a great day, sir! Joe

Wow...have a great trip, Dad and you! Ride safe! I concur...snap lot's of photos and post to the Picture Forum!

If and when my son takes one out for a demo, (hard here to do in Canada, or at least in Ontario) I'll ask him about the ride...vibration, etc...and will post his comments back to you, for your personal interest. There are many YouTube video blogs of this bike...just came off them...and no one was mentioning bad vibes, as a stated critique. Perhaps from the model year you demo'ed...they indeed reworked whatever. There is a guy who is video blogging since break in...and lives in B.C....and has you going all over the place with him...up mountains...down mountains...camping...and loves his ride. My son has been wearing out the VHS tape...virtually on these blog-follows...the poor guy...ever since he rode with me a week ago....he is obsessed with getting his own V-Twin. He said; "...Dad...I get it...I really do....glad you have yours!" "Now..want mine". Poor kid....there is no cure...

Honda Corp is just as red-handed, guilty! There is absolutely no visual connection to the 2017 model Goldwing. None... Now..take a look at the physical ST-1300, and tell me that the so-called 2018 'Goldwing' does not follow that ST imagery almost like a clone. Honda was trying to glean whoever was going to fall for it...from present Goldwing owners...that this was a new er..ah, Goldwing version. Bull...bull...they completely changed gears, and released an ST-1800 but with a flat six banger, to replace the defunct ST-1300. Yamaha and Honda can be sitting in the perhaps, lol the same jail cell.... I get why they did it...and as you say...if they can pull in prior Venture owners, or prior Goldwing owners...what the hey? Good...and if not...what the hey? They are both truly...truthfully...looking to pull in another ride genre. For Yamaha, they want to bring over those that enjoy the 'emotional' V-Twin experience from Harley, Victory, Indian..(yep...let's call the tuttu dressed elephant sitting on the couch...as 'seen'.) and if by naming the new, totally new T.C as er...ah..cough, cough...a Venture...then they can let other prior Venture riders, 'ease in' to the new model and engine configuration...ALL THE BETTER. Honda is so flamin' guity of this as well....and for all the same reasons. For them...bring on the FJR's...bring on the Ninja's...bring on, bring on...The 2018 (again...I see the elephant over there on the couch...) is NOT a Honda Goldwing of past breath, feature set, capacity set, BUT, with updated Infotainment feature set...nope..is is totally aligned with the feature sets of their ST (Sport Touring) line up's...present and past. They are as guilty as Yamaha is, as seen by present first and second gen Venture owners. I say, throw them all in the 'brig...lol. Final comment...if I were either Yamaha, or Honda...man...I'd do the same thing they did....throw 'name it this or that' mud onto the wall...AND SEE WHAT STICKS! Didn't cost them one dime more to call these 2018's...a Venture, or a Goldwing. If the Moniker net gets thrown, and brings in fish...what the hey?!?

So weird with all these manufacturers...and their stock deployment decisions....in Canada...call anyone of the major Yamaha dealers....and they are starving and ASKING for more SVTC's, and so far, there has been no commitment from Yamaha Canada. I know of one dealer that sold his ONLY SVTC shipped to him...ONE....sold it...and have had three other totally (non tire kickers), seriously interested buyers, wanting to get their hands on one through his dealership. Can you imagine the uproar that would enfold, if that certified dealer found out, that any one of those three potential buyers...did the USA import dance, to get one? I'd go out of my flamin' mind, if as a dealer, that information came to ear.... There would be consequences, you can bet on that! Then, yesterday, while out riding mine...I get into a one hour conversation with a present Harley rider...and after that conversation over Charlotte...he stated he was going in on Tuesday to his local Yamaha dealer...or the one I thought near London, Ontario that sill had two, two weeks ago...that I mentioned. What is going on with Yamaha Canada, sure beats the heck out of me...and then...then...after my own 7 months of waiting, after my deposit was down...I get a crated June/17 created, 042 vin. What?!?!?!?! I can't follow this....

My son is going bonkers over this...and loves the color two tone they picked for 2018. He is trying to figure out a way that won't stress his finances too thin ( I disagree with the purchase at this time...but...a father stays out of a grown son's daily...) and I believe this will be the bike he purchases, if not this year...then within a few. The bottom line...he has pretty much settled on this manufacturer and model. He never rode upon a bike with a V-Twin engine...and after riding many miles with me on Charlotte...the man is on a mission....!!!

SilvrT...is this the bike of which you presently own and ride?: If so, what is your take on the Kawasaki Voyager 1700. The price is great...and now my son wants to follow in his father's footsteps. I took him out, as a co-rider...and all I kept hearing through the intercom was "'F**##*, Dad...this is great! How come you never got one until now?" My answer was simply , "it is...what it is....". He is raising two daughters, one mortgage, two cars...but wants to play the 'take this bike over 5 years...with low monthly payments, and I want it NOW'...even though that is not how I would play that hand...grown man...his decision....but I digress...for the money, the Kawasaki Voyageur looks to be just the ticket. BTW, right now, he owns a two decade old, in-line multi. Here is what he is looking at right now....: This is yours, right?

Yep...both the Kawa and the SVTC go to be every day with a little trickle pep talk.... I had one on the 2008, 10 year old Wing...and that original battery was still pounding out the start-ups...even after ten years of continued service.

The USB test... Both 16 GB and 32 GB sticks work, no problem. Just a no-no with 64GB's....

I'm sure it will. they don't draw much, air-horns. I have one on my Kawa that can wake the dead...or those texting themselves AND OTHERS, to death!

After our little discussion on this topic this morning, I made sure that both my tires nominal, were at 41 psi. During the day, funny...the front never moved off of 41, but the rear went up by one 1 to 42 psi, and stayed. It was cooler in Ontario today, only around 65 F.

I am 270 pounds and I have it set to 4.5 Just right...there is give, but no slop or 'pogo'. The suspension on this bike feels fantastic. It holds like a bear!

You actually make a GREAT point! I'm going to latch right onto it. You're right...this is not another V-Max, or V-4 , 3rd gen anything. This Yamaha motorcycle----->is new, from the very ground up, a singular V-Twin motorcycle, and **FIRST GENERATION**--------> You are very right... Great post....Touche! Joe

Thanks for all that! You described exactly how I felt....the multi's just seem missing something as you describe. I had nothing to compare as I always had one version or another of them. Then...this SVTC came along...and the rest is history. LOVE the feel, the sound, the whole riding experience of my V-Twin. I have a story to tell, just coming back from a full day out. Coming home, I decided to stop in at a Tim Horton's, and there were a few bikes there. One was a low-rider Harley. I came out with my coffee and found the chap owning that Harley giving Charlotte the once-over. I engaged him in conversation, and found out, that he and his wife were about to go back to his local Harley Davidson dealer, and scale up to a full dress Ultra Glide. He started asking me about what he saw on the SVTC, and I preceded to give him a walking tour. I then talked about the features that he couldn't see, just sitting there, and the short version of this hour long conversation, was that he was no longer interested in seeking out an Ultra Glide...but was tomorrow, going to visit his local Yamaha Dealer, and 'talk some Turkey'. I hated to advice him that they were in Ontario, rare, but I did know that just south of London, there were two SVTC's as of two weeks ago. He said that he'd have no problem travelling to that dealer, if they were still available. He was thrilled with the vast feature sets, and when I told him the price for all of it...well, he was flabbergasted! The 2018 Ultra spec'ed as he wanted it, was going to come in at nearly $49,000.00...a far cry from $31,999.00! So...I suspect that if the dealer will let him demo something...there will be one less 2018 SVTC in Ontario by tomorrow afternoon. He told me, that what I described as standard equipment, it was everything he was looking for...and the electric height adjustable windshield was a mind blower for him. HE LOVED THAT! I think this bike now out in the wilds...is going to prove very popular in the next three years...with great traction for Yamaha. They picked a winner.... Joe

Right...it's only that I buy 64 GB's because of better cost per GB. I just bought one 16GB and one 32GB to mess around, this morning before heading out. I'm also listening to the two week Sat Radio freebie period. This...man...they know it...can get you hooked... Today, on my way to Niagara Falls...it will be either my eclectic collection from the USB, or B.B. King's Bluesville...all brought to me, by Yamahaville... Yeah...yeah...I'm having a blast owning and riding this rig...yep. Take care...don't let the text'ers put you into the ditch! BTW...getting an air horn installed ASAP. I had one on the Wing...and when I stoked that thing...people had to change their shorts. The SVTC needs the same...in my opinion, the stock horn sounds like the roadrunner....not adequate.

I concur, found that out on my last Tuesday, DareDevil ride...the SVTC has a great suspension...and I would even label it 'full sport'. Certainly is as good as my dedicated sport at almost 35 percent more weight! I just wanted to make sure that truly having the tire running at 43/44 psi in the front, with heated carcass, would not actually cause the crown to wear and flatten the profile. I guess my Wing and everything else rises about 3 pounds per tire as well...but to see it in your face...well...that is new! Cheers,

So, that sound's about right. I watched my front rise to 43/44 mostly for the day, and the back about 1 or two more PSI. Ok...I'll just make sure that at cold start of the day, they are both at 41 PSI. So cool though that you can see what is happening with your tires in real time. If you saw a drop...and continued, you could peel off the highway, and get to a gas station..to assess...from there...you could go air pump, to air pump, until you found a dealer. This is great tech...and a first for me. Have a great day...soon out for the whole day, myself. Cheers,

So, you think they designed the heated carcass PSI rise into that 41? Ok..I thought as much...but just wanted to 'throw it up against the wall', and see what other's thought. Heading out shortly for another 400 KM or more run...just need to wash the bike...and I'm off. Want to get to 1,000 miles as quickly as possible and get past that. Rain, or shine! Have a great day...ride safe. Joe

I had formatted an exFAT32 (for capacities over 32 GB, this is the only one, other than NFTS) 64 GB USB loaded to the max with music, of the WMA type (which the STVC can read and run), but the system could not address it, (did not see it). This morning I have (as an experiment) two other USB FAT32 sticks ready to fit into the USB port 1, one a 32GB and the other a 16 GB, to see what is the highest capacity that the system at Infotainment v12.0.6 can address and read from. I know that the onboard system can not access USB sticks formatted by either exFAT32, or NFTS. Only FAT32...so restricted for that very reason to no larger than 32 GB capacity. I'll report back what my findings are with those two capacities, but wanted to tell you to spare yourself some time, if you thought the system on board can read from a 64 GB capacity. It can't...at least on my v12.0.6 enabled ride. If your bike can read a fully loaded out 64 GB stick, I'd sure want to know about it, as well as the Infotainment Software version you are running to have it do so. Funny that the Infotainment Manual does not specify the highest GB capacity that can be used. If it does...I missed that.

I would be most interested if you would flesh out, exactly why you would once more seek out a V-Twin powered motorcycle. I'd be very curious to read about your personal reasons to do so, in light of your three prior mounts that ran that engine configuration. If you should wish to extrapolate, that would be great. What personal attraction, or needs-met list, to do so, is yours? Thanks,

While monitoring my tire pressure(s) over last Saturday, and with an ambient outside temperature of 76 F, I noticed that while on the highway, with miles of operation at 60 mph or less, my rear tire increased to 42 PSI and my front tire (being a smaller carcass I guess,) increased to a PSI of 43. I was wondering, if the tire-at-rest called for both of the front and rear of 41, should be adjusted to rear of 40, and front of 39, so while in motion, with both tire carcasses heating up...that they would then actually both be at 41 nominal for actual travel operation. Can the front heating up to a pressure of 43 psi actually might contribute to crowning prematurely, OR...has the nominal cold (morning at rest) tire pressure of 41 called for, be intended because the front tire SHOULD run at a designed 43 psi for maximum (to full load capacity) while in bike operation. I never had a motorcycle (the Goldwing 2008 didn't) that had on-board TPM. A first for me, with this bike for a number of things....that, as well as full Blue Tooth capability, etc. So...what does somebody else think? Should we keep the tires (cold) as always both 41 psi, or lower them, to BE at 41 psi, when having traveled 20 miles down the highway at 60 or more mph? Wondering through my fingertips....

Yep...no worries. My humor gets questioned sometimes as well... Carry on!

Thank you, sir..and absolutely, sir! Bottom line, right?....what ever is in the home owner's garage...IS the right bike for him/her, her/him. Bottom line. This post was never intended to 'influence' another's possible choice of the next ride. I merely wanted to share my personal amazement, after years upon years of touring with a GoldWing...that dogs can learn new tricks, and along the way...find that more chewy, and better tasting, 'bone'....at least as seen from the taste buds of this dog... "...bark....bark...SVTC....bark..." Cheers,

Well then...you are a candidate for some latest engineering the SVTC brings to a tradiional engine format, ***AND***, that comes...with Potato Salad. Now, how many other bikes, feed the wandering soul like that~?!?