RonK

-- Thanks for the info. I suspect the play might be barely the max allowed. I tried today to compensate be changing how I release my clutch. That's for starters. --

-- Not sure what you mean by different machines. The '18 Venture and Eluder are the same except for the reverse gear, motorized windshield and the passenger seat on the Venture. None of that should make any difference on mileage. --

-- I have only tried in Tour Mode. The dealer has no clue. I've ordered a factory repair manual and when it comes I'll see if I can figure something out. Just hoping someone else has had that problem and cured it. --

-- My '18 Eluder was always so jerky for me in shifting and starting. I realize now it's because I'm not accustomed to the play between rest, or total off, position and the increase of gas whey twisting the throttle. This play is hard to judge and isn't welcome. Does anyone else with a Venture or Eluder have this problem? --

-- As a matter of interest, what is the issue with second gear and how much would it cost to rebuild before the problem arose? --

-- (Note: duplicate of thread in Darksiding Category. There's just more traffic here.) I don't need to yet, but am planning on switching to dark on my '18 Eluder. Currently the rear tire is a Bridgestone 200/55R16 and is only available through dealers for $348. Ridiculous! Now I've been researching this quite a bit, mostly on the https://gl1800riders.com/forums/15-darkside-riders/ site as Gold Wings have about the same setup as we do but have been doing this for a longer time. My probable replacement will be a Bridgestone Drive Guard RF, 205/55R16 as that's very slightly larger than OEM but is a run flat. Oh, yeah, costs about $135. too. Has anyone tried anything else out yet? --

-- I don't need to yet, but am planning on switching to dark on my '18 Eluder. Currently the rear tire is a Bridgestone 200/55R16 and is only available through dealers for $348. Ridiculous! Now I've been researching this quite a bit, mostly on the https://gl1800riders.com/forums/15-darkside-riders/ site as Gold Wings have about the same setup as we do but have been doing this for a longer time. My probable replacement will be a Bridgestone Drive Guard RF, 205/55R16 as that's very slightly larger than OEM but is a run flat. Oh, yeah, costs about $135. too. Has anyone tried anything else out yet? --

-- I did my first oil change the other day (the dealer did the very first one). The manual says to put 2 qts. in the crankcase and 3+ in the reservoir if you change the filter. I couldn't get a reading with that amount and put in about one more quart. I checked the reservoir level when the oil was real hot and there was still an inch or more space below the cap so I don't think there's any harm in throwing it out. I have no leaks anywhere. I think in the future I will be using a flat 2 qts. in the crank and 4 qts. in the reservoir. Comes out even and although over the recommended amount, should be just right. Anybody else have experience with that? --

-- I wonder, how can that be? Do some riders constantly play with the throttle to vary speed? Do they always go all out on every take off? Are they calculating correctly? Does the elevation matter that much? I don't know the answer, but I can't figure why it should be so different for everyone. And to top it off, I haven't even worn out my stock rear tire and been able to go darkside! --

-- I just posted a thread on the Eluder Category about mileage. Take a look if you want. Most all would apply to Ventures. I am using the recommended 91 octane. I don't know if that has any effect or not. --

-- I notice a thread about mileage on the Venture Category, this is a followup on that. As most of us know, there are several things that affect the mileage of a particular bike. I'm not counting things like needing a tune up, poking along a gravel road, spending the day riding around Chicago and dodging bullets, or mud pit running, etc., but normal over-the-road traveling. Those things include (1) traveling speed, (2) wind direction, (3) road gradient, (4) accuracy of our calculations. With (1), I think we can acknowledge that the faster you ride, the lower your mileage will be. Seems like over about 60 mph is where the drop gets bad. With (2), we may forget this but it has the same effect as riding speed. (3) can be averaged out if you are returning to the same location you started in. (4) the accuracy is improved if you have cross checked your bike's readings compared to road signs and a gps unit. For me, the reasons for knowing the approximate mileage is to keep tabs on the condition of the engine (in part), but mostly as a challenge to see what I can do within the parameters I have set. I do find that mileage is also affected by elevation to some extent, but I have not factored that in since I change the routes I travel in my rides so much. Anyway, so now I have over 7,000 miles on my Eluder and am getting more used to it's quirks more all the time. I have also figured out how work the infotainment center somewhat which is a whole learning experience by itself. My latest mileage check and ride was solo from Grand Junction, CO to Denver, CO and back. Went from about 4,000' elevation to 11,013' to about 4,000' and back. Total about 500 miles. Corrected my odometer mileage to prior gps accuracy and filled the tank each way. My average was a true 57+ mpg. My bike calculated about 53+ mpg. This included traffic, road construction, slow canyon riding, and about 2/3 slab at 65-72 mph. I used cruise control whenever possible. Two points I would make. One is that your actual mileage may be as much as 10% better than you think. Also, I like to be moderate on take-offs usually, and I think that does the most to pay off for what I like. YRMV as they say. --

-- I ride my Eluder conservatively (usually under 65 mph) and don't accelerate real hard. I do ride at the elevations here in Colorado of about 4-6000'. Usually mileage is over 50. I have not yet confirmed the accuracy of my odometer with a gps, so that's with the mileage at stock. --