I'm a newbie to the Venture site, but have more than 30,000 miles under my belt and considering moving up from the Warrior to the Venture since my wife is trading the rider role for the passanger role.
Summarizing the things that usually cause the bike to go horizontal:
1) Speeds less than 5 mph, lack of rolling inertia to keep you up.
2) Footing - have good shoes or boots and watch out for gravel or oil. Sandles are not a good idea.
3) Abrupt stops - A fist full of front brake when going slow or a stalled bike when turning is not a good thing. Unfortunately, they are always unexpected.
4) Angles - Avoid getting sideways on them. This includes rolled curbs and driveways. If sideways on an angled surface, make sure you are planning to lean up hill. If you suddenly need to put your foot on the down hill side, you might find the bike is past the tipping point before your foot is down. I saw 3 touring bikes go down in 3 days at a hilly campground last year near Sturgis. All three fell to the down hill side, and one had enough momentum to roll up onto the windshield after the rider had to bail out. All three were trying to turn around slowly (maybe too slow) on a bumpy grass/dirt slope.
5) Train your passengers - Create good habits with your passengers so they always wait for your signal to get on. And, don't signal them until you are pointed forward on level ground with stable footing. A fist full of front brake is good in this case to prevent the bike from rolling.
I too bought the Ride Like a Pro Video, but haven't practiced it yet. It is good, but focuses more on control while rolling at more than 5 mph. Impressive skills though.
Until next time, keep the rubber side down.
Rockin Russ
