Pegasus1300

Your bike is now 18 years old. There is now way a color ordered to factory specs is going to match anything. Best bet is to either repaint the entire bike the original color ( or a new color) or go to a paint shop and have them match what you have now. Most body shops have a color analyzer that match what your paint has become if you don't want to do the whole thing.

Congrats and welcome to the Spyder world. I have been on my RT Limited for 2.5 years now and 23000+ miles. It is a great ride and tons of fun. 1 Go to Spyderlovers.com,lots of information there. Be sure to read the "Do's and Don'ts" thread especially the first part that concerns the 998 motor. They use the same forum software we do. 2.Good move on the Limited. I would not pay new for one but I would not buy a used one that wasn't. 3.The V twin smooths out as the revs increase. Rev it. It is a great engine,lots of power and there are many other ther now with well over 50,000 and more then a few over 100,000 with no major problems. 4 Gas mileage sucks but it is better then my Goldwing Trike 5 Run the premium. This is not a Venture and it just doesn't run as good on the cheaper stuff. 6 Don't trust the Analog gas gauge,it is notoriously inaccurate. I gas mine at about 160 miles. But by then I am ready to hit the restroom anyway. 7 Motorcycledave.com is your friend. I put his gel pad in my seat for under $100 and turned a 2 hour seat into an all day seat. He will also make you a swinging deal on a Sena Bluetooth setup so Eileen can have the music in her helmet. If you get the paired set up you all can talk to each other as you ride. A CB with intercom and wired headsets is available from BRP but very expensive and not worth it. I see that you only have one antenna so you don't have it. 8 Make sure you get the Apple connector and the MP3 connector. These go in the trunk and will allow you to hook up an older Ipod or Iphone into the sound system. It can be controlled from the handlebars. The MP3 and Android will also play thru the sound system but can't be controlled by it other then volume. Make sure you get the owners manual. 9 Your bike is 5 years old. You will need the coolant and the brake fluid changed. I know mileage is nil but it is also a time thing. 10 I use full synthetic in mine Rotella T6 10-40. It is cheap and you can get it at any Walmart. Use what ever you like in a full synthetic but change it out at 4500 mi. Filters can be had from BajaRon (frydad@hotmail.com or from the Home page at spyderlovers.com) 11 After she has ridden it some she will want BajaRon's sway bar so it will corner better. 12 Alignment issues. By now if it had any serious issues they should have been taken care of. If your front tires look like they are wearing funny get a laser Alignment. Few dealers have the equiptment to do this. Squared Away out of Las Vegas travels the US doing alignments but there are others. 13. Kenda tires are very low grade tires single ply. Your rear tire will be gone at about 10,000 to 12,000miles. Replace with a car tire as close to the stock size as possible. To many good ones to name. Fronts should go to 20,000 to 24,000. Also car tires when you replace. 14 Rear brakes for some reason wear out fast so keep an eye on them. 15 Ride that thing Eileen. Ride Ride Ride The more you ride the more you'll like it. The riding position is like a 1st gen and I find it very comfortable except that my knees need to be unbent sometimes so I have highway pegs on it. The Spyder is out of the ordinary,it is fun and it is reliable,or I have found it to be so. I have already covered most of the West on it and just do normal maintenance on it. The hardest thing is taking your time to take all the plastic off it to get to anything.

So sorry to hear of your brothers troubles. have you contacted USCCA to see if there is any help they can provide? Or NRA Concealed Carry?

No Dave the testers of the Day never understood how to ride a Royal Star. It was good , not great not fantastic but good if you left it in 3rd until you were doing 65-70 and downshifted if you wanted to pass. In 96 and 97 I think 4th and 5th were both overdrives. Dumb da DUMB DUMB. I have no idea what they were thinking.

I am firmly in the 3 wheel camp now. I don't trust my balance any more and my meds don't help. I still miss my RSTD but there is no going back. I really like my Spyder RT Limited. So my next bike would probably be a 3 cylinder RT Limited (mine is a V Twin).

Actually the CB was not standard in 1986 on the Royale,that would come in 87 or 88 don't remember which now. So you see your were wrong and you were right.

That's an 1800, fuel injection. Put a new fuel filter in it and some Berryman's B12 or Seafoam and ride off into the sunset. Very good looking trike. I think 1800 trikes look really good.

I wont be buying a new venture. But NOT for the reasons listed here. I like it,I like it alot. But there is no way I can hold up a 963 lb bike empty at my age. Two wheels are just no longer an option for me and to spend $20,000+ on a trike without ABS,fuel injection,traction control and power steering made no sense to me. Throw in a solid rear axle and it was not going to fly. Those were some of the reasons I went to the Spyder. Yes I tried the standard Trike,had a Goldwing for 4 years,but it didn't do it for me. I love my Spyder as much as I loved my VR/RSV. I rode those since 1986,nothing else. But now the 2 wheel boat for me has sailed. 10 years ago I would have snapped it up. It has everything we asked for except the V4. My spyder is belt drive and in 29,000 miles it has worked great. More then I can say for the shaft in the 83 I had that spun its shaft at 30,000 cause the grease fitting didn't work. I have to disagree with no serious touring bike has a VTwin and a belt drive. Victory Vision was serious,it was just hard for people to get past the body design. Harley Davidson is deadly serious and you see those things in the oddest places with real miles on them. I have put 20,000 miles in 18 months on my Spyder and the belt has not needed attention. Still in spec on tension. Puc is right on in saying the large bike touring world has changed and it is not as big as it was,for whatever reason. 10 years ago I would no more have considered trailering my bike to an even/location then fly to the moon. Now I think about it all the time. Current wife wont ride long distance,but wants to ride when we get there. Trailer works great. I bet there are a lot that are in that boat or just don't have the strength/stamina that we once had. Lets face it as much as we don't want to admit it our type of rider is an ageing population and Yamaha is looking for the ones who are where we were 25 years ago. That's the next market. For those of you who can handle it and swing the money I say go for it. I think you'll really enjoy it. Call it a StratoVenture or Ventureliner or what ever but I think it will be great. Happy Venturing on whatever generation you ride. Your mileage may vary

You will like the Vessel bits. They were the supplier to Sears back in the day. I have bought from them several times. Still treasure the set of JIS screwdrivers I bought several years ago from them.

What an exciting trip this has been. Thank you very much. And thanks for posting the links to the rides you have done. I am also looking forward to your ride Alaska. The only sad part was the ultimate demise of the faithful Venture. I know why but still..... Anyway thanks again for sharing the wonderful adventure.

Thanks Red paypal for 1

I ride the 998cc VTwin and I have never had an issue with keeping up with anybody at any legal speed. Even fully loaded. Yes it does have to be reved up to get the most out of it. Although a VTwin it is not a Harley and does not perform well if short shifted. Shift at 6000 and you are good to go. Redlines at 9500. 3 cylinder does get better mileage and doesn't need to rev. Both are good for 100k or more.

I couldn't wait any more and I had to go to 3 wheels anyway so I went to a Spyder RT and I love it. Lots of advances,fuel injection paddle shift transmission,Stabilization,traction control,power steering,auto leveling. Just a great ride. I've put nearly 20,000 miles on it in 18 months even with 2 winter shut downs. I hope they do bring the Venture into the modern world. I have always felt that the V4 engine was the perfect motorcycle engine. I rode ventures for 30+ years but it was time for a change.

If you are not opposed to buying long distance I think these people are very reputable http://www.pitbullpowersportsinc.com/ you might also try http://www.imotorsportsinc.com/ Both of them are used to shipping and have really good prices. Lots of information at spyderlovers.com This is the best site for spyders.

BajaRon makes a sway bar that is the ticket. I also get my filters from him. He sells Amzoil also but I buy my oil locally. Valvoline T4 10/40 or Shell Delo T6 5/40 . If you decide to go used VTwin don't go older then 2010 and don't go less then an RT Limited. New you can drop down a stage but stay with the RT. You and the wife will be much happier. There are some leftover 2015 and more 2016s,but you have to look around.

Deer eating the crab apples in the side yard, wood peckers echoing thru the neighborhood,Great horned owls calling. Sandhill cranes, mountain lion taking a walk with us( I was a little nervous on that one).Elk down in B-i-l's hay field. Great. Eagles in Migration, did you know Vultures migrate?

Flyday58 I went to the Spyder in 2015 after 28 years on the V4 and have never looked back. Puc seen my Spyder at Sturgis 2015 so has UTadventure. I have the VTwin model and other then the right foot there is no problem with heat on mine.It is an RT. I fixed the rt foot with a block off plate. I have put nearly 20,000 miles on it since June of 2015. Gas mileage on ethanol stay around 30-31 mpg. I stay with traffic at any speed up to 80-85. Haven't gone any faster but could. Valves say check at 14500 but like the Venture that is largely wasted effort,wait until 50,000.Very comfortable have done done 700-800 mile days,tho I did put a gel pad in the seat. If you can afford the 3cyl 1330 go for it but if you are on budget get a 2010-2012 and run the wheels off it. Mine is a 2012 RTL which means I have the paddle shifter, nice to not have to worry about the clutch.

I only knew him thru his posts and the service he did to my wife and I when we were in the hospital. I appreciated him and his spirit very much. I will miss you very much. Ride on Brother. Peace to your family. Put me down for a memorial patch.

I agree there are no longer any top quality ww tires being made. The Dunlop 404's are OK but if you ride very much or very hard you will be disappointed. Over on Spyderlovers.com there is a company called Tire Grafixx that can make you a white wall for any tire,even you darksiders. Here is his contact info "please e-mail me at jbooth9619@att.net or call 817.846.2748" He can also do raised white or colored letters. I know you are going straight black Don but thought others might be interested in this.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/mar/10/john-surtees-formula-one-dies?CMP=share_btn_fb Just saw this on facebook

well yes it is faulty and if you put Progressive Springs in the forks you won't n ed them anyway. Removing the anti dives and delinking the brakes makes them ever so much easier to bleed and the work a whole lot better. Besides with anti dives gone and the brakes delinked you can add R6 calipers and have a real stopper. BTW sorry to take so long to answer you I haven't been here for a couple of days.

+1 on the Pirelli,not because of my experience but because of yours. All the brands you mentioned are good brands,or the companies wouldn't still be around making those tires. Don't worry be happy and buy what you know and like. Ris ride ride.

Welcome. For what you are going to be doing I would remove the anti dive units,put a block off plate over the hole and run the hoses direct to the calipers. Then replace your fork springs with Progressive Springs,great improvement. Get hold of Rick at Buckeye Performance and get a new set of SS brake lines that will de link your front/rear brake. Second great improvement. A proper shift lever should be easy to find,the one you have looks like it all goes together. I don't think you'll have any trouble selling your floor boards on Ebay,ask maybe $100.00.Bikebandit will give you a parts diagram of what you need to put the foot pegs back to stock. Others will chime in on the carb modifications. Good luck and post lots of pictures as you go along

I have been using Berryman's for nearly 20 years to clean carbs on the Venture. I have never heard of anything like you are referring to and I have never had any damage. I first heard about it from the Bench Wrench section in the old Venture Touring Society magazine Venture Roads.

That's 9 years ago, I can't remember yesterday let alone 9 years ago. I'll have to see if I can find those. Thanks.