I bought a 83 Venture this fall with just a tick over 20,000 miles on it. The bike is super clean and a guy can tell it been well taken care of it's whole life. Before I bought the bike I made sure second gear was working ok, and so far it still is, but it was the time of year where I got it home and it turned cold so very few miles have been added. I said all that to ask this, has anyone found anything that prolongs what seems to be the inevitable, losing second gear? What kind of mileage can I plan on before a problem might arise? Before I take the bike out in the spring, I will change the oil to a sythetic brand, thinking that might help with the longevity, I will also take care not to ream the bike in the lower gears as I know this puts a strain on the transmission. I won't be pulling a trailer, not that it would hurt anything if loaded correctly and things done proper. Has anyone known of any 83's with high mileage that haven't had problems in this area? Just wondering about these things, any info will be appreciated.