Stoutman

The common denominator between pi and ice cream is Coffee.

I rode an RSTD for 7 years and really enjoyed it. The v4 is nothing short of a great engine. Looking back at how I used the bike I think an RSV would have been more useful to me. Having the trunk gives you a lot of options like grocery shopping and commuting with a laptop, or even having someplace to stow your gear when you get where you're going and don't want to walk around in chaps and an armoured jacket. Either way I think the RSV/RSTD is among the best values in used bikes out there. And since they haven't changed them in like forever you can buy an older one in good condition and pretty much get the same thing as a newer one. Hope you have some cassettes.

This is the first I've heard of this coffee, and I am a coffee Geek. I buy green coffee beans and roast them myself. Then I grind the beans just before I brew them and make either espresso or drip coffee. My cost is around $5.00 - $7.00 per pound, less than the value brands at the local discount store, and I have the freshest coffee possible. Of course, I have to spend about 25 minutes a week roasting coffee. This sounds a lot like the Kopi Luwak coffee that comes from the dung of the Civet cat. It has the same claims about the digestive process giving "marvelous effects". That coffee costs around $200.00 per pound. I've tried it once, and will never waste my money on that again. Civet coffee actually originated from the poor workers that picked the coffee. They were not allowed to take any coffee they picked, and could not afford to purchase it, but they found the coffee beans in the dung of the civet cat and were allowed to keep them. Once washed and roasted they became highly valued for their smooth flavor. They now contribute greatly to the income of those same workers, many of whom survive on less than $4.00 per day.

I gave up waiting for Yamaha/Star and bought a Kawasaki Vulcan 1700 Voyager ABS. Paid 17.5K out the door with 6 years warranty. Fuel injection, ABS, Frame mounted fairing with trunk and bags, 6 speed with virtually no whine, belt drive with no drive lash. Built in radio and intercom (but you have to pay for the cables to connect the headset). Once past the break in period the motor is smooth and well mannered, not like some v-twins. Handles very well, tracks straight and true and doesn't feel like a pig in the parking lot. Would I like an updated Venture? You bet. Will I consider it if or when Yamaha/Star builds one? I'll have to see what they come up with. I'm glad I rode the RSTD and I really enjoyed the V4 motor. But life goes on and I can't wait for some motor company to make what I want when the competition is willing and the price is right.

10,000 Hornets! My old Kawasaki 500 two stroke sounded like that at 80 mph goiing down the highway. I can't believe how I used to drive that thing with spoked rims, chain drive, and drum brakes. Oh how the world has changed. And the lights... sealed beam was all that was legal. OK, I'm going to go be old now.

I've owned the RSTD and I know you will love the V4. The Venture is a great touring motorcycle for all the reasons these fine people have told you. However, you may consider looking at the Kawasaki Vulcan 1700 Voyager ABS. For about the same money you can have fuel injection, ABS brakes, a frame mounted fairing and a tach on the dash. The drive belt doesn't have any lash, and there is virtually no whine in the 6 speed gear box. The engine won't have the same character as the Yamaha, and the queen seat is a little smaller, but it is one other option. You will pay more if you want the CB and the intercom all set up. Let the good times roll.

I like the Kawasaki so far. I guess I should break it in before I post to much about it but I do miss the V4 a little. Of course, being limited to 2500 RPM for the next 400 miles puts a damper on the fun factor. I got the 6 year transferable warranty so I won't be doing much besides maintenance. The oil and filter is the same as the RSTD so the extra I have in the shed will get used. The Kawasaki is very well mannered. It has a great sound right out of the box. The V twin is not obnoxious at all (still not that smooth V4). I was riding today on a major road under construction with uneven lanes and the Kawasaki tracked straight and true. It has Bridgestone Exceedra tires that I thought I would hate, but they are nothing like what came with the Yamaha, although I hear they don't last to long. It has fantastic brakes, fuel injection, and a radio. I'll take mama out tomorrow and get a report on the queen seat. The old RSTD did need a lot of work. It needed a rear shock, two new tires, and I was a little late on the valve train service, all the break lines and clutch lines needed to be replaced (they looked fine but I'm going by the user manual service schedule). Instead of spending that money and time I did the trade and upgraded my ride. Maybe in 6 years Yamaha will upgrade their touring machine. They would sure have a leg up if they put a fuel injected V4 on an upgraded chassis and added some new technology. Thanks for all your great comments. I guess I need to post some stuff in the VR classifieds. Certainly don't need that four channel manaometer to sync the carbs anymore. Best regards,

Sold the RSTD today. Actually traded it for a 2012 Kawasaki Vulcan 1700 Voyager. I've been waiting for Yamaha to hang a new fuel injected v4 on the Venture and maybe update the technology to add ABS. Alas, the old RSTD needed a bunch of maintenance all at once so I gave in and bought the new tech from Kawasaki. Picked her up tonight with zero miles and put her away with 36 miles. Have to give her the standard break in for the next 964 miles, then I'm hitting the road for Colorado. So, anybody want to buy some barely used slash cut RSTD pipes? I hung them in the shed 7 years ago and they are still there. Also found the stock seat. Make me an offer if you're interested. Warmest regards,

Its a pickup truck in a dress.

I read that article in Rider. It was the first thing I read. The author didn't bring up any arguments that I have not read on this forum. He was very up front with the fact that he had denied participation in a group "Safety" ride to a rider that had a car tire on the back of his bike. At the time he denied the permission he also admitted that he didn't know much about the issue. So that was his perspective; safety instructor, not familiar with the issue so he said no. The rest of the article was a fair attempt to at least define the issues involved with running a CT. For the most part he was persuasive. Some of his arguments were not so much. There were a few things that were not looked at in depth. The insurance question was the biggest. He brought the insurance question up, but then didn't give any input from an insurance company or professional. His treatment of that issue was to simply ask the question and imply that you "may not" be covered in case of an accident. As was stated in the discussion above, if the right lawyer gets in front of the right judge and jury anything can happen. The author could have taken it a bit further though and asked a third party. For all I know he tried and failed to get input on a sensitive issue from a notoriously conservative industry. To me, it played the fear card without any more substance than that. The other fear card he played was this. People say they have millions of miles logged on a car tire with no problem. This is the same as millions of miles on motorcycles without a helmet. You only need to have one incident to prove the need for the helmet. Well, there are plenty of people that ride with no helmet, some with a ½ helmet, some with a ¾ helmet, and some with a full helmet. Then there are the different safety specifications. Which one is the best? And if someone should definitively answer that question, then should that be the only one allowed? The answer is of course not. We all make that safety decision according to our own preferences. I'll say it again, for the most part the article was persuasive. As an engineer I understand the system issues that the article brought forth and the arguments in the article spoke to me. The suspension is tuned to the bike’s weight, stiffness of the frame and the steering geometry of the bike, which drives the selection of the type of tire for that bike. Engineers make their decisions on what works best on paper, and temper those decisions with what their customers want. I’m not one to buy into the whole conspiracy that motorcycle specific tires are just a way to make more money on tires. I think there is enough competition out there that if there was a cheaper way to make a truly great motorcycle tire, most of us would have that tire on the bike. The other side of that is that most of us change our bike in one way or another. Some of us have leveling links that make the bike a bit taller in the saddle but handle better in the parking lot. Before that we put a narrower tire on the front to accomplish the same effect. Some of us go the other way and lower the bike to make it more manageable for our short legs. Others put different brake calipers on to give more stopping power. Some of us put loud pipes on the bike to make it safer, or cooler, or just plain obnoxious. My bet is nobody called their insurance company first to see if it was OK. That’s not our culture. We think of a way to make things better and try them out. All I can say is thank goodness for the guy that figured out how to put a shield on the helmet and keep the bugs out of my teeth. That said all you Darksiders get off my lawn! Come on inside and have a beer where it’s cool.

My friend put Shinko WW on his Nomad and he loves them. Don't know how long they will last. His reports are that they are superior to his old stock tires, without question.

I read the title of this thread and thought the Great Karnak had joined the discussion. Enjoy the new bike.

I worked with a guy who was genuinely brilliant. His handicap was that his brilliant mind worked in mysterious ways, mysterious to the rest of us at least. The thing is, this guy didn’t suffer fools gladly. Whenever he was unable to win an argument based on his wit, wisdom, and elocution he would then begin his assault. The beginning was always the same question: “Is ignorance bliss”? This was stated in a way that was unmistakably an insult. The best retort I ever heard was from another brilliant, yet much more mature man who replied: “Well, given the breadth and depth of human knowledge I think some ignorance is unavoidable. For those that are unwilling to concede that point, I believe arrogance provides a measure of comfort.”

I have ridden, and do love that Victory. But if Yamaha updated thier V4 touring bike with fuel injection, ABS, and radial tires I would buy a new one today. The thing is, it is the value of this bike that got me hooked. Just because I can now afford a little better bike doesn't mean that the value Yamaha provides is not wanted by all the other V4 riders out there. Life is a compromise. The money I spend on the bike is money I can't spend on my family or my other hobbies. Having a bike that is a great ride and paid for is worth a lot. I think I'll keep my 05 and count my blessings, at least until Yamaha comes through with that V4, ABS, fuel injection and radial tires.