XV1100SE

I was behind a Victory CCT the other day and had to pass because the view from behind was positively ugly ! I like the style of the Venture/H.D/Kawasaki Vulcan 1700 Voyager - to me they look like motorcycles.

I've seen some posts saying that they would be looking at the Victory Cross Country Tour and being bored at work today thought I'd go thru a comparison of the two. I hate the look of the Victory but a comparison is attached. I've highlighted in red what I think is important in a touring bike. One thing I think is interesting is how much Victory lists a Garmin Zumo 660 and wiring harness for, in comparison to a retail Zumo 660 and Buddy Rich cable. What I found interesting in particular is : Peak hp/torque - Venture 97hp@6000rpm, 89 ft-lb@4750, Victory 88hp@4740 105ft-lbs@2750rpm Rev limit - Venture 6250rpm (if I recall correctly), Victory 5400rpm Suspension - Venture air front/rear, Victory rear only Fuel - Venture is 86 octane, Victory 91 octane (at the pump it costs you 7 cents/litre -about 28 cents/U.S. gal - which increases your cost to run the bike) Warranty - Venture 5 years, Victory 1 year Specification reasons I wouldn't consider the Victory : - belt drive - liquid cooled (and per reviews runs almost as hot as a Harley) - luggage is bigger (particularly the trunk) but to get bigger trunk but that "look", no thanks. Plus from reviews the trunk and saddle bags rattle - cb is optional or an add on. I like using the cb in group riding - so much easier to communicate. I'm not clear on whether a built in intercom is included or optional Notice what a Garmin Zumo 660 and wiring harness costs from Victory ? $1,222 vs $700. PLUS the Venture is $4,500 less ! To me, overall... even though the Venture hasn't changed in 14 years... it still has what is important to me.

Congratulations !

Definitely contact Larry (Carbon One). Have a set of his arm rests and they are easy to install and the wife says they make her ride a more comfortable (also safer when she falls asleep !).

Think what the insurance company said was that they take the 6 month's coverage and pro-rate it for the year. Don't think you can remove coverage over the winter. Them's the rules... and you can't argue with an insurance company !

Krylon Fusion (paint for plastic in a spray can) then used automotive paint scratch touch up paint for the pin striping (Dupli-Colr Scratch Fix 2 in 1). Gave it a light coating of clear coat (Dupli Color). The sanding pad I used was one of those sponge like kind of things that has abrasive on all four sides. Used a fine grit just to roughen the surface so the paint would stick. Paint for plastic allows the paint to bend a bit with the plastic.

The bike is a bit darker but unless I bought paint or had a shop do it the red is close enough.

For painting the HF trailer, I masked out the area I wanted to paint and sanded it with a fine pad to roughen up the plastic and take any contaminants off. Used Krylon Fusion (paint for plastic in a spray can) then used automotive paint scratch touch up paint for the pin striping (Dupli-Colr Scratch Fix 2 in 1). Gave it a light coating of clear coat (Dupli Color). Painted the metal plates to move the box back to prevent rusting. The trailer lights are still visible from behind. Next winter I may put high mounted LED's for turn/brake. When I got the HF Tag-Along I put the LED lights on it so adding additional lights won't be an issue on power draw.

I wanted to "personalize" my HF Tag-Along so over the winter I painted it. Tried to get a red as close to the bike as I could but with cans from the store you have a limited selection. My pin striping could use more practice but from a distance it looks okay to me. I've had concerns about being able to adjust the tongue weight on the trailer too since the box didn't extend that far behind the axle. Especially with a cooler on the tongue I've had times where I'm sure I was well over the recommended tongue weight. What I've done to give me more leverage is move the box back 4 1/2". My neighbour (who also did my cooler rack) had a portable welder and brought some steel plates over and welded them in behind the L brackets that come with the trailer. The plates already had holes in them and it lined up perfectly with the box. Attached are pictures of the results.

On a positive note... the second side goes easier than the first !

Did you read the thread I created that talks about how to install the lights ? http://venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=77681

Nice pictures ! Thank you for posting the link. Nice to see what is in each area and gives and idea of areas to cover in the future ! What kind of camera did you use when you were on the bike and rolling ?

No discount because of the shorter season.

Just the bike. For the '07 Mustang GT I pay about $1200/yr

Last years insurance thru Riders Plus in Ontario for an '09 RSV : $1,000,000 liability Premium : Bodily Injury $176 Property Damage $19 Accident Benefits (Standard Benefits) $501 Uninsured Automobile $14 Direct Compensation Property Damage $64 Collision ($1,000 deductable) $95 Comprehensive ($1,000 deductable) $141 Family Protection Coverage $69 Total Auto and Occasional Driver Premium $1,010 Total Policy Premium $1,079 Finance Charge (pay over 6 months) $32.37 GRAND TOTAL $1,111.37

Welcome to the forum ! Lots of us in the Toronto to Woodstock area. Some members up your way too !

From the first oil change I did myself at 6,000km I've used Mobil 1. Never experience a whine (currently 37,000km). Cost of Mobil 1 oil here to change the oil in the bike is $70-$75. Rotella T6 is normally $43. I put Rotella T6 in at the end of the winter and have put about 100km (60 miles) on the bike since. No whine so far but will keep an eye on it. Picked up another jug at Canadian Tire on sale for $35 so I'm good for oil until mid summer.

Freebird has added it to the 2nd Gen read only library

I did a full write up on the 100 LED and run/turn/brake lights from Custom Dynamics a while ago http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showpost.php?p=619134&postcount=9 This is what I ordered.... and the 5% discount code has not changed in the past four years - rswarrior was it in 2009 and is the same today. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showpost.php?p=616630&postcount=1

Congratulations to both of you !

Aren't 1st Gen's so old they didn't have bulbs in those day? Didn't they just use candles and/or fireflys.

Welcome to the forum. Lots of members in the Toronto/Kitchener/Woodstock area. Definitely check the "known problems" post as mentioned. Might help you shave a few bucks off the price if you see any issues.

Hope you stay safe and don't experience loss as well.

Welcome to the forum ! Enjoy the ride and be safe !

Sorry to hear your bad luck. Things will change soon.