BigLenny

Okay, I've admitted I have a problem. Isn't that what the doc would say the first step is?

Venturous, Trust me, that thought is driving me crazy right now. LOl.

I'm sitting in my office in a total coma that I did what I did this morning. For 30 years I have made it a good practice to accept all offers from her. I don't even feel like a real man right now. LOL.

While we were laying in bed in the dark this morning, it was that moment of silence before the busy week begins. My lovely wife rolled over and cuddled up to me and said, why don't we both call in and clear our schedules and ride the bike north through the Ozarks and grab a bite at Lamberts Cafe? I thought about her seductive offer and.....turned it down due to a couple of client projects I had scheduled at work. AM I ON THE EDGE OF CRAZY????? After 30 years of marriage I'm turning down riding the bike???? Is this a sign of things to come with old age? Am I gonna start turning down other key things she offers??? I'm worried about myself.

Embassy's sometimes have a shuttle. I'd check with them. $127.00 might be steep for you, but consider the money you won't spend on breakfast. It's a nice cooked to order one, not some continental one that gives you cereal and a waffle machine everybody's fighting over. I can usually get a cheaper rate than the internet by calling that specific Embassy and asking for their best rate. If you're AAA it'll probably be cheaper than $127.00.

That Dude is one crazy mofo! But, it's guys like him that makes life fun to watch.

You don't have to spend one dime gambling in Vegas to have fun. These are MUST see's in my opinion: MGM - Go in the front main entrance and to the right is a real cool very large glassed in lion habitat with several lions in it. Even better if it's feeding time. New York New York - Just walk through the casino. It's like walking down streets of New York City. The roller coaster zooms through the lobby. Bellagio - See the fountain show!! Then go inside the casino and see the plant show in the arboretum. Amazing!! Ceasars Palace - They have a front casino that hasn't changed much since the old days. Real vintage feeling, and then they have a back casino that is freakin big and cool with live figurines standing around. GO TO THE HIGH END MALL ATTACHED TO CEASARS. The reason why is around every corner is some kind of fire show that happens about every 30 minutes. The mall has a FAO Shwarts toy store that has a 2 story rocking horse in it. It also has a car museum in the back that has some very cool cars and motorcycles in it. The Venetian - Make sure you enter this hotel from the main entrance. The entrance ceiling is painted just like the Sistine Chapel! Go to the shops in the back!! This little mall is fashioned like you're walking through the streets of Venice, complete with a river running through it with boats that you can rent while the pilot sings to you. Every hour the roof changes from daylight to dark so you get the feeling of being in Venice during the day, and during the night. Hands down one of - my favorite places in Vegas. The Wynn - A lot of people overlook this place, but it is absolutely beautiful inside. Inside toward the front is a man made pond with several statues in it. A few times a day there is an awesome electronic show that goes on at the pond. Greenery around the pond comes to life. Dang cool! Check out the Ferrari dealership inside the casino. BTW, the bathrooms are super nice with waterfalls for sinks. Treasure Island - Make sure you see the live pirate action show on the ship out front by the strip. Circus Circus - This place has been around for ever, but it is still a neat place to stick your head into. Go to the big top and see the circus acts. Every 30 minutes there is a free circus act, and its fun to watch them. Then, most people miss the fact that there is a free indoor theme park in the back of the casino. Go back there and walk through it. You won't believe how many rides and attractions they've been able to pack into an inside facility. It's huge! The Stratosphere - As folks have said on previous posts, you can get high in this place, extremely high!!! Take the elevator up and look at the city from 1000+ft. Do it at night too. Freemont Street - I love this area! It's vintage Las Vegas with older but nice casinos, and a way better chance of winning. The Fremont Street Experience (1 million plus overhead light show) is a must see at least once. The Rio - Eat their buffet!!! It's the largest buffet in the city. Simply gaudy. then, go to their casino and witness the Sky Show of dancing girls and regular patrons in blimps and flying machines flying around the ceiling celebrating Rio. They throw beaded necklaces down and such. Other Fun/COOL things to see; The Flamingo - Live flamingos in the garden area in the back. The Mirage - Volcano exploding outside. O'Sheas Casino - There's usually a "little Person" dressed up like a leprechaun in front of the casino beckoning people to come in. It's hilarious! Imerial Palace - Seedy casino, but all the dealers are dressed up as some famous star (Michael Jackson, Madonna, etc), and they have to perform on a stage every now and then. City Center - This place is ridiculous!!!!! Very high end and plush plush plush! Paris Casino - Go up in the Eifel Tower and look at the strip. Also, go into the casino. It's decorated like the streets of Paris. Planet Hollywood - Georgous inside! Very chic. The mall in the basement is super cool. Fashion Show Mall - Very nice place, and every hour they do a fashion runway show that my wife forced me to go to, but I admitted was dang cool. Mandalay Bay - Huge Shark Tank in the back. M&M World - One bizillion flavors of M&M's. Go to Las Vegas Motor Speedway and tour it. We loved it! Tip - There are free trams that connect several casinos on each side of the strip. Not all of them, but several. All Strip Casino's - At least try to walk through all the strip casinos. They all have little uniqenesses, and tidbits that make them work the effort to stick your head in them. There are over 200 casino's in the Las Vegas area. Everyone knows about the main ones on the strip, but if you have extra time, jump out to the neighborhoods and see their casinos. My hands down single favorite casino in LV is in the Green Valley subdivision called Green Valley Ranch Casino Resort. Absolutely stunning. Unbelievably beautiful inside, and the staff is super friendly. And.....there are way nicer ones than that in other areas of Vegas. Dude, I'm tired of typing so I'm giving up. There are tons and tons of other things I haven't mentioned that are cool to see and do in Vegas without gambling one penny. Oh yeah, I forgot!!! Go see Hoover Dam!!!

I don't see anyone here mentioning power to weight ratio. Or maybe I missed it. A little 4 banger pulling a chunk of weight sometimes doesn't get the mileage a big V-8 will get because the V-8 doesn't have to work as hard to pull the weight. I wonder what the weight difference between the Jag and the CRV is. You might be surprised to find that it's not that much different. And yes, aerodynamics play a big difference too.

Hi All, I forgot to respond to this thread after we got back from our trip two weeks ago. The concern I raised of less power at higher altitudes really never mattered. The bike performed great at all altitudes. Did I notice less power and less throttle reaction at the higher altitudes (9000 and above)? Yes. However, it wasn't enough to fret over. In the end, I was impressed with the plenty of perfomance the bike gave considering we were packed to the gills, and was surely somewhat over weight. I don't even think the high altitudes affected the gas mileage that much. I was checking the mpg at every fillup, and while we were in the serious mountains, we were averaging 39-42 mpg. And as I said before, we were loaded up. Where we suffered the most on mpg was while we were on the freeway running 75mph for hours. The bike only averaged 29-32mpg on the freeway. The big red booger sucks gas like a Hoover at speeds above 65mph.

Time and time again you see discussions on here, and have personal discussions face to face with motorcyclist about how big, bad and stupid people driving cages are. A lot of the times, these discussions are leaned toward cage drivers being totally inadequate when it comes to the act of driving a motor vehicle, and surely they are all like the blind leading the blind because they never seem to see motorcycles. LOL. Well, I like to read Rider Magazine on a fairly regular basis. Within the last year or so (I wish I would've kept the article), I read an article they did about an extensive study that showed that over 70% of all motorcycle accidents/wrecks were caused by rider error. The study showed that only something like 15%-16% percent of the hundreds of motorcycle accidents they studied were caused by blatant negligence by another motor vehicle. In that over 70% that was rider error, there were certainly a number of wrecks that involved another vehicle. But, it was determined that the motorcycle rider had done something that caused, or could've prevented the accident. Tons of motorcycle incidents happen by themselves (riding too fast, missing an apex of a turn, talkng to a passenger, etc). A number that was larger than the 15-16% was the percentage of incidents involving animals in the road. The article talked about how dangerous that is. It's funny to me that there's so much emphasis between all of us in the bike world put on paying attention to that poor ole sap in the cage that just might jump out and bite ya, and I believe we certainly should focus on that, but the real, more inherant danger is our own absent mindness while we're riding. That's just my .02 that I wanted to throw in.

Great report! We just got back from a 4000 mile 2 week vacation out west a couple weeks ago, and have been having converasions about it being time to start planning for holiday events we host every year. But now after reading your report, I'm getting a fire in me to make a quick run out east to see the fall colors. LOL.

I feel the same about 28. If you like 2nd and 3rd gear, well The Dragon is your thing, but I liked the short amount I rode 28 even better because it included all ranges of gears and speeds. I'm looking forward to going back and riding more of the Moonshiner 28. We loved The Cherohala Skyway.

One more thing. If you buy Ultimate, make sure you get the rain covers. While extremely comfortable, these seats are NOT water proof. Riding in the rain won't be an issue without covers, it's when the bike sits at your hotel overnight during a rain storm, you'll have a problem. The basic material is water resistant, but the seams aren't.

My wife and I LOVE our Ultimate Seat! After suffering through a riding season with the stock seat, I purchased the Ultimate Seat 3 years ago on the recommendation of a guy I know that has one on his Valkyrie. Man, I am so glad I listened to him! The seat is three years old and we just finished a 4000 mile, 2 week vacation and the seat performed perfect. There was a number of times on the trip that we ran a tank of gas out and when we stopped to fill up, I never got off the bike, just filled up while sitting on the seat (and waited on my honey to go potty) and headed down the road. BTW, Ultimate will be at the Bikes Blues and BBQ rally in Fayetteville, Arkansas two weekends from now. It is one of the few rallys they attend each year. They'll have all of their seats there on sawhorse type things where you can sit on them and try them out. Actually, they'll mount it on your bike there at the rally so you can test ride to see if you like it before you buy. They only have one store in the US and it's in Daytona, Fl behind the big Rossmeyers Harley and J & P Cycles stores. That's where I bought mine. They do most of their business by mail or at rally's

Well said, Jeff.

Okay, because I care, I'm not gonna sugar coat this........WEAR A FREAKIN HELMET!!!! I believe very strongly in the freedom our country gives us to choose how to live our lives based on what we view is best for our own self preservation and happiness, but stating that freedom as a reason to not wear a device that has been proven time and time again to save lives and prevent people from a devastating situation, is not only lame, but does not make reasonable sense at all. I see people on here give excuses like they don't wear a helmet unless they are on the freeway, well, I'm sitting here today with a left knee that will bother me the rest of my life because I was only riding 30mph on a city street and a german Shepherd ran out from behind a hedge row that i was passing and hit me so hard in the front wheel that the bike slammed to the ground before i could really react. The side of my head and face slapped the pavement so hard it cracked the chin bar on the helmet i was wearing, and shattered the face shield. The accident tore my left kneecap off and I wound up spending a whole summer on my back recovering from reconstructive surgery. The helmet saved me. I have a dear friend of the family that was in a similar speed accident about five years ago that involved going down in a curve on a city street at about 25-30 mph due to gravel that had washed from a driveway. As he went down he came off the bike in a very routine way, however, the back of his head contacted the pavement and he WAS NOT wearing a helmet. He was in a coma for 3 weeks and died twice during that span. I visited him numerous times while he was in the hospital and cried while he laid there in a coma with spit and drool coming from his mouth. Here was a 30 year old weight lifting former athlete who was healthy as a horse, laying here in this situation because he thought it was uncool, or obtrusive to wear a helmet. His dew rag that he thought was so cool looking was no match for the impact. He fiinally awakened from the coma and got out of the hospital, but today he sits at his parents house in a wheel chair day in and day out in a blank stare. He has to be fed and basically taken complete care of by his family. He still has the drool and spit coming from his mouth. If you don't wear a helmet while riding a motorcycle, you're not really considered to be a part of the smarter segment of society. There's no valid excuse for you to not wear one. Go ahead, take your time and send me a list of reasons. Make the list as long as you want, and fill each reason with justifications in brackets just to make sure you make your point good and clear. In the mean time, I will run to the hospital and get a very large list of names of people who's lives have been permanently altered because they weren't wearing a helmet. And on the way home, I'll also stop by a few funeral homes and get an even larger list of names of people who are no longer on this earth because they simply thought wearing a helmet wasn't for them. There are way too many cool looking helmets made today to not wear one. If you don't like a full face, or 3/4, then at the very least wear a half or skull cap. I have a customer that I call on who last year went down on the interstate after hitting a concrete block that slid off of a truck that he was passing. His injuries included a broken wrist, a broken collar bone, a shattered tibia, a punctured lung, road rash all over him, BUT, he had a half helmet on and it saved him. I visited him in the hospital, his half helmet was there in the room. It had scuffs and scrapes all over it from front to back. One of the visor snaps had even been ground down flat from sliding on the pavement. It was only a half helmet, but it saved him. Finally, you are personally responsible for the lives of the passengers you are riding on your bike. They are putting their complete trust in you that you would never do something that would harm them or get them killed. If you are not requiring them to wear a helmet, you are not being anywhere close to the responsible loved one or friend they deserve. Once again, it's because I care, that I am not sugar coating it....WEAR A FREAKIN HELMET AND QUITE GIVING LAME WHINY EXCUSES FOR WHY YOUR PUTTING YOUR LIFE AND THE LIVES OF YOUR PASSENGERS IN DANGER!

Like many have said, I need to test ride the CCT. I have actually ridden the CCT before at one of those Victory factory guided test ride things. I was with a couple buddies and we did it just to be doing something. I wasn't seriously in the market at the time, and I was so concerned about making sure I followed the leader and the other 6 or 8 people that were test riding, that I didn't really pay enough attention to the bike like I should. I am going to set an appointment to ride the CCT at my own pace and time frame so I can notice and understand the key characteristics of the bike. I believe it will appeal to me more than the Vision, even though the Vision is very attractive in a weird sort of way. Is it true that the CCT does not have a hydraulic clutch, but the Vision does? What the crap is up with that???

Okay, here's the report. In the end I wound up riding the used 2012 Vision (only had 245 miles on it), a 2010 and 2007 Venture, but the Voyager was a brand new demo with 70 miles on it. Riding these bikes back to back to back really allows you to notice the differences that you wouldn't necessarily notice if you had to wait for a few days between rides. Let me say this, even though the Venture is dated and hasn't been changed in 14 years, it holds its own quite well among this bunch. 2007- 2010 Ventures - I rode these two bikes first, and right away I found myself noticing the subtle differences between it and my RSTD. The handlebars are narrower than my RSTD, and I could tell there was a slight difference in gear ratio than my RSTD, especially in 5th gear, I liked the gear difference. It sounded less like it needed a 6th gear than my RSTD does. Also, its calmer at freeway speeds behind the fairing than it is behind my windshield. I was suprised that I could hear the stereo fine while I was on the freeway doing 75. it feels a little more top heavy than my bike. The perfomance and feel of the V4 felt like an old friend. It was a quality refined feeling ride experience. 2012 Kawi Voyager ABS - I was really looking forward to riding this bike because I have great interest in it being a V-Twin that is water cooled, and I lean toward water cooled bikes. I have total faith that Kawi makes super good quality stuff, and if all went well, I would have no hesitations about buying that brand. This a unique looking bike in it's own way. Kind of a 50's Chevy Bel-Air fairing with bulbous looking saddlebags. It has so much that is appealing like ABS, good sounding stereo, digital readouts on the dash with gear indicator, comfortable seats, water cooled, hydraulic clutch, plenty of power, 6 speed tranny etc. However, I gotta wonder what the deal is with the strong motor vibration at freeway speeds? Is this what maybe a Harley might feel like? I'm used to my RSTD being a smooth feeling motor, and the somewhat strong thumping of the v-twin was surpising, and not really in a good way. I did like the fixed fairing though. Another thing that made me go hmmm, is how cheap the plastic parts on the bike felt. The windshield is so thin compared to the Venture and Vision, that it was vibrating quite abit on the freeway. And the saddlebags and trunk were really flimsy feeling when they were open. I don't know if Kawi did that to decrease weight, but the end effect it gave me was cheap. It was way better at slow speeds than the Venture, and didn't feel top heavy at all. It is, however, impressive that you can buy this bike brand new with ABS in the high $16K's to low $17K's 2012 Victory Vision - I wish I would've taken a picture of all these bikes when I had them sitting beside each other in the parking lot. The freakin Vision was so much bigger looking than the other bikes, it was comical. I swear the passenger backrest and trunk was 8"-10" taller and bigger than the other bikes. It was crazy looking, but, it was the only bike in the bunch that if you were on a ride, and you stopped at a meeting place where other bikers were, you would have to talk because people are gonna want to come up and talk to you about it. LOL. I really liked this bike. A very strong V-twin that didn't thump real hard like the Kawi at high speeds. Very smooth. This bike fit my size well since I am 6'6" and 300lbs. Brake feel was great. Loved the power windshield. Had cool gadgets like digital readout with gear indicator, decent stereo, easy to navigate cruise buttons, iPod plug, gauges galore, heated grips and seperate heated seats. Alot of plastic, but it was high quality feeling stuff. Not flimsy. Loved the seat, it was low and super comfortable. The floorboards were crazy huge. Who needs highway pegs with those long things. Very easy to ride. Very easy at slow speeds. 5th gear was so tall, I forgot their was a 6th gear. The cons are I was surprised at the amount of heat that came off the motor at stop signs and redlights, especially on the right side. This is one of the reasons I like water cooled bikes. The transmission is very clanky/noisy when changing gears compared to the Venture and Voyager. Also, the saddlebags are anemic. they look huge from the outside, but offer little real long haul space compared to the other two bikes. I was taken back by how much air there was tumbling around between me and the windhield while on the freeway compared to the other two bikes. The bike is soooo long between the rider and the windshield that I think that causes a problem. The Yamaha Venture was the best in the group as far as being quiet in the cockpit. The Vision is certainly the "Exotic Looker" among the group, and is the one to get if you are really interested in having a bike that everyone wants to talk to you about when you stop. It feels quality built, but has it been out long enough for me to really know that? It had some rattles that I was kinda surprised to hear since it only had 245 miles on it. The Yammy wasn't rattling, and it had 20K miles on it. Hmmm. In the end, it tempts me to just plunk down $7K-$8K and grab that 2007 Venture with 20K miles on it and go on about life. Otherwise, if I'm gonna go with a new or almost new bike and pay those prices, I'm thinking I might need to test ride the Victory CCT and maybe a couple other machines. God I wish the Venture had a 6th gear and a couple other updates!!!! The V4 was probably my favorite motor among the group today.

Probably 30 minutes or so. Not as long as I'd like, but should be long enough to give me an idea. They aren't gonna throw a fit if I keep em longer.

The largest bike dealer in our area (Sunrise Honda Yamaha Suzuki Kawasaki Polaris) has 100+ used bikes in there pre-owned showroom. I have an appointment @ 10:00 this morning to test ride a 2010 Venture, 2010 Kawasaki Voyager, and a 2012 Victory Vision. I am in the market for a full dresser, and this is an excellent opportunity to ride these bikes back to back so I can get an immediate feeling of which on I like most. I am extremely interested in seeing how the V4 compares to the two twins, and also, very curious to compare the difference between the Kawi and Victory twin powerplants. I'll post my findings........

Ehhhhhhh, not really a great comparison. Apple keeps the iPhone basically the same looking on the outside, but upgrades certain things yearly to make sure it stays up to date with current competition and customers desires. That's EXACTLY what we're asking Yamaha to do with the Venture! We don't have to have a totally new looking machine, we just want them to update it and keep it up to date with the competition and our wants.

Ultimate Seats backrest is a good set. I have Ultimate Seats on my RSTD and we have really been impressed with the comfort of the seat, so I naturally looked at their armrest. The problem with the Ultimate Seats armrest is it mounts on the back of the backrest with a bar that goes across it. This interferes with sliding a t-bag onto the backrest because the t-bag sleeve that fits over the backrest fits so snug that the armrest bar gets in the way. What I like about the armrest i bought from http://www.motorcyclereararmrest.com is it is a thin aluminum plate that fits between the backrest pad and the sissy bar. No concern about a bar going across the back of the sissy bar that gets in the way. The Lovehandles armrest has the same issue that the Ultimate Seats armrest has.

Cool looking bike, but given the fact that BMW has a larger dealer network in the states, I would go with the Beemer. On the other hand, Triumph usually gets wicked performance out of their 3 cylinders. Hmmmm....

Leland, I bought those same armrests 3 weeks ago and installed them on my RSTD. My wife and I left two Saturdays ago and went on a 4000 mile 12 day trip through some of the western states. Long story short, she loved the armrests. She said that she feels a lot more secure on the bike, especially during times when she might doze off. I like them because they look more integrated into the bike, and they don't intrude into the area behind the backrest where our t-bag rests. I recommend them.

My cousin bought a BMW R1200RT last April and he and his wife have ridden the hair off that thing, and they love it! It has stereo, XM radio, heated grips, heated seats, cruise, all kind of ride adjustments. They love getting to the hotel and popping the saddle bags and trunk of the bike and carrying them into the room. I also have a friend that purchased a BMW K1600GTL about a month ago. I got my first look at it a couple weeks ago and, WOW, that suckers way bigger than I thought it would be. Its about the size of a Goldwing, and has the new inline 6.