distancerider

Think I got it. Thanks Guys!!

You have entirely to much time on your hands

My 06 RSV came with stock RK pipes. I would like to get a little more sound. How do you drill the baffles and how many holes do you drill? I looked at some of the old posts but didin't see specifically how it should be done or how many holes? Thanks

Almost all of the vendors will be in town and set up the week prior. More and more people have started going early to avoid the traffic jams though fall is not as bad as the spring. Most of the events inside the raceway require tickets though you can get them from vendors sometimes. All of the stuff in the parking lot is free unless you want to put your bike on a dyno. Don't forget to go over to Daytona Harley Davidson (city) at the interstate they have vendors for metrics too and alot going on. If you take US 1 South towards Orange beach you'll see vendors through that area as well. Have Fun and Be Safe.

1 Here Also

Ever take looooooonnngg trips wiht your wife?

Front wheel chocks are a must and dont be cheap on the straps. One of the best straps I have ever used is the Canyon Dancer Handlebar Harness (link below). I had to trailer the Wing once and the harness did an amazing job. http://www.canyondancer.com/

Have you in our prayers! God Bless

I like the "Hoe Down" analogy. But I could not figure what a fallen prostitute had to do with this.. can I say that? Seriously, thanks for the reply.

My Dad started telling jokes like this.... He really enjoys the "home" now and has settled in fine.

I am responsible for the demise of a few Cows over my lifetime!!

Thanks We'd like to find someone local to ride with and of course eat from time to time.

Great story and Pic's thanks for posting.

Thanks for the comments Rick. Funny thing is that I miss being able to put my feet back under me. I would ride with my toes on the peg and heels in the air. Then throw my size 15's out on the hwy pegs for awile. I have to be careful now because I find myself sliding my toes to the very back of the floorboards and keep running inito the shifter on the left side. Just habit I guess but that position is comfortable for me. I have even thought about taking off the floorboards and going with pegs just to see how it feels. Wonder if anyone else has done that, my feet are mighty big for those floorboards.

Thanks, I have asked around and will definately go with the Butler seat modification.

Before I start: I'm also a Goldwing rider. I've had two, the most recent a GL1500 with 88,000 miles. Like everyone I ride as much as possible; my longest trips have been Key West 5 times and Maine once. The GoldWing is an incredible bike, period. Why change then? I want to try something different now because If I'm blessed enough to keep riding for years to come I'll want another wing. Now is the time to try something else. Additionally, this web site was a major factor in my decison to puirchase a RSV. I Just purchased a 2006 Midnight Venture with 3200 miles on it. I found, what I thought, was a great deal on it just outside Cleveland Ohio ($9,500). After talking to the owner three or four times and looking at the pictures closely I decided to fly up Labor Day Weekend and purchase it. My wife smiled lovingly and mumbled something about a mid-life crisis but gave me her blessings; We live in Atlanta. The Seller was kind enough to pick me up at the airport and I think it shocked him I actually made the flight; helmet and raingear in hand. The bike was better than he promised. Actually, when I saw his garage I knew I was OK. You could eat off the painted floor and it looked like something from "Bikers Garage of the Month Magazine." It is a beautiful bike and was very well maintained. He had installed a drivers backrest and highway pegs; ideal for my ride. He went over everything and gave me the shop manual. A short test ride, some chit chat, a little paperwork, a handshake and I was off. Day One Cleveland, Ohio to Lexington, Ky 319 Miles: The weather was nice sunny and Upper 70's. The bike seemed smaller than the wing and I had no issues with it being top heavy, of course I’m 6’5” and 290 lbs. It is very manageable. He had a gravel driveway and even in the gravel I felt in control. Low speed turns were also no problem, Yamaha knew how to balance the bike. 35 minutes of two lane road to get to the interstate. It cruises like a dream but I don’t understand the lack of a tachometer? What gives? The bike never seems to strain though even wound out and I had to break myself of shifting to early, the bike actually seemed to like the high rpm’s. I Hit I-71 South and felt comfortable enough to put it in the wind. 75mph and very solid feel this it what this bike lives for, as a matter of fact I think I can say if you want something to cruise around town and your never going to get it out on the road for some mileage then buy something else. This bike needs to stretch out to be at home. The sound system is the best. It beats even the upgraded system I put on my GoldWing. The controls are easy once you read the directions and I never had a problem. I used the FM and plugged in my MP3… Great Sound. Never used the CB and this one doesn’t have a CD player, I prefer MP3”s anyway. And WOO HOO I have a tape deck. GEAR NOISE, Oh yes it is there. At first I thought a 747 was taking off in the lane next to me, ok it was not that bad but I was a little shocked at first. I’m not sure why but 30 miles later I just got use to it and that is that. As bad as I make it sound, don’t let it stop you from getting one - it blends in with everything else and soon you don’t notice it. Cruise control works well, I nursed 80mph out of it and it did its job. As for speed, later in the day I touched 95mph a couple of times and the bike seemed willing to keep going. It is very stable and feels solid even at short bursts to 100mph. The power is there. I know there are faster bikes, I’ve ridden a Valkyrie, but to me it had everything I needed and rolling on the throttle at the right rpm’s did everything I would need it to do. Day one ended pulling into a hotel in Lexington, Ky just in time to eat and watch the Mighty Crimson Tide Roll over Virginia Tech…… I slept sound feeling good about my purchase. Day Two Lexington, Ky to Atlanta, Ga 381 miles. WHO checked the weather?? I woke up to a somewhat cool overcast morning. Nice time to ride, about 7:00AM I like to ride early sometimes. The Venture started easily with a little choke. Some gas, then breakfast, and then I-75 South. My thoughts on fueling are have a rag handy. I’m certain some of you are much better at this than I am but the way the tank is made it splashes when near full. I even saw some type of insert online for the Venture tank to prevent this. I’ll definitely order one. This venture does not have factory pipes; the owner replaced them with stock Harley Road King Pipes and made the necessary adjustments. That worried me at first, but it is not loud at all and actually has a nice sound. It is difficult for me to get comfortable in this seat. I feel it is to short for me from front to rear, actually at the end of the first day Willie and the boys were a little numb. Today I’ll try some different positions with my feet to see how it feels. But I can already tell me and the seat do not agree. As for storage capacity, to me, it’s small. Will it hold some stuff, sure? I was just surprised for the bike it is, it didn’t have more storage capacity. The bottom fell out about an hour down the road. Pulled over to put on rain gear and met a nice guy from Nashville. He was headed to meet some friends and ride to Alaska. They had been planning it for ten years. He was now 60 and said it was now or never…. good for him. I would like to go and would be thrilled to take the Venture right now if I could (after a seat change) Let’s touch on the Harley issue for a minute. A beautiful Classic, several of my buddies ride one, I’ve ridden them. As we set under the overpass my friend from Nashville is on a 2007 H-D Heritage. Nice looking bike. He looks over my Venture sees the cruise control, am/fm, CB, MP3 input, speakers, headset plug in, air adjustable suspension, the big V-4, and I tell him about my unlimited mileage warranty until 2012. He ponders a moment and asks what I paid. I told him $9,500. He ponders again and said he could have bought two Ventures with what he paid for his Heritage. Like I said H-D’s are classics but I like my Venture. On through the rain. I’m tall and the windshield provided good coverage as did the upper and lower fairing. I thought I would take in more rain but the Venture is designed well. It’s heavy with big tires and plows through the rain at safe speeds very well. I would not hesitate to ride in the rain again if I had to. The brakes are ok with me. You can’t stand it on its nose but you can stop it fairly quickly. I didn’t experience any fade, but they could be a little stronger. Nothing that concerns me though. I don’t know about this heel / toe shifter. The floor boards are ok but one thing I miss from the Wing is easily flipping through the gears with just an up or down nudge of my toe and no need to move my foot. It stopped raining in Chattanooga and I rode to Atlanta in the sunshine. To me, It is not as smooth as the wing or as overall comfortable as the wing but you know what, it’s not a Goldwing and wasn’t designed to be. It is a bike of its own - well designed, powerful and comfortable. I would have hated to have not bought this bike and missed out on the experience it offers.

Hey man.. Thanks for taking the time to write about it and post the pictures. Great little read in the middle of my day.

I took the Email as almost to say.. "we wouldn't waste our time makinga seat for that bike"

Here's the deal; I WANT to keep my stock seat on my 06 Venture but I WANT passenger armrests built into the passenger backrest. I have considered just ordering the passenger backrest from Corbin but am not sure how mismatched the two materials would look. Has anyone done this. I know Diamond R offers the bolt on's and while they are nice they are not what I'm looking for. I also E-mailed Mustang Seats to ask if they made anythig for the Venture, I got an Email back that said we do not and have no plans to in the future? What gives with that? As always thanks..

She's a doll...Who dresses her though??????????

Very nice, how many times have gone out to the garage and looked again??

Sorry, didin't know I couldn't ask about it here.

Well now that I've opened a "can of worms" has anyone tried a car tire and it didin't work??

Kumho Car Tire??

35 PSI ... Thanks