sldunker

I think you are going to be surprised!

Make sure your lower cowlings are on. If these are off you will have all kinds of problems with air delivery. Had a member on here not to long ago with a similiar problem. He did not have lower cowlings on when he was testing.

Yes I had the lower foot vents open. I should have closed them to test the heat. I liked the bike way more than I thought I would. I am one of the water cooled v4 shaft guys. This bike surprised me. I have riden both the Harley and Indian. I liked the Indian better between those two but I believe the Venture is quite a bit better. I may have to reride the Harley and Indian as it has been a couple of years since I have ridden them.

Partzilla and boats.net are same company. If you research them you will find out they are at or ship from same address.

I finally got to ride the SVTC yesterday. Nice bike. The dealership had a Eluder and a TC in stock but are only demoing the TC. When they were both sitting on the showroom floor I sat on each one. When I pulled them off of the side stand I thought that the TC came off easier than the Eluder. This was a little surprising. I have a RSV. I am used to lifting the RSV and I believe that the TC is easier but not by a lot. Then again when my wife is on the RSV I think that it comes off the side stand easier than if it was just me on bike. I didn't have a lot of time so I only went for a 15 mile ride, but I learned quite a bit. The temp. outside was 82. I was hoping this was warm enough so I would be able to tell how much heat the bike gave off. The bike only had 1 mile on it so I ask the sales manager about rpm limit and he said to ride it like you normally would. They believe in breaking engines in hard. So do I. First thing I noticed is 1st gear is short. You don't go very far and you have to hit 2nd. 2nd thru 6th are much more normal, more like the RSV. I did hit the rev limiter one time and when you hit it you know. It shuts you right down. Other than that shifting was pretty smooth. I am used to a heel toe shifter and this bike did not have one. So that took a little bit to get used to. Someone had left the handlebar and seat heaters on and at 82 degrees they got hot in a hurry. Had to pull over and figure out how to turn them off. There was a piece of plastic on the right side of the tank towards the front that was loose and flopped all over the place. I also noticed that when the windshield was down all the way there was a metal on metal sound. When I raised the windshield even the slightest amount this sound went away. I told the sales manager about both of those issues. I really liked the electric windshield. My next bike will have one. About ten miles into the ride I could feel some heat on the left side. It was not to bad. I pulled over and sat there for a couple of minutes to see if the heat would get worse and it really didn't. I don't feel any of this heat on my RSV. I also noticed that this bike needs a back rest like the Utopia. I started to get the pain between my shoulder blades. I got the same pain on my RSV when it was new and a backrest took care of it. Of course my back is trash anyway so that is part of the problem. I also played with the side wind deflectors. They work extremely well. This bike had the uppers but not the lowers. I am thinking that when it gets into the 90's the lowers would be a huge benefit. Part of the route I chose runs along a river so it is curvy. This bike handles the curves very well. She was very solid. Much better than the RSV. This bike is all around better than the RSV. I still like the high rpm of the RSV better but the vtwin did all right. It was much better than I thought it would be. I am going to try and get my wife to go with me next week and do a longer ride with her on it. Maybe I'll do another report at that time. One other thing, this was just a ride. I didn't want to play with any of the electronics and I wanted to just ride and feel the bike. Maybe next time I will play with the electronics.

Check fuel filter

I know you have a gauge on it but did the engine overheat light come on? The light is located in the lower right hand corner of the right panel on the fairing. If your light wasn't on I doubt if you were overheating. Did the engine feel hotter than normal? Your gauge may be malfunctioning. Sensor for gauge may be siting in air instead of antifreeze. Did you service cooling system recently?

Hey Video, Your Shinko 777hd on the front must be the 130 tire. Doesn't look like they have the 150 size in the front

I like that color. Any idea what color that is? Great job, bike looks great.

I bought a shock from Dave Quinn last year. They have them in stock. The guy I talked to had a lot of knowledge about the shock and the RSV. I felt the Hagon shock is a big improvement over stock. I put about 7000 miles on Hagon shock last year and am still adjusting it to my riding style. Good Luck

I did notice the tie wrap. Was going to ask. Tie wraps are a wonderful invention.

If you do get to ride the Gold Wing and Beemer, your opinion on them would be much appreciated. What brand of driving lights did you mount of your RSV. I see you mounted them high, does that give you better vision at night vs. having them low?

Very good write up. The heat on the left side seems to be a common complaint. Gas mileage is no better than my RSV and I rarely ever feel heat from the V4. I'll have to ride one this spring and the new Gold Wing and the BMW k1600b. Should be interesting.

Does it still have the stock air filters?

Many things can cause a vague handling feeling on these bikes. I have the same year Venture as you that I purchased brand new in 08. I also felt the same about the handling on it as you do. I have repacked steering head brgs and adjusted them, redid swing arm brgs., Have installed Sonic front springs and this all helped make the bike much more solid. I just recently install a new rear shock from Hagon and I feel this was also a big improvement in handleing. I also replaced the front shock oil. New tires always make a big difference. I have over 110,000 miles on this bike and it handles very well. Especially for a bike this large. No one thing seemed to make the biggest difference in the handling but a lot of little things together made a huge difference. Be patient and work on it a little at a time and I am sure you will get the bike to handle the way you like it. Good Luck

I sync the carbs on my 07 RSV once a year. Usually requires very little adjustment. I have my own tool for this. I have over 109,000 miles on my starter switch and have not had any problems with it. Maybe there is a poor connection somewhere else that might be causing issues.

Thank you. Exactly what i was looking for.

For those who have had both or driven both a RSV and a RSTD, is there much difference in weight on the top end. Seems to me the RSTD would be quite a bit lighter without fairing and trunk. Been thinking about picking up one to go with my RSV. I am referring to 2005 and up.

New air cooled v twin cruiser. Same engine that's in the new Venture. Thats what i am guessing. No more liquid cooled engine. Have to buy a Harley if you want liquid cooled. Wouldn't that be something.

I would try bypassing side stand switch. 1st generations would have this problem occasionally and it was usually the side stand switch. They would cut out when going down the road or passing. These switches can be cleaned if the rubber boot is peeled back. But good luck it could be one of many things.

Are you using the stock air filter and housing? Using none stock can give all sorts of problems.

No fuse for this. There is a thermistor on the fuel sending unit that controls this. Its a temperature sensitive device. Gas is cold so when the thermistor is covered in gas no light. When gas drops below thermistor it warms up causing your light to come on. Either keep track of your mileage or replace sending unit for gas tank.

Wanted to make Star Days but now I'll be in the UP of MI. Maybe I'll make River Valley power and sports that weekend. Sure would like to ride one.

I have used them a couple of times this year. They are the same as Boats.net. They get the job done at a reasonable price.

Yamaha states 36 mpg on their FJR. I get 48 on my 2013 FJR, but I don't run it that hard. I get 44 on my RSV if I keep it under 65 mph with no wind riding solo'. I think their 34 mpg was figured with hiway speeds of 75mph. 75 mph at 2750 rpms. I'm thinking that the new bike will be in the 40 mpg range for most of us riding two up and loaded.