Tomorrow I Ride my 1st Venture TC

A very disappointing update:

Another week of great riding weather has come and gone, still no sign of the Venture. I call the dealer and speak to my salesman every day but Sunday and the Holiday July 1. The bike was picked up from the Quebec dealer around July 3nd, Tuesday night, by a contracted courier, and both the dealership and the shipping company (who contracted out the shipment) have no idea where the crate is.

It has been 18 days since my test ride, the day my dealer discovered they can "have" the bike in Quebec.

It has been 28 days since I signed the bill of sale, that was supposed to initiate a "real" search for an bike.

It was a solid week before when I informed the salesman of my decision to buy, but apparently that was not sufficient to make anything happen.

I would rank my customer experience as "if they don't have the bike you want on their showroom floor, keep looking" or numerically, 2/10.

Have you ever had one of those experiences with a merchant that just screams "walk away, go now, don't look back, count your blessings, cut your losses, they're trying to tell me something, their heart just isn't in it, learn your lesson," but you still hung in there grasping to a shred of hope, clinging to a mere shot at redemption, positive it's the rest of the heard that's gone nuts?

I do it all the time.

K

Contact Yamaha Canada and inform them of what is going on. Others that have had to wait or had issues have contacted head office and gotten "free stuff" for their troubles.

A very disappointing update:

 

Another week of great riding weather has come and gone, still no sign of the Venture. I call the dealer and speak to my salesman every day but Sunday and the Holiday July 1. The bike was picked up from the Quebec dealer around July 3nd, Tuesday night, by a contracted courier, and both the dealership and the shipping company (who contracted out the shipment) have no idea where the crate is.

 

It has been 18 days since my test ride, the day my dealer discovered they can "have" the bike in Quebec.

It has been 28 days since I signed the bill of sale, that was supposed to initiate a "real" search for an bike.

It was a solid week before when I informed the salesman of my decision to buy, but apparently that was not sufficient to make anything happen.

 

I would rank my customer experience as "if they don't have the bike you want on their showroom floor, keep looking" or numerically, 2/10.

 

Have you ever had one of those experiences with a merchant that just screams "walk away, go now, don't look back, count your blessings, cut your losses, they're trying to tell me something, their heart just isn't in it, learn your lesson," but you still hung in there grasping to a shred of hope, clinging to a mere shot at redemption, positive it's the rest of the heard that's gone nuts?

 

I do it all the time.

 

K

E&S Motorsports in Fort Saskatchewan (just north/east of Edmonton) has 2 TC’s and 1 Eluder on their showroom floor. Get a cheap flight out and heck, I’ll even pick you up at the airport and deliver you to the dealer. Doug

Contact Yamaha Canada and inform them of what is going on. Others that have had to wait or had issues have contacted head office and gotten "free stuff" for their troubles.

This is a good idea. I like free stuff.

Another update, they found the motorcycle, it went 7h (mostly) the wrong way 655km to a Day & Ross terminal in Quebec City. They (not certain who "they" is) say it will be at the dealership Thursday, Friday at the latest. This is the third Friday in a row I have been scheduled (surely in pencil) to pick up my new bike.

What's the weather report for the weekend? Calling for rain both days, typical.

K

E&S Motorsports in Fort Saskatchewan (just north/east of Edmonton) has 2 TC’s and 1 Eluder on their showroom floor. Get a cheap flight out and heck, I’ll even pick you up at the airport and deliver you to the dealer. Doug

Thank you. You are very kind. To show this kind of support to a stranger is something remarkable. The cheapest ($739.51) short notice flight I could get departs Fredericton at 7:00pm tonight and arrives 12:25am tomorrow. Still want to pick me up? Indeed I have to trade my BWM to make this deal. After I close the deal I might even reveal why this dealership is the place for me to do the deal regardless their approach, let's say they made me an offer other dealers would find easy to refuse.

K

Late yesterday I received a call from my salesman, he says the courier assures him the bike will arrive in the morning (today) Friday, the 13th, nice day to go get the new bike. It's 9:30am local time and I have not heard a peep out of them.

K

Late yesterday I received a call from my salesman, he says the courier assures him the bike will arrive in the morning (today) Friday, the 13th, nice day to go get the new bike. It's 9:30am local time and I have not heard a peep out of them.

 

K

Either you are out riding or too angry to type that you didn't get it...?

Man, this has truly turned into a classic nightmarish Friday the 13th story!

You gotta feel so bad for poor Kenno. Hope all turns out okay in the end, Bud!

Sincerely sympathetic regards, Kenno, WRIDR.

I will admit to being skeptical about the dealer getting the bike and it being ready for pickup the same day. Unless it had been prepped by the previous dealer who shipped it. Still, I would want the bike to get a total checkout after being shipped which takes time, and it would be the first time the 'local' mechanic would have one.

Man, this has truly turned into a classic nightmarish Friday the 13th story!

 

You gotta feel so bad for poor Kenno. Hope all turns out okay in the end, Bud!

 

Sincerely sympathetic regards, Kenno, WRIDR.

Your hopes have been answered! Mrs. and me hopped on the K1600 for our final ride and rode it 2 1/2 hours to the dealer. We arrived at around 3:30 and left for home with the TC around 7pm. They close at 5:30 on Fridays. The Quebec shop had PDI'd the bike, and as well, a local mechanic looked it over. Luckily they have put an Eluder through the shop. The initial PDI had put the front rim on reversed, but a road test revealed an ABS glitch, which was then rectified. The local shop also ditched the battery, put in a new one. It is the 4th bike I have bought from this dealer, although it has been through 3 names and as many owners. I find them lazily conscientious, they do a really good job with what's in front of them, but can't deal with diversions. Any sign of "out of the ordinary" can spook them.

We got our financing through Yamaha, and as I had hoped, we ended up with a small drop in payment. My strategy was to ask for a specific monthly payment, rather than demand this reduction for the new bike and that value for trade. In the end they had to discount the TC $2,700 and give me $21,500 for my K1600. Just for comparison, my local Yamaha offered me $19,000 on trade and $0 discount and missed my target payment by $60. Also for comparison, my local Honda shop offered me $14,000 on trade and promised to work with me a bit on the price of the Gold Wing, so there's that. The dealership gave us a $250 accessory/apparel credit as well, and out of pocket we paid for a 5yr tire/rim protection plan for $460 (399+tax). Yes, sales tax here is 15% which is how we can afford free health care.

The ride home was just wonderful, I had to work to keep the "grin" from my face, serious stuff and all that, with my wife on back. She complained about the leather seat on the K1600 being too slippery, but I am pleased to report that is no problem with the TC. And the drop in noise is startling. We used our Senas for comm and I honestly had to turn it down because of the lack of engine/wind/background noise. The TC is QUIET compared to the K1600. We grabbed a Sammy at Subway and one, after another, after another, after another, person stopped to look, to ask, to admire. Feels good to pick a winner. People also stop to look at the K1600, but they look at it like you cross bred a dog with a cat, and they ask things like "does it lift its leg in the litter box?" and "does it come when you call it and ignore you when it gets there?"

Another interesting comparison, you felt "in" the k1600, not on it, if that makes any sense, the tank and saddle engulfed you, the passenger was close, like a sport bike, and the dash and windshield were "right there," but the TC feels more like a motorbike, and when you look around you see things that look "normal."

With the new bike I have a couple issues so small they are not worth complaining about, there was no manual for the "bike" part of the bike, got the one for the TV. I have an electronic version of the owners manual I downloaded a few weeks ago. Second, the loop to pull for the operator backrest remote latch was left hidden from reach under the seat, which I removed and reinstalled and that's that. With the motor oil filler under the seat, looks like it is good to familiarize myself with its removal sooner anyway.

I used the sure park to put the TC in the garage when we got home. Nifty. I have had 3 bikes with a reverse, this is the first with sure park. Another first for me, I rode home with a passenger. I normally reserve my first ride for me alone, you know, to get used to the bike and such, so that was new. On the one hand, it was more responsibility, but on the other hand, it was nice to have someone to talk to. She heard a lot of "this bike this" and that bike that" sort of speak, but I just could not help compare.

Today I have to bring the bike into town to shore up my insurance. I am going to put some tunes on a USB device and roll in style. I had to wait too long to get it, and maybe I hade to call for updates too frequently along the way, but in the end, it was worth the wait.

Kenno

Either you are out riding or too angry to type that you didn't get it...?

Just vegetating for the weekend. Now that I have the bike in hand, I can install my cup holder. What says "Civilized" more than a cup holder? LED headlights? Nope. Rear wheel liftoff mitigation? Maybe.

K

Glad you finally got your TC. Now enjoy it.

Congrats.

Congrats and enjoy. The more I ride my SVTC the more I like it. Heading out Thursday morning on a 5 day trip from North Texas to Rochester MN and back to do the Hero's Ride up there on Saturday. First good trip on it and really looking forward to it.

Congrats and enjoy. The more I ride my SVTC the more I like it. Heading out Thursday morning on a 5 day trip from North Texas to Rochester MN and back to do the Hero's Ride up there on Saturday. First good trip on it and really looking forward to it.

Congratulations on the new bike. You must have the patience of a saint!

Congrats and enjoy. The more I ride my SVTC the more I like it. Heading out Thursday morning on a 5 day trip from North Texas to Rochester MN and back to do the Hero's Ride up there on Saturday. First good trip on it and really looking forward to it.

Thank you. So far, I am enjoying it very much, and my passenger says it's not as bumpy as our other bikes, which is huge, if you consider the shape of the roads around here these days. Have fun on your ride and or course ride safe. My safety strategy has nothing to do with conspicuity, I adhere to a simple rule of road safety - stay away from other vehicles, if that means I have to overtake to do it, then I will thanks.

Kenno

Congratulations on the new bike. You must have the patience of a saint!

Thank you. My patience runs hot and cold. I can wait for winter, can't wait for summer. That was not supposed to be a joke but as I look back at it it is kind of funny. I don't mind waiting for something if the wait is worth it, and it always seems in retrospect you can only recall the good memories. For instance, my friend the engineer and I went on an overnight trip across the border, mostly for something to do, and when he recalls it he mentions the cool morning air and the autumn leaves in full colour, not the fact that he was battling a massive head cold and could barely tolerate his head in his helmet.

Years from now I may recall the Friday we went for our SVTC and how nice a ride it was, at least the way home, with those other details being lost where they belong.

I went to my insurance guy yesterday, it was 86 degrees out, I got a bit of a burn on my arms, and I was a bit nervous parking the new bike at a meter downtown, but I had a coffee with my wife, put on a few clicks, got some incredible stares, and lots of "what is that?" oriented questions. The clock is up over 400kms now, we went for ANOTHER ride in the evening, no complaints about getting on and off the bike, which is wonderful because when the bike itself is the challenge in the ride, that brings the enjoyment down.

Might go for another ride today.

I love the TV interface! I know people toss the work 'intuitive' around hither and yon but trust me, it is hard to build a computer interface (and this it what this is) that is easy to use AND efficient. Maybe it is because I have built computer interfaces for more than 30 years but I find it not just easy to use, but they have figured out how to use it based on glances at the screen. Naturally it is key that you know roughly where things are but once that hurdle is overcome, it is a nice system.

Kenno

I have built computer interfaces for more than 30 years

First of all, CONGRATS on getting your new ride ... I am super envious.

Secondly, I can relate to the above statement as I too have been developing custom business apps for going on 30 years and being able to produce an intuitive front end can sometimes be a real challenge. I does help a lot though to be both a developer as well as an end-user.

Cheers and enjoy!

First of all, CONGRATS on getting your new ride ... I am super envious.

 

Secondly, I can relate to the above statement as I too have been developing custom business apps for going on 30 years and being able to produce an intuitive front end can sometimes be a real challenge. I does help a lot though to be both a developer as well as an end-user.

 

Cheers and enjoy!

True dat!