07 Venture riding low with passenger... oil on bag cover

[bamico]

I'm in the process of buying a used 07 Venture with 3k miles on it. (upgrading from an 05 RSTD).

 

Test drove the bike today. Runs great, however, when my wife climbs on, the back of the bike seems to drop below level (I pulled up next to a store window and noticed it).

She is not that big... (140lbs), so I thought this unusual. Wondering if the rear shock needs replacement? or do they all drop that far? My RSDT does not. How could I tell?

Bike seemed fine over bumps, no bottoming out...

 

Also, I noticed a very slight layer of clean oil on the bike facing side of the right cargo bag cover. Would a blown shock do this? Any advice would be greatly appreciated !

 

Thanks very much in advance for any insite !

Bob

[Brake Pad]

mine did that too. I pumped it up to 14 lbs.

I'm 260, shes 127

I also pump up the rear tire (a 180) to 42 Lbs, with two up & pulling the trailer

 

http://mmdivers@bellsouth.net

[Brake Pad]

see, bike ride low even with 14 Lbs in rear shock

[bamico]

BrakePad,

 

Thanks for the quick response!

 

Did adding air to shock and tire help level things out?

 

How do you find the bike pulls a trailer?

The bike actually has a hitch on it... Enough power 2 up with a trailer?

 

Thanks!

Bob

[bamico]

That's exactly what it looked like earlier today.

I guess it must be the way it is.

 

Looks like I'm looking at the same yr/color bike as yours.

That is a great looking bike.

 

I'd never seen the blue/black before today, and was really impressed.

 

Thanks for the picture and your response.

 

Ride safe.

Bob

[Monsta]

Only 14lbs. !?! Good Lord. I run 30 unloaded!! You need around 40+ if you're gonna go two up with a trailer. (Max pressure is 57lbs.) I run 38 with just me and my trailer.

 

Dragging the rear like that could spell disaster if those pipes lever you off the ground in an tight corner.

 

Leveling links would be a good investment for those who trailer and ride two up regularly.

[Freebird]

I agree. My wife isn't very big either but I run about 35 lbs. in the rear. Also, these bikes are NOT level by design. Many of us have added the leveling links to raise the rear about an inch.

[RandyR]

Still leaves unanswered where the oil came from. That's certainly worth investigating further.

[M61A1MECH]

Crawl under the bike and look at the rear shock, could be just an over filled crankcse also.

 

If the shock is shot there will be oil under the rubber boot, Have the original owner get that taken care of before you purchase. It will be covered umder the 5 year warenty, but I bet the original owner will get better service from the dealer than the second owner, and why should you go thru the hassel of that anyway.

 

My 07 is the same color, get a lot of compliments on it, even from the Harley guys.

[N3FOL]

I pump my rear shock at 35 lbs. with only me at 170 lbs. With 2 up, I put at least 40 lbs. and it feels just fine. +1 on checking underneathe the bike and trace where that oil came from. As mentioned earlier, the crankcase may be overfilled.

 

You may have a great catch there. The color and low mileage is great. I now have about 5K miles on my '07 that I got last October '08.

 

Ride Safe.

[Brake Pad]

We don't like the stiffer ride. our machainic, said not more then 25 lbs, but i've ridin this way for 2 years, and like the ride, even with the trailer on.

 

Slow off the start,

but I ran south out of Dog Patch ark, following a large group down to Little rock, and stayed with eveyone, on all the twisties. the only place they pulled away, was on one long upgrade, I fell behind buy about 1/4 mile.

2 years old with 33,000.

[bamico]

I'll climb under the bike and check out the shock. I also looked through a ton of pix on this and the Yamaha site, and sure enough, as Freebird indicated, seems like every Venture has the same issue. I guess I just never noticed it before. Might have to look

into those leveling links as well. Thanks again to all for the suggestions! As always, this site is a wealth of information.

[BOO]

I also run 30 to 35 when alone and slightly more with the wife on the back.

I doubt the oil is coming from the shock but maybe, my guess without seeing it would be the crankcase has to much oil in it. Take a look at the sight glass and keep it below the halfway point in the glass.

That is a nice looking color combination for a bike,

Good Luck,

Boo

[NCReb]

Hey, you may have a lowering kit installed, mine also is the same color as yours. I'm painting my trailer to match the blue black. Good luck

[Monsta]

our machainic, said not more then 25 lbs

I've always questioned having a mechanic that doesn't know the factory specification. I see it more and more...

[bamico]

Looks like the oil was indeed overfill.

The bottom of the shock is oil-free.

 

I also checked the air in the shock, and it read 0.

Put 30lbs in it and it ran it 100 miles today.

Ran great.

 

Wife is happy, I'm happy... the bike is sitting in the garage as I type.

 

BTW... if anyone was wondering, IMO, the Venture handles much better than the RSTD. Corners better, runs at low speed better, better balanced and NO Clutch Basket whine !

Plus, I can lock the bars during low speed turns without smashing the bars into my legs.

 

I absolutely loved my RSTD, until I put some miles on the Venture... what a difference.

I'm looking forward to the riding season !

 

Thank you again for all the responses and advice... it really helped.

 

Bob