Ok what so advanced on HD

[MasterGuns]

"I have noticed that everyone who owns a Harley doesn't have an attitude and everyone who has an attitude doesn't have a Harley."

 

Well stated. I also belong to a couple Harley forums where all those members know or have access for finding out I also have a Yamaha. Do you think any of them give me a hard time? Anyway, great post.

[tpalshadow]

I have noticed that everyone who owns a Harley doesn't have an attitude and everyone who has an attitude doesn't have a Harley.

 

Come to Mason City and I'll introduce you to my neighbor and his friends.

 

The ONLY problem I have with Harley's is the noise. I have the same problem with people who put loud pipes on any bike or car, but the majority of the noise I personally hear is on a Harley. There is no reason to have a bike that loud. It is rude and inconsiderate of other people. Just like a loud stereo in a car. It is disrespectful but so is every other aspect of our society these days so I don't think anyone really cares.

[Shamue]

I've ridden most and think preferance is the most important issue when purchasing a bike. What, you like and fits your expectations and wallet. If you feel you are getting what you want at the price your willing to pay.

 

Rode a Harley for years, good bike, high maintance and a lot of it if you put 20 to 30 thousand miles on each year. A little noisey and got tired of the vibration, even the new ones vibrate too much for me. BMW, great touring machine, many miles at high speeds criss crossing the country. Just found it never really felt balanced riding two up with my gear. Definately a nice ride in the mountains.

 

Now, Gold Wings are in a market created by those willing to pay the price. Very nice touring machine and it has all the goodies. I would buy another one except not enough bang for the buck. I remember in 1982 riding my Gold Wing which I put 177,000 miles on before retiring it, Honda did a market survey asking owners what they wanted in a touring bike. I must say, the survey must have had everthing except the kitchen sink. A focus was made on what a person would pay for he ideal touring machine. GW's then were selling for around $6,000. People responded saying they would pay up to $20,000. for a GW touring bike. Well Honda took it to heart because soon the changes came and the price did to. The Honda high end nitch was born and Honda is not turning back.

 

Now, my RSV is reasonably priced for a high milage touring machine providing me with what I need. With a confortable ride capable of doing 600+ miles a day with out getting worn out. 2 up with all my gear it rides great and has power, balance and milage.

 

Each, of these Motorcycles has it's own nich and each rider has there various brand

attidutes.

I have found most people that spend $15,000 TO $30,000 thousand for a motorcycle won't admitt they made a mistake in buying the MC they are riding.

 

BUT, I do know one thing...........when touring across the country on any motorcycle people always come up and want to talk about my travels and have one thing in common.

THEY ALL WANT TO TAKE OFF AND RIDE A MOTORCYLE CROSS COUNTRY.

THE COMMENT I HEAR MOST AS THEY TRUN TO WALK AWAY IS.......

I'M GONNA DO THAT SOME DAY

I'M JUST GLAD I'VE BEEN DOING IT FOR 40 YRS.

Shamue

[Snarley Bill]

what is ironic to me. for all the complaints that i hear coming from people owning ventures, why do you keep riding one? then you turn around and say it's the best touring bike made and you will never part with it. i have two cruisers and a wing, a kawasaki nomad, and a v-star 1300. all three have pitfalls, but i never owned a bike that did'nt. if i ever get a bike that i dislike enough to bad mouth it it's going down the road. never gonna happen cuz i'm able to find good in all the bikes i've owned. other than the silly ass casette and no fuel injection the venture is still right up with the times. i don't think there is a better looking bike out there. for the price they are going for, there is no better buy. i would buy one. the draw back for me is the lack of fuel injection which i could do without, and the small engine and lack of power. i just got tired of constantly shifting. the only reason i got rid of mine was i wanted something that sat lower cuz of leg and knee issues. i still miss my royal star. and boy it had ultra chirp, my v-star has ultra grind. i ignore it as best i can, and enjoy the scenery. harleys ar beautifully finished. they just aren't tecnologically advanced enough for me. it's just an updated old archaic design with alot of make shift jury rigging to make an old design work better. for the money i would expect some hgh tech advanced engineering. like watercooled, overhead cams, four valves per cyl., shaft drive, unit construction, one drain plug for all the oil, etc. come to think of it that old shabby venture already has all that. is'nt that amazing. it is'nt so old fashioned after all. snarly bill

[CMIKE]

The Yamaha dealer treats me like crap, are extremely smobish, and won't even say hello. Even if I am walking around their new bikes they just let me look alone. On the other hand, the HD guys seem very interested in my "rice burner", come out to have a look see; They all respect my ownership of a Yamaha, are very friendly and treat me like a customer not an enemy. Basically, I haven't found a Yamaha dealer in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex I have any respect for and worthy of my hard earned bucks should I ever decide to buy new. Basically I think they're all jerks and not worth of my business. With the attitudes these fools display, no wonder Yamaha is experiencing hard times.

 

The exact opposite happends to me but I do not own the other brand of bike. I have noticed folks who own harleys, they actually talk to them like they are human. They have always treated me as the enemy not a potential customer. I almost owned a 2008 Screaming Eagle White Ultra Classic, but they treated me like I was a homless guy cluddering up their show room. I had already secured the funds to purchase and was planning on purchasing it. My wife loved the bike but we had only looked at it. The bike had 3500 miles on it and they were asking over retail for the bike. They told me I could not afford it and really insulted me when I went down to see about purchasing it That is when the hate relationship started for me and it grew when I visited other dealerships and got treated like trash.

I would probably consider owning one and may own one in the future but as a customer I will not be treated like a second class citizen from anyone that plan to take my money. They act like they were doing me a favor putting me on a bike that had a price tag thousands over retail plus shipping, set up fee, documentation fee, tax and title. Seems around here this is the norm, they must go to a school to learn how to be snobby and very rude to folks that come in to the shop...2 closest dealers are aXXholes and there only to take your money and put you on a bike. Screw if you are satisfied or having a problem with the product. Take it or leave it, don't like it go somewhere else as I have been told before. I have had several other instances at the dealers since I have been riding my Midnight RSV...you know if you ride with harleys you have to stop at every dealership and I pull in with them.

The corporatoin does a real good job of marketing their bikes...you can see that by how many is on the road. Most folks buy them just to follow the crowd or maybe they like dressing up like pirates when they ride. I do not like their sales tactics at all. To me if you could move on the price a little...to at least make folks think they got a good deal...you would sell more bikes. Folks tell me all the time...you need to get you a harley. Why so I can take all that abuse from the dealers...no thanks.

I have yet to find one that treated their customers or potential customers like they want their business. I am not going to beg nobody to take my money...they will have to earn my business, so I guess I will never own one unless I buy one from an individual.

[Snarley Bill]

i have no problem with harley riders. some of them are real hard core bikers with thousnds of miles under their belts, most are weekend warriors that want to be one of the gang and dress and look the part. just doing their thing like all of us. there are a few like that on metric bikes just not that noticable cuz theres more harleys out there. usually the weekend warriors stick their noses up cuz they think it's the harley thing to do. i have met some great harley riders and the few times i was in need of help it was the harley riders that stopped to help me. one even hauled my bike home on his trailer.i had harleys when i was young and just haven't seen enough improvement in engineering design to catch my interest. to each his own.

[Christo]

I read post where members talk about how advanced the Harley ultra is and they complain about the lack of updates on the RSV. Some buying harley's and using that as an excuse of why they bought the harley. Now if you want a Harley and can afford one buy it.

 

I just don't see what is so updated about a harley, over the Venture.

 

First, Looks the Ultra(electra glide) looks just as it did 50 years ago, and no Harley has no intention of changing it, loyal Harley riders would flip out. Now the modern bikes do have better chrome and more refined looks, but the RSV looks just as good, actually more streamlined to me. Most non-riders don't know the difference.

I hope Yamaha does the same and never change the RSV overall appearance.

 

Now yes the Harley is fuel injected, but that has pros and cons, I like FI until the electronic problems start.

 

I can't tell that the sound system on the HD is any louder than the RSV, and mine sounds just as good as Bobby's did( we think his ultra is totaled) even he said mine was as good as his, there was not enough difference to count.

And as far as the cassette, it just fills the hole in the dash, and by the way CD's are fast becoming a thing of the past, the Aux port is the thing now so you can plug your mp3, or ipod into it, my wife and teenager won't even bother with CD's anymore they take up to much room.

So the aux port on the RSV makes it up to date with the new music eq.

 

 

As far as the ride that personel preferance, I like the RSV ride, Bobby says the Ultra is smoother at 80 mph, but the RSV is smoother at lower speeds.

 

Now yes there are tons more accessories for the harley, and Yes I guess if you think it cool to be in the IN crowd and own one, that great too, if it makes you happy go For it.

 

Now I am just stating my opinion, not to start a war or insult anyone, but this is a RSV site and some of us think it is a near perfect riders machine.

 

The prices the guys I know spend to service and maintain their Harley's, just recently one of the guys told me he had his serviced, oil and filters changed and belt adjusted

he said her got deal at $535.00. I can't afford it.

 

Gregg

 

Hmmm this sounds familiar????

 

Modern features the HD has that I wanted that the RSV falls short for me - EFI, ABS, Better Sound System (although I am truly perplexed why even the HD system does not integrate fully with iPods and the like is beyond me - still only an AUX input), better MPG, stronger materials used for fairings and cowlings, better designed fairing/cowling on HD, quieter gears, better cruise control, better balance (RSV is top heavy).

 

I rode my RSV for ten GLORIOUS years. My wife and I LOVE the bike. If I sell it, great, if I don't, great.

 

 

As far as I am concerned - it took HD 3 extra years since I have had the itch to switch to a different tourer. I want something different, new, a change (not the political kind ).

 

The bike chosen is a personal one. I really do not think it is a debate. I think a lot of very wise and open minded people have posted some very good opinions. I read on the Delphi forums that there is not going to be a 2011 RSV - no more makey momo from Yammie. They also stated that Yammie is going to have a new redesign for 2012. That is the rumor I read posted in Delphi. Everyone wants to feel that the choice they made for a ride is/was the best one, and the right one - and you know what - it is/was! :-)

 

I think Yammie did get it right in '99 - but I agree with several people who have stated in this forum - over the years - WHY didn't they just make improvements? Aside from the antennas? This, IMO, is why HD is so successful - they make lil mods over time, improving the bike, keeping loyalty - and there are pros and cons to this too - but obviously the pros MUST out way the cons - look at resale and loyalty - that should tell you something.

 

The RSV DOES give you more bang for the buck initially - but HD's have come down a tad in price - they were over inflated in my book due to the demand from the early 90's until the late 2000's - but now the playing field is starting to level - new RSV's have gone up in price, and it is the same bike - no improvements or changes (basically) since 1999.

 

Next week I will now own 3 bikes, 1999 RSV, 2006 Stratoliner, and a 2009 HD Ultra Classic that I will be taking delivery on. I will tell you this - there is something in each one of those bikes I LOVE. But from a financial standpoint, it is stupid to own that many bikes - especially when 2 of them are touring bikes. I will ride the HD, put it through its paces - I may decide to sell that and pull my RSV off the market, I may decide that the HD is the next best thing to sliced bread, and allow the RSV to move to a new good home. I may even decide that I no longer want my Strat and sell it too! I may decide to sell my HD and my RSV, ride the Strat and defer any long trips until a new RSV comes out.

 

I do know this for sure - IMO - I am not old enough for a GW, and I do not like that style of bike, I do not like the BMW - for the same reasons, and I am not impressed with the Victory's or the Kawasaki's - IMO. IMO the two bikes that look the best and offer the best to me are the HD Ultra Classic and the RSV when it comes to a touring bike. I am going to give my new, and very 1st HD ever, a fair shake at making me happy. I am still me, I still love to ride and enjoy all my biker friends who ride WETF they want to ride - as long as they are happy and they enjoy riding.

 

Enjoy what ya got between your legs, and ride safe!

Edited July 22, 2010 by Christo

[BuckShot]

Christo---Give the HD a chance. I've put around 4000 miles on mine and the more I ride it the better I like it. I had some serious doubts the first 1000 miles but once I got more used to it the better. Yesterday was the first time on the expressway and running at 75 mph was awesome. Its a different ride than I'm used to but the low end torque is great.

Its not the touring crotch rocket the 86 is but definetly a well thought out tourer.

[latchkey]

i like harleys, going to buy one when i quit riding.

[Christo]

Christo---Give the HD a chance. I've put around 4000 miles on mine and the more I ride it the better I like it. I had some serious doubts the first 1000 miles but once I got more used to it the better. Yesterday was the first time on the expressway and running at 75 mph was awesome. Its a different ride than I'm used to but the low end torque is great.

Its not the touring crotch rocket the 86 is but definetly a well thought out tourer.

 

I plan on it! :-) I know I will have a steady ~700 miles to get "used" to it come Monday!

 

I think you mentioned when we spoke that you did some mods - did you do the stage one on yours? New Air Kit and Exhaust?

[BuckShot]

i like harleys, going to buy one when i quit riding.

 

:sign funny post:Yea....some people quit living at a young age.

[BuckShot]

I plan on it! :-) I know I will have a steady ~700 miles to get "used" to it come Monday!

 

I think you mentioned when we spoke that you did some mods - did you do the stage one on yours? New Air Kit and Exhaust?

 

So far I see no need for it. Plenty of low end torque. I love the stock hd exhaust tone,don't like load pipes. When I get ready to get things around to pull a trailer, I'll see then. Reread my preveous post. Give it awhile and get used to it,then decide on any engine mods. When you get it home give me a call. We will get together.

[Christo]

So far I see no need for it. Plenty of low end torque. I love the stock hd exhaust tone,don't like load pipes. When I get ready to get things around to pull a trailer, I'll see then. Reread my preveous post. Give it awhile and get used to it,then decide on any engine mods. When you get it home give me a call. We will get together.

 

Gotcha - great - I will do that! Thanks!

[rickardracing]

Harley's are nice bikes. But not worth the extra cash. My father in-law has an Ultra Classic and everytime he takes it out, he has to put money into it. Literally. Abou two weeks ago he lost his $800 HD GPS......it fell off going down the highway. Destroyed. I guess he did not have the optional net underneath the bike to catch the parts. I think this year he has put about $2000 into the bike. My only complaint about the Venture is the lack of guages. That's it. I talked to someone at Yamaha last spring and asked them why they don't atleast design up a digital guage package that would match the speedo, that would fit into the opening of the cassette deck. Sell it with all of the sensors and connectors as an accessory. I know I would have bought one in a heartbeat. Too late now that I built my own and carved out the opening. But I think that would have been pretty trick looking. The Yamaha reps answer.....Hmmm, not a bad idea, but probably not going to happen. Someone using the excuse of buying a HD because the Venture is an old design is complete bull. If you want a HD, just say so and buy it. I don't care what somebody rides. The important thing to me is that they are riding.

[MikeWa]

What percentage of people would trade in their old 99 Cadillac for a new 99 Cadillac? No matter how good the old 99 Cadillac was. Even loyal Venture riders might like to upgrade someday. Unfortunately Yamaha offers nothing. Sure they got it right in 99. But that was a long time ago. They are missing the boat now. Why not offer some upgrades like anti-loc brakes and GPS or a more powerful engine? How about a six speed trans and helical cut gears? My gripe is not that the Venture isn't a great bike or that Harley or Goldwing are better. It is if I want anything more I have no choice but to look elsewhere. Yamaha has not upgraded this model and shows no signs of ever doing so. Pointing this out is not bad mouthing the Venture it is wishful thinking.

Mike

[hig4s]

Just for the sake of someone on another forum mentioned they had talked to a Yamaha rep recently and THEY said the next Venture has already been designed based on the new V-max 1700 engine, but do not know when or if they will get approval from corporate to start manufacturing.

[BuckShot]

Unfortunately Yamaha offers nothing. Sure they got it right in 99. But that was a long time ago. They are missing the boat now. Why not offer some upgrades like anti-loc brakes and GPS or a more powerful engine? How about a six speed trans and helical cut gears? My gripe is not that the Venture isn't a great bike or that Harley or Goldwing are better. It is if I want anything more I have no choice but to look elsewhere. Yamaha has not upgraded this model and shows no signs of ever doing so. Pointing this out is not bad mouthing the Venture it is wishful thinking.

Mike

 

You have just said what alot of us have been feeling.

[OldBear]

That our RSV's are a basic and good design is shown very clearly by how well it stacked up in Rider's comparison with the Ultra, Victory Vision and Kawa Voyager (we tied with the HD for first!). This bike was "right" when designed and remains a very good machine, however, as others have noted, time marches on and progress consists of making "real" improvement in a machine (something our friends at HD have nailed, like it or not. Compare a 10 year old ultra to a new one and there are a bunch of improvements in ride, handling, features, etc). Our problem is that Yamaha doesn't seem to take the touring market seriously, nor invest any time/money in building a better mousetrap. Yamaha already HAS a great, fuel injected V-4 that (VMAX) that would take care of performance issues. They also have ABS and heated grips (FJR). Tweek the chassis and put on some brakes from an R1 along with the VMax engine, ABS and heated grips/seats. Add a GPS option to an upgraded AM/FM/XM audio package and you'd be there!! Simply but using Yamaha components that are already on the market they could make a good machine a truly great one IF they'd just do it. As it is, the Venture is showing it's age and that is costing customers and interest from newbies. Yamaha Corporate needs to get off there respective tails and make the machine a class leader, but I fear they won't. As noted, most of the dealer's I've been around have/know VERY little about the Venture, and it's been on the market for 11 years...THAT, more than anything else, shows ya where Yamaha's interests lie.... and it is NOT in the Touring market!

[eazyduzzit]

I was at the local Honda/Yamaha dealers the other day. A young salesman came over and started up a conversation. He asked what kind of bikes we were interested in (Karen was with me), we said "touring bikes" and he walked us right by a new Venture to a Goldwing. He started telling us about the power, comfort, handling and new features of the 2010 model.

 

I was interested and listened, and I asked about the Venture. He said that nobody much was interested in it because it was so heavy and didn't have the handling of the GW. He didn't even look at it, much less walk us toward it like he did the wing.

 

I told him I rode a Tour deluxe, and that they rode and handled pretty good, but all he said was that he could knock off a couple of thousand if I was interested in it. It just doesn't create much excitement when it never changes.

[Sunrayman]

Hey no argument from me on the air cooled pushrod thing. They tried a new liquid cooled motor. The VROD has a great liquid cooled FI motor but the Harley loyalists dont care for it. Hell they even had a V4 design that never saw the light of day. I'm just saying Harley's are not that bad of bike and have updated many things. Believe me I'm no Harley guy. Harley does a decent job of caring for their customers and are updating things. They are doing something, evolving somewhat even though I think there is a limit to what you can do with a 1947 bike style. I will give them credit for doing something coming somewhat into the 21st century. Yamaha at this point is a huge disappointment.

 

 

You need a Goldwing for a man of your stature. You NEED the 1800 of liquid cooled, shaft-driven, chrome coated silky smooth, all-weather flying wonder, the WING! I saw the BMW you were looking at....it's too small.

[Squeeze]

Just to add this ...

 

The '09/10 VMAX already sports a very good ABS, freaking awesome R1 Brakes and a Lot of Things needed for a big Tourer which will outdo a Wing in a Lot of technical Matters. Power and Punch is a no brainer even with calmer Cams and a more tourer oriented Engine Setup.

 

The rear Subframe is boltet on, so its just a Matter of making up a stiffer Subframe to accomodate a bigger Tank and carry a heavy Trunk. The Front End is just fine, add a Fairing and some more electronic Gizmo's and your big in the Business.

 

That's what they're aiming at, don't know if they can make it happen with the economic Dump they took and take.

[flb_78]

3rd Gen Venture.

 

http://www.bikerzbay.com/images/stories/YAMAHA_IMG/YAMAHA_2010/Yamaha_Stratoliner_Deluxe_2010a.jpg

 

Put the trunk on it, taller shield, a little fatter tank, a set of crash bars with removable lower fairings and TADA!!! 3rd Gen Venture.

 

I'd almost bet money on it.

[Kirby]

I looked at one of these a few days ago while I ws getting a new fuel pump put on and was not real impressed with it. There was a 1700 Vulcan sitting next to it and it (the KAW)LOOKED better, but I really didn't care a lot for it either. Both of them looked cheap to me. I asked the dealer was this going to be the bike to relace the Venture and he told me he didn't think so. Hey, he's just one dealer and as many have already said, Yamaha is pretty tight lipped about what's coming down the pipe. I also looked a a new GW but, I'm not exactly thrilled about that one either. Right now, I'm pretty much satisfied with my 11 year old 2009 model. It has it's quirks but, IMO, it's still the best deal out there. A 5 year unlimited mileage warranty goes a long way!! It's all about whatever flicks your bic, floats your boat, or blows your frock up!!!

[BuckShot]

3rd Gen Venture.

 

http://www.bikerzbay.com/images/stories/YAMAHA_IMG/YAMAHA_2010/Yamaha_Stratoliner_Deluxe_2010a.jpg

 

Put the trunk on it, taller shield, a little fatter tank, a set of crash bars with removable lower fairings and TADA!!! 3rd Gen Venture.

 

I'd almost bet money on it.

 

MY wife wouldn't care if you were the richest ,best built,best looking man on earth--she would make a sailer blush telling you where to put that rear seat.

[Squidley]

3rd Gen Venture.

 

http://www.bikerzbay.com/images/stories/YAMAHA_IMG/YAMAHA_2010/Yamaha_Stratoliner_Deluxe_2010a.jpg

 

Put the trunk on it, taller shield, a little fatter tank, a set of crash bars with removable lower fairings and TADA!!! 3rd Gen Venture.

 

I'd almost bet money on it.

 

 

I have to say that I agree with you Forest, just revamp the Strat and there you have it.