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Kris is back at home! She's doing great and is happy to be home. Thank you all again!

I think my favourite would be my 06 RSV in Cherry Black. Love the color and just love the bike. Should have never sold her.

Kris has been scheduled to be released from the VA Rehab center noon Friday. The following surgery has not been scheduled yet. Again, thank you all for your prayers and support. All the medical teams involved thus far have commented and praised her support from family and friends and that includes all of you.

I’m loving it. Everybody names their ride, and mine is called “CrimsonViper”. So, I had custom emblems made out of 316 stainless polished to chrome mirror finish. They finally arrived today!

I don't know if this has been asked here before. Looking back on all your years of riding, what single bike that you owned or would have liked to have owned that was your all time favorite. I've owned many bikes. Hondas, Yamahas, Kawasakis, Harleys, etc. Now I'm not even talking about performance, handling, reliability, etc. Just the bike that thought was beautiful. Here is one that I've always loved but have never owned. I always liked the springer forks even though I know that they were not the best for handling. Then when Harley came out with the 2003 anniversary edition I thought, and still think, that is was beautiful. Love the 2003 color scheme. So, I guess this would have to be my choice.

That Heritage Springer has always been right at the top of my list too my brother. Personally I prefer the earlier ones,, thinking 98ish when they had the grates front and back and were still putting the Evo's in them. They also had decorative seating and bags with reflectors on em but INDEED,, our minds think a LOT alike @Freebird. The very top of list are two that I did have the pleasure of owning, one of which I had to build to aquire.. Its between Olivia, my 42 HD and one of the chops that I built to my liking... Talk about a tuff choice here. I think I am going to have to break the Club rules once again and call it a tie.. LOL

Hard to pin it down to one favorite. I truly loved every bike I've owned. After thinking long and hard I think the one may be the 1970 Yamaha XS650. I was 16 and working for a local Yamaha dealer assembling new bikes when I opened the crate and fell in love. She never made it to the show room floor. Not mine but this is how she looked..

My 98 Royal Star Tour Classic was by far my favorite bike.

Hello all, Sorry in advance for the long winded post. I joined this forum back in 2014 when I had a question about a friends RSTD and now I am back with my own Venture! First off a little about me, I have owned approximately 10 bikes throughout the last 15 years. Mostly Yamaha's, some Harleys. I have had Roadstars, Stratoliners, a RSTD, and now this Venture. For 7 years in a row,, back in the day, some friends and I would go on traditional 7 day 3000 mile "ish" road trip. Went through a divorce a couple of years back and now just getting back into it. I found this 2009 Venture for sale locally to me. It has been sitting in a storage locker for almost a year. It has 34k miles on it. A few aftermarket add ons such as grips, exhaust, and headlights. The battery was stone dead but with the help of some jumpers we got it running and it purred just like all my other 4 cylinders did. The front tire was flat so I was unable to test ride it unfortunate. I ended up buying it for $2500. While I don't think its an amazing deal I do think it was a good one. Brought it home and gave it a real quick wash and boy does she shine. Things I will do in the coming months are as follows: -New tires (date coded 2018) -New battery (already bought one need to install it) -Complete fluid change (synthetic) -Find and install factory exhaust (These are too loud, not sure about proper back presser and car jetting??) -Fresh fuel (run seafoam through) -New plugs - Re adjust rear bag guards (Loose hardware) I will tackle anything else that comes up beyond the basics listed above. Really looking forward to hitting the road again and doing it in comfort. I will attempt to attach photos, no promises though lol I am looking forward learning lots about this bike through this forum.

Anyone coming to the Charleston area in 2023? Stop by and say hey.

Lol. Well Mr. Marcarl, these bones aren’t as young as they once were. 800 miles in a day is a lot now days. It’s done though. Happy wife, Happy life.

Hi all feeling good enough now to give an update. I had the surgery on Dec 30. Took about 6 hrs. for the surgery and they made five incisions and removed 2/3 of the upper lobe. They let me come home Jan 2. No driving or lifting anything over 10# for 6 weeks and I will need oxygen at times while I heal.

Just out of College I came across a black 100th Avn. Road King Classic for a stupid-cheap price with only a few thousand miles on it. Nothing fancy, but just a "classic" looker in black and chrome on spokes and white walls. Bike was the epidemy of Friday-afternoon construction and spent 360 days out of my 3-1/2yrs of ownership in the shop....but when it was washed and waxed it looked phenomenal, and you didn't see many all-black 100th's. Edit: 3+ yrs and I managed to put 30k miles on it despite the constant breakdowns but my warranty was up and I was done. Ended up selling it private for the same money I had into it minus the warranty (that did pay for its self). As for straight up smiles, I currently have '07 Ural Tourist. My wife hates it cause every gas stop is a 30min conversation with everyone who comes out of the woodwork to ask what the hell is that...

I agree My 2004 Venture was my favorite bike... 150K mile when I sold her... I wish I still owned that bike... My favorite looking bike was My 2017 Harley Road Glide...

I have to agree with RR, '06 Black Cherry for the win. Though my '84 FXRS would be my first big bore love.

Hey Mark, Thanks for the kind words! And Thank You Marcarl for installing that Fuse Box Upgrade Kit for Mark! When I first joined VR.ORG some 14 years ago, I had chatted with a few members on the forum and was going to meet them in Gettysburg Pa. for a "Meet and Greet". I live close to Pittsburgh and this was going to be a pretty long ride on my newly acquired 87'VR. about half way there, I went across a set of railroad tracks, and my old style glass fuse box just fell apart. I was stranded on Rt.30, miles from home, with few tools on a bike I had just purchased! I never made it to the meet, and had to call my brother with a trailer to come pick me up. When I got home, I decided this was NEVER going to happen to another VR.ORG member, ever again! I created the Fuse Box Upgrade Kit, installed it on my bike, (and my 89'VR as well) and have offered it to hundreds of members over the years. This was one of the first "Kits" I had ever put together, and the rest, as they say is history. Every kit that I offer is "Battle Tested" before I offer it to the forum members. The fact that I can contribute to keeping these wonderful machines on the road has been a passion for me all these years. It has been my mission to give the forum members the courage to work on their bikes to keep them running with replacement parts and upgrades that have kept MY bikes running for so long. When I hear stories like this, knowing that this could have been the end for such a beautiful motorcycle, and it being the original owner to boot, it makes me smile. Thank you Mark for sharing this story with me, and the other forum members. This is what drives my passion, and it is a victory for EVERY First Gen. owner, knowing that they too can repair their bikes, and continue riding these amazing machines. As my Dad would often say, "It's not the destination Son, it's the Journey"! Earl

The things we do. 😅 Now if it was a motorcycle!!!!! or boat!!!!

Just finished my latest upgrade; edge lighting my new ClearView windshield.

This really happened. My wife has been a nurse a long time and specializes in being a surgical nurse. We decided at one time to take the opportunity for me to get my Master's degree in counseling. One class was in Family Therapy and part of a big assignment was to ask friends some questions about being married. If that was not an option we could use our spouse. At this point my friends were avoiding me because I was asking too many questions. So one evening were sitting down, she was reading a paper. I decided to ask her the questions for the school assignment but do it in a way she would not know, or so I thought. I hid the questions in a book and after a few minutes it went something like this. Me - Can you believe we have made it this many years being married. Her - Sure. (She never looked up from her paper or even pretended to pay attention to what I was saying.) Me - Most never make it this far. Her - Nope. Me - Many marriages don't make it this far. Her - OK. (Now was my opening.) Me - So on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best, how do you think we are doing? Her without looking up - Honey I love you but I will make a deal with you. You stop playing counselor with me and I promise not to do surgery on you while you sleep. I put the questions up then because somehow that sounded as fair a deal as I was going to get.

Hate to hear this, I've read that the new variant is much more contagious and the vaccines and boosters are mostly ineffective against it. Looks like we are for another round with this mess. Hope you and your wife and better very soon.

2020 3.0

Seems to me that a master cylinder rebuild is needed and maybe a caliper rebuild also while you are at it.

A lot of “PURDY” bikes here! I know many do NOT like the new model Star Venture, but IMHO as far as amenities, comfort and sheer unique looks I love the current rig I have. It truly is my “dream bike” setup.

Welcome to Venture Rider. Please feel free to browse around and get to know the others. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Hi All I am finally getting my Venture Max HD Build started and have been collecting parts for the Bike since I purchased it in 2018 **I am missing the Front axle Spacer so I am hoping someone on here has one that I can purchase. **I am also looking for a set of Solid Motor Mounts I have the drawing to have some made but thought I would check to see if anyone has a set for sale before having some turned for me. Here are some details of the build the plan is to have the bike completed and ready to ride from NB Canada to the 100th Ann of Laconia this coming June 2023 The starting model is a 1984 Venture Royale, I have pulled the 1200 (bad second Gear) and purchased a 1300 from a salvage yard out of an 1987 Venture from Ontario, found a set of Vmax heads with Cams from another salvage yard on ebay out of Georgia. Engine is currently being re-assembled all new Gaskets and seals painted with Black metallic for the Main Block and heads, as well as the Clutch , stator and Water pump housings, Thanks to Skydoc providing some knowledge and feedback on the Clutch mods to save some $$$ I was able to use the 6 spring clutch pressure plate and push rod from the 84 1200 and use it with the 1300 clutch basket, removing and replacing the 1/2 friction disc with a full disc, purchased a set of HD springs and the clutch is ready to go. Carburation will be the conversion to a single carb using a VTC motors Intake and VW pict 34 carburator. Exhaust Piping I will be custom building new pipes out of SS Exhaust pipe, HD sportster Headers and a set of 2002 HD Road King Mufflers. Block plates, valve covers center Twinkie, oil filter housing are all painted with Ceramic Hi heat header paint color is Cast Iron, all Chrome inserts to be polished and to remain Steering will be handled with a new set of 1 1/4 in bars 10" mini apes mounted to the triple tree with a 1 piece bitwell HD Riser, new set of Brake and clutch masters, and handlebar mounted Mirrors, HD Handlebar controls. New set of Steering bearings, swap in of new progressive springs into the rebuilt front forks with new seals and dust caps, removal of the anti-dive units and install block off plates. Rear brake Master is being replaced and the addition of HD Forward Controls are being added with custom mounts for Floor boards Rear master will be included on the Forward controls kit up front. Brackets to be fabricated All brake and Clutch lines are being replaced with Russell Brand DOT certified brake hoses and fittings, with the addition of speed bleeders all original Calipers to be reused and rebuilt. All new Brake pads to be installed Luggage boxes I am swapping out the side boxes and replacing with a set of HD hard bags as they have more room and personally prefer the look of these style of bags, purchased a set of HD Saddlebag brackets to cut down on some fabrication time. I will retain the original Trunk and Fairing, and windshield and repair as needed with a plastic welder and plastic welding staples., all body panels Fenders and luggage containers to be painted thinking of Candy apple red over Black to give me a Black cherry Final color. Headlight and all bulbs will be replaced with LED, I am also replacing the old fuse box with a new ATC style fuses. New Tires New Engine Guards will need to be re fabricated to accommodate the forward controls. I will continue to add to this post as the build progresses

I guess I'm just that guy... With the exception of my first bike (1982 Honda Night Hawk), I have taken the tank badges off every one of my bikes...lol

That is some great looking iron ..I have not had anything new since the early 1970''s .. I repair and ride older bikes and when the bike does not fit me , I make it fit ...I day dream and wish for a newer ride , but unfortunately where we live it costs the minimum $13000, and into $25000...

I had the 06 also and the color with that big badge on the tank just made it a great looking bike.

As I have mentioned before, I retired after 53 years from Tool and Die Machining in the Aerospace and Petroleum Industries. Now being retired, to say the least has caused quite an adjustment in my life and the things I do day to day. My wife Jean, is the typical "Early to Bed, Early to Rise" type of person. Up at 4AM, and usually to bed around 8PM. I on the other hand, am a bit of a "Night Owl". Staying up sometimes well past midnight. During my adjustment period, I have turned to YouTube for my evening entertainment. Now that I finally have time to investigate things that interest me, I have taken advantage of this block of time between when my wife retires for the evening, and when I can finally "Turn my brain off" and get some sleep. I have my favorites as far as content goes, a few motorcycle channels, some off road channels, but the one channel that has peaked my interest lately, is a channel called "The Why Files". The Narrator, who goes by the name AJ, does an excellent job of explaining many "Hot Topics" that I find very interesting, using a format that reminds me of the days when reporters just stated the facts, and didn't "Cross the Line" between stating the facts of the topic, and NOT adding drama, or personal opinion to cloud the issue at hand. This has been refreshing, and allows me to come to my own conclusions based on the information that has been researched and is presented. I am going to leave a link to a random Video that will allow you to see for yourself ALL of the episodes he has produced. He also takes suggestions on future episodes he is willing to investigate if there is enough interest, but his list of things that he touches on is vast, and his delivery is very high quality. I have NO vested interest in this channel, but this forum has some very astute members in it, and I thought you might enjoy his reporting style, and the topics he covers. If this is not "Your Cup of Tea" so to speak, I apologize for interrupting your regularly scheduled programming! LOL!! Here's the Link: I would be interested in any comments you would have about this style of reporting. (Don, if this belongs in another part of the forum, please forgive me!) Earl

I'd like to thank @skydoc_17 for sending me the upgraded fuse kit last year. This was finally installed but not by me. I met @Marcarl at one of the southern Ontario gettogethers this past summer. Also, Carl was the first guy to reach out to me when I joined the club in 2019, He pointed out that my bike was leaking some oil. Since owning it from new, an 84' purchased in spring 1985, amazingly it had never leaked oil. I had progressive springs installed the previous fall as well as having the rear brake line replaced with braided. I said yup, I need to take it back in, in the off season. There was a small leak in the front forks as well as one from the rear, maybe brake fluid. He mentioned there was a shop just up the road that does good work. I thought I new of all the shops in the area but apparently not this one. Well, guess who's shop? Something he said stuck with me, in that, if he found something that needed replacing or fixing, he would replace of fix it. That's quite different from the motorcycle shops I had previously visited as they typically only fix what you point out needs fixing, as well, many shops in our area have told me that they won't work on bikes of our vintage any longer. I can appreciate their concerns in the sense that parts are hard to come by and our plastic is getting brittle with age so its easier to say no. So...thanks to Earl and Carl. Mark

Welcome to Venture Rider. Please feel free to browse around and get to know the others. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Nice, Very nice!

Well done!

Thank you! Well, I tried to do it with my stock windshield but it has a slight tint. Consequently it would only pass a certain light wavelength which was a dull bluish white regardless of the color input. The key is to have a true clear windshield or it won’t work right. The bike is outfitted with XKGlow lighting (self installed) and I happen to have some extra 10” lighting strips and cables. I put a light strip facing inward towards the windshield and touching the edge, then covered with rubber trim to keep the light from going anywhere but “in”. Then just ran my cables to tie into the section of lighting I wanted. In my case I have “dual zone”. The engine area is ZONE 1, the rest of the bike is ZONE 2. There are manufacturers who make edge lighting kits but they are all limited to 4 color choices. I wanted mine to match since I literally have 22 million color choices and they’re app controlled. They can breath, strobe, brighteness adjustment, go brighter the faster if go (speed control) or dance to the music I’m playing.

Wife says every shopping center needs a Harbor Freight store. That way wives know where to park their hubbys while they go shopping. Like a hubby daycare.

Steve, If you can move the date to April, you should have better weather. May can be warm around Phoenix area! This year, the long range forecast shows high 80's to mid 90's. But it can go into the 100's! There are two of us in Tucson area @kic and myself. If you need anything, hopefully we will be around to help. david

mine are always in the last place I look or used them which ever 🤪

Considering they mount to the trunk, No I do not trust them.

Utopia its the most popular I think. They make a great product. https://www.utpr.com/svt.html

I went through the whole covid epidemic so far without even getting a cold. Monday, I woke up hoarse and coughing like crazy. Tuesday, I felt really bad. I took ivermectin both days. Wednesday I started feeling a little better. I tested positive for covid. Thursday I felt almost normal again with no fever. Today, I feel almost normal with some coughing. So, I guess a 78 year old man with health issues can survive the crap. My wife got it a couple of days after I did. I'd like to kick fauci's azz all over the county for funding the creation of this virus with taxpayer funds.

My ClearView windshield came in today.

Hang in there and keep yourself hydrated. I had it over the summer and other than worst sore throat ever, it was basically the flu. It was painful to swallow, so I wasn't eating/drinking and got severely dehydrated - not good. The worst of it was over in 4-5 days, but it was a couple of weeks until I was back to 100% and I think that was mostly due to the dehydration. Pretty stupid on my part. I do a lot of cycling and always focus on staying hydrated.

Hope y’all make it thru without further sickness.

Sorry to hear this and hope for a speedy recovery!!! Wouldn't wish that on anybody!!

Hey Bret, I admire your courage to share this issue with us! Here is what I did to install arm rests on my Venture to make MY wife more comfortable. I went to Home Depot and purchased several pieces of GRAY Electrical PVC Pipe and fittings in 1/2". The 90 degree sweep "Elbows" worked really well and gave the supports for the armrests a nice look. I then built the armrests with the PVC and found a place to connect them to the mount for the seat. The PVC was easy to work with, and if I made a mistake, I cut the bad part out and replaced it with more PVC that worked better, or looked better. When I had what I was looking for, I took the "Mocked Up" PVC armrests to a local Fab Shop and had them made out of metal pipe and plate. Chrome Plating was out of my price range, but a nice powder coating from a local shop made the armrests look like they came with the bike. I hope this gives you some ideas on how to tackle this job, Bret. Also welcome to the forum. I hope this gets your wife riding with you again, it worked for me! Earl

Hello Fellow Riders. We had a beautiful warm New Year Day here in Kentucky, so the wife and I made a ride to Clarksville Tenn. for a wonderful lunch at Olive Garden. It was a Christmas gift card from my stepson and daughter-in-law, so we took advantage of their kindness. I ate until I thought I would have to be carried out in a wheelbarrow so I was a little sluggish heading back home.😁 It was only an 85-mile ride, but it was a wonderful way to start the year off. The sun was shining, and the wind was blowing in our faces making me feel VERY good about the future. I hope everyone had a very Happy New Year. Steve

Well, after all the customization I couldn’t resist the “final touch” of a custom vanity plate. I had some ideas that apparently others had taken before me, but I ended up settling on “1 VIPER”. DMV says about 7-10 days to get it.

Asheville NC. 2022 and some of the same ones will be at Vogel 2023

Well, the rear ones came in this afternoon. Now all I need to do is run wires.

Replaced the fuel pump points and rerouted the gas filter under the seat. 54k and still had the original filter. Cleaned and added dialectic grease to whatever electrical connections I came across. Changed the oil. Flushed out the overflow tank. Just waiting on the carbs and valve cover gaskets to come Monday.