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Hello Venture Riders. Patricia and I are back home in Kentucky, after a 25 day, 7500-mile motorcycle trip. We went to 16 different states, a few of them several times, 2 Canadian Provinces, and several National Parks. We talked with numerous people that were simply amazing. After going up in the Space Needle in Seattle Washington, we rode down the Pacific Coast Hiway to San Fransisco. We rode across The Golden Gate Bridge and rode by Fisherman's Wharf in San Fransisco. We took the Oakland Bay Bridge on the way to Vacaville CA to visit Patricia's niece as a surprise. On this trip we saw many beautiful sights we never thought either one of us would ever experience. We went from sea level to over 12.000 feet in the mountains in Colorado. Rode through the Mojave Desert and went to both the North Rim and South Rim of the Grand Canyon. We experienced temperatures from low 50s to a high of 103. There were so many beautiful experiences we had and saw, it would take several pages and become so boring to the reader that they would run far away. The most important thing is we are home safe and never had a bad experience. Steve S IMG_1537.MOV

Took the trike out for a little ride yesterday. Though I certainly know better, I had not checked the tire pressure since buying it. Having sat for about a year before I purchased it, I knew better. So I checked the tire pressure before taking it out yesterday and all three were VERY low. Rear tires had about 14 lbs in them and the front about 24 lbs. Aired them up to the proper recommendations and it was amazing how much better it handled. Even the vast majority of the headshake that I had experienced was gone. I was cruising happily down the road when I started loosing power. A quick glance at the gas gauge showed that I was on empty. Having gotten used to fuel injection, I momentarily forgot that I had a "reserve". I hadn't ever used the aux tank before so I just reached over and hit the switch and waited as the bars increased on my gas gauge. I never had to pull over, the bike almost immediately regained power and I continued riding and let it fill from the aux tank until it was about 1 bar from full. I know that you can overflow the main tank if you don't pay attention. It worked amazingly well and I am very happy with it. Otherwise, it was a short but enjoyable ride.

Took a long weekend and Lisa and I went to VA Beach. I thought the sunrise this morning was too beautiful NOT to share.

Sadly, the last 5 years and several surgeries later, I still can’t ride my 07 Venture / Hannigan Trike more than an hour or so. I have mentioned to my wife that we should just sell it, but she doesn’t want to. We used to take long road trips on it. We have hit 39 states, with hopes of finishing out the lower 48, but I can’t imagine that happening now. I have had it out 3 times this year for short rides. In my wildest dreams, I never thought that at the age of 60, most of my life would be spent in bed. My message to you that can still ride is to RIDE! Ride all you can, when you can because you never know when your health will turn for the worse.

People from so many walks of life have gathered here because of their love for the particular type of motorcycle we love to ride, TO START WITH! Then they find out that we all have other things in common as well. Don has created this "Microcosm" where we can ALL enjoy making new friends, learn about our bikes, and help each other in the safety of this little community that has formed over the years. I personally have made so many friends over the years, and have watched as fellow forum members worked through issues with their bikes. I have also witnessed some of our dearest members pass away, but I can honestly say that what my dad used to tell me rings true with this group, and that is "If you hold them in your heart, they are never really gone" As it is in all facets of our life, "Many will come, some will go, but a few will be your friend, FOREVER"! Such is how it has been for me, and I hope each and everyone of you will stick around for the magic to happen to you as well. DON NELSON, you sir are indeed the "Magic Man"! You have rode with us, shared your home with us, shared your time with us, and broke bread with us. I feel like I should be washing your feet...or something! Apart, we are just individual motorcycle riders, but together we are a family! Slightly dysfunctional, I'll give you that, but a family none the less. I can't think of a better way to wind down the day than to check up on my friends, and NEW friends on VR.ORG. It's a habit I don't plan to break in the foreseeable future. Thank you everyone for your humor, your advice, and your friendship! Earl

Was just looking at Yamaha's website. I am totally amazed that they no longer have any touring bikes or even cruisers. Have they completely given up on the big bike market? Most of you know that I had bought a brand new 2018 Star Venture Transcontinental. To be completely honest, I actually loved it. The only reason I sold it is because I just wasn't riding. It set here for over a year and I finally just put enough miles on it to do the first oil change. I know that most here weren't crazy about the fact that Yamaha went with an air cooled V Twin but it was truly a great bike in my opinion. It had about everything a person could want on a bike. Yes, there were a handful of folks that had some small issues and even fewer had some major engine issues but few new models are introduced with no issues. That being said, and I wanted to make sure that I wasn't bashing the Star Venture because it's certainly not my intention. But, do you think that if Yamaha had listened to us. The long time proponents of the Yamaha Venture, and come out with a new Venture with a modified version of the 1700cc Max engine that it would have done better? I don't know but I feel that it would have. Imagine that new Star Venture with the Max engine. Water cooled, abundant HP, ability to REV like most here enjoy, it could have been an amazing bike. Unless Yamaha has something up their sleeve, we will never know. My real question is. Do you think that Yamaha is completely leaving the large bike market or do you think that they are at the drawing board, deciding what mistakes were made, and will be coming out with another line in a few years? It will probably be to late for most of us old codgers but I have to wonder what they are thinking. Last thought on this, at least for now. I feel that Yamaha and most of the other Japanese bike makers have tried too hard to emulate Harley and to some extent, even Indian. I feel that the V Twin is essentially an American Icon and the majority of riders who want a V Twin are going to go with Harley or Indian. Let's face it. V Twins are certainly an old technology. Some of us actually like the low RPM torque, great sound, even a bit of vibration but you simply can't provide a great argument that they are as technically refined as the 4 and 6 cylinder bikes that are on the market. With electric vehicles, even motorcycles, that are being brought to the market, I seriously wonder if any manufacturers will be dumping large amounts of capital into big touring bikes. That's sad and to me, virtually signals the end to the cross country riding that many of us have enjoyed. I wonder how much money Yamaha lost on the development of the Star Venture and Eluder. There is no way that they recouped their investment.

Electric cars cannot be sustained with the Green movement. Reference California, The CA Governor signs a gas car sales ban for 2035 and a couple of days later he's telling EV owners not to charge their vehicles due to power grid issues. here's another article from WV. Coal Miners push stranded DC driver's dead electric car to charge it up at coal mine (bizpacreview.com)

I bought one of those sets, here is a current pic.

I too fit this category and also get accused by my boss who is younger than my 1st three kids and used to be my apprentice, of being resistant to change. However I am a big advocate of keeping life simple and comfortable rather than complicated and having to constantly keep up with change. I like stuff that is self repairable and even though I am more than capable of working on the higher tech stuff it is the fact that A) it can not be patched on the side of the road if need be and B) most of the high tech stuff each require their own specialized additional tools and software (plus the means of working with it) beyond that found even in the most extensive average tool set. The technical world is removing our ability to be self sufficient and forcing us to be dependent on stuff we did perfectly well without in the past and really don't always need to exist. That is not to say I am against all advancements as some advancements, specially in medicine are a good thing but where do we draw the line. Obviously there are those who disagree and love nothing more than to indulge in every new gadget that hits the market but that's not me. I'm totally content to manually turn my lights off and on, lock and unlock my doors or use an old fashioned key to start my car.

All battened down here, shutters up, food and water stores put up, just waiting for a bunch wind and rain, been through this many times over the past 50+ years here in FL.

The only problem with this group is the 💰💰💰. No not the $12. I started with a 1st gen to ride locally, joined the group and learned about the 2nd Gen. SO I went out and bought one, then came all the recommended mods. Throw in the touring that started, gas, hotels, more gas, yada yada yada. Then more mods. The good part is the friends we’ve made here that we would’ve never met, places we’ve seen, and more fun than I deserve. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Well done Don.

No, I did not and that's a good point. I'll try it later but I know that it handles much better with air in the tires.

A fix for all those missing 10mm’s. Ole Harbor Freight figured it out.

Rule number 1,,, never, ever, or ever clean out your garage,,,, just build a new one,,, so many advantages.

I had to go to Harbor Freight today to pick up a couple tools for a stairlift install tomorrow. I actually picked up that set while I was there. I figure that will get me by for about a month.

An '18 Venture with the VMax engine, water cooled and shaft drive would have been nice. We can all dream about that as being the upgrade for the '99-2013 RSV. Looking at the market now though, with Honda and Kawasaki getting out of the big bikes (European emission requirements from what I heard, as well as poor sales numbers), had Yamaha given us the bike we thought they would rather than the v-twin, odds are that it would now be end of line as well. Touring bikes are a small market and not enough for a manufacturer to continue with. Maybe a V-4 would have taken away sales from Honda but we'll never know. The future is electric bikes. Until they develop technology to give comparable range for a day's worth of riding (600 miles +), big cruisers and tourers will be a thing of the past. E-bikes don't have the capacity to haul a big bike and are going after a small segment of in-city casual riders. I'll be keeping my '09 RSV for as long as I can ride. Nothing out there now or for the foreseeable future compares to the range, comfort, or reliability.

I wholeheartedly agree. The proven reliability of the V4 and lack of vibration were big sellers for me in choosing the RSV. I like to make Harley jokes as much as anybody just as I do Fords, I also enjoy getting roasted about my Chevy’s and rice burner bikes but there’s nothing wrong with Harley or Ford if it’s what you like. That being said if I wanted a V-twin I’d have bought one instead of Yam. My other turn off is the addition of so much tech, I like to fix my own stuff but am a techno-phobe. I already gave up working on my truck but still like tinkering with the bike. I sure would’ve liked trying a new V-Max powered, fixed fairing, water cooled rocket without key fobs and touch screens. Maybe my old boss was onto something when he accused me of being resistant to change🤷🤷🤷

It was time to do something different. OK I finally have some time for something different. In the last few weeks UPS, Fed Ex, and USPS went crazy, they’ve been throwing parts on my porch for some reason. 10” apes, Kuryakyn ISO grips, bosses, weights, and foot pegs, a little rework of the dash, Ciro cup holders, and today my missing seats showed up after touring Texas for a couple weeks. It feels like a whole new bike at a fraction of the cost.

Dealing with other forums makes me really appreciate everyone on here. I was searching through another forum and before I could find the answer, I had to weed through all of the comments chastising the original poster for asking the question instead of searching. I understand that searching before asking is a good thing, but instead of 5 pages of negative comments someone could have given the one sentence answer or at list posted the link to another post. With that said I need to be better in answering post, even if they have been asked 1,000,000 times.

Nope

I started following this group shortly after buying my bike new in 2008. I rarely contribute (because I'm kind of a moron), but have learned more from my fellow riders here than I can ever show my appreciation for.

You only said that because it's true 😁

HBO has turned Tom Swift into a Gay, Woke Snowflake who hates his father. Seriously?!!!! That's it. The world as I know it is gone. Up is down. Black is white. Cats and Dogs living together. It's the end of days!!!!

Today's sunrise was of a different flavor. BTW: HIGHLY recommend the Military Aviation Museum here, just south of VA Beach. Some really cool stuff....

Yeh slushy winters suck!!! I miss the good old days when winter was winter (nice dry cold and snow stayed snow instead of turning to slush) spring was spring summer was summer and fall was fall. When men where men women were women (tom boys allowed) and children where children. When adults determined right from wrong versus the me/me youth of today. When relationships developed into a Mom a Dad and several wholesome children raised by their natural or adoptive parents instead going from birth to day care, to school at age three. kids need to be kids for at least the younger part of their lives instead of being turned into instant little adults (even pups and colts get time play and kick their heels). They need to see more of their parents than their nursemaids. I miss the when sticks and stones may have broke your bones but words never hurt you. When arguments where settled with bare fists in 15 minutes behind a building or bar and the outcome signed off with a hand shake and a shared beer or 2 or 3 or 4 ....... Instead of spending half your life in a lawyers chair sometimes for years while they sucked back on your life savings put you in a state of anxiety resulting in alcohol and drug over indulgence. Weekly visits to a shrink (more of your life savings gone). But apparently we are now more civilized....... Just My Humble Opinion......... Someone once said Life was more fun being 20 in the 70's than being 70 in the 20's

Today, Eileen and I took our first two up ride on the trike. We started to not go because it was raining pretty good but we put on the rain suits and took off. Only about a 4 hour round trip down into Amish country. A lot of twisties and it rained all the way down and about half way home. I learned a few things. I learned that it is going to take some getting used to in the twisties. I was cautious today because I couldn't see very well in the rain and I don't know the limits of the trike. We did ok though. Also, I'm getting some head shake at low speeds, I mean 10 to 20 MPH or so if I hit some rough payment. I'll check my head bearings to be sure that they are tight but I've been talking to Jeff, @1BigDog , and he tells me that some head shake is somewhat inherent to these trikes. He gave me some air pressure settings to try so I'll do that along with checking the head bearings. Not a big deal now that I'm aware of it. Just have to make sure you have a firm grip on the bars if you get onto rough rides and are going slow. Easy to prevent if you know about it. Otherwise, it was a nice ride. Especially after the rain finally cleared up a bit.

Here ya go @circa1968!! Check this out! Met up with Terry just outside of Moab Utah on one of our 2 month bike trips out west. What a fantastic conversation we had with him. My wife and I enjoy coasting down mountains on our Yamaha Venture - our record of a non stop coast so far is 29 miles at 36 minutes going down into King's Canyon in California. After explaining this to Terry we found a common interest in the silentness he experiences on his Electric Bike (a Zero) and totally understood my interest in what he and his friend, Craig Vetter, are all about!! This was AMAZING!!! More about Terry can be found at: http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1...

All missing socks are reincarnated as extra Tupperware lids.

Main thing I miss on the 18 and the Harley is fuel injection. Even though I’ve never had any major issues with the carbs on the RSV. I just have to remember to turn on the petcock. Yesterday after we left on our ride, a few miles down the road I felt the bike losing power. I quickly remembered that I had turned it off when I parked it. Reach down and turned it on before it died so didn't even have to stop but I'm no longer used to having a petcock.

It’s the younger demographic driving this trend. As us geezers slip out the market, the younger ones don’t want dressers. Triumph stopped their rocket touring line when they introduced their new, sportier line. In marketing terms, there doesn’t seem to be enough old timers out there to support continuing with a touring line. At least what we were used too.

And those of us who still have our health miss the ones who can no longer get out.

If you use the solid type it won't leak so bad when it's sitting,,, at least so I have heard. And @saddlebum all you need to do to get it in the crankcase is to warm it up. On the tire question? May I suggest you get a round one with some tread left on it? It would be helpful if it held air as well I suppose.

Hello Venture Riders. My riding buddy and I made a trip to the Smoky Mountains last week and had a wonderful time riding the mountain roads. Due to our older age, we were only able to put 1250 miles on the bikes. Thankfully we had some wonderful warm weather most of the week. A rainstorm blew in Thursday afternoon that caused the temperature to drop Thursday night for a very cool ride home Friday. We left N. Carolina in a misty 45 degree morning and made it to Kentucky that evening with it only 65. I'm hoping the weather will hold so the wife and I can make a trip up the Blue Ridge Parkway next week. I would like to get one more good trip in before the cold sets in. Steve

I just read an article where Canada is lifting the travel restriction related to COVID. Our friends along the border should be happy again. Let the meetups startup again, LOL. Canada to end entry requirements: Travelers will not be required proof of COVID-19 vaccine, testing (msn.com)

This morning had a gorgeous dawn, then lost most of the color when the sun finally broke through. The pics don't nearly do justice to seeing it in person, but here's some pics of what i saw while drinking my morning coffee, as well as a few pics from the military aviation museum. A bike with a sidecar and a scooter that can be parachuted in in a tube and quickly set up. Just a tiny bit of the cool stuff there.

That’s beautiful! Nice to get away, the wifey and I did a long weekend in Vegas weekend last. Circ du sole show was nothing short of fantastic!

I succumbed to the dark side a longggg time ago and agree,, more carbs! They like me better. I do prefer mine to be non-CV though. I get better performance out of those..

Hey,,, just so you is fully aware,, I've been dealing with meat all my life, I've had to help birth it, feed it, water it, clean it, chase it, rope it, then make it quit moving, hang it, take it down, dissect it, chop it, grind it, slice it, stuff it, roll it, bone it out, put it back together, disguise it, flavour it, cook it and maybe even dump it. That why they call me a butcher, but I call me a meat processor. Now I is hoping you are somewhat better informed.

Maybe you should try it, one wheel behind the other tends to travel in one direction. 🤪🤪🤪

Mom Yam did read my list and followed it pretty well.. She just did the opposite of what I, and many other members suggested LOL.. check this out: 1700cc V-4 "V-Max" motor.. Detune it if you must (just like before) but please,, dont do another V-Twin - got enough of em.. You guys can do it,, I KNOW YOU CAN!! but everyone knows the modern rider wants the pleasure of no hp, good vibes and feeling the burn as they ride.. get with it man! Shaft drive! BELT's wear out and we can make a few bucks for replacements, we are in the business to make money on part sales.. EFI with a tunable tuner - even if its an add on - please provide one so we can tune it!! no chance Engine guarding. but then the rider who LOVES heat couldn't get it what he loves. Adjustable bars like on the first gen. no no no,, those adjustable bars on the MK1/2's were a big mistake. we actually lost money on the loss of handle bar sales for that mistake. Fixed Fairing. here ya go Puc,, just for you!! THAT IS ONE COOL FRONT END FOLKS!! Imagine those intakes on the front feeding a 175 hp COMPETITION DESTROYER!! good night that woulda been AWESOME! Get the same Doctors who advised you on constructing the seat of the 1st Gens (cant remember what you call those guys) to advise you on this one - my kids, wife and I LOVE what they did!! Keep the seat height difference between the rider and passenger no more than 3 inches (2 is great) - raising the passenger higher causes weight imbalance and makes slow speed riding harder. how bout we make this one a 1000 pounder instead Ease of removal of the trunk(s) for changing rear tire. we are suppose to make it HARDER for you to work on it, not easier.. Center stand. what,, that is wayyy to old school for the modern rider. Forward boards with normal foot pegs located rearward so standing up while riding is still possible, shift and brake levers at both locations (no heal toe please). the modern day rider has no interest in learning how easy it is to handle a bike because their standing up. Grease zerks on all main pivot points. Puc is crazy, no one wants to lay down and grease/pull maintenance anymore. Explore which tire sizes are the most common and build around those standards so tire choices and finding them are easy. This was a real good one! One that I actually spoke with the Yam reps at Sturgis about when I noticed the odd size rear tire on the back of the new Venture. I asked why Mom Yam did not stick with a more traditional tire size, something that would give the rider more choices in tires, not less.. They just shrugged me off. I did have that same Rep look up the price and choices of current tires at that time for the tire size Mom Yam had chosen. There was only ONE tire available at the time and that tire was listed at over $500!!! Honestly,, the rear wheel itself was CHEAPER than the tire! Made my point in asking for this in my wish list.. Enclose the motor well to keep ANY objectional heat off both riders BUT - use lots of venting with plenums to act as heaters when needed. what,, dont you know,,, modern cross country touring riders would rather look good showing off the motors while being burned than being comfortable while riding or stuck in traffic.

The issue is that the larger in cubic inch you go the more heat is produced. I rode my 78 shovel head all over the country and spent a TON of time on it exploring the desert. While it did get warm, its 74 inch V-twin shedded heat NOTHING like these big V-Twins of today do. I got a hunch that the 1800cc air cooled beemer will be one hot puppy as it cools its jugs/heads on the riders legs, wayyy more than the 750cc flat twins did. I also see a LOT of potential damage happening there when someone drops one.

I just bought two tickets the other day, gives me double the chance with the pretty girls and a 35k moto. Of course, 2 x 0 still equals zero...

I admit that is an impressive bike. I still have to wonder about the choice of engines though. It's still an air cooled twin cylinder engine. I've never owned a BMW. Do they get hot like the VTwins do? Do BMW make a bike with a water cooled engine? The price is impressive as well but to add the equipment that at least some of us would want, cruise control, reverse, etc., It would be in the $30,000 range. Still not bad as compared to similar bikes. I also worry about maintenance costs. I've heard nightmares about BMW maintenance.

Tip and I are thinking about catching the Buffalo roundup in South Dakota while heading west to visit the kids in California and the roundup is usually in a similar time frame as your ride/meet/greet/adVenture/camp fire/eating contest/telling stories time at your place Or. Due to health issues no plans are written in stone yet but if everything lines up we will stop and camp in Trooper (our Ioniq hybrid mini-mtr-home) and enjoy some refreshing catching up with all you lop eared varmints. Please keep us all posted as you proceed with the planning for another one of your most excellent outings my friend and I will continue to follow this thread. Love you guys!! Puc,,, and Tweeks n Trooper and of course Tip!

I just can't give up with Yamaha just yet. SVTC bikes are loved by many and off course has some issues as well, but easily addressed with Yamaha's 5 Year warranty. I remain optimistic that Yamaha will continue to innovate and put out fun bikes for us to enjoy.

I understand. I didn't have the '18 Venture long enough to comment on how long the belt would last. I can say that having owned 3 Harley's, '86 FXRD, '13 Road Glide Ultra, and '08 Ultra Classic, I've never had to replace a belt. The heat on the 107 CU Road Glide was very noticeable. The '18 Venture was almost as bad. The '08 98 CU wasn't nearly as bad unless you got stuck in traffic as we did going to Pennsylvania a couple weeks ago. My right thigh got pretty hot during that traffic jam. I did find the '18 Venture to be very comfortable on the road after I got my backrest, highway pegs, and handlebar risers on it. Same options that I always add to my bikes. As for price, I agree that they are way too high. I lucked out though. I bought my '18 Venture brand new from a dealer in New York who also sold Honda. He just couldn't sell the Yamahas. I bought it brand spanking new at the end of 2018, I think it was, for 18,000.00.

Hey Craig, feel your pain, my long distance riding is slooowing down, but still puts a smile on my face. Your RSV is absolutely beautiful, the color I wanted. So don't sell it, just give it to me, you will feel much better 😊

There's a liquid crisco Wish somebody told me. Having to warm it up or spoon it in is a real PITA.

Drove in to work this morning, when I took off it was 60°F which is cooler than it has been so far when I have been riding. No light on at all so thinking it is fixed but we will see. Thanks for the input and have a good rest of the week!