YamaGeezer
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Everything posted by YamaGeezer
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Hi all. For those who live in the western NC, upstate SC area - is there a good Yamaha mechanic in our area that comes highly recommended? There are several dealerships here with questionable service departments. Just wondering where you take your bikes for normal, and not so normal, maintenance. Thanks!
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Phat.... Doesn't list Flanders as an option.
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Howdy neighbor! Glad you and the wife are okay. Ribs gonna be painful for a while, though. Heal quickly.
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Hi all. Just bought a 2006 RSTD with extremely low miles, but it's a screamer. Jetson-mobile in every gear, it seems. No warranty, of course. Dealership will sell me an I-basket for $450. Probably another $50 to $100 to install it. Should I spring for it? Again, it's a real screamer. Thanks!
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Do new Ventures come from the factory with the "I" basket installed? May be interested in buying a 2011 Venture S and I'm wondering if I'll have to go through the trouble of getting the basket changed prior to delivery. Also, has anyone heard any news of a Venture re-design? Is there a new and improved Venture coming out soon? Thanks!
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Tony - just curious. Why did you buy the Honda and not the V-Star 1300T? I'm looking for something a little smaller myself, and the V-Star is at the top of my list for looks, though I haven't actually taken a test ride yet. Did you compare both? Were you interested in the Yamaha 1300? If so, why did you choose the Honda? Thanks!
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Patooey!
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I have the Diamond R and it matches the pillow top seat perfectly.
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Contact Ike Iacoviello Mustang is now making a seat combination for our Ventures. He sent me pictures, and they look very, very good on the bike. Also has a matching tank bib available. Seats can be bought with or without studs. If you've ever owned a Mustang seat, you know they're great. They are pricey, though. But don't you often get what you pay for?
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I like the new Nomads - black of course. I've always been interested in Valks and would buy one if I could find a good one. My riding buddy has a Rocket III. Bike is awesome, but he does seem to have a lot of nagging electrical issues. I'd probably go smaller - maybe one of the new Honda 1300s or the Yamaha 1300.
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Yamaha will "cut off it's nose to spite it's face" if it doesn't come out with a new Venture, in my opinion. Tourers sell. HD sells more tourers (UCs, SGs, RGs, RKs, ECs) than anything else in their line-up. Goldwing sales have been so good that Honda eliminated most of their other "tourers" like the VTX-T and Valk. Yamaha isn't stupid. The bad economy is affecting the sales of all bikes - not just touring bikes. When sales pick back up, people who want to travel on a motorcycle will be looking for tourers again. Yamaha needs to be in the game.
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My bike seems to have developed a "buzzing" in the grips that wants to put my fingertips to sleep. I'm getting the "needles in the fingertips" after an hour or so on the bike. I like the stock grips, but will go after market on them if I have to to get rid of this buzzing. Any ideas about how to get rid of it?
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I was much like you. I traded in a VTX 1800 on my '07 Midnight Venture. It took me a while to get used to this bike, for sure, but now, with approx. 19K miles on her, I wouldn't trade her for anything. I had the chirp - appeared about a week after I bought the bike, and I was so upset that I almost traded it in. On this forum I learned about the "I" basket, and it solved the problem and didn't cost me a penny. All bikes have their own individual issues. A lot of the Voyager and Nomad riders are complaining of heat issues, gear noise and belt alignment. Ultra Classic riders are complaining about a lot of things - just read some posts on their forums. Even Goldwing riders have complaints. It's part of the deal when you buy a bike. None of them are perfect. If you're looking to trade your Venture in on another tourer, I'm not sure you'll find one better. I have to admit that I do occasionally miss the low end grunt of my previous V-twin VTX, but nothing eats up highway like this Venture, and that's exactly what the wife and I wanted when we bought it. We go long distances, sometimes riding 600+ miles in a day. Our Venture is the perfect bike for us. Good luck and I hope you find what you're looking for. The 4 cyl isn't for everyone, I suppose.
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Hyper-sensitivity is fast becoming a major problem in this country. Just wondering - when will giving someone a dirty look be an offense punishable by law? Motorcycle Superstore has been fantastic to me in our dealings. I've returned things multiple times (you know how hard it is to buy something online) with no problems at all. Of course, I'm not the overly sensitive type.
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One of the things I like about my Venture is that I don't see one on every corner. HD must sell more Ultras than anything else because that's all you see. I know 3 guys at my work who own the exact same bike, color and all. If I wanted a Harley, I'd probably buy the Road Glide. They're somewhat unique and you don't see a whole lot of them around here. I hear the buffeting is horrible on them, though, so I'd definitely have to test ride one. Street Glides are pretty cool, too. When I get rid of the Venture, which I'll do when my wife decides she no longer wants to ride with me, I'll probably go smaller. A VTX 1300 can be made up to do it all. I really like the Valkyries, though, and might be tempted if a nice one is for sale somewhere.
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My 2009 RSV and Whine
YamaGeezer replied to rumboogy's topic in Royal Star Venture Tech Talk ('99 - '13)
My '07 Midnight chirped so bad, I considered getting rid of it. What's the use of 4 speakers if you can't hear them, right? My dealer put the "I" basket in at no charge to me and it has completed solved my problem. At first, I didn't think so, but as I've put miles on the bike, the chirp slowly went away. Now I hear nothing but the "normal" whine. The whine I can live with. -
Rick - have you ever modified the passenger pillow top? My wife likes it okay, but I think she liked the Mustang passenger seat on our previous bike better.
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If you buy that flamed out Venture, do you have to dress like a pirate when you ride it?
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My recommended RSV mods
YamaGeezer replied to First_N_Last's topic in Royal Star Venture Tech Talk ('99 - '13)
This is the only bike I've ever owned that I DID NOT want to change the grips. I've had the ISO grips on another bike and they were not as good as advertised. Without gloves, they turned my hands black. These stock grips on the RSV are pretty comfortable to me. -
Wow, this thread is thought provoking, for sure. Our riding season is just about to begin, and this thread pops up. My wife rides with me constantly. She loves it. I love her. We've never been down together, but I have went down alone on a previous bike. I think, though, that I'll change my ways a little after reading this thread. I'm a fairly aggressive motorcycle rider, even on the Venture. I've probably took some unnecessary risks on the bike with her on the back. No more. I admit I don't dwell on the "what ifs" when riding the bike. I believe if you're constantly thinking about what could happen, you somehow take some of the pleasure out of riding. On the other hand, riding is certainly more serious and dangerous than any other activity we do together. Maybe I should consider the price to be paid if my speed and aggressiveness turns ugly. I plan to do just exactly that. Thanks for the thread.
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I love my Venture. For the type of riding my wife and I do together, it's the ideal bike. I previously owned Honda VTX 1800s, though. Despite my love of my Venture, I still sometimes really miss the massive torque and responsiveness of those large V-twins. I could buy a 2nd bike, I guess, but I hate paying for the insurance on the bike I have, plus having a secure place to park it at night would be a problem for me. Does anyone else feel this way? The V-4 is a great motor, no doubt about it. But if you've previously owned a large V-twin, don't you miss it sometimes?
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Tire recommendation
YamaGeezer replied to tmilti1's topic in Royal Star Venture Tech Talk ('99 - '13)
Michelin Commanders are the best tires for the Venture, in my opinion. I recently put a set on my bike and they're great wet and dry. Good grip and very comfortable ride. I've read that they last as long or longer than the Elite IIIs. -
I personally find it very difficult to believe that some of you have Ventures and RSTDs that don't whine or chirp. They're all made at the same factory using the same tooling. I've met a least 5 other couples on Ventures in the 2 years I've had mine and they all said they loved their bikes, but didn't like the noise. I was on a golf course earlier this summer when I actually heard a Venture coming down the road before I even saw the bike, the chirp was so loud. When it came within sight, I noticed it was a '07 Blue and Black. I got behind another '07 Blue/Black on the Parkway last month, and I could hear the chirp from 3 car-lengths behind him! Those of you who keep saying you don't have the noise are extremely lucky if that's truly the case. I bet some of you, though, wear a helmet that makes the noise difficult to hear or you're hearing what we're hearing, but just not recognizing it. Or maybe your loud pipes are drowning out the noises. I do not believe there is a "chirpless" or "whineless" Venture. I also don't believe there is a bike made by any manufacturer that doesn't make some kind of noise that owners feel shouldn't be there. To the OP, if you want one, you're going to have to decide for yourself whether or not you can live with the noises. At first, I didn't think I could, but after two years, I've gotten used to the gear whine that never seems to go away. The chirp is improved by changing the clutch basket, which I did. The whine is what you're going to have to decide about, especially if you won't be interested in louder pipes. I guess I prefer the whine to the constant droning of pipes. They're great bikes. There can be no doubt about that.
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Here in good 'ol South Carolina, our friendly politicians decided concrete barriers in the medians of our Interstate highways were just too expensive. Maybe they're right. But this past weekend, I witnessed something that scared the heck out of me: Going down I-26 towards Asheville, NC, I saw a car change lanes with a motorcycle beside him. Motorcycle was likely in his blind spot, and to his credit, the driver of the car swerved back into the right-hand lane when he finally saw the bike. Unfortunately, the bike was forced into the grass median for a distance. The biker did a good job of keeping the bike under control, slowing down quickly and getting back onto the pavement. We were all on our brakes hard to give him time to recover. What was really scary was how close he came to the cable barrier in the median! If you've never seen these cable barriers, they're attached to "H" shaped steel or iron posts, 2 or 3 feet tall and have sharp edges and sharp 90 degree angles. It looks like half inch cable, but I'm not sure. Should a biker be forced into one of these, his chances of survival would be very small. (Not to say that running into a concrete barrier would be any better, but at least a person wouldn't be torn apart by sharp steel.) Not sure what can be done about the barriers, so just take this as a friendly reminder to be very careful on the highways that have them. NEVER ride beside a car for any longer than you have to. Stay as far from these cable barriers as possible when you can. I sure would have hated to see the accident that almost happened right in front of me. It's a shame that something our taxes paid to put on our highways for safety is particularly unsafe for us on motorcycles.
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Would you consider the new Kawa Nomad as an option? One of the best looking bikes on the road, hard luggage (no tour pack but a luggage rack is available), plenty of power and, from what I read elsewhere, pretty doggone comfortable for the passenger. At approx. 13 or 14K, it should be quite a bit cheaper than some of your other options. Just a suggestion.