VanRiver

If and when I need to start thinking about adding a 3rd wheel, this is the rig I would get! "Stability" and "Lean" all in a perfect package (and on a BMW which I have fallen in love with - Sorry Mother Yamaha)! Leave it to the German's with those fancy BMW Motorrad's!

Thought this was funny, as it is always "awkward" with your buddy sitting behind you....plus I love the Honda CT90 in the Video!

Back of the pickup is too scary for me.....a LOW trailer is all I personally do with these big bikes......learn from these unfortunate individuals:

@cowpuc Good question about the Speed limiter on FiFi the K1200LT and whether my Chip has removed/changed the value......to be honest I have not taken the old girl up to her max yet. My personal "speed limiter" is usually established by the "White Knuckles" and "Brown streak in the underwear" indicators. (Mom always taught me to carry a clean pair on the bike just in case). There is a youtube video of a stock 1999 K1200LT like mine going 211km/h (131mph) on the Autobahn, but FiFi has never gone that fast while under my ownership.......yet. Reminds me of a video that a certain member here recorded riding a R1 well past the speed limit.....wonder who that crazy video taker was??? I will be riding FiFi from Calgary to Phoenix in the Spring (had so much fun this summer riding Walt that I need to do that ride again!). Maybe on one of those lonesome highways in Montana or Idaho I'll get the guts to test the "speed limiter", but FiFi is rather a flying brick with only 98HP compared to the new bad boy bikes we are talking about. Relax buddy, follow what the Doc's and Tippy say, and hopefully this is the last of that silly surgery stuff for a looooong time. We all love ya here at Venturerider, and we are all looking forward to the many 2018 "Puc wore out another set of tires" YouTube videos!!!!! "Hey Tippy is that set #12 or #15 this year? I've lost count crisscrossing the country so many times this year visiting the kids and grandkids!". I so look forward to your future videos! Hope I can convince you to add a Beamer to your stable.....another new friend for Tweeksis! And yes the "Thessalonians" say Hi .......Think I dated a girl named that in high school....Called her "Thess" for short (people just thought I had a lisp!).

Hey @cowpuc, sorry to hear you're "laid up"! Wish you all the best while you recover buddy!!!! Thanks for doing some "motorcycle homework" while you're taking it easy. I'm depressed now....Totally neutered.......like owning a Lamborghini but only being able to drive it on Sundays in play ground zones! You would get eaten alive on the German Autobahn with that BEAMER maxed out at 101 mph! The one bright light in all of this is that now a days motorcycles are like rolling computers.......therefore I betcha some smart lady or fella will build a performance "Chip" that will tweek, fine tune, and probably eliminate these uncalled for "limitations". I currently have "chipped" FiFi my 1999 K1200LT so it runs better, stronger, cleaner with my performance exhaust and missing catalytic converter......plus I have noticable more horse power and higher gas mileage all from an updated Chip installed in my bikes ECU which I got off a Guy on Ebay (located in Greece) for $99.00. Took me 30 minutes to swap the chip and she runs sweeter then she did when she was brainwashed by Mother BMW. Thank goodness for computers and smart IT people that ride and tinker with Motorcycles! https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-PERFORMANCE-JOHNS-TUNING-CHIP-FOR-BMW-MOTO-K1100-K1200-LT-GT-RS/122833226735?hash=item1c996e4bef:g:tRMAAOSwB09YIe5e&vxp=mtr

This is why I only run Apple products now for both home and business. I switched over around 5 years ago and it "just works".......no more worries like I did with Windows and crappy PC hardware.

Wow, Congrats! Very Cute Pup too!

Holy smokes Batman.......I think I'm in love!!!! Take a look at this thing (K1600B) in action, smoking the tires under the control of a professional.

"Little VanRiver" says a BIG Thank You to "Uncle Puc and Aunty Tippy" and ALL the VentureRider.org Guys and Gals for the kind words and support! cowpuc , She also said she is also willing to take a look at the rattle in the old noodle now.....might as well do it sooner rather than later while her billing rates are still low!

Hi cowpuc, I totally agree with you about the price of bike's now a days especially for BMW which usually means "Bring More Wallet" based on my experience as a BWM motorcycle and car owner.......from what I've been able to dig up we might have a winner here. BMW have not announced the price for this new "Grand American" model yet, but that bike is based on the K1600B which is basically the exact same just missing the top case and a few extra bells and whistles. Now the good news is the K1200B was announced a few months back with a price tag of "The BMW K 1600 B Bagger price for the USA will be $19,995 (MSRP), plus a $495 destination fee." Here is the article stating that detail about the K1600B pricing: https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2017/03/20/2018-bmw-k-1600-b-bagger-price-announced-usa/ So I'm hoping that the Grand American version will remain in the low $20K range which is not bad by today's standards. The K1600B is a sexy bike by itself too......K1600B reminds me of what Honda did with the Goldwing F6B vs the Fully dressed Goldwing:

The more I research this new BMW the more I love it! It has officially been added to the top of my "potential next bike" list. Here is a great video walk around of the actual bike: Its like my 1986 MKII first Gen Venture had "Relations" with my 1999 BMW K1200LT, and made a sporty touring baby called the K1600 Grand American! The perfect motorcycle based on my current riding preferences! + =

Looks like BMW is trying to grab some of the American touring market with the new "2018 K1600B Grand America" model. Guess they are a bit worried about the new Goldwing and I guess new Venture....... and are trying to adapt to cater to the US rider preferences (forward controls and floorboards) rather than traditional European styling. Looks interesting! What do you guys and gals think? Here is a nice article about the new model: https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2017/11/07/2018-bmw-k-1600-grand-america-first-look-fast-facts/ Here is what she looks like:

All the best to you and your family during this challenging time. Circle of life.

Wow, med school, that is awesome!!! Good for her, and congrats to you and Mom @RDawson! University is much cheaper up here in Canada compared to your USA schools, so debt free is a major accomplishment down south and one of the reasons why my daughters first degree needed to be in Canada if the Bank of Dad was funding it. So I'm not as "nice" as you might think!

Sorry this post is not Venture related, but this week has been a very good week in the VanRiver household that has made me a very proud Father. My daughter has had the dream of becoming a "brain surgeon" for many years which she first shared with her Mom and I at the age of 10 or 11. We, as most parents, have tried to be as supportive as possible and always said "shoot for the moon and if you miss you are bound to hit another star" knowing how hard the path would be to such a lofty goal including the grades, competition, and drive she would need to have. Well my daughter continues to amaze me, she is now 17 and in grade 12 and has maintained a 98.5% average for her entire high school career, she volunteers at an Urgent Care Hospital facility and at a battered Womens shelter in her spare time and is just an all-around awesome person. A person that I would want to know as a friend even if I wasn't her Dad. Well, due to her high grades she has been able to apply for early acceptance into University here in Canada, and this week she received acceptance letters to EVERY University she applied to........include her choice school that has offered her a spot in their "Honours Degree Neuroscience program" which only accepts 30 students directly into the Neuro faculty each year. We are still waiting to hear about her scholarship applications but that is beside the point as the "Bank of Dad" is funding this adventure anyway. Although she still has a VERY long road ahead of her, she is putting her best foot forward with this first step into her undergrad degree. I'm so proud of her and how hard she works to accomplish her dreams! You go Girl!!!!!!

Hi @cowpuc . Thanks Buddy for the video shout out! I'm honoured to have a sticker on Tweeksis too! The ol' BeadBuster should help replace the 6 to 10 rear tires I hope you wear out during the 2018 riding season! Stay safe and best wishes. P.S......I'm looking forward to the hotdogs someday......and I will supply the ice cream!

Looks like they are using the Venture as a "Home Security Door Stop".......not sure if they are trying to keep people in or out with that parking location! Nice bike! Thanks for posting the pic!

Hey cowpuc (and anyone else who likes changing their own tires). Puc, you were looking for a compact "bead breaking tool" to take on a road trip? Well I think I have the solution for you, the "BeadBuster XB-450" finally arrived in the mail and I got a chance to change AZZI's tires with it. It is awesome with only one hiccup....check out my video on how it works...and about the hiccup. No more "C-Clamps" and muscle straining 2x4 busting tire wrestling sessions for me anymore!!! The "BeadBuster XB-450" really works and for $100 USD (on Amazon,com: http://a.co/4qaGlU4) it can pay for itself pretty quickly.......especially if you go through 4 sets of tires in a season like Mr. Puc! Hope you enjoy my very amateur video........you make it look so easy in your videos! Please don't let a professional like videoarizona see it.....he knows true production value...and this is not an example of that!

Very True @cowpuc, you are one crafty detective! I must confess, I photoshop'ed all the tomato sauce stains out of the pictures before I posted them......here is an un-touched photo of me before we got back on our bikes.

Had a great ride today with a very good friend.....and had a spaghetti and meatball lunch to boot.......life doesn't get much better then that! Thanks videoarizona for a great day and showing me some of those awesome desert back country roads, ideal for Venture (first gen and second gen)cruising. Here is a picture of that "hardcore biker" Mr. VideoArizona with his beautiful second gen! David my offer is still open, trade you straight across for AZZI and a full tank of gas. (ha ha!)

I stumbled upon this fantastic Youtube video today showing how the Rover Company built their motorcycles back in the early 1920's.....this is a "Silent Movie" showing the entire process they used from casting the engine components all the way to riding it out of the factory. Those were the days! Sure would be nice to have one of those beautiful Rover Imperials in the collection (a boy can dream!)

Being that I'm in the Tech security business and a major Apple lover, I yearn for new tech in and on my vehicles...... and if it works with my iPhone, iPad, Mac Pro, iMac even better!!!!!!! Found an interesting article which says that Mother Honda will be using Apple CarPlay rather then a proprietary entertainment/communication system like Yamaha used on the new Venture. Good Job Honda on becoming the first motorcycle to use Apple infrastructure right out of the box, and not creating their own clunky interface! https://www.macrumors.com/2017/10/24/honda-2018-gold-wing-carplay-support/ For now though I guess I will need to be happy with my "fancy" LCD screen with warning icons, CB Radio, and the single red flashing LED on my MKII Ventures.....that was cutting edge tech back in 1986!!!!

Thanks @leo3wheel! Meeting you guys randomly at a gas station in the middle of the desert was one of the highlights of my trip!!! What are the chances of that happening....it was like it was meant to be! I forgot to thank Walt for bringing me to this forum.....I have met some of the nicest people here, both in person and online.......none of my other bikes have done that!

Exactly 3 years ago today my life changed. My very first Yamaha Venture MKII was delivered to my house by the very gracious previous owner. Her name was "Walt" and arrived as a "parts bike" with several cardboard boxes of assorted bits and pieces. She hadn't run in years and had a frozen rear calliper, so she wouldn't even roll into the Garage without some major assistance. Walt had had a very interesting life before we met which included several owners, some that pampered her......and others that unfortunatly did not treat her the way she deserved. But her life was about to change when she arrived at her new "forever home" on Oct 11th 2014 to join my collection. After lots of learning from the many kind and willing experts here at VentureRider.com, lots of wrench turning, and seemingly un-ending amount of trips to the mail box to pick up my latest ebay parts purchase, Walt is now one of the best running and realiable bikes in my collection. She also took me safely on my first "long distance trip".......round trip from Calgary AB Canada to Phoenix Arizona USA this year. Thanks Mom Yamaha for making such a great bike! And thanks Walt for coming into my life, and for the 3 years of fun and wrench turning! I look forward to many many more! Here she is the day I got her: Here is Walt now, enjoying the open road again:

@dueyk1111 Hope you got that Racoon's contact information so his insurance can help cover it! We need more government funded "Wildlife education programs" to teach these animals to stay off the road! All joking aside, sorry to hear about the damage and really glad that you are safe and sound! Hope you get the scoot all fixed up again (sorry I can't help with the parts request). I had a "near miss" with a wild turkey this year on my ride from Alberta to Arizona......darn critters!