cruiserlover

I did not notice bibration.But the vulcan is better looking.

they are plentiful here.But thanks for the idea you gave me.

I take this as confirmation.That bike is my number 1 choice.I owned one long enough to trade it for my 2001 venture.A trade i should never have made.It was even the same color as the one you show here.It fits my each and every need.I will perservere till I get another one.If you know anyone wanting my bike it is a great one.

I love my 99 on the road.it is a terrific bike.I traded a magna for it. My christian motorcyclists of which I have been a member since 2001 now has a chapter here in denton.I got the touring bike because the magna only had a 100 mile tank range.They wouldnt want to stop for me every 75 miles for me to fill up most likely.I have owned 4 ventures.But my riding is not riding like I had imagined it would be.I have always preferred 600 pound bikes.Most of them have a 140 mile tank range which has always served me well. There is not a cruiser i have not owned.shadow,valkyrie,vulcan,bandit,volusia,virago,cb 4s,and all of them fit my needs except the poor tank range for the magna.That is also why I avoided bikes like the 883, the old intruder 800 and 1400 because of limited tank range.But I need to trade this bike for one that meets my riding style.The venture is 10 times more bike than the magna in so many ways, but it is just too heavy when most of my riding has become intown.I live in denton texas.Input appreciated.

shim and bucket I presume? What a freakin pain.I already have that in my 99. I wonder if any warranty covers that.I ride a vulcan 10 k in 1 year.I paid for each service. I owned an ultra.Last service before I got rid of it cost $400.

"the rider's seat can be modified by a gentleman here in the site to narrow the front end a bit and add some padding". That will take care of your short legs and feet on the ground comfort level. I'm at stock seat height and no trouble flatfooting. I am not trying to hijack.Are you talking about rick butler? He redid my seat on my 99 rsv recently.If he can narrow the frontend I am taking it back to him.I feel like I am doing the splits riding it but the sitting part is now good thanks to rick. In response to the poster here, I too have not ridden a 1300.I too have a short inseam,30 inches.I can not flatfoot my bike.I almost can. My bike is a 99.It is a difficult bike for parking lot speeds, turning it around in a driveway and it feels heavy in stoplight traffic.I try to avoid those situations.I am 68. The comments about lowering the seat, the forks, and a narrower tire are all new to me.I am going to try some of those.The seat height lowering by decreasing the foam is no good if that is one way.I have a second seat that was done that way.I can easily flatfoot the bike but the lack of padding is very painful.As in I have to get off the bike in 25 miles. I dont know if the 130 tire versus the 150 effects the handling. My comparison experience would be a bandit 600,vulcan 800,900, suzuki c50/volusia, 2 83 ventures,and 2 second generation ventures.I am glad to hear about the handling of the new venture.But $26,000 is out of my budget. When I rode the smaller bikes they all could cruise 75 for hours.But they sounded like they were wound out even though they werent.The 99 venture feels like its loafing along at 80 and even 90.I also owned 2 78 and one 82 goldwing 2 1500 goldwings, an an ultra classic.The most cumbersome bike I ever owned was that 04 ultra.But I could flatfoot it. If you riding is going to be more 2 up it will be because of the passenger accomodations. I never ride 2 up.But the second gen feels rock solid at any speed above 10 mph.The batwing versus fixed fairing is also a nonissue for me. Someone wrote here about the first gen voyager.I have always heard everyone that rode one wanted one.That is why I never rode one.They are rare as hens teeth on the road.I know also most dealers will not work on a bike over 10 years old and here locally they do not want to work on anything they did not sell to you but they will if its new enough. The 1300 has its limits as you have already written.Is the second generation venture a stepup? For touring yes, no question about it.If your riding is a lot of stoplight to stoplight I wouldnt want one.I live in the dallas fort worth metroplex,home to 7 million people.There are way too many times I get caught in traffic.That is when I wish I was on a kickstart 400. My only problem with the second gen venture has been no reverse and its seat is too high.I just put all my weight on my left foot in town at a stoplight because I have no choice and avoid traffic and I am happy.

He redid my seat.still too wide up front.perhaps removing padding there would do it.The part you sit on is ok because he redid it.

My 99 seat,I had it redone by rick butler.Now the part you sit on is comfortable.However it is so wide i feel like I am doing the splits while riding it.My legs are short,30 inch inseam.I have a custom one covered in ostrich from an 01 I used to own.It is about 1 inch narrower, but the prior owner must have been really short.Even rick couldnt save it.Too much original foam had been removed.It is easy to flatfoot the bike with it on, but is a torture chamber.wHEN THE SEAT IS OFF THE FRAME THE SEAT SITS ON IS OF COURSE MUCH NARROWER.iF i HAD A SEAT MORE LIKE THAT WIDTH I PROBABLY WOULDNT FEEL LIKE i WAS DOING THE SPLITS.Sorry, I didnt realize I had hit the caps button. I turned both seats upside down.The custom one is narrower because the sideforam is cut away.This does let me have more comfort upfront.That is what I need to do.if I cut into the seatpan I would ruin either seat.I was wondering if i had a upholsterer cut down the sides and the front to make it narrower, leaving alone what rick did, if that would solve the comfort problem.I once owned an ultra classic.It had a $1000 seat.very wide.Torture there too.I went back to stock and it was fine.I have owned a few mustangs on prior cruisers.800 vulcan,900 vulcan,95 magna.Those bikes are much smaller, but I dont think the frame section is that much narrower.I am thinking mustang must make their seats narrower in the front. The way it is now I am ready to sell the bike.Riding in pain defeats the whole purpose of riding.I can say my first gen bike I never felt uncomfortable.Anyone intrerested in trading their first gen for my second gen?

I would post a picture but all my pictures the forum says are too large.I havent figured out to make them smaller on my phone .I need a smaller resolution but see no setting for that.

denny berg retired from making bikes.But the eleganza is so beautiful.

ok.I did not know that

I have a couple questions.my 99 rsv.It doesnt have any more running issues.When I took the filter off it looked like the 1999 one.No longer white, more rusty red color.The very slight gas shortage here for a few days had people running scared.All but premium ran out, then premium ran out and only regular was available, then people were filling up their cars, extra gas cans, it was reminiscent of 1980.Anyhow, I think it was pumped out so fast and so low the tank trash got into my filter.I went to sturgis in 2009.The gas was selling so fast along the way especially in nebraska lots of guys broke down with junk in their carbs. I was surprised how easy the fuel pump is to get to on this bike and how difficult the fuel filter is to get to.I didnt relocate it under the seat.I wasnt sure it would pump gas uphill well enough.Now to the point: I am taking my front fairing cover off to repaint it.It had a lot of scrapes on it from being dropped at parade speeds by the previous owner. A car cut in between all the bikes causing him to crash.He suffered a broken collarbone and 3 broken ribs.So as I am reapainting this fairing I was just surfing and found the article on the eleganza.I posted it under second gen tech.Denny Berg put a flush mount popup filler cap.I realize probably the old bung and cap would have to go and a new one welded in probably.But it doesnt appear a popup would have a vent.It worked for denny, just wondering how.Would I have to bypass the stock vent tube? I am in the process of learning how to paint a vehicle.My guinea pig is going to be my 24 year old truck. A friend of mine owns 5 auto paint stores.She will sell me all the right stuff.No way I can hurt this truck.After I get that done I might try my hand at painting this bike.Since my bike looks almost perfect its not a need or maybe will never happen.But if I do sand it down, strip and repaint i would consider doing the gascap mod at the same time.I am thinking candy copper with electric blue pinstripes.On the truck and the bike.

I tried.i couldnt do it.I will try once more.

someone please delete this post.I didnt intend to copy and paste so many other norelated things and links at the end of it.

Polishing the Jewel Every project begins at the same place, tearing down the stock bike to the chassis. Once the Royal Star was apart, Berg took what many customizers would say was the heretical step of stripping all the chrome off the engine cases and sending them to California Polishing. Why polish? Berg feels that chrome hides the individual characteristics of different metals. Stainless steel acquires a gold patina as it ages while aluminum shows off a deep lustre. Simply put, Berg finds polished metals "more interesting" to look at." Consequently, the engine sports polished valve covers and cooling fins. Before the fins were polished, they were machined to a uniform length with some fins shedding as much as three fourths of an inch. Many other non-engine related parts, such as the fork covers and master cylinders, were also polished. The engine's modifications weren't just skin deep. While the valve covers were at the polisher, V-Max cams and valve springs snuck into the mix. Further breathing exercises came courtesy of two Mikuni Solex 1970s spec side draft carburetors (often seen gracing the engine Old-Style High Tech The frame beautification project began with sand blasting and smoothing the welds. The plastic panels around the steering head were replaced with 18-gauge steel that was molded, welded, and smoothed for a clean, seamless front end. Out back the plastic side panels were exchanged for more 18-gauge steel. This time Berg's inspiration came from floating grills of Italian touring cars of the '30s. The steel was hammered and smoothed to perfection. Since the seat would be bolted directly to this shapely perch, the stock seat was covered with leather and a new underside of the seat was fabricated from 18-guage steel to better connect the lines of the frame with the tank Berg had planned. Berg says he wanted to modify the lines of the Royal Star while still keeping much of the look intact. For example, the carbon-fiber front fender was made from a mold of the stock Yamaha fender. However, before making the mold, Berg filled out the ridges that run down the sides of the fender with a generous application of Bondo followed by shaping and block sanding. The rear fender underwent a similar process, only more so. The rear fender was lengthened by five inches and the sides were lowered so the modified radius could more closely match the shape of the larger wheels Berg wanted to fit to the Royal Star. Not wanting to clutter up the shape of the fender, a set of Drag Specialties clearance lights (which could also work as turn signals if Berg had included a switch on the handlebar) were formed from Bondo into the bottom of the fender. A Cobra license plate holder and the stock fender rails highlight the sano fender. Readers may be surprised to find out how much Berg likes to use Bondo (which is primarily thought of as a metal-repair material) when building a custom, but he explains that the free form material gives him the total control he needs to let his creativity flow. Berg's modification of the tank provides a prime example of how he uses this miracle tool. First, to clean up the top portion of the tank, the stock gas cap was tunneled in flush with the tank surface. Next, the end of the tank was stretched out to accentuate the long look Berg wanted Eleganza to have. Since Berg says he has always hated the seam on the bottom edge of Japanese cruisers' gas tanks and since he worried he would compromise the integrity of the tank by cutting the seam off and welding it flush, Bondo, built up to a half inch thickness, enabled him to hide the ugly seam and sculpt the underside of the tank to suit his tastes. A layer of carbon-fiber finished off the modifications to the tank. Carbon fiber makes an appearance in several other places on Eleganza. Instead of fabricating a new headlight mounting bracket out of carbon-fiber, the stock bracket was overlaid with carbon fiber to save time. The speedometer nacelle, however, is a carbon-fiber duplicate of the original equipment and bolted into place. With all the effort put in to the carbon-fiber treatment of the bodywork, Berg certainly wasn't going to cover all his handiwork with the paint. Damons Motorcycle Creations was enlisted to create an art deco paint scheme that would give Eleganza a vintage feel while still strutting the future-tech carbon-fiber. The final product consists of pearl bamboo (a close match to the Lexus champagne color Boyko originally envisioned) background color with overlaid waves of bronze and pearl cranberry and Cobra logos on the sides of the tank. While the paint job may look simple, Berg gave the folks at Damons a few challenges to pique their interest. In order to produce the coveted mirror finish on the tank, about six layers of clear coat, each followed by block sanding, were lavished on the tank until it was impossible to tell that the carbon fiber was inlaid in the tank. Ground Floor Most of the modifications to Eleganza -- lengthening the tank, bolting on long straight pipes, extending the rear fender while keeping the now dwarfed-looking stock fender rail, and attaching the rear fender to the swingarm -- were directed at enhancing the already long, low lines of the Royal Star. Copying a trick used by hot rodders, Berg "slammed" Eleganza two inches closer to the ground through the use of Cobra's fork lowering kit and his own rear linkage. Other clever tricks, like altering the radius of the rear portion of the front fender, fool the eye into thinking the bike is even longer and lower. Similarly, to give the appearance of lowering the frame even more, the stock cast wheels (16x3.5-inch front and 15x4.0-inch rear) were replaced with Hallcraft's 80-spoke wheels. The large 17x3.5-inch front and 17x5-inch rear wheels, when combined with Dunlop's low-profile 160/60-17 tires, help make the frame seem to hang lower. Hallcraft's wheels add more than good looks. The special vacuum silicone sealing allows tubeless tires to be used with the wire-spoke rims, and the wheels' self-balance themselves, utilizing an endless rubber tube partially filled with mercury. As the tire rotates, the mercury constantly adjusts itself to achieve a perfect balance While other builders might be willing to reassemble their custom after completing the above work, Berg went one step further. In his own words, "I hate seeing customs with their wires and cables hanging out everywhere. That drives me nuts!" Every wire, hose, and cable was meticulously hidden. The wiring harness runs up the left side of the frame, and most electrical components were relocated under the tank. All stock handlebar switches were bypassed save the horn and starter buttons whose wires were routed through Berg's scratch built handlebar from their clever handgrip end location. Only the throttle cable and hydraulic lines are visible without up close inspection, and those slip neatly through the steering stem. The only part of the bike that Berg couldn't dress up was the battery which he tucked tastefully under the seat. A smattering of Cobra bolt on parts (bolt covers and pegs) completed Eleganza. Now that he's closed his business and moved away from the megalopolis, Berg can look comfortably back on this project. When asked what he'd change on Eleganza if he could, Berg responded, "It would be parked in my garage, not someone else's." Then becoming serious, he said, "Building is a journey, not the end product. The destination is not important." With such a passion for creating motorcycles, we can't help but wonder how long Berg will be able to keep his hands off the tools. Editor's Note: This piece was written when Denny Berg believed he was probably retiring for good. As it turned out, he returned to bike building on a limited scale a few years later. Evans Brasfield, former staff editor for Motorcycle Cruiser and Sport Rider magazines, may be reached through his website: EvansBrasfield.com. For more articles on custom bikes and articles about how to customize and modify your motorcycle, see the Custom section of MotorcycleCruiser.com. http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/sites/motorcyclecruiser.com/files/styles/small_1x_/public/import/page_element_images/xl%2Byamaha_royal_star%2Bfront_right.jpg?itok=TGBYVNEvPhotography by Fran "The Man" Kuhn 1 of 9 http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/sites/motorcyclecruiser.com/files/styles/small_1x_/public/import/page_element_images/lg%2Byamaha_royal_star%2Bcloseup.jpg?itok=dCXSFjag2 of 9 http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/sites/motorcyclecruiser.com/files/styles/small_1x_/public/import/page_element_images/lg%2Byamaha_royal_star%2Bfront_wheel.jpg?itok=JF1BuNZc3 of 9 http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/sites/motorcyclecruiser.com/files/styles/small_1x_/public/import/page_element_images/lg%2Byamaha_royal_star%2Bengine.jpg?itok=gAyPlTy54 of 9 http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/sites/motorcyclecruiser.com/files/styles/small_1x_/public/import/page_element_images/lg%2Byamaha_royal_star%2Bspeedometer.jpg?itok=o1Aqtk285 of 9 http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/sites/motorcyclecruiser.com/files/styles/small_1x_/public/import/page_element_images/lg%2Byamaha_royal_star%2Bfuel_tank.jpg?itok=nYz-IR-S6 of 9 http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/sites/motorcyclecruiser.com/files/styles/small_1x_/public/import/page_element_images/md%2Byamaha_royal_star%2Bleft.jpg?itok=TT8tLHhx7 of 9 http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/sites/motorcyclecruiser.com/files/styles/small_1x_/public/import/page_element_images/lg%2Byamaha_royal_star%2Bhead_light.jpg?itok=_xpHOqwv

http://ridermagazine.com/2017/07/21/2018-yamaha-star-venture-road-test-review/ this might change our minds about how great this bike is.I want one.

I am just glad a bike with the venture name exists.I imagine the concours owners felt the same.Bonneville owners are probably happy.Probably indian owners although the indian looks nothing like an indian except the fenders. Denny berg took a valkyrie and somehow made it weigh 498 pounds.I would like to do that with a venture.

I believe all the way to the 2013 model yamaha had a cassette player.Its as though yamaha knew the bike wasnt selling so rather than invest and make much needed changes they just kept making them the same year after year.harley does the same thing, but i suppose since harley was first they can get away with it.Plus the showa forks,mikuni carbs somehow still meant it was an American motorcycle.The HD bikes have been around for 104 years? I can only imagine how much money it must have cost to take an existing engine and repackage it and promote it as an all new bike.If it fails they already had a warehouse full of engines and probably a flop could be a big tax write off. Retro is in in my opinion.Bikes of yesteryear have not lost their fans and our fond memories of having owned them.Honda is using the term cb again, the new 2018 cb650 f is a bike I want.plus their cb1100 now has a kit to make it look like a cb750 for an extra 5 grand aftermarket.And now kawasaki is coming out with a replica of the might z900. I owned one of the 903 v twins.Nice but certainly no kz. One thing honda and yamaha know how to do better than anybody is make an inline four cylinder.harley hasnt a clue how to do that.The z800 z 900, yamahas faster sons are all lame in my opinion.We want the old bike with modern technology and performance. Like a 55 chevy with a modern v8, brakes, and suspension.Looks like the original but is much better. European bikes were bad in a consumer reports.ducati bmw and then triumph were the least reliable after 4 years of ownership in that report.But i would still love to own a new bonneville. So I hope the venture succeeds. Yamaha has certainly entered a market full of baggers and all of them are fast becoming the new UJMs.

what do you mean when you said "YOU may not want one". I have owned 5 yamaha v 4s so far.I remember a black midnight venture sitting in the showroom at my favorite dealer years ago.i told the salesman i wish i could buy it.He said come back next year, it will still be sitting there, you can get it cheap then.I never understood why ventures did not sell well.I guess guys figured if they were going to spend $17,000 they might as well just buy a harley.

I just put on my new slipstreamer 13 inch windshield.Went on so easy and looks great.Plus it was cheap,$60 with tax.My old goldwings cost 5 times that much.I now have a very tall windshield with a vent if someone wants to buy it.

that was one of the things good about the 83.one twist of a key and the trunk or bags would come off.

ever hear of the harley Nova? They almost went v 4.

Predictable.Following goldwing,f6b,nomad,vaquero,electraglide,streetglide,even bmw is in the act with a bagger.I remember when the displacement war was on years ago.vtx 1800,vulcan 2000.triumph rocket. I dont understand this whole new trend.I really dont expect any of the other manufacturers to compete with goldwing or harley.Its their money. I wonder what they did with all the v4 engines, melt them down?

took the bike for a spin.I think it would do 11s in the 1/4 mile now.Those sidecovers are a pain to get back on but the front cover is the hardest.I hope to never do this again.Most fuel filters are easy to see and replace.

I know.But its replaced now.I will say the bike started immediately whereas it cranked a little before.perhaps just because the filter is new.I know I may still need to replace the fuel pump.partzilla has one listed for only $270.00. I have seen them for $16.00 on ebay.I was told those are junk.I also saw the link for the points replacement kit and another how to posted here for pointless pump replacement.I will just have to wait and see what the bike needs.