Bought it! 2000 Royal Star Venture in red. Saw it on Craigslist, emailed back and forth with Orlin, wnet south today to "look" at it, turned into the drive, saw his sign, and knew I was going to buy it even without starting it. Anybody that puts a sign in his yard that says he details bikes has to enjoy them as well, right?
Took her for a spin, got more tips from Orlin, and headed back north 100 miles in the misty drizzle. You know what? I didn't even notice. I did have the wet knees I';d read about here while doing the research on the Ventures.
Orlin, thanks for parting with her. I promise to come back down and go for the ride we talked about. If not this fall, definitely in the spring. Hopefully, your wife has forgiven you by then for selling her favorite bike to me, but I enjoyed the ride home. The last 60 miles my nephew rode along for his first ride ever. We just got back and I asked him what he thought. "I want one but a bit smaller" What did you enjoy the most? "The sights and the smells."
