perfpix

Looks like a it will still be a 6 banger: John

Looks like a new Wing is coming for sure: https://powersports.honda.com/beyond.aspx#hero-history John

An interesting review for sure. My demo experience was a bit different. I'm not sure how tall the reviewer is in that video but at 5'9" with a 28" inseam the Star Venture fit me like a glove. I could easily flat foot the bike, and did not feel the bike was "wide" at all. I'm thinking someone with a longer inseam and therefore higher knees might have to straddle the tank a lot more than I did. I don't remember where my knees were in relation to the tank when I drove the Star Venture but I definitely felt it was now wide. Now the 2002 Goldwing I had, that was a wide bike. With my feet up on highway pegs, I felt like I was straddling the grand canyon. Even though on paper the Wing only has a 1.5" higher seat height compared to the SV (29.1" vs. 27.4), it felt like more like 3-4" from what I remember because the wing was so wide. I could bend my knees and flat foot the SV whereas on the wing I had to be on tip toes after sliding far forward on the seat. The seat and the seating position of the SV was immediately comfortable to me on the short ride I took. My demo ride was on a sunny 75 degree day, and I could feel no heat coming of the engine. Its good to know that sitting in traffic in the 96 degree Florida heat how much the engine/tank throws a huge amount of heat. Although I've never sat in traffic on a sunny 96 degree day on even liquid a cooled bike and not feel like I was getting baked. I agree with the reviewer about the power. I too was expecting more power based on the size of the engine and all the hoopla about it in the Yamaha videos. I also was kinda shocked by the really low RPM limiter. However the reviewer kept mentioning the FJR1300 and compared to an FJR most anything short of a full out liter sport bike is going to feel slow. Compared to my vStar 1300 the SV had a bit more grunt. Still, it really does seem like it should get moving faster. My other opinions on the SV: Love the big floorboards, didn't miss the heal shifter and would not add it if I got one (its an option) allowing more freedom to move around my left foot. I also loved the suspension. My demo was 2-up with my wife (neither of us being lightweights) on the back and the SV absorbed bumps like a champ, even better than the Goldwing which has a very harsh front end due to its anti-dive implementation. Unlike the reviewer I didn't feel like the bike was very top heavy at slow speeds even 2-up, and I didn't feel the handlebars were strange at all like he did. Slow speed handling was actually a lot better than I expected. The wind deflectors under the mirrors made a huge difference on the amount of wind hitting the driver and passenger as did the windshield when raised and lowered. Now all of my opinions are based on a 20 minute demo ride which included some stop and go in traffic, some riding at 40-45mph on some back roads, and about 2 miles on a highway on which we got up to 60mph. As far as the passenger seat goes, my wife gave it the double thumbs up. We've test ridden Victory's, HD, BMW's and more. The SV was the only bike that had passenger accommodations comparable to the Goldwing which is the gold standard according to my wife. John

Thanks for the info. When I test rode the 2018 Star Venture I was immediately surprised how at home if felt compared to my vStar. I could flat foot the bike with a bended knee and the riding position and seat were very similar. It did not seem top heavy even 2-up. Parking lot maneuvers including a tight u-turn at the end of the test ride to get back in test ride line seemed easier to do than on my vStar. The really encouraging thing was my wife proclaimed the passenger seat and room was really great. This really got me looking for a better 2-up bike for us again. There are a few 2nd gen Ventures for sale in my area and I'm going to take a look, which will answer a lot of my questions. Just seeing if anyone had any insight before I have the chance to sit on one. Thanks again, John

Hi, Just joined. Thanks for the add! Recently my wife and I took a test ride on a 2018 Venture. We loved everything about it! If we had the cash we'd have a deposit on one now. So after the test ride I started looking around at what else is available for better 2-up riding that I haven't already tried or owned at a more affordable price, and started wondering about the 2nd Gen Ventures. We currently own a 2009 vStar 1300 Tourer that we bought new in 2010. While I have always loved this bike, my wife has never been fond of the passenger accommodations, ever after I upgraded her seat to an Ultimate pillion seat. For me, its the most comfortable easy to ride bike I've owned. So my question is, has anyone had a significant amount of seat time on a 2nd Gen Venture as well as a vStar 1300? If so, how do they compare? Basically I'm looking for the comfort and rideability of my vStar while gaining better accommodations for my passenger. I have a short 28" inseam and the low wide seat, narrow frame and floorboards of the vStar fit me like a glove. I've previously owned an FZ6, Goldwing 1800 (too big for me and my short inseam when in traffic which is the norm where I live, but of course my wife loved her thrown), a sv650 (my 1st bike), and briefly an FJR1300. So I have experience with various bikes and engine configurations, and have enjoyed all of them. Thanks! John