malenurse13

I would NOT have bought the bike if it wasn't for all the advice on this forum and the reassurance that 45k miles was "just getting broken in." Thank you all for your input this week. The forum response with my last bike (tlzone.net) helped me find AND FIX every problem I ever had. Literally improved my experience with that bike by 300%. I look forward to the same experience here. Thanks again!

I hope I'm running on all 4!! The guy that at the dealership (bike was on consignment) said it ran just as good as any other Venture's he'd ever ridden. BUT just in case... How can I find out for sure if a carb is not working? (feel the exhaust?) And how would I fix it?

On my last bike, my fuel pump relay became dislodged. The bike would spit and surge with any bump on the road. Once I put the relay back in place, the bike ran MUCH smoother. I'll take a good look under the "hood" on this bike some day soon and make sure nothing is dislodged.

I probably shouldn't have said that. It was VERY windy on the interstate and with the fairings all attached to the front forks... that probably had a lot to do with the ride. My main problem was vibration. The bike seemed very smooth around 60-70. But when I accelerated faster than that... It seemed there was a lot more vibration. But yes, It is probably the tires or bearings. My Suzuki Intruder was the exact same way.

The smaller headlight on the left side is not working either. Does anyone know what bulb I need to buy to replace it? Are there any better bulbs y'all would recommend? I do a lot of night time riding and I want to see all the DEER on the side of the road!

The hoses on the other side are much worse. I plan on replacing them as soon as I can....

I thank everyone on this forum for all the good advice before buying this Venture. I'm very happy with the purchase. It was a 50 mile ride home, mostly highway. So I got a good feel for it today. HOWEVER... This Venture is quite different from the V-Twin sports bike I've been riding the last 2 years. So I have some questions... 1. What speed do y'all normally cruise on the highway? Any faster than 75 or 80 seemed a bit too much for my Venture today. 2. Is some backfiring on deceleration normal? If not, what could be causing it? 3. Unfortunately, the previous owner left this bike out in the sun A LOT. The thick black hoses (air intake??) under the tank are dry rotted. There is a lot of superficial rust. What do I need to look for that I might NOT see so easily that could also be damaged from keeping the bike outside all the time?? 4. The horn works half the time. I got cruise control to work only the first time I tried it. I could not get it to work again. What could be causing all the buttons and switches to be so sketchy? Could it be all the time in the sun? Could it be just old wiring? Both? Here's a pic of the hoses that are dry rotted... Where can I find some new ones??

OK, I took my wife and 6 kids up to Texarkana, TX this morning and bought the bike! I paid $2800 for a 2000 Venture with 46k miles. I took everyone's advice and checked it out real good before test drive. The bike starts IMMEDIATELY when the start button is pushed, even when cold. My fuel injected sports bike wouldn't even do that! This Venture seems to run great! I'm looking forward to putting another 150k miles on it!

Thank y'all so much! That's exactly what I needed to hear. I'll at least go take it for a test drive and look out for what you mentioned. Anything else??

I've got a chance to purchase a 2000 Yamaha Royal Star Venture. It's on Craigslist and loaded for $3000. The owner says it has 45,000 miles on it. So I have a few questions: 1. How many miles do y'all have on your Ventures? Is 18 years and 45k miles too much for this bike? 2. When I test drive... What are some of the most common problems with older model Ventures to look for? 3. When I test drive... What do I look for to make sure I'm not buying something that's going to break down on me soon? 4. What questions do I need to ask the owner? I have never owned a motorcycle with more than 26k miles... so I want to make sure I'm not making a mistake. Any advice y'all have would be greatly appreciated! Thank you...