Freebird

Maybe I was thinking wrong. I assumed that you meant you were getting emails from VentureRider.org about items on Ebay. Please clarify.

Nice try Puc but that is only for notifications about "Post Thanks". Russell, you have apparently changed something in the admin panel. I would have to login as you to figure it out if you don't. If you want me to do that, you need to send me a PM with your password.

You missed the Raider. They still show it for 2016. 1854cc I think. Still, not a touring bike.

OK....I agree with you on most of what you posted. I am unsure about Lincoln vs. Miller. I've done little welding but when I was an electrician at a power plant for 12 years, I had to maintain dozens of welders and we seemed to get the best service out of Lincoln. As for scopes, I've always been a Leopold fan. Have only owned one sled and it was a Polaris because I got a great deal on it. I base my opinion on the personal watercraft though and I love my Yamahas. Owned Cobra CBs back when and think they were the best.

You are I came close to agreeing. OK...I agree with you on five things. I am unsure on two things. I disagree with you on one thing. Can you figure them out? )

Well, you people in the south have it made in regards to winter riding. That being said though, it is 58 F here in North East Ohio today and I do plan to get out for a ride today. There won't be many days like this but I'll take advantage of them until they salt the roads for the first time.

Most of that "as seen on TV" stuff....I automatically assume doesn't work.

LOL...now that's just MEAN. Somebody has to pick up my chrome.

Check out some guitar forums. Martin or Taylor. WOW.

I don't know. It IS a Harley.....are they really welcome here?

Hate to hear that Eck. I know how well you take care of your vehicles only to have something like this happen. Hope the repairs turn out well.

I hope that your Thanksgiving holiday is full of great food, many blessings and most of all, the love of family and friends. I have much to be thankful for this holiday season. First and foremost, my lovely wife who continues to put up with me. I know that probably NONE of you will believe it but I'm probably not all that easy to live with. For just over 20 years though, Eileen has accepted that burden and that makes me a very blessed man. Next are our children, grand kids and then of course, our many friends that we have come to love over the years. I am also very thankful for the many friendships that have come about solely because of VentureRider.org You folks are a much bigger part of my life than you know. You are my second family and so very important to us. I can't begin the list all the ways that you have enriched our lives and we hope to continue this site, club, extended family for many years to come. Yes, it has shrunk a bit over the past couple of years due to no new Yamaha Ventures and people moving on to other bikes or giving up riding all together but just remember. Whatever you ride, whatever you drive, wherever the twisty roads of life take you, you are one of us and are always welcome here. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. Thanks for being a part of the VentureRider family.

Sounds like something that would happen to me. Every time I'm working on something outside and then come back into the house, Eileen asks "so, where are you bleeding". I seem to scratch, bruise and bleed much easier than I once did.

Sorry you feel that way.

LOL....Puc comes through again. It's all good my friends. The main thing is to RIDE RIDE RIDE...well....after that snow machine gets shut down.

Don't take everything so personal. I was addressing comments that always come up. Not specifically yours, though it did fit the pattern. It's not just about Harleys either. It's about oil leaking/vibrating Harleys, Tupperware clad Goldwings, etc. Of course this forum is about the Venture and Royal Stars and obviously that is the favorite bike for most people here. It's understandable that folks will defend what they own and ride but that can be done without criticizing what others ride. There are a lot of folks here riding other brands now also and they are still part of the great family.

Those types of comments always amuse me. I'll never understand why owners of one brand are always so quick to categorize owners of another brand as posers, squids, followers of the crowds, whatever. I love bikes of all kinds. American, Japanese, English....whatever. I have owned several first and second gen Ventures. I have owned a few Harleys. I've owned a few of the other brands. I've actually owned probably 30 bikes of various brands and types. I can honestly say that I enjoyed them all. Some more than others. The first gen Venture just didn't fit my body and that was the only reason that it ranked a bit lower than some on my list. I wanted to love it but my first trip of any distance, only a couple hundred miles, made me realize that it was not the bike for me. I replaced it with another Harley, an '86 FXRD. I truly enjoyed that bike but the FXRD was somewhat of a rare breed and finding any type of accessories for it was probably even harder than finding accessories now for the first gen Venture. After riding it for maybe a year, Yamaha came out with the second gen Venture. I bought a brand new one in May of 1999 and loved pretty much everything about it. I rode it until I bought my new Harley Road Glide Ultra in 2013. There was still absolutely nothing wrong with the '99 Venture but I was just ready for something else and the Road Glide was what I decided on. I have no regrets with the Road Glide. I've owned it just a little over two years now. Didn't put as many miles on this this year as I hoped to because of other things going on but I tell you, I have never had a problem of any kind with it. It has never been back to the shop since I bought it except for the very first service which was part of the deal when I bought it. I've done the service since then. There has never been a recall on it. Zero mechanical problems. No screws have vibrated out. No parts have fallen off. It's one of the most comfortable bikes I've ever ridden. The only thing that may have been equally comfortable to me was the '99 Royal Star Venture. My wife says that the Road Glide is more comfortable for her though. As for generalizing the rider of any bike for being more concerned with using them or looking good on them is just nonsense. If it was about that, I can honestly say that I got more looks and positive comments on the RSV than any bike I've ever owned. Probably because they were and remain so uncommon that people don't see them every day. The RSV is, in my opinion, still one of the best looking bikes on the road in spite of the design being almost 16 years old. It is a classic and will always look fantastic. I love the RSVs and it will always be one of my all time favorites. I am under no illusions about the mechanical longevity of the Yamaha as opposed to my Harley. I've seen a number of Ventures, first and second gen, with over 200,000 miles on them and even one with about 400,000 miles on it. There is no way that a Harley is going to go 200,000 miles without some engine work. That's just a fact. I know that 100,000 miles is possible though if they are taken care of and not souped up beyond what they can take. I knew that when I bought it though and accept the facts for what they are. The bottom line is, I could give a rat's behind how good I look on it. I could give a rat's behind if it's faster or slower than a Venture. I love the cruiser style. I love the low RPM torque. I love the way that off balance V Twin sounds. Just as I love so many things about the RSV. I could care less about following the crowds or fitting in with the Harley crowd. I ride the bike that brings me joy at a particular time in my life. If Yamaha comes out with another Venture. If it's based on the 1700 VMax engine and maintains the cruiser styling, you may well see me on another one. It's certainly a possibility. Of course first I will have to find a mirror and see how I look on it.

Well, I'm sure you are right about the machines. I guess we need to go after the operator.

Doesn't look all that tough to me. I think if enough of us join up, we can destroy this thing.

That's actually pretty cool. I've never run across one of those stores but maybe I'm just not looking for them. Interesting though. It actually says a lot about their marketing genius. I wonder how many other brands could run profitable stores selling only branded clothing and etc. I tell you, love Harley or hate them....they are marketing geniuses.

LOL....looks like they also sell Honda, BMW, Victory, Polaris, etc. I wonder if they actually stock anything.

Do you have an examples of that? In all my travels, the shops that I see have a lot of bikes on the floor. Not saying that they don't exist, I just haven't run across them. One exception I suppose is a store inside the Minneapolis airport.

I just refuse to do it just yet. The boat is put to bed for the winter. The Waverunners are fast asleep. I am still holding out hope for a couple more nice riding days though. This was a bad year for us in regards to riding. We spent more time on the water and not much time on the bike. Hope to get back into it next summer though.

I wish I could help but just can't. I know that the second gen shock could not be taken apart without being destroyed but I just don't know about the first gen.