Evan

Yes, what a sad as well as beautiful story. Even though I am passionate about horses, there is no other companion that compares to a good dog and it sure seems like Bella was just that. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

Congratulations George. That is an accomplishment to be proud of. PS - In my case, my regret is not keeping a mid 60's Triumph Bonneville. My regret persist as I only made it 17 years with my first wife. Doing better with my second wife -now over 20 good years.

Good luck Larry. Hope the surgery is more than worth it for you.

Same here.

Grandchildren can be one of life's greatest joys. Enjoy!

So, hope you and Mary have a great winter in Texas and your recovery next summer is as fast and smooth as your Venture. When is your departure? Let us know if you are in Toronto before then.

Love your pics and attitude Brian. Here in Toronto, we are close to a snow belt and as the Tooch posted, we had a bunch of snow not far from here. Our roads here in Toronto are clear today and I considered a quick ride but up here, they cover the roads with salt every time it snows. I've learned from experience that the road salt is real hard on bikes unless you can wash them down after a run.

As you can see from our blog, we experienced many of the areas that you mention Ron, and it was a fabulous trip. This was my 4th or 5th bike trip east including the US northeast, and the second with my wife Anne. We stayed overnight near where Banc-du-Peche-de-Paspebiac is located but didn't stop there. Like that preserved fishing village, the national historic site at Grande Greve at Gaspe is also a preserved fishing village settled by people who also sailed over from the Guernsey/Jersey Islands and the original settlers around 1800 there included my ancestors, which is why we went there. I will definitely send you my email address and look forward to your stories.

I also have used this site and think it is good and it can be very helpful. However, I would add that it is a government tourism initiative and, based on my experience, it can sometimes be worthwhile to get second opinions of the specific routes. What I have also found useful is an app that I downloaded from iTunes (which is probably available elsewhere) called Greatest Roads. It allows you to easily pick any location in North America and if you select "show me", it gives you info from actual rider feedback on the best biker roads and routes in that area. The info rates each based on: fun; twisty; scenic; and road surface. It gives you additional info of interest including the contact info of the biker who submitted the info. I have found the info to be quite accurate.

Hey Ron - We did a four week tour through the US northeast and back to Toronto through Eastern Canada last summer. On that tour, we rode into the heart of old Quebec City and it was a fabulous experience. We deliberately avoided the crowded and busy highways around Montreal when heading east from Quebec City by riding north east through the Laurentians and enjoyed some of the best biking roads on our entire four week VentureEast. We included a brief description and pictures of our daily ride (including Quebec City) in our blog which may give you some ideas for your trip. You can view it at http://ventureeast2013.blogspot.ca/ Enjoy!

Please tell Scott that Evan and Anne are also thinking of him and praying for his recovery. You guys are a wonderful family and I know you will all give Scott the kind of love and support that will mean so much to him.

I understand the reluctance to start wearing a helmet and the disdain for new laws requiring that. I rode a number of years before they became mandatory here in Ontario. Hated that law. Many years later, wearing a helmet became just a part of riding.

I know I will miss my dad and there will be a big hole in my life when he is gone, which will likely be soon as his heart is worn out. He has been one of my most important role models for me and coincidentally, our strongest bond developed from our annual summer motorcycle trips together. Just last week, I got our entire family together (four generations) to celebrate in party style the "bonus time" we have shared with him which is how I view our time together after his many heart attacks and strokes. I hope you can take comfort from good memories.

So sorry for your loss but thanks for sharing this beautiful and important thought.

Grandkids can be one of the joys of getting older. She looks wonderful. Enjoy

I understand Bob that you probably have all your favorite music on your ipod. Nevertheless, what Don (XV1100SE) describes is similar to my setup with a few differences. I have an older Garmin Streetpilot (model c550) with a built in mp3 player plus Bluetooth and an sd card slot. I sure like it for the bike, and when ram mounted on the bars, the smaller screen size works really good, especially for a VR. I plug in with my J&M headsets, so I can run the GPS functions (GPS prompts, mp3 player, and phone) through the Venture system that includes CB and intercom, and I added a switch given to me by another member (Mother) so I can switch from radio to mp3 player through this system. One of the benefits is that my music will cut out whenever I use the intercom or CB, and I can listen clearly to cell phone calls through my headset. I have sent/received calls and had no problem doing so while on the highway (this GPS has a phone contact directory on the touchscreen). This works so well for me that I just bought two additional Streetpilot units (one for my second VR and a spare) in good working condition for under $40. The one downside compared to Don's Zumo is that my Streetpilot is not as waterproof, so in heavy rain, I try to remember to cover it with a clear plastic bag.

Congrats to Condor to open this up for reflection and comments. Guess I am also an example of a guy who signs in or posts in a bit of an erratic manner. I sure relate to those comments from members who talk about other things in their lives that cause that. I think there may be a few other factors that have not yet been mentioned. For example, I tend to not post on technical matters when I know there are others who have much more credible knowledge than I can offer As a result, I hold off unless I think that that sharing my own experience might be useful. I also find that I am less inclined to comment on a topic that has been repeatedly addressed in the past. It might help (just an idea) if the welcome message when new members do come on-stream also includes some brief mention to the wealth of information and the best method to search for already existing posts or threads on a topic of interest. With that said, I strongly endorse, for example, the comments made by Don (XV1100SE) who talks about love of bikes (Ventures), valued technical info and friends. This site remains very special for me even if I go a spell without being able to log/post and the number of posts by others is less.

Although I have owned and rode since 1963, I didn't get my first Venture which is an 88VR until the spring of 2009. Like it so much that I bought Swifty's 86VR this summer so that I can keep on riding these great machines.

Been coast to coast on a five week VentureWest and four week VentureEast trip in the past two years on my 88VR which is much older than your 99 and I would not hesitate to strike out again. With proper maintenance, these are amazingly reliable bikes. In fact, our plan is to head south from Toronto (yes, the home of the infamous mayor Rob Ford) and spend some time in your area next summer. While everyone is different, which is probably a good thing, I can share with you what has worked best for us. In addition to the amazing information available from this site, I have found the state AAA and province CAA maps to be very helpful in planning a trip. One of the reasons for that is because they show the most scenic roads including secondary highways based on actual user feedback. I also use a very helpful app called "Greatest Roads" (powered by SocvialNav Inc) which allows you to tap "show me" anywhere on a North American map and it give you actual reviews by bikers of best roads in that area including ratings of fun, twisty, scenic and road surface for each route. On a more personal note, my wife and I have found that what has worked best for us is to plan your trip to enjoy the journey as much as the destination. For example, the two days that we enjoyed least on our five week Venture West trip were the only days where we had a fixed destination to make by the end of that day. Also, we found that two of our best riding days occurred when we headed off in a different direction than planned after talking with bikers that we met along the way, based on their advice. If you wish you can see the highlights and routes we took on our trips to the east and west coasts at www.venturewest-evan-anne.blogspot.com and www.ventureeast.blogspot.com

I don't know for sure but I can share my experience. My 88 has original mounts and my 86 that I bought from Swifty has solid mounts. The 86 is definitely a tighter ride with very little if any difference in vibration. Can't say it is just related to the solid motor mounts though.

Great picture Don. I started my day here in Toronto with a quick ride along Lake Ontario. Weather report was for just above freezing but there was some sun and no wind, and the ride was great.

At least the idiot behind the handle bar still has a brain that is working. Clever idea Ben for guys like us who are susceptible to forgetting the choke is on.

Looks like they are in a comfortable riding position.

I know it must have been hard to see it go Dave (it was also a good looking bike), but enjoy the new found space in your garage!

Glad you were able to enjoy that ride yesterday Mike, especially along the Ridge road which is a great ride. Kept thinking of what a great day it was for a ride while at a family Thanksgiving event.