GaThumper

Well now, I'm going to be flying up to Cleveland OH Friday and picking up a 2001 Venture. http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g158/jbmaynard/Yamaha%20Venture/CarMotorcycleOct2008032.jpg So I want to take a pretty direct route from Chardon OH to Cleveland GA, but I want to avoid the interstates and enjoy some nice roads. I'll be nursing a bad shock, so I'm not looking for the best twisty roads, just some nice backroads, small towns, and scenic byways. I haven't started looking at details for this part of the route yet, but it looks like I'll probably leave Cleveland OH on 42 through Mansfield and skirt west of Columbus. When I get to London take 56 across I-71 to Mt Sterling and pick up 62 skirting east of Dayton and Cincinatti to head for Lexington KY. I'm hoping to get on the road Friday afternoon and ride for a while and find a room somewhere between Cincinatti and Lexington. If I get an early enoug start I'd like to make it to Lexington, but I know that's going to be a stretch. Saturday I'm thinking maybe leave Lexington on 27 south to Somerset and then on into Tennessee and all the way to cross I40 at Harriman TN. Then maybe scoot over to Lenoir City and Sweetwater where I can pick up 68 and head back through Tellico Plains and around Pine Ridge pick up 294 to 64 where I can catch 129 back down to Blairesville and on home to Cleveland GA. I'm open to suggestions for roads to avoiv or roads you recommend. Unfortunately I won't be able to stop and smell the roses and I'll need to be on time to meet a couple of my riding buddies who are going to head north Saturday morning and meet me somewhere around Sweetwater TN and escort me home. Thanks again to Freebird for checking out the bike and everyone who has posted here sharing your experiences and knowledge. You really helped me out and I look forward to meeting you on the road one day soon. James

I'm afraid to even click the "X" myself. I always wonder if they programmed it so that clicking the "X" (or anywhere in the pop-up) will activate the bad stuff! I usually right click on the button on the toolbar (bottom of the screen usually) and then click close. Or I'll and then select Task Manager and Applications and then close the window there.

I just got in from band practice and wanted to post a quick update. The Freebird flew up to Chardon for a 6:00 viewing of the '01 Venture this evening. Talk about service, Don is definately A#1 in my book! Another potential buyer wanted to come look at it tonight also, so I'm really grateful Don made this happen on such short notice. The seller was very nice about it and since I had called first, he gave me first right of refusal for the bike. Don called me about 6:30 and gave me the report. The bike checked out good, basically the same as advertised, a few significant scratches, a rear shock that needs to be replaced. The tires were a bit more worn than advertised, but I knew they would need replacing soon since he told me they had 6000 miles on them. Don did advise me that I should replace the front tire before riding the bike back down here. I called the owner and talked it over with him. Looks like we have a deal! I should be the proud owner of a 2001 Venture this Friday if all goes according to plan. So, I've got most of the plans in place. I'll be flying up to Cleveland sometime Friday morning and completing the purchase. I'm going to go ahead and make arrangments to get the front tire replaced in Cleveland or maybe Cincinatti The owner suggested calling Shade Tree Powersports. I'm open to suggestions. I'll go ahead and ride the bike home with the shock as it is. I'll just use caution and be aware of how it's handling. Thanks to everyone for your contributions here and your advice and patience assisting me on my quest to become a venturerider! I'll post some of the pictures later. See you on the Highway, James Edit to add a few pictures provided by the owner. http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g158/jbmaynard/Yamaha%20Venture/CarMotorcycleOct2008040.jpg http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g158/jbmaynard/Yamaha%20Venture/CarMotorcycleOct2008034.jpg http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g158/jbmaynard/Yamaha%20Venture/CarMotorcycleOct2008033.jpg http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g158/jbmaynard/Yamaha%20Venture/CarMotorcycleOct2008032.jpg http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g158/jbmaynard/Yamaha%20Venture/CarMotorcycleOct2008031.jpg

OK, I've confirmed with the owner that the shock has already leaked out the magic oil and it has no damping. So I've talked to Rick at Buckeye Performance and he can get me a shock for $665 shipped to me, but it will take 6-8 weeks. I may go ahead and order the leveling links while I'm waiting for the shock. Do you think I can (carefully) ride the bike home about 750 miles (from Ohio to Georgia) without causing any new problems? I'm trying to decide on flying up there and riding it home or driving up there and trailering it home. Trailering it will cost a lot more and not be near as much fun!

I think you are correct. I saw a post later that a member had contacted Progressive last year and they did not have one and no plans to make one available.

We interrupt this program with a special news bulletin! It's a Small Small World - Cleveland Georgia & Ohio, May 4th 2009 What a small, small world it is! Once upon a time in a land not so far away, there lived a (not so) young man from Georgia who cut his musical teeth on Southern Rock, loved Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ronnie Van Zant, and believes that Feebird is one of the top ten rock anthems of all time. Here is his story. So, I decide I might want a Yamaha Venture last year and go surfing on the www and like, kowabunga dude, I land on the beach here at venturerider.org and say "Take Me To Your Leader", and I find out that that dude goes by the Handle "Freebird", not to mention he's named Don, surely named after "Officer Don" who hosted the Popeye Club on Atlanta television for about 10 years beginning about the time I was born in 1958. So I look for 1st gens high and low, I'm sure that's what I want, they're faster, and handle better, and I like riding with my feet under me, not out in front, I get some bites, hook up with one or two, but I can't land one. Meanwhile I keep seeing these 2nd gens and they look good! Then I happen to stop by my friends dealership and sit on a RSTD and it feels right, uh-oh, there's trouble in River City now. I can't stop thinking about the 2ng gen now, I like the looks, I love that motor being out there for all to see (and easier for me to service) and I start looking for a 2nd gen. I'm headed for the dark side. Luke, I am your father! But I can't justify spending much, my budget for the 1st gen stopped at about $4k, so I start looking at some '96-'98 Royal Stars, but I feel the need for more power! and the main reason I'm looking for another bike is for my wife's comfort, so now I'm looking for a screaming good deal on a '99 RSV and end up looking all over for the country (Thank You Craigs Little Helper, now known as searchtempest.com) and finding some 2000 and 2001 models in the same price range, see the Green 2001 and I love green, and I guess I'm really looking for a 2001 now. So, I find a few for sale, make some calls, and think I may want to buy one located way up in the frozen northlands of Oh-Hi-Oh. I remember it's somewhere up there near Canada and those big lakes and I surf over to Google and map-it and start thinking, am I crazy enough to buy a Venture sight unseen and fly to Cleveland Ohio (wait, did I mention I live in Cleveland GA...) and drive it home. well, yeah, I'm that crazy, I drove to Missouri to pick up my DR350, drove to Jackson Missippi to pick up my KLR650, and I drove to Charlotte North Carolina to pick up my wife's Super Sherpa, so it shouldn't surprise anyone that I'd fly off half way to the arctic circle and drive a bike home! Stay with me, it's almost over, I'm just a word man and I love the lyrics! So I post up here to my new found brothers from other mothers, and I'm wondering who might live near Cleveland Oh-Hi-Oh that might be able to check out the Venture for me and who, of all the members here should pop out of the Matrix but Freebird! Our fearless leader lives near Cleveland, Eck used to live there, and SteveW aka Mongo who now lives in Cleveland GA (remember I live in Cleveland GA, too) is married to a girl from the same town where the '01 is located! Yes, it is a small, small world we live in, in a BIG, BIG creation that is truly Indescribible! We are all connected in this fabric of space and time woven together before we were born, spoken into existance by a Mighty God, and I'm glad to be HERE, on the planet Earth, United States of America, Cleveland GA, and venturerider.org. We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming, already in progress.

I'm thinking about flying in to Cleveland, OH to buy a Venture and riding it home to Georgia. I was just wondering if there was anyone close by who could check it over for me before I make the trip up there. I don't suspect any real issues, but it would be nice to have someone lay hands on it. The owner did say he thought I would need to replace the rear shock, and has adjusted his price for this. He said service was done at the dealer, so I'll check with the Yamaha dealers nearby and see what I can learn. I guess I could arrange for an inspection by the dealer as another option. The bike is located about 30 miles from Cleveland in Chardon OH. Thanks! James

I'm getting close to pulling the proverbial trigger on a 2nd gen, most likely will be a '99-'02 with around 25k miles give or take a few. I had a seller this weekend advise me that I would probably need to replace the rear shock on his bike. This, of course, sent me surfing off to venturerider.org to search for more information. So, it looks like the rear shocks may be a problem on these bikes from reading all the threads about it. And I guess even if it's not "busted" a 10 year old shock with 25k miles on it could be considered suspect. Should I just plan on replacing the rear shock as a routine maintenance on any used RSV I get? Or are there lot's of them working fine and I'm just seeing the internet show up all the problems and not too many of the NO-problems? None of the other used bikes I'm looking at have mentioned the rear shock, but maybe they just don't know it's bad? I'm thinking I should just include $500 on top of the cost of the bike and plan on getting a new shock. In looking at replacements, looks like the Works Performance is preferered by many and I've already sent an email requesting more info from Rick at Buckeye Performance. I have a nice built to order shock on my KLR650 and I love it. It made a huge difference in the off road handling. I guess OEM and Progressive are two other choices, any others? Is the OEM the only one that is air adjustable? This seems like a nice feature since I could be carrying 200 or more extra pounds when riding two-up and loaded for a trip. Seems like it would be nice to be able to adjust the shock with air. If the aftermarket shocks aren't air adjustable, do you adjust your preload depending on how you are riding? Can one adjustment be used for solo, two-up, and two-up loaded with gear? I appreciate all your advice and help as I search for a bike! Thanks to you sharing your knowledge and this wonderful site, I fell like I will be making a well informed decision.

Haven't bought me a Venture yet, but had some battery info to share with you. I bought a battery today from Batteries Plus for my '79 GS1000 Suzuki and I believe it is another Deka battery with a different label. It is sold by BP as the Xtreme X2 Power and my particular battery is model number X2-15L. The X2 line is the top of the line battery for my bike at BP, they had another AGM battery for about $18 less, model XTAX14AHL-BS, but I went with the X2. (not sure why 15L replaces the 14AHL, but this is also noted in the cross ref on Deka's site) I had noticed while in the store that it was listed as "Made in USA" and I remembered this thread about the different batteries for the Venture talking about AGM batteries made in the USA, particularly Deka batteries. Tonight I looked up the company listed on the box, Ascent Battery Supply, LLC in Hartland Wisconsin and found that it was owned by Batteries Plus. I tried to Google up the manufacturer for "Ascent" batteries, but didn't have any luck. So I just took a chance that it was made by Deka and looked up the Corresponding Deka part number ETX-15L and now I'm pretty confident that Deka makes the Ascent batterys! The specs are the same and the design of the "molded top and side connection" is a good indication. The spacers and bolts in the red plastic post cover are also the same, and the color is as described on the Deka site, "black cover/grey case". All the labels on the battery and the carton give no hint of the manufacturer and all have the "Ascent" info and part number. The price at BP was $89.99 with the 10% discount I get they sold it to me for $80.99. This is still a bit higher than I could get it from Big Crank, $57.95 + $12.18 shipping to GA. My model was not listed for comparison on www.bohannonbattery.com but it would probably be a better deal there! just sharing my .02 and ymmv! James

Chris Tomlin - Arriving

Hey Dennis, I live in Cleveland, too! Lookin' to get another bike soon and trying to decide between a nice 1st generation Venture, a Royal Star Touring or an early RSV. I'm specifically looking for a comfortable two up ride. I'd like to talk to you sometime about the 96RS and you new RSV. If you want to, PM me your number and a good time to call. Enjoy your new ride! James

I've added this to my Outlook calander at work in case my 51 year old brain fails me (again) and I'll be humbly joining you in prayer at 11:30 tomorrow. Be Blessed!

I bought a Whirlwind Guide 5 from Chinook Technical Outdoors over the winter, I'll be using it for the first time in April. It may be a bit small for you, so you may want to look at their Tradewinds Lodge or Guide. I bought the Whirlwind for my wife and I although it's rated for five and the features that sold me were that you can stand up in it and it has a HUGE vestibule (or garage as I call it)! The "Guide" upgrades the standard Whirlwind with a heavier floor in the main tent, a floor and zip out mesh in the vestibule and a few other features. Here's a review that helped me decide to give it a try... http://andrewmartens.com/blog/?p=32 This site has a lot of information about it... http://www.sonomaoutfitters.com/istar.asp?a=6&id=11525!025 but I bought mine here at a much better price... http://www.shop.escapecamping.com/product.sc;jsessionid=5317976B7EABEC8127486B3BEBF34C96.qscstrfrnt01?productId=17 Here's a link to the manufacturer web site where you can download a catalog. http://www.chinooktec.com/

Thanks for the tip on the exchange rate! I went ahead and ordered one today, I've been thinking about one for years and just never got around to buying it. This will be great for my '79 GS1000E inline 4 and the V4 Venture I hope to buy this summer!