vzuden

My previous ride was the Royal Star Tour Deluxe and although almost the same bike as the Venture there are a few differences. One of which is the seating. My wife didn't like the RSTD because she sat too low or I was too high. When I switched to the Venture she was thrilled after the first ride. Her position is higher now resulting in a better view of our surroundings. The seats are softer also. Wind buffetting isn't an issue but I have changed the windshield and did so prior to her first ride. I have the Bagger Shield and use it in the upright position when riding two up.

That looks like the one. If you select it and go to "specs" it does list the Tour Deluxe and Venture

I bought my new 2012 Venture in the fall of 2014. Not sure if this indicative of the second gen sales across the country but with a new bike sitting on the showroom floor for 2 years is it possible that it had some bearing in Yamaha thinking they had to make a radical change? I still would have preferred a water cooled V-4 in this new bike but maybe those who are not happy with the change could have spoken with their wallets before 2013 when Yamaha stopped building them?

I have used the Custom Dynamics products for tail lights and they work well. That might be what your current one is

There is a current post of a new member with the same bike and he wants louder pipes. Maybe the two,of you need to do some tradin'

E3's for me every time. Just changed my rear tire - 20,100 miles on it. Jake Wilson has always had the best prices when I needed them

I saw these at the International bike show in Chicago back in February. They looked pretty cool and seemed to be well constructed. I forget where the engine comes from - if my memory is correct it was a GM power plant. Also, there is no mechanism to unlatch the hood as you would expect with an automotive drive train. The hood has to be unbolted and lifted off and there are a bunch of bolts! A lot of work to to just check the oil in the engine so you don't just pull a dipstick at the gas pump while you are filling her up. The guy manning the booth said they were looking for weight savings. I suspect cost savings may have entered the decision too.

I agree 100%. There is the area called, I think, "Market Place" where almost any kind of helmet is available to try out with knowledgeable staff to help out. You can't even purchase in this area but you can go to one of the large dealer booths and purchase whichever model you have decided on. I did this the last time I needed a helmet. My prior research had led me to a particular model but once I checked it out I found it was not a good fit. The guy assisting me took me over to a display for a model I had not considered and the first one he had handed me was perfect. He wrote down the model and size for me and I went off to less crowded area to shop on-line with my phone. With the online pricing on hand I went to a couple of large dealer booths to comparison shop and their pricing was less than what I had found on line so I left the show with a helmet at a good price and guaranteed fit.

Just checked - max load for a 2nd gen is 419 lbs

Further consideration beyond the above - keeping the RPM up, cleaning up fuel system with Sea Foam - would be to sync the carbs. I add a few ounces of Sea Foam every other tank or so and sync the carbs a couple of times a season.

People tend think that just because they pay more, it is better. Higher octane is actually poorer quality and cheaper. The oil companies can charge more for it because those with high compression engines don't have a choice and also the general public focuses on the regular grade pricing because that is where the higher volume of sales are. It boils down to charging what the market will bear. There is a website you can go to that will list all stations in your area that are selling non-ethanol. We have a few here and that is what I use in my lawn mowers for all of the above mentioned reasons.

throw in some spare fuses and light bulbs,

A few years ago I switched my old bike to the Mr Gasket pump. Easy install and I put 30,000+ miles on it with no trouble. With no check valve I always did, and still do, turn my fuel off at the petcock whenever I park the bike

A few years ago I switched my old bike to the Mr Gasket pump. Easy install and I put 30,000+ miles on it with no trouble. With no check valve I always did, and still do, turn my fuel off at the petcock whenever I park the bike

You may want to check to see if you just need to replace the contact points in your pump.

I agree with the others who are suggesting the oil coming from the breather. It's pretty quick and easy to pull the tank and air ducts to see if there is oil there. I have had to clean this on a couple of these.

Puc, If a diaphragm has developed cracks and/or holes, are they not a result of the aging and deterioration of the rubber? If so, couldn't one expect new holes or cracks to develop in short order on a repaired diaphragm?

I started using Counteract beads rather than the Dyna brand. I believe it was 3 oz per tire. When I was reading up on them prior to switching to beads there was an advantage to the Counteract brand. I think it was that they are glass and the Dyna are ceramic and the ceramic would wear down quicker. When it's time to change a tire you can drill a hole with a hole saw in the tread of the tire and dump them out to reuse them. That will at least keep them from scattering all over the floor. I have no problem with out of balance tires when using them

That is the pump that will work for both front and rear. The dial increments show the lower amounts. This type of pump is "zero release" so when you are setting the fronts to 2 psi and unscrew it from the fitting you don't lose the small amount of pressure

As slowroll stated, the idea of the increased air is to keep from bottoming out. Mainly for the rear in my experience. I usually run with 2PSI in the front and 40 in the rear for similar weight with two up as you Listed. As others said, you need the special pump

Great pictures Jeff, thanks for sharing them

RE: DuRon's advice: And if you go that far - be sure to clean and repack the swingarm bearings

There are certain years where one of the HD mufflers (right side) contains a catalytic converter. It is best to avoid them. I ran into that (I think mine are from a 2010 model) and ended up using two left side mufflers. The pair I had were free and I purchased the second left muffler for maybe $25.00 on ebay. Possibly 2007 - 2010 but I am not sure. As mentioned, you will need to fabricate a bracket for each side and purchase clamps for the front connection to the header pipes.

Have you ever forgotten to untie the rope from the back of the truck? Looks like a great setup and excellent work on the bike!

You didn't mention it so I will ask...did you really close at the steering neck area? This is a very common place for pinched and shorted wiring