Strider

The Impact of the Venture was immediate. Honda had been crafting its Goldwing progressively first starting with after market Vetter Windjammer style aftermarket fairing and bags. Honda then crafted the Americade version of Wing and this somewhat unified the styling of the fairing and added lowers, bags and a trunk finally offering a factory dresser. The only other Japanese company which had offered a factory up till that time was Kawasaki with a 400 cc twin with matching saddlebags and handlebar fairing. This was a time of bailing out the HD motor company (the peoples' motorcycle) and tarriffs imposed pushing the cost of cycles over 700 cc up to protect the peoples' motorcycle company. I remember the first time I saw the first two-page in CycleWorld. There it was, the bike I had imagined, Black (the only color a bike should really be) with an integrated wholeness which gave me the impression of a wasp, with a broad for-section, narrow abdomen, and again widening rearsection, rear section. (Craig Vetter had been hinting at where bike styling could go with the Triumph Hurricane, http://www.triumphhurricane.com/ and the Kawasaki Mystery Ship, http://thenewcaferacersociety.blogspot.com/2007/11/vintage-1980-vetter-mystery-ship.html. So here it was! More than I had imagined! And it was Sexy, and looked muscular with the 83-85 sized baggage, like the Cobra motorcar, and it was the new "Muscle" look for an engine, a V water-cooled, and a Yamaha, (i swooned). Then the reviews came in. Where the wing had 60 ponies, the Venture had more than 90. A 1983 Venture with a 150 lb. rider would cut a 12.2 thru the quarter give you 45 mpg. and go thru corners like it was on tubular roller coster rails, and this was a 730 lb bike. The Wing did not have the geometry of the Venture and the rest is history. The first Ventures were first Standard models, offered in black and a choice dark purple and red, Royales were offered as the "Yellow/Gold" Palamino scheme, then added radio, on-board front and rear suspension air compressor. In 96, and upgrade to bigger bags, cruise control. I owned an 83 and made it from D.C. to Bristol in 5 hours on 66 and 81, this dog had legs. I liked the design so much I bought an 88 to get the extra stuff. I've also had an 83 frame with 86 motor and rear end and currently have 89. The 83 centerfold is exactly that and as beautiful to me as something Heff might show. So Yamaha has had the Idea since '83 and to Victory I say, what took you so long, (the peoples' bike did not place). I was heading in to work on I-10 south toward Tucson, and a Victory rider made great efforts to get ahead of me in traffic, he had very loud pipes, and at about 70 mph, and me on 3800 rpm, I began to pull ahead and distance myself from him, quietly. (I don't think he expected that to happen). Ray

It ascends the Cedar Mesa this road was featured on a "women on cruisers going from Durango to San Francisco.

Strider AKA ray.sherfy@gmail.com give me a shout

yes, they are the same bolt pattern. Strider