joeke3el

I wrote a book about a trip I took with my girl at the time (who is now my wife), published it about two years ago, and now is offered free for download. We went to familiar and not so familiar places and it also was the week I surprised my girl by making her my finance. We’re empty nesters now and riding more often. We have a new web site and YouTube channel where we’ve starting blogging and creating videos about our rides. We don’t have the fastest bike in the world, nor do we have the time to go to exotic places. But we do believe every place, large or small, has a great story to tell. Our theme for 2017 was micro distilleries and small wineries. So, stop by my web site, read the blog, download the book, and visit our YouTube page. We’re having fun doing what we do and sharing it out just makes it that much better! Hopefully there’s something from the book or our travels this year that resonate with some of you. http://bikerinahat.com (read the blog or go to the “my books” tab in the menu to download the book) Our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC45_qYzDnJTbnkR98Kuvzuw Thanks, Joe

There's a lot of truth to that. InvestorsInsight has a 2013 article showing the decline of median household income between 1999 and 2013. Yet motorcycles have been adorned with new technology and features bringing prices to new heights. Some models are just way out of the arena of recreational costs. It'll also be interesting though as to how far manufacturers can go with all the goodies until there's a resurgence of simple more cost effective bikes which have their own style of "fun factor" from days gone by. As an example, there were days when there was no substitute for hopping on my '96 Triumph over my high powered/high tech Concours 14. (which I eventually traded for my RSV) :-)

I concur with that. There are a growing number of articles on that subject. At what point does a motorcycle become more a chariot to carry the engine than the rider? If a touring motorcycle's engine delivers ample power, does anything beyond that just become about how fast you can give your passenger whiplash? These are touring bikes after all. It's a competitive market and engine prowess is one of the main features they compete with. The manufacturers are in a battle of CC's and how many goodies can be stuffed on your dash in order to get our attention. At some point I think it begins to feel like you're in your Lexus and not on a motorcycle anymore, especially with the price tags. I know however a lot of people go for this stuff but I wonder for how long. Motorcycling to me always seemed to be a way to unplug and relax. Having evermore gizmos on board and carrying around larger gas tanks to feed the beast below may run it's course if it hasn't begun already.

Throw in the 90 extra pounds that has to be carried with the new model and things in that department start to become quite equal with its predecessor.

Yes

Another review. This one with a dyno chart. http://ridermagazine.com/2017/07/21/2018-yamaha-star-venture-road-test-review/

Ride reviews beginning to emerge. http://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/yamaha/2018-yamaha-star-venture-first-ride.html http://www.cycleworld.com/g00/2018-yamaha-star-venture-luxury-touring-motorcycle-review?i10c.referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/2018-yamaha-star-venture-first-ride-review

Hi Mike, I lost two children of my own some years ago when they were very small. I'm so sorry you're having to go through this as I remember the pain. Prayers heading your way, hang in there. If I made it, you can. Joe

Since triples were brought up. Here's my '96 TBird

Having just picked up an '07 RSV two weeks ago (with 12k on the clock) I'm not in the market for another bike and won't be for a long time. But, even though I'm not buying anything, I'm interested in how this bike will sell for Yamaha and have been wondering the exact same thing as quoted above. Not sure what Yamaha can do that Polaris couldn't.

Early guess from this article looks like hp will be in the upper 70s. I wonder what real world two-up mpg will be. It's going to be close to having a 200 mile limit which is weak considering it's supposed to be transcontinental. I also wonder what the GVWR of this bike is. So much of its carrying capacity is going to be gobbled up by the weight of that engine. "The last time we dyno tested a Star ’Liner was in 2013, and the motor in that state of tune produced a healthy 82 hp and a staggering 103.5 lb-ft of torque at its rear wheel. Due to the Venture’s new intake, that horsepower number is likely to suffer the loss of a few ponies." http://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/yamaha/2018-yamaha-star-venture-revealed.html

Marvelous technology. I'm with those who think the bike is confused in its looks department. The air cooled V-Twin isn't appealing to me, it seems out of place on a bike like this. I think it'll do well but it doesn't grab me.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing this. Joe

Ok Casey. I needed the phone's GPS assistance yesterday for 120 miles and the data used was 10.1 MB. That's not bad at all. Plus, as you may have read from VentureFar, you can turn off all data on the phone and just run with the GPS connection. Either way, not a bad setup to just pump the voice commands from your customized map through the stereo while streaming music. Joe

Hi Casey, From what I've read, there is no data used for positioning but there is for the maps on the screen to get updated, especially if you use satellite view. Also, I've read that sometimes the phone will use both satellite and triangulate with the towers simultaneously. I'm not sure what happens though if the map app is running in the background and the map is not presented on the screen. I have my phone in the breast pocket of my riding jacket with an aux cable plugged into the tape deck. I'll stream music and let the app interrupt with voice commands for directions. I'll have to monitor the data used by the app over the next couple of trips to see how intense it is. Joe

I hope this information isn't redundant. I tried searching first so I think this might be unique. I found this web site this morning which explains how to build a custom route on google maps with your computer which is then accessible with the Google Maps app on your phone. A convenient method for those of us who may use their phones as a GPS while riding. I usually stream Pandora with the phone to the speakers and the app chimes in at the appropriate time with directions. You can put in multiple destinations, drag the route to modify, etc. and build a library of rides for later use. Those with restricted data plans may not be interested in something like this though. https://www.lifewire.com/make-custom-route-on-google-maps-4126536 Joe