Venturous

Honestly, if you are going to add all the stuff... better to just get a Goldwing IMHO. Watch http://www.schroaders.com for deals. They are a high volume GW dealer and always have a lot of low mile used and left over Wings.

Congrats. Sounds like you got the same Level 3 we recently bought. You will LOVE IT. Those Indians and new Victory's sure are extremely pretty machines... but like you.. once you ride the Wing, there is simply nothing on the market that competes with its power and handling. Yeah, trade in for our RSV's can be disappointing. They offered me $1500 for my 2002 with 120,000 miles. I politely laughed in their face. I stripped it of accessories and got about $2600 for parted out accessories, then sold the bike for $1500 cash plus a '95 Honda Magna worth about $2000. So I ended up getting over $6000 for it, but it was a bit of work. $1500.... HA! Congrats and watch for propane trucks. Seems this color attracts them....

I personally think an airbag on a motorcycle is a joke. That is why I didn't pay extra for it. Plus, it seems half the maintenance is more complex because of it. As I understand, the purpose of the airbag is to launch you away from the bike on a frontal impact. I'm here to tell you.... I was launched just fine without it!

After putting 120,000 miles on my RSV, I recently bought a 2015 Goldwing. Here are my observations. What is better about the Venture: Comfort. Even though I already have become accustomed to the Wing riding position, I still think the size and riding position of the Venture is more comfortable. But at a cost to handling I think. Styling. Although a very personal thing... I think the Venture has a more classic motorcycle look which I like. What is better about the GoldWing: Power. I always felt the Venture was a pretty powerful bike... but no comparison to the Goldwing. That engine is a rocket if you need it to be. I also like that it is less sensitive to RPM range. With the Venture, if I entered a turn in too high gear... I felt like the bike was struggling. But the Wing... just twist the throttle. Have yet to bog it down. Way more forgiving on being in proper gear. Handling. BIG difference. The Goldwing feels hundreds of pounds lighter. It is easier to handle in parking lots, lighter off side stand. All because of lower COG. Handling in the twisties is extremely better than the Venture. I can run twisties at a faster pace and with way more confidence than I ever could with Venture. ABS brakes are awesome. Had to brake hard several times. Nice to not worry about locking wheels. Sound system is better IMHO. NAVI system is somewhat of a joke if you are used to a real GPS unit like a ZUMO... HOWEVER... the integrated XM weather I like a lot. Never thought I would... but I'll probably sign up for XM weather after trail expires. Storage is comparable. What fit in my venture side bags fit into the wing. Trunk seems more roomy. We don't put helmets in trunk, but can more easily squeeze jackets and chaps in the trunk. MPG so far is about the same. Was getting 40mpg with the Venture just 2-up. Getting about same with the Goldwing. Not sure about towing MPG yet. One thing that is nice is that the Goldwing does have a greater range. It has a 6.6 gallon tank. At one point I stretched it and put in 6.3 gallons. Unlike the Venture... you can actually use all the Wing gas tank. In short... I have no regrets going from the RSV to a Wing. Now if I could just get mine fixed or replaced after my head on with propane truck.

Hi y'all. I am fine. Hurting very badly but pain pills starting to help a little. It will take more than a head on crash with a propane truck to take this stubborn SOB out. Bike does appear pretty bad. It happened in my subdivision so police didn't seem to care who was at fault and charged no one. Lying dirtbag told cop I was on wrong side of road. Luckily I had a neighbor leaving same time and witnessed it all. He confirms truck was 3' in my lane and I had no time to react. Anyway.. I am fine. Like to have 5 minutes with the lying dirtbag at my local shooting range right now.

Opps. My bad... Heres the story. Not the same size... but goes to show DO NOT TRUST TIRE REPS AND DEALERS. --------------------------------------- While at the Honda Hoot, I decided my rear tire wouldn't be good enough to get me home. Especially since I will be pulling a trailer back. So, I went over early yesterday morning to the Metzeler tent in the vendor area to get a new one. The salemen suggested that I use their 'Stage 1' upgrade ME880. I said I never heard of this. The Stage 1 upgrade is a bigger tire that he claimed would give me a much better ride. The stock size is 150/90B15. The so called stage 1 upgrade is a 170/80B15. I told the saleman I thought it best to stick to the recommended size. But he showed me in the Metzeler tire fitment guide where this stage 1 tire fits without any modification to the bike and said he had put them on several Ventures and the customers were very pleased. He had both sizes in stock. I said, OK, if it fits, I'll try it. So they put the tire on. Before they put the saddlebags back on, I went and looked. There was only about an 1/8 clearance between the tire and the driveshaft. I questioned the mechanic whether that was enough. He assured me it was plenty, but guess he could tell I wasn't buying it. He called over a second mechanic and asked him. He said, sure thats plenty. Before I paid for the tires, I mentioned it to the salesman. He said it was plenty. I guess HE could tell I was too sure about this and called the Metzeler factory rep over who crawled under and looked. He assured me it was fine. At this point I had 4 people who should know more about this crap than me tell me it was OK. So off I go. I go back to the motel, pick up the wife and hook up with friends and we head off on a ride. I mentioned to my friend about the tire and my concern. Anyway, about 40 miles into the ride, he signals me to pull over. When I did he said he could smell rubber. I looked and sure enough the sidewall was melting from rubbing against the driveshaft. At this point, saying my blood was boiling was an understandment. So I called the dealership number that was running the Metzeler tent and told them what happened and that I was on my way back and they better have a right tire and lift waiting on me. Get back to the Metzeler tent and it was obvious I guess that I was mad. The saleman and shop manager started to tell me over and over that they had done this tire upgrade on RSV's before and kept refering to the fact that the tire guide lists it as a 'bolt-on' upgrade. I told them that I wasn't mad about the reason they talked me into trying this tire, but was mad because 4 people who should have known better discounted my concerns that 1/8" wasn't enough clearance. I basically suggested they stop talking to me about it and get the tire changed. I was afraid things could quickly spiral out of control. I was hot! Anyway, if a dealer tries to talk you into the 'Metzeler Stage 1 upgrade, tell them to stick it where the sun don't shine and stick with the stock size tire! Also, after getting home and looking into this further, I come to find out that this so called upgrade tire actually has a lower weight rating than the stock tire size they sell. Not sure how that qualifies as an upgrade on a heavy touring bike like ours!

If me... I would stick to the correct size. Read my story on Metzlers here: http://www.venturers.org/Tech_Library/index.php?action=article&cat_id=002011&id=295

Clorox. Followed by plenty of soap and water. Might use sparingly on a damp rag to avoid discoloring your paint. Have you tried the Black Streak Remover you get from Wally World RV section or any Camping World?

Is that the result of a crash diet?

Is there a setting anywhere that I can disable the tapatalk notification each time I access from my cell phone? If I didnt get it after the first 800 times I ignored it... chances are I am just fine with the full web version on my phone.

Going to limit your ability to do wheelies!

As you may know... selling my Venture. When listed it... I mentioned a possible swap for a smaller bike to teach my sons to ride on. Have interest in a swap for a 2006 Suzuki M50 Boulevard. Looks like a nice enough bike and is a liquid cooled 800c. Anyone know anything about these? Reliability... known issues kind of stuff. Thanks.

It was a crash.

Damn... I just heard a third person from MD went down. In the ER now and appears to be OK. Not going to say who as that should be there call if they want it known. Send prayers for him and all traveling from MD! Please folks.... BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!

Get well soon Dan!

I went from a '92 VR to a '02 RSV and remember many of the things you commented on as well. I eventually forgot about all the negatives and ended putting 120,000 happy miles on my 2nd gen. I am going through the same thing yet again as I moved from that '02 2nd Gen to a '15 Goldwing. Funny thing is that this Goldwing has a whole lot in common with my '92 VR. Better brakes... more power.. better handling... and yes... less comfortable than my 2nd Gen. The one redeeming factor for the 2nd Gen Ventures is IMHO, they are without doubt the most comfortable touring bike ever made. Handle twisties like a dump truck compared to a 1st gen or wing though. I also remember that the 2nd Gen felted WAY more stable on the superslab that the 1st Gen or Wing does. As Brake Pad pointed out... apples and oranges. The 1st Gen and Wing kinda fall into the 'sport touring' category... the 2nd Gen is clearly a cruiser inspired tourer. Ya just gotta figure out which is best for you.

Maybe, but I would say the steering wheel and bucket seats are a dead give away... Saw several of these a couple days ago while riding the Cherahola Skyway. They were all riding in packs of motorcycles. And not in rear where I feel they should be. They were riding among the bikes. And these things take darn near the whole lane. I know I would not feel comfortable group riding with one of these dune buggies behind me. Or even having one in front of me. Not in a group formation anyway. There is a reason motorcycles in group formation run staggered. Putting these in that formation reduces ones escape route. Nothing wrong with these, or other cages being on group rides. But I feel they really should bring up the rear.

Yes

So, do I take it alternator failures are common?

Got to agree... not fair to stereotype all Harley riders. I know MANY friends who are less likely than I to get involved in road rage. I have seen guys driving mini-vans do stupid aggressive things on the road. I myself am a very type A person and have to guard against getting involved in road rage. For this reason, my carry is never on bike where I can get to it when riding. This particular rider was a total idiot and sooner or later will likely get what he deserves. Why risk your families safety or your future to make a point with scumbags like this! But please... why label all Harley riders because of this dirtbag? I don't think Don would have done that... do you?

Should look like this not this. heres how...

I've always found a proper inline splice (not pigtail) then soldering is best. Followed by shrink wrap. Are you heating the wires or the solder when you do this? You may know more about soldering than I do... but just in case I'll assume you don't. You do know that to solder wires.... you must heat the wires and let them melt the solder... right? Many make the mistake of trying to use the gun to melt the solder and drip onto wires which never works.

I'm 5' 10" with a 29" inseam. That Scottish build ya know. When I bought my Venture new in 2002, I was very intimidated by the top heaviness. But after getting the Ride Like a Pro dvd and practicing what it teaches a lot... that fear went away. I ended up putting over 119,000 miles on my Venture. Now, just last week I bought a new Goldwing. It is slightly a heavier bike, but does in fact feel A LOT lighter. It is also more nimble in the twisties. But like you... the reason I never got one before was partly due to looks. And also because I prefer a cruiser riding position. My incentive for getting the GW was we now pull a 600+ camping trailer and I wanted ABS brakes and a bike with enough balls to pull it without breaking a sweat. I can say that I have absolutely loved my Venture and will miss much about it. I feel confident in saying it is the most comfortable touring bike out there... hands down! I can also say that from my short time in my GW saddle so far that I am going to love that as well as soon as we get the comfort mods tuned in for us. Honestly... you can't go wrong with either. These liquid cooled engines will run damned near forever if you take care of them.

Swiss and Austrian Alps

My bike is now listed in the classifieds if anyone knows someone looking for a well maintained Midnight Venture with a ****load of accessories!