Buck_Roy

I do believe you should have it now, good sir!

Ok, so with all the kind help and advice from a number of you great folks, a few days ago I purchased a very sweet 2003 RSV. Yay me! Before it got cold here in Dallas, I had time to get a couple of hundred miles of “get acquainted” time on her, and also about an hour on the practice lot with a few motor-officer friends of mine. I’ve learned a few things, mostly that I LOVE this bike! I have already figured out that she’s a little top heavy, and at slow speeds she is kinda “un-forgiving”. The bike feels heavy in the front end, and almost “wallows” in tight slow speed turns. (I think a lot of that may be the Barons lowering kit she’s got on her). I love my new RSV, and safety and handling (especially at slower speeds) is important to me. So, I wanted to ask a few “new owner” questions, and hope that someone might be willing to offer a little help/experience? 1) I think the Barons lowering kit has to go. I've spoken to my bike mechanic, and he tells me that he can get the OEM Yamaha parts and put her back up to stock height. I've also read about the “Leveling Links” from Diamond R. Do these leveling links install in addition to the OEM parts to bring the RSV back to stock height, or in place of? I’m 6’1”, 225, with a 34” inseam. Would you recommend having the RSV taken back up stock height, or going the “Leveling Links” route? 2) Which helmet communication/intercom headsets do people use and recommend? As far as reliable and good functionally, I mean? When I'm looking/shopping, how do I tell which ones fit the RSV? 3) Does anyone know where I can find one of the Harley brake light frames for the back of my RSV? I am little paranoid about back lights. I was rear-ended at a stop light once, a long time ago. I did NOT enjoy the experience. ;-/ 4) Can anyone recommend a good set of really good “stubby” antenna to replace the stock ones? The stock antennas barely clear the ceiling in my garage. 5) I know I need to be able to adjust/control the air in the shocks. Can anyone recommend a good manual pump for the shocks, hopefully one with a gage built into it? (I'm assuming that it should be manual, rather than an air compressor like I use for my tires) 6) Lastly, I need to go become a supporting member of this great forum, and introduce myself on the “New Member” forum!!! Thanks again for the warm welcome, I’m looking forward to being able to return the friendship and the help!!!!

Just to respect their privacy, I just sent you a PM about the previous owners rather than post all their information here. But, the system says it can't deliver it .... something about you have too many stored messages?? For now, the RSV is a 2003, the owners are "Tim and Nancy", they live here in North Dallas near me. They are the original/only owners...at least before me! Does that help??

Thanks eusa1, I really appreciate that! I've already gotten a couple of hundred miles on her, before we turned cold here. Btw, I've written to your friend who has done the "two version" RSV/RSTD set up, and I'm hoping to learn how to work that out with this bike. I'm kinda bouncing off the walls about this bike!!

Sorry for the delay, but have been kinda busy. First, thank you to EVERYONE who has shared their thoughts and opinions on this bike. It is appreciated a LOT. Seriously! Second, I went back to see the bike again, and rode her again. The seller and his wife are truly, seriously great people. They welcomed me into their home, just in simple friendship. They walked me through everything on the bike. Complete maintenance records from the day of purchase, receipts for each "add on", every service done per the owners manual (records for it all), etc. They gave me a "tour" of the bike itself, too. I got the whole history. Like, the seller made me feel under the right side saddlebag guard rail, where I managed (after a few minutes of working) to feel the very slightest of a nick...he said "feel that? that was from a curb in a Starbucks, in Virginia. I was pushing back in, so I could stay nose up, and bumped a curb". They remembered adding each accessory, when and why, and it was great. Afterwards they brought out all the pics from their trips through Oregon/Washington, a trip to the East coast to see and run the Dragon, around through Colorado, etc. The bike is at 51,500 miles, and all but a few hundred of them are open road miles. We found out that we know, and have ridden with, some of the same people. We have even used the same bike shop and mechanic in the past. Honestly, it was a great afternoon. Third, the bike is incredible! It has everything I mentioned in my original post, plus a second OEM drivers seat (the owner had "experimented" on adjusting the padding inside one), a full set of matching Corbin seats (driver's seat, w/ removable backrest,and pillion) with less than 1000 miles on it, Yamaha liner bags for inside the saddlebags and trunk, trunk rack, and several smaller ones built to attach to the saddlebag guard rails, and some additional Yamaha chrome add-ons that have never been installed still in packaging. I also have a set of BUB slip-ons with less than 1000 miles on them and "like new", wrapped in VCI paper and well packed in a box. Forth....well.....I'm going to attach a pic, that will hopefully say it all !!!! Yep, that's me...and SHE'S MINE!!!! Thanks to everybody!!!! Roy aka: "Skip"

I'm on Facebook, could you possibly point me to the seller, or tell me how to find it? Thanks!

Well, that's a VERY kind offer 1joeranger,,,, ,,,,,, but I think I'll keep trying to figure out how to be able to do a "two for one" setup. I think I really want to be able to have a "RSV/RSTD" hybrid bike!!

Thanks eusa1, I really appreciate the suggestion! I've sent him a PM, explaining and asking if he could possibly offer any suggestions/help with doing such a mod....really hoping to hear back from him!

Can anyone tell me roughly "about" what this mod costs to do?

I wanted to ask if anyone has ever tried or considered modifying their RSV to make it like an RSTD? I am looking at a used RSV, which the owner has modified with a "quick remove" bracket system that lets the trunk come off. When I looked at it I had the thought of being able to almost turn it into an Tour Deluxe, but still have a back rest for a passenger. With the trunk taken off, does anyone know if it would be possible to outfit an RSV to accept the quick attach/remove sissy bar (with backrest) and luggage rack from a RSTD? (I don't know why, but for some reason that idea/possibility of being able to do that kinda cranks me up!) I would think the Yamaha parts would fit an RSV, but that's just an assumption, I don't really know.... Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions?

So, even though I'm still shopping I'm also getting ready for as soon as I find my new RSV. I've been reading the owner's manual, (not really something I normally do, but I'm rather excited about the Venture) and came across a couple of things I don't understand..... Choke "The time necessary for starter (choke) use depends upon the ambient temperature. Temperatures above 10 °C (50 °F) require about 7 seconds of starter (choke) use and temperatures below 10 °C (50 °F) require about 35 seconds with the starter (choke) turned on, then about 2.5 minutes with the starter (choke) in the halfway position." My last bike was fuel injected, but I wanted to ask if these times are really about right? I know some bikes need more choke than others, some can even start without any choke (I had a RoadStar that almost never needed any choke at all), but these just seem like a lot of time...especially the "35 seconds" of idling at full choke. Is this really about normal? If so, isn't that hard on the engine? Shifting points/speeds Shift up points: 1st → 2nd: 20 km/h (13 mi/h) 2nd → 3rd: 30 km/h (19 mi/h) 3rd → 4th: 40 km/h (25 mi/h) 4th → 5th: 50 km/h (31 mi/h) Shift down points: 5th → 4th: 25 km/h (16 mi/h) 4th → 3rd: 25 km/h (16 mi/h) 3rd → 2nd: 25 km/h (16 mi/h) 2nd → 1st: 25 km/h (16 mi/h) Ok, this one has me REALLY confused. Are these speeds even close to being right? I can't believe that they are, and so I don't really understand why the manual gives them??

I really wish I were closer as well. That sounds like a great bike! I wonder how far it is between us....hmmm.... Oh, and you mentioned "stock arms available", are you referring to the stock parts to put an RSV back to stock height? If so, and if you were saying they might be for sale, I would definitely be interested!

No Playboy, the front end is still stock. I really, REALLY like the bike, and the seller seems to be a really good guy. I'm still trying to figure out how involved it would be to get her set up back to "stock", or maybe even a little higher if that would help her handling any.

Thanks to everyone who's offered their thoughts so far! Thanks, I've found out that they're top heavy, especially at low speeds. But my cop buddies tell me that's even more reason to work them on the obstacle course! They've warned me that an RSV can't be tossed around quite as sharply as a Harley Ultra, and they're already planning on how they will modify the course for the RSV. The seller has records for all the services and modifications, all done at Yammy dealers. He offered this list of "mods" he's made, he says it comes to over $10K, but I'm not sure: Accessories and Upgrades: Custom Paint, Custom Diamond-Cut Style Cylinder Fins, Custom Polished Front and Rear Wheels, Custom Polished Passenger Floorboards, Khrome Werks Slip-On Exhaust Pipes -- Additional work has been done on these pipes to emit slightly louder and deeper sounding exhaust note. Barons Rear Lowering Kit, Yamaha Billet Air Cleaner Covers with K and N Filters, Yamaha Chrome Metal Fender Tips, Yamaha Billet Mirrors, Yamaha Billet Alt. Cover, Clutch Cover, Water Pump Cover, Yamaha Chrome Battery Side Cover,s Utopia Driver Backrest -- Backrest was further customized and cut down to fit style of bike better while providing critical back support. Yamaha Wide/Shorty Windshield - Windshield was cut down by hand additional inches to provide sleeker, lower profile look, while still providing necessary wind/rain/bug protection. Yamaha Passing Lamps with Mounts, Yamaha Saddlebag Trim Rails, Yamaha Wide Leather Tank Panel, Yamaha Front Fender Trim Rail, Yamaha Billet Passenger FloorBoard Covers, Yamaha Billet Oil Filler Ca,p Yamaha Billet Motor Mount Cover,s Yamaha Billet Covers for Handlebar Reservoirs Yamaha Billet Clutch Bleeder Cover, Yamaha Chrome Master Cylinder Covers, Yamaha Chrome Rear Brake Reservoir Cover, Yamaha Chrome Trunk Rack, Yamaha Chrome Visors, Yamaha Billet Banjo Joint Covers, Yamaha Brake Pedal Cover, Yamaha Billet Fuel Tank Mount Covers, Yamaha Billet Carburetor Covers, Kuryakyn ISO Handlebar Grips, Kuryakyn Throttle Boss for ISO Grips, Kuryakyn Dually ISO Pegs with Clamps, Yamaha Cordura Trunk Rack Bag, Yamaha Trunk Liner Bag, Highway Hawk - Taillight Cover, Radiantz Clear Taillight Lens with Red LED Kit, Radiantz Clear Rear turnsignal lenses with amber LED Kits, Show Chrome Accessories - Front Caliper Covers, Genmar - Handlebar Risers, Diamond R Accessories Chrome Fork Lowers Deflector Kit, Anti-vibration Handlebar Filler, Harley Springer Front Fender Light, Aftermarket Alpine Front Speaker Upgrades, Aftermarket Jensen Power Amp, Fairing Hidden-Mounted Amplified Antenna. OH, and any thoughts on the "trunk removal" ???

Hi, I'm looking to get back to riding after a several year hiatus. I'm looking at a 2003 Venture, and wanted to ask if I could impose on the great members and RSV experts here to tell me if it sounds like a reasonable deal? And I also had a few quick questions about the RSV itself... THE BIKE: It's a 2003 midnight, with custom "silver zoned" paint (see the pics), in seemingly pretty much "like new" condition, and the seller is the original owner. It's got 51K miles, almost all open road miles. It seems to be "loaded", including: a TON of chrome, what seems to be just about every add-on piece of billet chrome Yammy offers, polished/chromed wheels, chromed and polished forks, Khrome Werks pipes, Barons lowering kit, upgraded stereo speakers, Jensen stereo power amp, extra rear lights for brake/running/turn signal. He has also added some kind of modification kit to be able to remove the rear trunk (and has an additional "solo seat") and has installed a secondary antenna hidden in the fairing. (again, see the pics. One of the pics was taken before the custom paint job) I'm going to try to attach a couple of pics, 6 hopefully, and I hope I do this right!! Can anyone suggest anything I should check on or make sure of with a 2003 RSV? Would this bike for $8000 be a reasonable deal? QUESTIONS: Ok, so while I'm imposing on everyone...a few RSV questions: How expensive would it be to have the Barons lowering kit removed, and the bike returned to stock? How hard is it to do? I train with a few motor officers, am lucky enough to be allowed to join them on their obstacle course practice sessions, and I don't like the idea of giving up ground clearance. (I've been told that the Barons kit makes the RSV scrape a LOT easier.) I'm also 6'1", so I think the bike would fit me better without being lowered. Has anyone here modified their RSV to "quick remove" the trunk? Does the RSV handle differently without the trunk? With the trunk off, does anyone know if it would be possible to outfit an RSV to accept the quick attach/remove sissy bar (with backrest) and luggage rack from a RSTD? (I don't know why, but for some reason that idea/possibility of being able to do that kinda cranks me up!) Is it possible to outfit an RSV with the short, "stubby" antenna like a lot of Harley riders do with their Ultras? The 2 antenna on the trunk, I mean? If so, how well do they work? Thank you, all, for your patience...and a special thanks to anyone who might be willing to offer their thoughts! THANKS!!!!!