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Brought my beast in yesterday for the spring service. I'm planning a road trip next month and when we looked it over the service guy and I agreed the the stock rear (11000km) was looking a bit iffy for a long run. He had a pair of venoms in stock, and I said "Sure, why not." When I picked it up that afternoon I took it for a run to get the 'new' off the tires. OMG! I've never been willing to push the beast hard because it felt heavy in the turns, a little squirelly. Within 10 minutes I was taking lean angles I'd never dared with it before and the thing was running like it was on rails. I actually managed to touch a floorboard to the road. Felt like the v-star 950 I traded in for it... It's a completely different bike. I know I've restarted the tire brand debate,but I had to say it.... I'm REALLY impressed with the venoms. I'll let you know how the durability works out, but the first impression is amazing.

So... I'm in a KOA in kopeke NY. It's karaoke night. Hmm. I left Winnipeg last Monday and have had my share of issues and have gained a large respect for the power of this site. Our members are awesome! Thank you Jay and Craig and families! I am on my way to Nova Scotia in 2 days to meet my better half. We are going to ride through the Canadian Maritimes and then to the international Maybe the tail of the dragon after. Depending on the weather. I left Craig this morning, became hypnotized by a winding road! And this is where it dropped me off Hey, I come from the land of right angles. It happens. I now have to push to Halifax. Now it's an Eagles duet at karaoke. Hmmm. That's it for now, I can't keep arguing with my playbook. It's winning.... Tom

well here goes, i want to get back into camping and don't know which way to go. a pull behind camper would be nice, motels are probably cheaper but not as much fun minus the rain and a cargo trailer could be used for camping of for long road trips. if i go with the cargo trailer i don't know if I'm still able or willing to sleep on the ground. please give any info you can,thanks.

Well I had the unfortunate task of helping a biker that went down this morning. My next door neighbor and I left for work at the same time. She and I were the second and third on the scene. He was laying face down in a pool of blood. Looks like he may have hit a deer. He was wearing only a half shell helmet. They look cool, but did not keep the gravel from being impacted into his right ear canal. He may lose the hearing from that, his face was covered in blood, major road rash and missing tissue on the right side of his face, left eye had no pupil visible, just red. Right foot.....facing the wrong direction. He was awake, he could not breathe, knocked the wind out of him. I helped him sit up so he could breathe easier. He kept trying to get up to get his bike. I asked him to listen to me, biker to biker, if he promised not to get up, I would go pick up his bike. He agreed and I picked up the bike and rolled it off the road. It WAS a nice Ultra Classic. He was more concerned about the bike than himself. I understand, I probably would be too in the same situation. Once EMS and the police arrived I asked the officer in charge that when they call for the tow truck, to please request a flat bed so there would be less damage done to guys ride. He said he would do that for him. Let's all be careful out there. Watch for mother nature on the back roads. You just never know.

It looks like my rubber mounts on my handle bars supporting my fairing is toast. The whole fairing and windshield has started moving too much on rough roads. I think this may have been causing my windshield problems. As i am on the road i need a road fix for these things. Yesterday i cut some tie wraps and pushed them between the handle bars to use as spacers. This seems to help but here is my question. Is this a good thing to do or am i creating more damage? I am going to try to find a better spacer that i can slip around the whole handle bar. What do others do for this? Thanks, Tom

Hey guys! Just got back from a 7,200+ mile, 21 state road trip including 6 National Parks, 2 National Monuments, Route 66 and all the awesome scenery you could possible pack into 18 days. I rode with two friends, both of them on trikes (a HondaVTX and a Spyder) and of course I was on my trusty '06 Midnight Venture. This Venture is fairly new to me, I bought it in October of 2011 with just 4000 miles on it. I sold my last Venture, an '03 I also bought used, after putting about 40,000 miles on it in myself in 2 1/2 years. It had about 27,000 on it when I got it. Why would I sell a Venture with less than 70,000 miles on the clock? All I can say is I like the black one better. Anyway, thought you guys might want to hear about the trip. This may get a little long winded, so I'll try to make the less interesting areas as brief as possible. We left from just north of Orlando, Fl on June 20th and made it through stifling heat to Mobile, Al the first day. The next day we continued west down I-10 through Mississippi and Louisiana, across bayou country, and up I-49 to Texarkana, Arkansas. We then rode on secondary roads to Arkansas' legendary "Pig Trail", SR 23, sort of the "Tail of the Dragon" of this neck of the woods. After an awesome ride through the twisties of this famed motorcycle road we bought the obligatory patches, picked up I-40 and were off again for El Reno City, OK. The next few days we would be in Route 66 country, as I-40 parallels the old Rte 66, and you can see the old road often from the Interstate. It was about this time that the heat really heated up for this Florida Boy! I thought I knew what heat was, but for the next 5 days or so we suffered through daytime highs of at least 106, with many days up to 110! Also about the time we were leaving El Reno I had the first of my mechanical issues which haunted me for the next few days, starting with a screw I found in my brand new Avon Venom @@@??!!!""??!## Tire! And another separate issue that found me limping into the Yamaha dealer in Amarillo with only 2nd gear! I'll be happy to get into that later if anyone has questions, but suffice it to say that after a few stressful episodes, the "Midnight Rider" did just fine, and we stayed right on schedule. Although by the time we rolled into Albequerque, NM that night it was 11 pm! We left from El Reno that morning at 5 am. Thank God for patient friends! (and answered prayers!) Speaking of Amarillo, and western Oklahome, and New Mexico, and Arizona, the heat was ungodly and the WIND!!! Let me just say this was my third time across the great plains on a bike and it was windier than I have ever experienced. At times a gust would hit and literally push us all 2 feet sideways! So hot and windy that only truly hardcore (and 1/2 crazed bikers) would have put up with it! We got a leisurely start out of Albequerque the next morning and started the day with somewhat cooler temperatures, at least until about 10 am. This was classic Route 66 country, with just about every little town between central Oklahoma and Flagstaff advertising it's own restored section of the Mother Road. We also apparently barely survived an encounter with a pack of gigantic Indians in Gallup, NM just off Rte 66. Although we never saw them, when we came out of the truck stop it was obvious we had just missed great bodily harm and near lethal bike damage! [ATTACH]69408[/ATTACH] So after counting our lucky stars and saying our prayers it was back on I-40 west. By this time the cooler temperatures abandoned us and we rode for hours through shimmering heat that made me feel like Clint Eastwood in "High Plains Drifter". It was at this time that we came to our first National Park of the trip, Painted Desert/Petrified Forest. It was a very interesting place, but after a couple hours of brain smelting 110 degree heat, riding around on the loop road and taking a few pics, (I had one here but I went over my quota, I think) we were off to ride through more heat. Honestly by now it was so hot that at each stop we would literally douse ourselves with water until we were soaking wet, then hop on the bikes and ride for a few minutes, and actually cool off to just below the boiling point of lead, then within minutes we would be bone dry again, feeling hotter than the surface of the sun, the whole time sitting on 1300 cc of throbbing V-4 power all the while churning out more heat. Oh well, that's part of it as we all like to say! A few hours more heat to the west and we came to Flagstaff where we headed north on US 89 towards our destination for the night, Cameron, Az, gateway to Grand Canyon National Park and Glen Canyon. We stayed at Cameron Lodge, a really cool historic trading post on the Little Colorado River Gorge. The gorge is still there, the river dried up months ago. Kinda goes with the territory I guess. There's also a very nice reasonable restaurant at Cameron Lodge, which is good, because it looks like everything else in the area closed up long ago. Next morning we were up early and on the bikes at 5:30 am for a 2 hour run up to Page and Glen Canyon Dam, where we would be taking a 1/2 day raft trip on the Colorado River. Glen Canyon is actually the beginning of the Grand Canyon, but the shortest raft trip you can take in the Grand Canyon itself is 1 full week. That's because the canyon is so deep and remote that there is no access point to get in or out before that! Our trip down the Colorado River was very cool and refreshing as the river temperature is about 46 degress and of course, we were floating on it. The scenery was beautiful, and we saw bighorn sheep and several wild horses. Once the raft trip was over it was back on the bikes for the ride back to Cameron Lodge and a good night's sleep. Next morning we were up early again and off at 5:30 am for the ride to Grand Canyon National Park. We got to the park gates at about 6:30 and had the park virtually to ourselves as we rode along the East Rim Road, stopping at the overlooks, gawking at the incredible scenery, and of course taking some awesome pics. [ATTACH]69409[/ATTACH] If you go, get there early. Not only is the best light for photography then but by the time we got to the park Visitor Center at 9:30 it was like Disney World on July 4th and it was also starting to get too hazy for good photos. As much fun as the Grand Canyon was, we still had a lot of miles to make and another National Park to see that day, Zion National Park! So it was back down the East Rim Road to US 89 north, into Utah, past Lake Powell and across southern Utah. As usual in the west, the scenery was awesome and of course it was hot and we had vicious crosswinds. A few hours later we were turning onto Utah SR 9, the road through Zion National Park. Zion is the ultimate drive-through National Park, combining unbelievable scenery and awesome twisties, all going through an incredibly scenic, compact canyon. As beautiful as it was, I don't think we got off the bikes once. (Except to take this picture.) [ATTACH]69410[/ATTACH] We had the feeling we were seeing everything from the road. Of course this isn't true. There are awesome backcountry hikes. But if all you can do is ride through, you won't feel at all cheated. Shortly after we were through Zion Canyon the road led us to I-15 North, and an hour later, our destination for the night, Cedar City, Utah. After a couple of adult beverages it was off to bed. We went to sleep exhausted but exhilarated after a day of unbelievable scenery and riding. After a good night's rest it was back on I-15 North in cooler temperatures! I-15 was awesome. Smooth road, light traffic, 80 mph speed limit...Yes, I said 80 mph! We rolled up Utah in no time flat, before we knew it we were in Salt Lake City. We spent a couple interesting hours at Antelope Island State Park on Great Salt Lake. Then back on I-15 North flying through potato country up to our destination in Idaho Falls. The cooler temperatures continued. For once we didn't care if the hotel had a pool! We were really getting excited...Yellowstone was right around the corner. Next morning we had a hearty breakfast at a local cafe, our first in a long time. Then we were off down US 26, following the Snake River through tight canyons, beautiful forests, and with an occasional glimpse of snow covered mountains in the distance. Within a couple hours we were catching our first glimpse of the Tetons while making our way through touristy Jackson, Wyoming. Then before you knew it, there they were, in all their glory, the Grand Tetons. The Tetons are in my opinion, the most beautiful mountain range in the lower 48 and I've seen them all. (I'll let you know about Alaska when we ride up there in a couple of years). Until then, you can't beat the Tetons. After a few hours snapping pictures like this one [ATTACH]69413[/ATTACH] and riding through the most beautiful country this side of heaven, we were through the Tetons and into the big grandaddy of them all-Yellowstone National Park. To me Yellowstone is subtle. The scenery doesn't hit you over the head like most of the other parks. Although it is beautiful everywhere you look. And jaw-dropping gorgeous in plenty of places. But to me the beauty of Yellowstone is in the details. The thousands of thermal features. Beautiful waterfalls everywhere. More big game in one place than you can imagine. Bison, bears, elk (including bucks with the most enormous racks you have ever seen) coyotes. You name it. We actually followed a coyote trotting down the road for a 1/4 mile before shooting up the side of the mountain and grabbing a marmot right in front of us! Then they both tumbled down the hill and shot across the road. The marmot jumped off the other side. He knew there was nothing there any worse than that coyote's jaws! The coyote just sat there looking with his fur standing up, [ATTACH]69406[/ATTACH] until we had to keep on going because of the cars behind us. Bison in fields everywhere you go. Some of them sizing up Ventures. No kidding! [ATTACH]69407[/ATTACH] We spent 4 nights in a little cottage in Gardiner, Montana so we had 3 1/2 days in Yellowstone. we saw Old Faithful, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Mammoth Hot Springs, all of the "major attractions", did a little hiking, saw more game than you can shake a stick at, and still only scratched the surface. The next morning it was time to start turning our bikes towards home. We left Yellowstone and went north through Billings, Montana where we picked up I-90. We continued through Little Bighorn National Battlefield Monument-Custer's Last Stand. Spent a coupleof hours there and it wasn't nearly enough. Definitely hallowed ground, for all concerned. Plenty of good men died there, on both sides. We continued on down I-90 into Wyoming where we picked up I-25 South and followed it all the way to Cheyenne, Wyoming. About 250 miles from Cheyenne we ran into smoke from the Colorado wildfires. By 4 pm it looked like twilight, but sunset was for 4 1/2 hours. By the time we got to Cheyenne we'd done almost 700 miles. Next morning I changed my oil and filter in an Advance Discount Auto Parts parking lot. They took my old oil. I ran a little over that time. Not too many opportunities to change it where we had been. My friends got their oil changed at a dealer and by the time they were done it was almost 1 pm. So we hit the road. We had one more National Park to see. Rocky Mountain National Park in Northern Co has always been one of my favorite parks. Went over Trail Ridge Road, 12,183 feet, for the first time in 1978 as a kid on a bicycle. I have better sense now. My wife would probably contest that. My friends wanted to go over the pass, down to the bottm and then come back on the same day to make the trip home a little easier. Having been there twice before I knew better. I suggested we make reservations on the other side at Grand Lake. Once we got into the park they couldn't believe it. They couldn't get over how beautiful it all was. It took us almost 4 hours to get to the top of the pass. Taking pictures, me with John Denver playing the whole time. You can laugh all you want. I like John Denver. [ATTACH]69411[/ATTACH] We started back the next day. We knew we'd be into the heat again soon and almost dreaded it. At the top of Fall River Pass it was about 40 degrees. 3 hours later in eastern Colorado it had hit 108 degrees. I won't bore you with all the details of the trip back to Florida. 3 1/2 days later we were home. It was a great ride too, as they almost all are. It was stinking hot, only with humidity thrown in to make it interesting. At least my nose didn't bleed inside from the dry air. It was one of my best motorcycle trips ever. Most would call it the trip of a lifetime. I know better. I've got plenty more of 'em planned. I only have one regret about this trip. My wife has disc trouble in her neck and back. She had a bad flare up a few days before the trip and so I had to leave my favorite riding partner behind. The Venture sure felt empty without her. Ride Safe, 1/2 crazed

I saw on the tele this morning a trip along Utah's Route 12. Early research reveals this is a 125 mile, seemingly rugged road with some really super sights. Is this road motorcycle friendly? When would be the best time of year to ride it? Appreciate any input.

I had to find a way to have my son enjoy this sport with me, and this was my solution. I just got it installed and still need to wire it before I can hit the road. I have road it around the neighborhood and in an empty parking lot. It is very different but kinda fun. I still have a lot to learn but I am getting there.

the choices are , road sofa, corbin, mustang,write in. I need opinons thanks.

So yesterday I was looking for a box of stuff and found an old box of photos going back to 1975. One of the envelopes had the photos of my very first road trip on a bike. It was in 1977, I was 18, in the Coast Guard and stationed in Yorktown VA and had just bought a slightly used Honda 360T. A couple of guys and I were going to go ride to D.C. They canceled at the last minute. I went by myself. As the pictures show, I rode through Virginia and around D.C. Being a desert rat from Arizona, the sights and scenery were pretty awesome. I ended up at the Capitol and then turned around and rode back. As you can see... I also had my first set of "poor man" saddle bags...

I have an E3 on the front of my 2nd Gen with around 12,000 miles on it the other day the front end seemed vary unstable on uneven roads but but fine on smoother. The tire looks OK but it seems to be worn more on the left more than right my question is can this cause the bike to feel unstable? I alway keep the air pressure up in the tires and this happened out of the blue you can tell the difference more riding 2 up or pulling a trailer. Even hitting the road snakes it will act funny almost like it hops or wobbles over them. I know you can feel the trailer if that hits some uneven road or pot holes but this was almost to the point of dumping it. I'm just thinking front tire is the issue but not sure, the front forks have been checked steering head and fork oil changed at 22,000 in May I have 24,000 on it now. Just wondering what your thoughts may be or if anyone has had the same problem, Thanks

Jamie aka Wingman, Gene aka K Rider and I just returned from a day of riding, we went down to Warm Springs, Ga, rode over Pine Mt. and had lunch in Pine Mtn at a great little BBQ stand, Three Little Pigs, we hit some back roads, a lot of back roads on the way back home and about 25 miles from home it happened, we were riding down this 2 lane local road when out of nowhere the deer, don't know if it was a buck or a doe, it happened so fast, I didn't have tome to react, I couldn't have missed it by more than 2 inches. One second clear road ahead, next second this fury blur goes right in front of me, no time to react, which probably saved me from hitting him or swerving to avoid, all I could do was stop, get of the bike and compose myself. Gene said he saw it come over the fence heading my way, but couldn't say anything on the CB fast enough. If I had been going just a fraction faster I would have t-boned it and that would have smarted.........I wasn't wearing ATGATT .......shame on me. I am supposed to be getting a new Mesh Jacket for Fathers Day........ It would of really have pissed me off :crying:to have destroyed the Venture after getting it back to almost like new.

I was doing som planning for a trip here in a few weeks. I was at the Tenn DOT site and a warnig flashed up. There was some kind of land slide in Tenn on I-75 and the road washed out. Last night it said there was one lane open each direction now. Expect long back ups. Mile marker 141 to 144. I know we dont like to run the slabs but sometimes its a necessary evil.

If you are traveling through Eastern Arizona, you might want to tuck this info away for future reference - there is an excellent Yamaha shop in Show Low, AZ: Show Low Motorsports. I was heading back towards Texas this morning, and about 10 miles east of Show Low I blew the rear tire at 65 MPH - pretty bad, it un-beaded from the rim and the bike was virtually uncontrollable, went into a sideways 'slide' from the tire rolling off one side of the rim and it drifted into the left lane and off the side of the road before I could scrub off enough speed to get it stopped. Thankfully the oncoming traffic avoided me, and I kept it right side up! Wife was on the back, and she handled herself perfectly in the situation too - probably the only reason I kept it under control. With the tire loose from the rim, no possibility of repairing it on the side of the road. But we were wonderfully fortunate to have another rider come by who know the local area (also a Venture owner, but on one of the 'other' brands today!). Bill Poor told me about the shop in Show Low, and after we contacted them and waited a while for them to get back in touch, he decided to ride back and coordinate our rescue - a REAL class act. Hopefully we will see him on the site soon! Anyway, the shop came out and picked us up, had a tire in stock, and got us all fixed up in about 4 hours total. The final price for everything was extremely fair. I strongly recommend Show Low Motorsports! Goose

Road Route 28 yesterday from NC to GA to SC and what a great road, I think the only sraight part is through Highlands NC till you get to Clemson SC. Lots of great things to see especially some great waterfalls. Was a fairly easy ride relaxing pretty much constant twisties. Great little ice cream shop in Highlands, the road is narrow and the posted speed limit is 35 and 45 most of the way but if you get out of 3rd gear you are probally going too fast for the curves any way

I and seven other of my mortorcycle friends have completed and now recooperated from a 7 day 3,100+ mile trip from Central Arkansas to southern Utah. The trip took us through Denver, Grand Junction, Moab, Mexican Hat, the "canyon lands", Four Corners, Alamosa and Dodge City. It was a great trip with no major mishaps. During the trip I learned some very valuable lessons and tips. Most lessons/tips are "common sense" but they are things we tend to overlook. So here goes; 1. Sunscreen and skin moisturizer are your friend. The sun was bad enough but the low humidity along with the dry winds was tough on the face . In arid environements may sure to hydrate and stay hydrated. 2. When you see a dust/sand storm in the distance it's better to stop and wait it out than proceed . Don't worry about "getting behind schedule", to proceed is just not worth it trust me!! 3. During a sand storm sand will accumulate in the fins on your motor, air filters and your ears. A half helmet is not recommended in this situation. Make sure to check those air filter and clean/replace if needed. 4. Make sure you have some simple replacement parts (air filters, fuel filter, etc.) with you. If you have to purchase them "on the road" the cost can get excessive, if you can find them. 5. Riding 74 miles in a 30-35 mph cross wind is a heck of a workout. I may suggest it to the P90X people to include in their program. 6. On soft road shoulders and in strong winds your motorcycle will fall over more easily and very quickly . Thankfully no damage was done. 7. Before embarking on a trip pack your motorcycle and do a trial ride to insure the weight distribution is correct and what effects the extra weight may have. Remember the more "surface area" your luggage has the greater potential of wind effects. Also added weight and the height of the weight changes your center of gravity. I was a very good trip but we tried to do too much in a short amount of time. If you have never been to southern Utah I suggest you put it on your "to do" list and do it. Good riding friends!!!!!!!!!!

I am looking to purchase another bike and after a lot of looking and research I have pretty much decided to go with a Yamaha Road Star or Stratololiner. I am leaning toward the Stratoliner but I can purchase a new 2010 Road Star S for $12,000 and it is tempting. The Venture was just too hard to handle at slow speed. I might add I like to tour and I just turned 71 if that is a factor. I appreciate any and all advise. Thanks

I rode my bike to work today and then left around 11:00 to make a run to my Heat Treat source. A Ground Hog came out of no where running across the road. I started to hit the brakes and even had my foot on the peddle and decided to hit it straight on without the brakes at all. I braced myself with arms and shoulders tight to keep the front wheel straight after hitting it. My teeth were clinched tight also:smile5:. I waited for the bump and jar but it never happened. I don't know if he went under the bike or right in front of the tire. After it was all over I was just smiling going down the road and then laughing. I can't believe how close that was. Real close.

A 60 year old man from Louisiana on a Honda ran off a right turn and plunged to his death. Thats all the info I could find besides his name. Fatal accidents on the road are surprisingly rare, here a map that shows the history of fatalities http://www.tailofthedragon.com/maps/...ths.pdf:frown:

So after putting the bike back together and synching the carbs I am finding that when riding it seems as though it is starving for fuel or air? I haven't really riden the bike except for around the neighborhood. so when I try to get on it it get up to about 4000 or so and it isn't going further any suggestions as to where to start? Carbs? fuel? Any advice is appreciated. Keep the rubber on the road..

Was parked at the Kangaroo gas station today (19-May-12) around 950 AM and a Blue & Black 07 just like mine went by going east on state road 42 towards Deland.

I know in Alabama they got federal $$ to run click it or ticket campaigns , so that means they will be running ROAD BLOCKS, so remember have your papers and insurance papers with you...Be careful & keep the rubber side down....

In case anyone is planning a trip thru the Smokies they are repaving a portion of US 441 at Newfound Gap on the TN side. Could be a pain trying to go to Gatlinburg from Cherokee, NC. One lane traffic. Wasn't too bad as we came thru late afternoon on a Sun., might get pretty ugly during busier times. Also a lot of road torn up. http://www.nps.gov/grsm/parknews/nfg-repave-09.htm

I recently learned about the donation process when you dump your bike. 1) It was back in around Oct of 2010. I was in the garage and wanted to turn the Venture around. I was recovering quite well from open heart surgury on 4 May 2010. But I was in no condition to picking up an 800 lbs of Venture. The Story: While turning the Venture around in the garge, I knew had to be careful. So I put the kickstand down so it would catch the fall in case I dropped the VR. So with the side stand down I was also off the Venture's left , I pushed the Venture foward, In so doing the side stand druged on something and kicked the stand back. beyond the threshhold point. After I got the bike where I wanted it I let it onto what I tought was the side kick stand down. Oops no side kick stand, the bike started go down and I just let it go. I first put it in gear and took a come-along and hooked it to the frame of the pick up trunk and got the Venture up. 2) I pulled off the side of the road where it was paved. It was up hill on a sharp corner and the sidepaved road went up to greet me. I also stoped for I needed to turn around the VR aroiund for I went too far. So I stop where I could let gravity push me back and to the right. Well because the right side of where I stoped was quickly going dow, I had to get the bike stopped and leaned to the left. Everything happend so fast. The bike leaned over to the right side and over she went. It so happend that a you guy stopped and asked if I needed help get the VR back upright. I humbled accepted his offer.

Unfortunately Michelle and I regret having to cancel this weekends Meet and Greet. Hopefully we can reschedule it down the road this year. Thanks to everyone who was signed up to come I will PM you also.