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First ride SVTC


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I finally got to ride the SVTC yesterday. Nice bike.

The dealership had a Eluder and a TC in stock but are only demoing the TC. When they were both sitting on the showroom floor I sat on each one. When I pulled them off of the side stand I thought that the TC came off easier than the Eluder. This was a little surprising. I have a RSV. I am used to lifting the RSV and I believe that the TC is easier but not by a lot. Then again when my wife is on the RSV I think that it comes off the side stand easier than if it was just me on bike.

I didn't have a lot of time so I only went for a 15 mile ride, but I learned quite a bit.

The temp. outside was 82. I was hoping this was warm enough so I would be able to tell how much heat the bike gave off.

The bike only had 1 mile on it so I ask the sales manager about rpm limit and he said to ride it like you normally would. They believe in breaking engines in hard. So do I.

First thing I noticed is 1st gear is short. You don't go very far and you have to hit 2nd. 2nd thru 6th are much more normal, more like the RSV. I did hit the rev limiter one time and when you hit it you know. It shuts you right down. Other than that shifting was pretty smooth. I am used to a heel toe shifter and this bike did not have one. So that took a little bit to get used to.

Someone had left the handlebar and seat heaters on and at 82 degrees they got hot in a hurry. Had to pull over and figure out how to turn them off. There was a piece of plastic on the right side of the tank towards the front that was loose and flopped all over the place. I also noticed that when the windshield was down all the way there was a metal on metal sound. When I raised the windshield even the slightest amount this sound went away. I told the sales manager about both of those issues.

I really liked the electric windshield. My next bike will have one.

About ten miles into the ride I could feel some heat on the left side. It was not to bad. I pulled over and sat there for a couple of minutes to see if the heat would get worse and it really didn't. I don't feel any of this heat on my RSV. I also noticed that this bike needs a back rest like the Utopia. I started to get the pain between my shoulder blades. I got the same pain on my RSV when it was new and a backrest took care of it. Of course my back is trash anyway so that is part of the problem.

I also played with the side wind deflectors. They work extremely well. This bike had the uppers but not the lowers. I am thinking that when it gets into the 90's the lowers would be a huge benefit.

Part of the route I chose runs along a river so it is curvy. This bike handles the curves very well. She was very solid. Much better than the RSV.

This bike is all around better than the RSV. I still like the high rpm of the RSV better but the vtwin did all right. It was much better than I thought it would be.

I am going to try and get my wife to go with me next week and do a longer ride with her on it. Maybe I'll do another report at that time.

One other thing, this was just a ride. I didn't want to play with any of the electronics and I wanted to just ride and feel the bike. Maybe next time I will play with the electronics.

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I finally got to ride the SVTC yesterday. Nice bike.

The dealership had a Eluder and a TC in stock but are only demoing the TC. When they were both sitting on the showroom floor I sat on each one. When I pulled them off of the side stand I thought that the TC came off easier than the Eluder. This was a little surprising. I have a RSV. I am used to lifting the RSV and I believe that the TC is easier but not by a lot. Then again when my wife is on the RSV I think that it comes off the side stand easier than if it was just me on bike.

I didn't have a lot of time so I only went for a 15 mile ride, but I learned quite a bit.

The temp. outside was 82. I was hoping this was warm enough so I would be able to tell how much heat the bike gave off.

The bike only had 1 mile on it so I ask the sales manager about rpm limit and he said to ride it like you normally would. They believe in breaking engines in hard. So do I.

First thing I noticed is 1st gear is short. You don't go very far and you have to hit 2nd. 2nd thru 6th are much more normal, more like the RSV. I did hit the rev limiter one time and when you hit it you know. It shuts you right down. Other than that shifting was pretty smooth. I am used to a heel toe shifter and this bike did not have one. So that took a little bit to get used to.

Someone had left the handlebar and seat heaters on and at 82 degrees they got hot in a hurry. Had to pull over and figure out how to turn them off. There was a piece of plastic on the right side of the tank towards the front that was loose and flopped all over the place. I also noticed that when the windshield was down all the way there was a metal on metal sound. When I raised the windshield even the slightest amount this sound went away. I told the sales manager about both of those issues.

I really liked the electric windshield. My next bike will have one.

About ten miles into the ride I could feel some heat on the left side. It was not to bad. I pulled over and sat there for a couple of minutes to see if the heat would get worse and it really didn't. I don't feel any of this heat on my RSV. I also noticed that this bike needs a back rest like the Utopia. I started to get the pain between my shoulder blades. I got the same pain on my RSV when it was new and a backrest took care of it. Of course my back is trash anyway so that is part of the problem.

I also played with the side wind deflectors. They work extremely well. This bike had the uppers but not the lowers. I am thinking that when it gets into the 90's the lowers would be a huge benefit.

Part of the route I chose runs along a river so it is curvy. This bike handles the curves very well. She was very solid. Much better than the RSV.

This bike is all around better than the RSV. I still like the high rpm of the RSV better but the vtwin did all right. It was much better than I thought it would be.

I am going to try and get my wife to go with me next week and do a longer ride with her on it. Maybe I'll do another report at that time.

One other thing, this was just a ride. I didn't want to play with any of the electronics and I wanted to just ride and feel the bike. Maybe next time I will play with the electronics.

 

Did you also have or make sure that the dealer had the two lower foot/air vents fully open? If you can't vouch they were open for sure, the next time you and your wife go out for another demo...just stoop down and when the two handles are full up (you can also see the large area that the vent opens up...) you are good to go. That brings in a lot of cooling air right over your feet and calf area. I have the lower Air Deflector set installed, and can fully vouch for them. They bring in much more air than that tops...in the way that that air current strikes you. It covers from your mid chest downward, and does a great coverage of the entire engine mount. On a cold early morning ride this week, (around 4:30 am to start) I had both the upper and lowers fully deflecting air away from the cockpit...and man..I should have had some sort of set up like this on all my Wings. I never did, unfortunately (now with user knowledge). Yes..I concur, this bike will handle any curves you encounter...and with rider confidence.

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Yes I had the lower foot vents open. I should have closed them to test the heat.

I liked the bike way more than I thought I would. I am one of the water cooled v4 shaft guys. This bike surprised me. I have riden both the Harley and Indian. I liked the Indian better between those two but I believe the Venture is quite a bit better. I may have to reride the Harley and Indian as it has been a couple of years since I have ridden them.

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Yes I had the lower foot vents open. I should have closed them to test the heat.

I liked the bike way more than I thought I would. I am one of the water cooled v4 shaft guys. This bike surprised me. I have riden both the Harley and Indian. I liked the Indian better between those two but I believe the Venture is quite a bit better. I may have to reride the Harley and Indian as it has been a couple of years since I have ridden them.

 

The Harley should be improved with their new counter balanced Milwaukee Eight engine but it is still a Harley which means once you buy it you will be adding $5,000 to $10,000 dollars of parts to make the bike run and handle like it should have from the factory.

 

I did a stage one set up on my 2016 Harley Ultra Limited Low and went with JRI rear shocks to get it to ride better, for the engine I did the Vance & Hines Power Dual header pipe, a set of Rinehart 4 inch mufflers and a Arlen Ness big sucker intake that I drilled to route the crank case ventilation to the outside air instead of letting the engine suck in all that oil and believe me there is more oil being sucked into the intake from the crankcase ventilation then people think and that leads to heavy carbon build up on the top of the pistons.

 

Then you will likely change the seat and on mine I changed the trunk rack to the aero trunk rack like they put on the CVO bikes because it just looks 100 times better. I had then change all the lights that had bulbs to LED lights and I added filler lights that go between the saddle bags and the rear fender.

 

In the end I just did not see what the big deal was with a Harley, the Yamaha Star Venture Transcontinental it a far better Motorcycle in my opinion.

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Yes I had the lower foot vents open. I should have closed them to test the heat.

I liked the bike way more than I thought I would. I am one of the water cooled v4 shaft guys. This bike surprised me. I have riden both the Harley and Indian. I liked the Indian better between those two but I believe the Venture is quite a bit better. I may have to reride the Harley and Indian as it has been a couple of years since I have ridden them.

 

Ok they were open, good. Yeppers...I was a totally dedicated Honda Guy...with five model year Wings under by belt. This is the first time in 2018, that from 1969, I have never had a Honda in the garage. Even when there was another, there was always a Honda something. That's history. I'm now a Yama Kawa guy...and most happy to stay that way until dust....

 

In my personal opinion, this Yamaha Star Venture Trans Continental, is the best Luxury Tour Mount, I have owned...from 1969-2018. It is stuffed to the '9's with the latest 2000 era tech, I found it has a rock solid, non wallowing carve-a-line frame, with suspension that needs no $2,000.00 upgrade right out of the crate. Front and back...it will keep you carving in S-bends...or just a relaxed ride around sweeping mountain vistas. The SVTC will do it all....and out-of-the-crate. Man, this is 'my' bike! My wife loves it too. We won't be moving onto another brand or model, anytime soon. Most likely, I might do one more SVTC model year, if I'm still able to hold the bike up...in about 5-7 years. That's always been the best R.O.I. for my needs. My dealer said, bring me back this SVTC looking as 'show room' as your 2008 Goldwing was...and I'll give you 'no hassle' top trade in, for it. No dickering needed. :)

 

I'm spending the next two weeks, taking long day and overnight trips to bring me up to the 600 miles first service, and then the next 400 miles of 2nd phase, Break In. After that...my wife and I are heading out West...:) She can hardly wait!!!! Oh...and this is bad...she is already 'rubbing it in' to the other gals whose husbands have Wings...that she doesn't have to 'beg' me...like some second rate citizen to change the entertainment...or to lower or raise the volume...OR ...to make totally private phone calls, (of which those gals, can't even do...). She is being quite naughty....;) "Yes," she says, "I can do it all from my own saddle...and forget HIM!" With my wife, I answer to both Joe, and Him. In our marriage, interchangeable. :)

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