GregR Posted November 12, 2012 Share #1 Posted November 12, 2012 Hi everyone. Until last Friday I had been riding a 2009 Suzuki Boulevard C50 that I purchased new. Nice bike, but no matter what I did to it (batwing, mustang seats, hard bags, etc.) I just wasn't able to turn a cruiser into a comfortable long distance bike. I made several trips from my home in northern Indiana to my former home in Lexington, Ky on the C50. 4.5 hr trip and I would be mentally and physically exhausted upon arrival. I knew I needed something bigger and more road worthy. I was thinking used Gold Wing and began watching the Craigslist ads. I kept seeing a 1983 Venture Royale in immaculate condition popping up and there was just something about this bike that I liked. Long story short, I listed my C50 on the Chicago craigslist thursday morning and delivered it to a guy in Kankakee, Illinois on friday afternoon. I was back in Lafayette by 4pm and had the Venture in my garage by 7pm. Things were working out! I took it out saturday and made a 300 mile ride up to the Indiana Dunes area by Michigan city for lunch. The bike performed flawlessly and even after riding 6 plus hours and 300 miles I was completely relaxed and felt great when I got home. Some friends think I'm crazy for selling a almost new bike and buying a 30 year bike but I'll tell you I couldn't be happier. I'm aware of the 2nd gear issue and hope to learn more from the tech forums. Any advice on maintenance or things to watch for would be greatly appreciated. I look forward to meeting other Venture riders in my area. Thanks. Greg. http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o196/TSM01/IMAG0127.jpg http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o196/TSM01/IMAG0126-1.jpg http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o196/TSM01/IMAG0128.jpg http://http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o196/TSM01/IMAG0127.jpg http://http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o196/TSM01/IMAG0125.jpg http://http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o196/TSM01/IMAG0128.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eck Posted November 12, 2012 Share #2 Posted November 12, 2012 Welcome aboard Greg!!!! Fasten your seat....your in for one heck of a ride.. If you have any questions just post them.. someone will chime in. Here are a couple opportunities to meet a bunch of the VR family members.. PS: Keep your eye on the VR rallies section for future updates.. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/calendar.php?do=getinfo&e=337&day=2013-6-8&c=1 This below event is right ouside your back door.... http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=72568 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiCarl Posted November 12, 2012 Share #3 Posted November 12, 2012 Nice looking bike, but then I've always been partial to blonds. Not sure there is much you can do about 2nd gear. It's either been repaired or likely to fail one day. Can baby 2nd I guess...... One maintenance item you should probably pay attention to is greasing of the drive line splines. There is one where the wheel engages the final drive, one from the drive shaft into the universal joint and the one that seems most prone to problems is the one where the drive shaft goes into the final drive. Consensus is that that Zerk fitting is useless. All three splines need to be well lubed with molybdenum disulphide grease. A small tube of Moly 60 will cost North of $10 at the Honda dealer, but is a lifetime supply for one bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregR Posted November 12, 2012 Author Share #4 Posted November 12, 2012 Thanks for the info MiCarl. Splines lubrication was also an issue with the C50 I had. I've always done my own wrenching on my bikes from back in the days when I rode CB750's but I'm not equipped now to do much mechanical work. Fortunately, this bike came with the business card of the mechanic that has been maintaining it for a long time and is very familiar with the bike. I know the 2nd gear repair can be costly, but honestly, for what I got this bike for and the great condition it is in, not to mention only 25k miles on it, I can justify having the 2nd gear repair and having a rebuild done at the same time if it comes down to that. I plan on riding this bike for quite a while so putting some money into it won't bother me too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bongobobny Posted November 12, 2012 Share #5 Posted November 12, 2012 Nice looking ride with nice aftermarket bling! You will enjoy many hours of riding pleasure out of it!! We will be glad to give you any and all information on making it an even nicer ride... The 2nd gear issue, unless it was already fixed, won't show up for many more miles, but if you do the fix over the winter it will elimiante and extra wear on the gears. It is a cheap thrust washer that goes bad... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmelah Posted November 12, 2012 Share #6 Posted November 12, 2012 well is any one going to mention or sell him any safety chrome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmelah Posted November 12, 2012 Share #7 Posted November 12, 2012 Welcome abord Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sailor Posted November 12, 2012 Share #8 Posted November 12, 2012 Welcome aboard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregR Posted November 12, 2012 Author Share #9 Posted November 12, 2012 Safety chrome you say pmelah? I like that sound of that! That's what I like about motorcycle forums; always someone more than ready to assist with new ways to spend money on my bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loehring Posted November 12, 2012 Share #10 Posted November 12, 2012 Welcome. Very nice bike. I had an '89 and loved it. You'll be very happy and the people here are great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotRodYJ Posted November 12, 2012 Share #11 Posted November 12, 2012 My story is very similar to yours. I now ride an 04 Suzuki Volusia which is the same bike as the C50. I've always been reasonably comfortable on it even for long trips up to 600 miles virtually non- stop. I picked up an 83 Venture almost by accident earlier this year and am very much looking forward to the better ride. Good luck with yours! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregR Posted November 12, 2012 Author Share #12 Posted November 12, 2012 Thanks hotrodyj. I definitely wasn't knocking the C50 I had. It was a sharp bike and didn't give me a minutes trouble. The big drawback for me was the high engine rpm's at highway speed. I thought about doing the draft shaft mod and swapping out for the C90 drive shaft which would have taken care of that problem. Ultimately though, I knew I wanted a bigger CC bike with more power and storage for trips. I also belong to the Volusia Riders forum and many, many people are more than satisfied with their Volusia/Boulevards. The attached pic was my ride until I sold it Friday. http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o196/TSM01/308464_2164015352981_1624545813_2155573_7636173_n.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snaggletooth Posted November 12, 2012 Share #13 Posted November 12, 2012 And another Blonde shows its head! And welcome to the site. You're in the right place for info on the bike and for finding like minded riders. You'll get used to us. We grow on ya. One of my coworkers owns a couple of C50s. Nice bike for sure but I've done some miles on his and I can't find the comfort zone for the long rides either. I bought my '84 in '06 and have put 35,000 miles on it since then. No regrets at all. Enjoy the ride. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miles Posted November 12, 2012 Share #14 Posted November 12, 2012 Welcome to the forum, GregR. Your old bike, the C50, is a very nice looking bike, and I like the mods you did to it. The new bike, the '83 Venture, is a great looking bike, and if Honda were to produce a motorcycle child from the marriage of a Goldwing 1500 and an ST1100...then let Yamaha adopt it...the first gen Venture would be that child. A nice performance sport/touring bike. Looks real good...nice find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
we2riders Posted November 12, 2012 Share #15 Posted November 12, 2012 Welcome from another newbie. And I love your bike - CONGRATS!! That is exactly a copy of our first Venture, retired it to parts years ago with just under 200,000 miles on her - and we rode it hard. Be sure in your shifting into second gear, lube the throttle cable and speedo cable inside speedo, freshen up the fluids in all hydraulic systems, drop a set of progressive springs in the forks (if its sagging do it soon), do carb sync once a year, lmaybe check and see if it already has the stator upgrade - yamaha did an upgrade using an oil splash onto the stator to keep it cool = IT WORKED FANTASTIC. check the carb diaphrams for cracks, I like to carry an xtra fuel pump on long distance trips, mine always liked 15w40 Rotella - except above 100 than I do 20w50, if your gonna ride it hard - invest in a clutch spring upgrade and follow other previous advice and that baby will produce miles and miles of smiles - best riding two up bike on the market with NO aftermarket parts needed.. That bike is GORGEOUS - have fun!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie Annie Posted November 13, 2012 Share #16 Posted November 13, 2012 Welcome to the "family" from the Aussies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwatson636 Posted January 21, 2013 Share #17 Posted January 21, 2013 I too made the jump from the Boulevard C50. It was indeed a wonderful bike. Our first full cruiser. But soon found out that 2up on the freeway really took a lot out of her. Especially in the cross winds on I-70 in Wyoming. We knew we wanted something bigger and were seriously looking at the C90. But decided on the RSTD. Not as big an engine as the C90, but a bigger and nicer bike. Plus I love the V4 power. We thought about the 2nd Gen Venture, even took a few test rides, but ultimately decided on an 06 RSTD. We absolutely love our bike. Also, welcome to the greatest forum on the web. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmelah Posted January 22, 2013 Share #18 Posted January 22, 2013 now you have to buy lots of safety chrome :whistling: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paysaw Posted January 22, 2013 Share #19 Posted January 22, 2013 You truly have a beautiful example. My first Venture was a low mileage 83 Royal.I sold it and bought a Honda.Could not get that old girl out of my head so I bought a blonde 84 Royal and am in the process of restoring her.These are fabulous bikes and you will have lots of fun and enjoyment out her. Enjoy my friend and welcome to the Venture family.!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edtheguy Posted January 22, 2013 Share #20 Posted January 22, 2013 Bought a 1988 Venture Royale June 0f 12. Have a 1982 CB900 Custom , another sweet ride, but never had a cruiser before. Put a couple of 500 mile rides under my belt last summer on the VR and could not believe how comfortable it is. I agree with you, it's pretty effortless. Other than being a bit top heavy, I love this bike. She's a blonde too. You know what they say, Blondes have more fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dacheedah Posted January 22, 2013 Share #21 Posted January 22, 2013 I'll try 2 watch out for the old bike, give a shout if you ride through Kankakee. This is a fine bunch here and will keep you on the road. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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