How hard is it to get your Venture up on the center stand and what if you
go head first down a narrow road and have to back out? Mike
On Mon, 25 Jun 2007 11:24:45 -0700 James J Schneider
<jjschneider@xxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:
> "Thanks, I hate the thought of not riding the Virago but my wife
> always
> sees Ventures-Goldwings and Harleys with all the bells ans whisles
> where
> she could stretch out-have a radio-and have a place to put her pop
> and
> lots of storage and I think she would ride more and longer, not to
> mention I'm sure a smoother ride (shes has a pin in her back from
> spinal
> fusion surgery so she doesn't like bumps). I'll have to check into
> all
> the aftermarket stuff. I've seen some and they look nice. Do they
> have
> the Virago motor or something bigger? It might be a tight fit in
> the
> garage width and length wise. "
>
>
>
> Mike,
>
> Check out this link on the Venturerider site:
> http://www.venturerider.org/modules.php?name=History
>
> In short, Yammy made a very Gold Wing-like full-dresser called a
> Venture
> from 83 to 93. Fully faired, all the bells and whistles, big, and
> around
> 780 lbs wet. That's what I have, an 87. Nice bike, but the GW was
> so well
> established that Yammy never got the sales they wanted and cancelled
> it.
> In 99, Yammy released the Royal Star Venture, still in production,
> also a
> large full-dresser but cruiser-style - more exposed engine,
> fork-mounted
> fairing as opposed to a stationary fairing, etc. Looks alot like
> the
> Harley full-dresser and VERY attractive. It weighs over 800. All
> Ventures, as well as V-max and Royal Star, share a 1200-1300cc,
> water
> cooled v-four engine. In the Max, it is tuned for 10,000 rpm and
> 140hp; in
> the Ventures it is about 7500 rpm and 100hp with good torque. 1st
> gen
> Ventures will do the quarter mile in about the same as a Virago -
> right
> around 13 flat. 2nd gen are geared higher and the holeshot
> suffers.
>
> I've ridden both. When pushing them around, they both feel every
> bit as
> heavy as they are. Once moving, they handle fine. Not as
> quick-turning as
> a Virago or something lighter, but you can still enjoy the twisties
> on
> them. The 2nd gen Ventures have cruiser geometry which makes them
> not as
> sharp-handling as the 1st gen's. Not that they handle badly, they
> just
> don't turn as sharp. When I get on the Virago now it feels like a
> toy! At
> this point I have put so much of myself into the Virago that I am
> keeping
> both (thanks to God for that luxury), but the Venture to me is a
> nice
> enough daily rider that I could survive w/o the Virago. My dad
> recently
> traded in his Intruder 1400 for a Kawi Voyager, also like a GW. He
> sometimes misses the Intruder, but does not look back - he loves his
> new
> bike. The nice things about the Voyager are that they made them
> until 2003
> or so, they are a little lighter (750lbs), and have a lower seat so
> that
> they FEEL lighter pushing them around and getting under way.
> Otherwise, it
> feels pretty similar to my Venture.
>
> As for comfort, it is just no contest. I spent years getting my
> Virago
> right for me - Mustang seat, hiway pegs, floor boards for passenger,
> etc,
> and it's a pretty nice ride. But the Venture is so much nicer.
> Yes, it
> rides smoother. And no matter what you do, the Virago's seating
> area is
> small. The Venture just has more room for two people and the saddle
> is
> more supportive, partly because of the extra real-estate. The
> comfort
> difference between the bikes is most pronounced for the passenger.
> My wife
> is a delicate woman - she has lots of sore things and she gets hurt
> easily.
> She used to ride on the Virago with me but as time passes she gets
> more
> delicate (and we're only in our mid-30's - yikes!) and she just
> couldn't
> handle it for very long anymore - it was no fun for her. She could
> hardly
> believe how comfy the Venture is. Even on the 1200 mile, 4-day ride
> she
> didn't get butt-sore, and with the hiway pegs I made, her knees were
> pretty
> good, too. The amenities are nice, intercom is superb, and luggage
> space
> is sweet. I love having a radio!
>
> Jeremy
>
>
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