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Old 09-03-2017, 04:43 PM   #1
gv550   gv550 is offline
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I took a Star Venture for a ride.

My wife and I rode to Columbus, Ohio last week to do a demo ride on the new Venture. Very, very impressive motorcycle!
Although it is 65 lbs heavier than my Voyager, it feels lighter to lift off the stand and to toss into a corner. The engine pulls hard and runs smooth and quiet. I only tried Sport mode, Tour mode has softer throttle response but others said they couldn't tell the difference. Traction control never interfered on dry pavement. Gearbox shifts easy without any clunk, except for 1st. Short-shifting is in order, as I hit the rev limiter in 1st, 2nd and 3rd gears. Clutch pull is light and engagement is smooth and predictable. Linked brakes work well. Electric forward and reverse park assist is the bomb!
The rear suspension works well and absorbs bumps better than a Voyager, but I noticed some flex in the forks when leaned into a turn.
Seat height is low and the footboards are long enough for me to stretch my legs straight and rest my heel on the front, no cruise pegs needed. I had the driver seat set back as far as it would go and my passenger claims more room for her than on Voyager, and the passenger seat much more comfortable. If I ride it again I will move the seat ahead a notch or two because I found the reach to the handlebars a stretch, and I have long arms. It was a cool morning and the heated seats sure felt good. No noticeable heat from the engine at all, even when stopped at a light.
The navigation screen was easy to read with my bifocals, and the sound system is awesome, passenger can select her own media and volume.
The trunk is huge, we put both our full-face helmets in and could likely set a jacket on top. Saddlebags are wide but not as deep as Voyager, and the right saddlebag is narrower than the left. Central locking is sweet.
The power window works well enough, I could see over it when all the way down but had to look through it when all the way up. I was disappointed in the amount of wind noise, worse and more turbulent with the windshield down, but even when all the way up it was no quieter than my Voyager. The side wind deflectors work well to direct airflow onto or away from both riders and there may be a combination of windshield and deflector position that reduces noise but I didn't find it.
Bridgestone tires, and my quick search couldn't turn up any other manufacturer for those sizes. Since these tire sizes aren't used on any Harley, I expect the selection of alternates will be slim.
The display said 33 mpg, no doubt due to lots of throttle twisting from demo riders experiencing those 126 ft.lbs of torque. And they do feel good!
Priced similar to Harley and Indian, but with many class-exclusive features..... Ride modes, traction control, park assist, CB, Sirius, Pandora, Nav, TPMS, heated seats and backrests and grips, alarm, keyless ignition, etc.
Oil change interval is half that of a Voyager, and it has screw adjust valves that need service every 16,000 miles.
I didn't order one, but if my wife had her way...............
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Old 09-03-2017, 05:37 PM   #2
plumber63   plumber63 is offline
 
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Very good write up. Sounds like a good option to look at if your in the market for a new ride.
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Old 09-03-2017, 07:37 PM   #3
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A new Yamaha is being unveiled on Wednesday.

"We were thrilled to introduce a new transcontinental touring model earlier this year with the unveiling of the Star Venture, and we are looking forward to the exciting introduction of another new model in this luxury motorcycle segment,” said Derek Brooks, Yamaha’s Motorcycle Product Line manager".
 
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Old 09-04-2017, 05:07 PM   #4
recumbentbob   recumbentbob is offline
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from a news website:
If you were in the market for a motorcycle that’s the size of a medium-sized car, we have bad news for you, as the recently debuted Yamaha Star Venture will be delayed in its coming to market.
Yamaha strategically made this announcement at the start of a three-day weekend, assuring the news would be buried once the American market returned from the Labor Day holiday on Tuesday.
It is not clear why Yamaha will delay the production of the Star Venture – Yamaha offers no explanation for this development in its press release – but the delay will mostly affect customers who purchased the bike through Yamaha’s “Priority Delivery Program”.
As such, Yamaha is offering those early purchasers a $1,000 credit towards Yamaha-brand parts and accessories. We’ll update you when we have more information surrounding the production delays for the Star Venture.
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Old 09-04-2017, 08:33 PM   #5
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My guess is Yamaha has scoured the many forum comments regarding the price of the new Venture and decided that it is not going to be viable. Maybe the new Yamaha model that is being unveiled on Wednesday is a cheaper version of the original.



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Old 09-07-2017, 07:01 PM   #6
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Garry,
Thanks for the evaluation of the new Venture. The July issue of Canadian Biker featured it on the cover and had a "write-up" (note the quotations) about it. In a 4 page article the publisher, John Molony talked about the big cruiser market segment, the competitive offerings, buyer demographics but devoted only 2 paragraphs to the bike itself. WTF?? And even then he only spoke of the Venture's specs and features. I assume that he was only going from Yamaha's press release and did not actually ride one as nothing was said about how it was to ride or about its performance or handling.

Anyways, great to hear some firsthand feedback from someone who has actually ridden one.
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Old 10-05-2017, 10:49 AM   #7
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It is good to hear from a person who rode one of those. The flexing front end thing would have me a bit spooked, seems a bit too much for me as far as luxuries and amenities, I am more of a pure bred enthusiast. Even the cruise on my Vaquero seemed a bit over the top but comes in handy on those long open straights. When is too much too much including the price? Have we Americans become too spoiled when we expect a bike to be loaded like a pricey Cadillac? When is a bike no longer really a "bike" but a luxo-barger on two wheels?
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Old 10-05-2017, 11:37 AM   #8
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From the Delphi Vulcan forum. A review of the Venture bagger.

I road one this weekend. I don't recall ever demo'ing a big bagger and saying 'That bike sucks' after the ride before. Certainly I have said 'It's ok but not for me' but I flat out hated that bike. It was mid 90's when I road and it roasted my left leg...bad. The windshield is all the way up, or all the way down. No in between. You have to constantly shift the bike, it's RPM range is very narrow, it red lines and the limiter kicks in at 4800. I was bouncing against that all the time. So then I tried running a higher gear to eliminate the shifting...but then there is no engine brake. Can't begin to describe how annoying that part was. Fit, finish, storage, seating comfort for two.....all of that was very well done. Handlebar pullback and height and ease to reach the controls was also very well done. It was very peppy if you didn't mind shifting all the time. It also appears to have a built in on purpose Harley style poping on decel. It pops a LOT.
And to be clear, damn that thing was hot to ride. Boarder line burnt my left leg and the right was very hot as well. There were four Ventures in my group, we all said the same.
 
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Old 10-05-2017, 04:41 PM   #9
gv550   gv550 is offline
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Ya, I've read several reports of riders complaining about the heat. We rode it on a cool morning so any heat would have been welcomed, and we had the seat and grip heaters on too.
And don't be too put off by my comment about fork flex, coming from a sport-touring and adventure bike background I'm real sensitive about weak frames and forks. The Venture isn't any worse than the Voyager or any other heavy cruiser.
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Old 10-08-2017, 05:02 AM   #10
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Thanks for the evaluation.
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