Faults:

Stater went out at approx 60k, and the clutch slips when hot.

General Comments:

I have been cycling for nearly 40 yrs. I have never had a more comfortable, reliable, quick motorcycle. I admittedly have never owned or ridden something in the Hayabusa class, but the Venture NEVER lacked for power, handling and braking under any conditions.

Unfortunately I hit something slick one day and I broke a lot of plastic and a bunch of my bones, not to mention my pride. I healed, but I have yet to repair the damage to my trusty mount. I have other bikes, but I would dearly like to restore him to at least ridable condition.

I have not enjoyed another bike quite as much as the Venture, before or since. I presently ride a Goldwing and it is nice, but doesn't hold a candle to the Venture.

If you know of any source of fairing parts for a 91 Venture Royale, please email me.

Thank you. Gary at; garyimpett@yahoo.com

Faults:

Seat was worn and split.

Trunk and saddle bags cracked.

Gear shifter was loose and worn.

General Comments:

The bike handled good and had plenty of power.

Compared to my current bike (1994 Honda Goldwing GL1500), the frame of the Venture Royale was not very sturdy, especially when carrying a passenger.

Faults:

During the time I owned my 1986 Venture, all I did was regular maintenance.

General Comments:

Very dependable, very quick, very comfortable! I would love to find another one with fairly low miles.

markllano@hotmail.com

Faults:

One cylinder began to fail when water got into the electric harness on a rainy trip from Florida to upstate New York.

Head light got dimmer and dimmer, I checked the voltage with the meter and found only 5 volts were reaching the lamp, so I wired it direct from the battery.

On my trip from N.Y. to Mexico and back, I felt very uncomfortable at times for fear of running out of gas.

At 800 lb. this machine is getting the best of me. If I lay it down, I cannot pick it up by myself any more, I'm 71. So my eye is on the FJR, at 522 lb. it's going to be a relief.

General Comments:

This darn bike is definitely going to outlive me!

People don't believe me when I say it's got 150 K miles. I have to show them my maintenance log.

Faults:

Over the 8 years I've had the machine, the most costly replacement was the stator. I understand these usually go out around the 50k-60k mark.

Recently, I replaced the carburator diaphragms, seems they also tend to wear out around the 50-60k mark.

I also recently replaced the clutch, it began slipping under acceleration in 4th & 5th gears. Actually, I'm surprised the clutch lasted as long as it did considering the PO used to haul a rather large trailer behind the bike.

General Comments:

The 1st Generation Yamaha Ventures were direct competition to Honda's Goldwings. In my opinion, Yamaha did a great job in keeping the pressure on Honda. The Venture handled better than the Goldwing, & when Yamaha bored the engine out to 1300cc, even Honda's 1500/6 Goldwing could barely match the Venture for power & acceleration.

The Venture was as comfortable as the Wing, though it had a more sporting seating arrangement. You feel like you're riding "in" a Venture, while you feel like you're riding "on" a Goldwing.