| Model year | 1984 |
| Year of manufacture | 1984 |
| First year of ownership | 1998 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 1998 |
| Previous motorcycle | Yamaha Maxim 650 |
Summary:
Not a bad touring bike for the money
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.
Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 31st August, 2008
| Model year | 1986 |
| Year of manufacture | 1986 |
| First year of ownership | 1987 |
| Acceleration marks | 10 / 10 |
| Roll-on Performance marks | 10 / 10 |
| Handling marks | 10 / 10 |
| Braking marks | 10 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 10 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 10 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 10 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 6 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) |
9.5 / 10
|
| Distance when acquired | 0 miles |
| Most recent distance | 42000 miles |
| Previous motorcycle | Harley-Davidson FLHTCUI Ultra Classic Electra Glide |
Summary:
Superb!
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
Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 2nd July, 2008
| Model year | 1984 |
| Year of manufacture | 1984 |
| First year of ownership | 1994 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2006 |
| Acceleration marks | 7 / 10 |
| Handling marks | 7 / 10 |
| Braking marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 10 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 10 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 5 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) |
7.7 / 10
|
| Distance when acquired | 100000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 150000 miles |
| Previous motorcycle | Honda VF750C Magna |
Summary:
I love this bike
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.
Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 4th July, 2006
| Model year | 1989 |
| Year of manufacture | 1988 |
| First year of ownership | 1997 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2005 |
| Acceleration marks | 8 / 10 |
| Roll-on Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Handling marks | 8 / 10 |
| Braking marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 6 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) |
7.9 / 10
|
| Distance when acquired | 33000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 56000 miles |
| Previous motorcycle | Honda GL100 Interstate |
Summary:
Superb machine, too bad they're discontinued
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.
Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 20th June, 2005
I agree with the writer mostly. Unfortunately my Venture was a real lemon. It had mostly good days, but I never owned a motorcyle with so many production defects.
The brake rotors were of a sub par material, hence the pads wore out quickly.
The seat stitching came apart after a year.
The plastic pieces were really junky quality.
I could go on about all of the times I had to take it back to the dealer the first 7 years I owned it. I still have it, but it has so many issues I am considering cannibalizing it to the ebay crowd.
A sweet bike when it wasn't being depended on.