1986 Yamaha XVZ1300D Venture Royale from Canada
Summary:
Great highway vehicle
Faults:
Generally the dashboard display has mind of its own. The fuel level oscillates from max to zero even after the fill up at the gas station. Fuel level warning is constantly on. High beams (blue light) going on and off, regardless of actual light.
General Comments:
Despite the minor electronic glitches, which one has to accept as a sign of age (25 year old vehicle), it is a comfortable and dependable bike. Meant definitely more for highways and long distance rides than congested city streets. Has sufficient power and torque (comes in handy during heavy traffic). During passing of the slower vehicles, it easily and without hesitation goes into speeds that could bring the attention of traffic cops.
It took me some time to get use to a whining noise of the gears.
It would be nice if lights, both High and Low beams were stronger. Brakes are good; anti diving system adds to the comfort. Some plastics were cracked. Somehow I believe that this is not necessarily the age caused brittleness, but rather the sign of some "history(ies)"...
Fuel mileage, the average after 5000 miles, is 36 MPG (6.5 l/100km). After all, it is a full size cruiser, not a moped.
Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 25th October, 2012
23rd Oct 2014, 11:50
Plastic: It appears to be an issue with the plastic itself. Most of the plastic is available either salvage or aftermarket EXCEPT the two halves of the main front fairing. You can find the salvage, but the mount locations are almost always cracked. I had to completely rebuild and reinforce all my mounts, and it was quite a bit of work to do it right. I used plastic welder, mesh metal screen, & fiberglass & resin (where there was room). If I ever drop this bike the fairing is toast.
Even with the other plastic pieces, it is important that you do not tighten the screws down. Take down until just touching and use a blue Loctite. The rattling and squeaking can get annoying, so I found some thin sticky back felt like sheeting to place under those areas, though whatever you use cannot be very thick. Also watch the size of washers that go down into the plastic mount holes. These should be very loose fitting on OD (snug OD fits blow out plastic real quick).