I wish I sstill had my 83 Royal. I sold it after getting tired of all of the age related issues i had to deal with each year. Brake caliper rebuilds, craked circuit boards in the dash, shock pressue system leaks.. the list goes on.... But, even with all of that,, it would be a real attention getter at the vintage hows now. these were great bikes WAY ahead of their time in features and performance.
A testament to how great a bike these old 1st gen Ventures were, 30 years old and still running strong. My second gen and my new Venture are great bikes too.
@@Moto-me got this one here going. Was a chore and a process. Biggest roadblock was a terribly corroded TCI. No spark and bad battery drain. Replaced the TCI with an Ignitech. Programmed it with my laptop and fired right up. After smoking out 2 blocks from stuck rings, a batch of sea foam in crankcase loosened it up. Now that it has some mileage under it, it runs superb. On outside The bike is old and weathered from being left out in the elements. Looks like a horrible pos. Butttt it runs so smooth and is very very comfortable to ride. Lotsa power! Not going to spend any time or money in the aesthetics. Leaving it au-naturelle as conversation piece. LoL. Thoroughly enjoying the ride, the power, and the nimble handling. From behind the windshield I do not see all the faded and flaking paint, nor the rusting chrome, nor cracked and missing chunks of plastic. Not gonna polish the turd for others to enjoy what I cannot see. 😊
I bought a '83 left over, still in the crate, in 1986. It's my cool weather, long distance bike. Every spring I think about selling it until I take it for a ride. Thanks for posting your video. I enjoyed it.
Thanks for sharing this Shawn. I used to own an 89 Venture Royale, I absolutely loved that bike. It was even more comfortable than the Goldwings I've had. Took it on a 2500 mile trip once. What a great machine. Took me back. Thanks
Glad you added this vid! Inspired me to go ahead and trade for the 83 I just got! I know I'm gonna love riding it as soon as I get th oil leak fixed (needs gasket behind water pump housing). I did get to test 2nd gear, works fine!! Thanks Bro. !!
Thats a great video,very enjoyable.Found it by chance as my mate has a Royal Star.Well done.Looks like you live in a great part of the world.I'm in Plymouth England.As soon as i leave home im in slow traffic and its always raining here ! Motorcycling can be ...um...challenging what with potholes and the poor standard of driving here in England.I run a BMW R1200RT.
Graham Mitchell - Thank you very much Graham! Sorry you don't have better riding conditions over there. The weather is a lot like yours over here in the Pacific Northwest, it rains for 7 month or more out of the year...
Hi from Brazil. Am connected with digital world again. Is good to watch your vlogs again. We first made contact about this, 10 years ago. You were about to buy a new bike. You were in doubt in a yamaha 950 Bolton or a Sporster, and the last I saw is when you bought the Sporster. Anyways. Good to see you're ok and your family. Always liked you videos and your contents, plus the amazing beautiful view. Thank you for your videos. Much respect. God bless brother.
OMG, you had us in tears!!! I read your comment to the guys up at the service counter... The thought of this 5 year old kid going for a ghost ride on a big old Venture was just to much! Oh man, you just made my (our) day... Thank you very much!
Hey Mr. Shawn. I believe this was one of the first vlog I watched along time ago, and it's what got me into viewing them. My brother had an '88 and I remember it was a good looking bike, but I enjoyed my Intruder at the time, better. Silly me. Wish I had his Venture now. As always, stay safe & God Bless.
Have a '83 as well sitting in the garage. The speedometer squeal used to drive me crazy lol. I think I'm going to break her out and give her some attention. Thanks for sharing.
I have an 85 1200 with 14000 on it and it flies, lots of power but i shift around 4500 rpm. You're riding it like a Harley and that's gonna be a lot worse for it than revving it a little. best bike Ive ever owned and still as smooth as a Swiss watch with nothing more than regular maintenance. Cheers!
I've been looking at more and more of these Venture's. I currently have a Virago and previously rode a Maxim. I miss the the v4 engines. I'm hoping to get a Venture or Goldwing soon so I can have a more comfortable bike for the touring that I want to do.
That was some great riding. I have a 87 venture. I sold my suzuki 750 and got the venture. I love the smooth ride but I haven't rode it like you just showed. I didn't think it would handle the curves like the shorts bike. Guess I was wrong. Im a little skiddish about the difference in weight.
Hoi Shawn, nice ride! I have the 1300. Great machines. Spoke to a BMW 1600GT owner who also had owned a Venture Royal 1300. He stated that for comfort and straightline stability one must have the Venture. Only on the twisties the BMW comes at an advantage. But he has to be more carefull with the throttle. More nervous. Passenger comfort also superior on the Venture.
Yeah, I remember those XJ's being a bad boy back when they came out... Still a very nice bike to ride! Make the choke plungers are closing all the way down. I've seen the choke cable get sticky and not allow the plungers to close all the way... Will definitely cause the idle to hang if they do. Also, take a look at the carb sync nipples on each intake manifold. I've seen those rubber plugs dry out or pop off, causing a healthy air leak... Thanks for watching and commenting dheller777!
I traded for an 89 1300 last fall was running good till the floats in my carbs started sticking. Have a friend cleaning them and should be getting them back Monday. I can't wait to get it going again. Figure I better clean my tank and filter and stuff, don't want to dirty up my carbs again. Any help would be nice. Thanks in advance.
The Go Pro handled the night well. I really did that bike, my grandpa had a maroon one and I loved getting to go on rides. His best friend took me for a ride around the neighborhood to the old gravel pit, was going slow and lost it, jumped off while I just comfortably went with the bike. Lol, I was 5 and thought that was just as fun as going fast! Haha.
Very cool Pawel, I also has an '85 Venture Royal back in the day. I loved that one too, wish I would have kept it... Thanks for watching and commenting!
Enjoyed the video Shawn, I recently bought a used Canadian 83 Venture 1200 with around 45 K kilometers (24K+) Did you ever have issues with exhaust gaskets/clamps? My bike has been down' by 1st owner, his son in law sold it to me after that and it needs some electrical work at the dashboard. Haven't got into it but, speedometer doesn't currently work, right side indicator lght (on dash) doesn't work, and only once has temp guage worked. I also need new fork seals & check steering head bearings (adjust or replace) BTW; You mentioned cutting down the windshield on your bike how difficult and what's involved with cutting it down and what would one use to 'clean up' the cut? I'm a short rider and mine is definitely too tall.
Yeah, she's been a good 'ol gal... What kind of temps are you guys seeing in the am? We've been high 30's to low 40's, but they're saying 30°F for the next few nights... I figured out a way mount it on the old helmet because I knew the wind would be crazy going down the Columbia Gorge this past Sunday on the Iron. I figured it would be more aerodynamic mounted there... It was better than on the side. Good thing, as the wind was nuts...!
Ive just come across these bikes after looking for a Goldwing. I prefer the Yam I think and its nice to be able to see one on the move and its looks as though it moves well. I'm looking at the newer 92' 1300 version. A proper mile muncher me thinks!
Man she sounds purty! I had one in Burgandy color then came our 3rd kid I could'nt afford them both :-( so I said bye bye to the Venture Royal sniff sniff
Thanks for the ride along. I have a 1982 Yamaha XJ650 Maxim. I ride it ebvery day to work and love the bike. The shaft drive is great although it goes through rear drum brakes about once a year. She must have an intake leak or something now as when I shift and let off the throttle the engine rpm does not drop for several seconds which is hard on the clutch. Need to take it to the shop for that. In the ay it use to be one of the fastest bikes in it's class. Would love to have an 1100 or and 850.
Wow another one like my XVZ 1200, mine is a 1984 Venture Royal with under 42,000 miles on it! Great condition for her age and these bikes are easily as reliable as the Honda Goldwing series cruisers. Ironically enough my speedo makes the same damn noisy groan at high speeds and goes silent at 15! :) Crazy how smooth these bikes really are and how stable as you said at speed to. I will confess....i also have a 1983 GL1100 Aspencade-A cruiser and to be honest i prefer the feel of the Yamaha more. It's a lot "tamer" then the wing is. take a peek at my video here of my trade i made for a Goldwing!
Chad Kilgore I love the V-Max, both 1200 and 1700 versions... The older 1200's are based on my Venture engine. Way more power though! Thanks for watching and the kind words!
I don't clean my motorcycles anymore. Not even my new bike. I'll come back from a ride and just give it a quick spray down. Done wasting hours of my life cleaning and polishing a bike so that some stranger in a car can admire it. Life is short.
I am getting there with ya Hans! I am about to the point that as long as the windscreen is clear, I don't care as long as it is waxed twice a year to protect it. LOL
Deck Luck - The mufflers are stock. These old V-Four's always had a cool sound. The GL had a flat four style engine. Yes, this is the original color. Most people purchased the Venture Royal back in the day, which was a two-tone color scheme. The standard Venture's seem to be rare... Thanks for watching!
+Shawn Smoak i have a 1993 venture royale 1300 with electronic cruise control. i have no idea whats goin so i thought maybe you do. for some reason i have a hell of a time getting it to do even 60. i shift usually at 3500 to 4000 rpm. am i just riding it wrong and too used to harleys?
Hello, I have the 1300. What do you mean "for some reason i have a hell of a time getting it to do even 60". qu You mean it is accellerating slow? This bike has it's maximum torque at 5.000 RPM and max. power at 7.000 RPM. Shifting between 3500 to 4000 is too early. You get way too low in the rev-range, shifting that early. For real acceleration shift between 5000 - 7000. It's a beast of an engine. By the way: the slower the rev's are, the worse the beating is for the (any) engine.
I don't know how to dare insinuate that you went 145mph with this Venture, I had one from 1985-1989 and the fastest I could get it was about 125mph (200km/h)...you must've been dreamin' man! No way in hell such a heavy tourer with only 97hp can reach 145mph, no way!
That was some great riding. I have a 87 venture. I sold my suzuki 750 and got the venture. I love the smooth ride but I haven't rode it like you just showed. I didn't think it would handle the curves like the shorts bike. Guess I was wrong. Im a little skiddish about the difference in weight.
I wish I sstill had my 83 Royal. I sold it after getting tired of all of the age related issues i had to deal with each year. Brake caliper rebuilds, craked circuit boards in the dash, shock pressue system leaks.. the list goes on.... But, even with all of that,, it would be a real attention getter at the vintage hows now. these were great bikes WAY ahead of their time in features and performance.
A testament to how great a bike these old 1st gen Ventures were, 30 years old and still running strong. My second gen and my new Venture are great bikes too.
Currently working on bringing an abandoned 84 back to the roadways. 40 yrs old in 2024.
@billybobbarker3175 i just bought an 84. Not running yet but a complete bike. Sat since 2016.
@@Moto-me got this one here going. Was a chore and a process. Biggest roadblock was a terribly corroded TCI. No spark and bad battery drain. Replaced the TCI with an Ignitech. Programmed it with my laptop and fired right up. After smoking out 2 blocks from stuck rings, a batch of sea foam in crankcase loosened it up. Now that it has some mileage under it, it runs superb.
On outside The bike is old and weathered from being left out in the elements. Looks like a horrible pos. Butttt it runs so smooth and is very very comfortable to ride. Lotsa power! Not going to spend any time or money in the aesthetics. Leaving it au-naturelle as conversation piece. LoL. Thoroughly enjoying the ride, the power, and the nimble handling. From behind the windshield I do not see all the faded and flaking paint, nor the rusting chrome, nor cracked and missing chunks of plastic. Not gonna polish the turd for others to enjoy what I cannot see. 😊
I bought a '83 left over, still in the crate, in 1986. It's my cool weather, long distance bike. Every spring I think about selling it until I take it for a ride. Thanks for posting your video. I enjoyed it.
Very cool yamadog45! These are awesome old bikes. I love these old boats! Like a classic Cadillac...
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Thanks for sharing this Shawn. I used to own an 89 Venture Royale, I absolutely loved that bike. It was even more comfortable than the Goldwings I've had. Took it on a 2500 mile trip once. What a great machine. Took me back. Thanks
Glad you added this vid! Inspired me to go ahead and trade for the 83 I just got! I know I'm gonna love riding it as soon as I get th oil leak fixed (needs gasket behind water pump housing). I did get to test 2nd gear, works fine!! Thanks Bro. !!
Thats a great video,very enjoyable.Found it by chance as my mate has a Royal Star.Well done.Looks like you live in a great part of the world.I'm in Plymouth England.As soon as i leave home im in slow traffic and its always raining here ! Motorcycling can be ...um...challenging what with potholes and the poor standard of driving here in England.I run a BMW R1200RT.
Graham Mitchell - Thank you very much Graham! Sorry you don't have better riding conditions over there. The weather is a lot like yours over here in the Pacific Northwest, it rains for 7 month or more out of the year...
Thanks for sharing. It almost looked like the bike was flying, so smooth was the riding.
Thanks Falconius Azurius ! See a comfortable ol gal...
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Excellent video. Yamaha's V4 is one of my favorite engines of all time. So torquey, yet so smooth, and they sound they make is amazing.
Yea I got one and it's amazing I recently got it running
Hi from Brazil.
Am connected with digital world again. Is good to watch your vlogs again. We first made contact about this, 10 years ago.
You were about to buy a new bike. You were in doubt in a yamaha 950 Bolton or a Sporster, and the last I saw is when you bought the Sporster.
Anyways.
Good to see you're ok and your family.
Always liked you videos and your contents, plus the amazing beautiful view.
Thank you for your videos.
Much respect.
God bless brother.
OMG, you had us in tears!!! I read your comment to the guys up at the service counter... The thought of this 5 year old kid going for a ghost ride on a big old Venture was just to much! Oh man, you just made my (our) day...
Thank you very much!
Hey Mr. Shawn. I believe this was one of the first vlog I watched along time ago, and it's what got me into viewing them. My brother had an '88 and I remember it was a good looking bike, but I enjoyed my Intruder at the time, better. Silly me. Wish I had his Venture now. As always, stay safe & God Bless.
Well, you entertained me also! I enjoy listening to subject matter experts.
Have a '83 as well sitting in the garage. The speedometer squeal used to drive me crazy lol. I think I'm going to break her out and give her some attention. Thanks for sharing.
Is that what that shit is? The speedomater is making that fucking sound? What and how?
Great video, man I'm amazed at the night mode on this camera. That Yamaha sounds great. Great upload.
What a great panel, looks like a spaceship! Greetings from Brazil!
Lol, yeah she's a bit spaceship looking...Thanks for watching Joaninha!
I have an 85 1200 with 14000 on it and it flies, lots of power but i shift around 4500 rpm. You're riding it like a Harley and that's gonna be a lot worse for it than revving it a little. best bike Ive ever owned and still as smooth as a Swiss watch with nothing more than regular maintenance. Cheers!
I've been looking at more and more of these Venture's. I currently have a Virago and previously rode a Maxim. I miss the the v4 engines. I'm hoping to get a Venture or Goldwing soon so I can have a more comfortable bike for the touring that I want to do.
That was some great riding. I have a 87 venture. I sold my suzuki 750 and got the venture. I love the smooth ride but I haven't rode it like you just showed. I didn't think it would handle the curves like the shorts bike. Guess I was wrong. Im a little skiddish about the difference in weight.
Hoi Shawn, nice ride!
I have the 1300. Great machines. Spoke to a BMW 1600GT owner who also had owned a Venture Royal 1300. He stated that for comfort and straightline stability one must have the Venture.
Only on the twisties the BMW comes at an advantage. But he has to be more carefull with the throttle. More nervous.
Passenger comfort also superior on the Venture.
Yeah, I remember those XJ's being a bad boy back when they came out... Still a very nice bike to ride!
Make the choke plungers are closing all the way down. I've seen the choke cable get sticky and not allow the plungers to close all the way... Will definitely cause the idle to hang if they do. Also, take a look at the carb sync nipples on each intake manifold. I've seen those rubber plugs dry out or pop off, causing a healthy air leak...
Thanks for watching and commenting dheller777!
that bike sounds cool. Had no idea it had a V4
I traded for an 89 1300 last fall was running good till the floats in my carbs started sticking. Have a friend cleaning them and should be getting them back Monday. I can't wait to get it going again. Figure I better clean my tank and filter and stuff, don't want to dirty up my carbs again. Any help would be nice. Thanks in advance.
The Go Pro handled the night well. I really did that bike, my grandpa had a maroon one and I loved getting to go on rides. His best friend took me for a ride around the neighborhood to the old gravel pit, was going slow and lost it, jumped off while I just comfortably went with the bike. Lol, I was 5 and thought that was just as fun as going fast! Haha.
Very nice riding,I have the same venture 85' great bike I love it, greetings from Poland! :-)
Very cool Pawel, I also has an '85 Venture Royal back in the day. I loved that one too, wish I would have kept it...
Thanks for watching and commenting!
That's cool, I loved the FT500's... I once on the twin cylinder version called VT500FT Ascot.
Thanks for watching and commenting Max!
Great video, did you have any 2nd gear issues like many Venture Royales did ?
Enjoyed the video Shawn, I recently bought a used Canadian 83 Venture 1200 with around 45 K kilometers (24K+) Did you ever have issues with exhaust gaskets/clamps? My bike has been down' by 1st owner, his son in law sold it to me after that and it needs some electrical work at the dashboard. Haven't got into it but, speedometer doesn't currently work, right side indicator lght (on dash) doesn't work, and only once has temp guage worked. I also need new fork seals & check steering head bearings (adjust or replace) BTW; You mentioned cutting down the windshield on your bike how difficult and what's involved with cutting it down and what would one use to 'clean up' the cut? I'm a short rider and mine is definitely too tall.
Great ride video
not sure if any mentioned it, but the vmax swap works, you need the whole final drive for it to bolt on.
Well thanks Giff74! And thanks for taking the time to watch & comment!
That bike looks super fun. I have a little Honda FT500 that I love to death. Also a pain to find parts for. Very cool my man!
Yeah, she's been a good 'ol gal... What kind of temps are you guys seeing in the am? We've been high 30's to low 40's, but they're saying 30°F for the next few nights...
I figured out a way mount it on the old helmet because I knew the wind would be crazy going down the Columbia Gorge this past Sunday on the Iron. I figured it would be more aerodynamic mounted there... It was better than on the side. Good thing, as the wind was nuts...!
Sweet sound...one 83 available locally without 2nd gear....might check into it for $1k...thanks for sharing.
Shawn, this is the Yamaha beside of Street Glide ? It doesn't work anymore ? Beautiful bike.
Hi Shawn, nice vid, you can ride these XVZ1200's with ease, I'll try to put a vid on my 2nd XVZ1200 soon.
Thanks Warren! That would be awesome to another XVZ12 out there in UA-cam land... Lol
Thank You Shawn!!! I have 1984 XVZ since 1984.
Ive just come across these bikes after looking for a Goldwing. I prefer the Yam I think and its nice to be able to see one on the move and its looks as though it moves well. I'm looking at the newer 92' 1300 version. A proper mile muncher me thinks!
Man she sounds purty! I had one in Burgandy color then came our 3rd kid I could'nt afford them both :-( so I said bye bye to the Venture Royal sniff sniff
Thanks for the ride along. I have a 1982 Yamaha XJ650 Maxim. I ride it ebvery day to work and love the bike. The shaft drive is great although it goes through rear drum brakes about once a year. She must have an intake leak or something now as when I shift and let off the throttle the engine rpm does not drop for several seconds which is hard on the clutch. Need to take it to the shop for that. In the ay it use to be one of the fastest bikes in it's class. Would love to have an 1100 or and 850.
Bryan how did you come to have that bike. Maybe you should fix her. She's damn near an classic besides that didn't you say your wife likes it?
Great ride thank you cheers
Cool bike
Hi, this is really sucj a nice countryside to ride the bike. So lucky... Make wnt to change countries. Thanks for posting.
Yamaha Venture to bardzo dobry Motocykl.. W moim kraju jest sporo dobrej pogody dojazdy .Pozdrawiam z Polski ps: fajny film ..
you ever had a problem with your headlight ? when its on dim either its to dim or not work at all but bright works great
Wow another one like my XVZ 1200, mine is a 1984 Venture Royal with under 42,000 miles on it! Great condition for her age and these bikes are easily as reliable as the Honda Goldwing series cruisers. Ironically enough my speedo makes the same damn noisy groan at high speeds and goes silent at 15! :) Crazy how smooth these bikes really are and how stable as you said at speed to. I will confess....i also have a 1983 GL1100 Aspencade-A cruiser and to be honest i prefer the feel of the Yamaha more. It's a lot "tamer" then the wing is. take a peek at my video here of my trade i made for a Goldwing!
Shawn, I'm thinking about a yamaha VMax as my next ride. What do you think of em? btw I really like your videos keep em coming..
Chad Kilgore
I love the V-Max, both 1200 and 1700 versions... The older 1200's are based on my Venture engine. Way more power though!
Thanks for watching and the kind words!
What's the 0-100 on one of those?
hey looking at buying one your video very good and funny too
I don't clean my motorcycles anymore. Not even my new bike. I'll come back from a ride and just give it a quick spray down. Done wasting hours of my life cleaning and polishing a bike so that some stranger in a car can admire it. Life is short.
I am getting there with ya Hans! I am about to the point that as long as the windscreen is clear, I don't care as long as it is waxed twice a year to protect it. LOL
MotoVlog 10/23! - Yamaha XVZ12 Talk!
Deck Luck - The mufflers are stock. These old V-Four's always had a cool sound. The GL had a flat four style engine. Yes, this is the original color. Most people purchased the Venture Royal back in the day, which was a two-tone color scheme. The standard Venture's seem to be rare...
Thanks for watching!
+Shawn Smoak i have a 1993 venture royale 1300 with electronic cruise control. i have no idea whats goin so i thought maybe you do. for some reason i have a hell of a time getting it to do even 60. i shift usually at 3500 to 4000 rpm. am i just riding it wrong and too used to harleys?
Hello, I have the 1300.
What do you mean "for some reason i have a hell of a time getting it to do even 60". qu You mean it is accellerating slow? This bike has it's maximum torque at 5.000 RPM and max. power at 7.000 RPM. Shifting between 3500 to 4000 is too early. You get way too low in the rev-range, shifting that early. For real acceleration shift between 5000 - 7000. It's a beast of an engine.
By the way: the slower the rev's are, the worse the beating is for the (any) engine.
Thanks guzzi i tried it out and I was just riding it like a harley. That thing really moves!
You can bolt on the v max wheel and hub.
Have to do the assembly. But puts more torque at the wheel.
Try Ebay for parts for your Yamaha XVZ 1200 have many. I have rebuilt my bike because of ebay
What is that blinking light?
Turn signal lmao
I don't know how to dare insinuate that you went 145mph with this Venture, I had one from 1985-1989 and the fastest I could get it was about 125mph (200km/h)...you must've been dreamin' man! No way in hell such a heavy tourer with only 97hp can reach 145mph, no way!
Sweat heart... Its a 1200cc bike it can and will get up to that speed
I won't one looking at one mint 20,000 miles for cheap
waitn for a deer u need a bumper on that thing.145 ur just gonna get sprayed
Dig* your bike
That was some great riding. I have a 87 venture. I sold my suzuki 750 and got the venture. I love the smooth ride but I haven't rode it like you just showed. I didn't think it would handle the curves like the shorts bike. Guess I was wrong. Im a little skiddish about the difference in weight.