Faults:

Alternator fried in first couple of months. Replaced under warranty.

Second alternator replaced under warranty. Was told factory had fixed original design flaw.

Third alternator fried 400 miles from home on a Sunday. Took almost a week for the dealer to get a replacement alternator.

After that, the bike ran fine until I sold it years later.

Tires and brakes were frequently replaced, but that is to be expected on a big, heavy, and powerful touring bike that was ridden long, hard, and frequently overloaded.

If not for the alternator problems, and maybe if they hadn't happened so far from home, I would have felt less bothered about it. Nah. A brand new touring bike that can't tour would tick me off no matter where it broke down. A motorcycle magazine popular at the time had its husband-and-wife team take a new Venture Royale on a mega mile road tour/ road test, and they reported no problems with the bike. I should have figured they probably had a Yamaha tech team in a chase truck rebuild the dammed thing every night. (Joke. Sorta.)

Faults:

I've had two of these Ventures. Both identical except color.

Both had problems with the computerized monitors, however, I check all vitals manually, so it isn't a big deal. The warning light keeps flashing, but I no longer see it as I have a black piece of paper cut out and placed over the monitors window, thus blocking it.

The 2nd gear on my previous Venture started to miss at approximately 28K miles. It didn't do it all the time. No problems on this one.

The other thing that happens is the paint on both motorcycles fade. Uh oh, better get MAACO. I will probably have MAACO paint the top of the back trunk, the outsides of the two side trunks, and the top of the gas tank cover.

General Comments:

I enjoyed the Venture 20 years ago. So much so that I bought another last fall. I put $1000.00 into it to make it run perfect. It does! I would not hesitate to take it anywhere.

I like the feel of this bike over the Goldwing because of the quicker response and comfort. I am a tall guy and this bike fits me better.

The 2nd gear thing is not a problem (knock on wood), but I would not let this stop me from purchasing one of these. Great bike. Great value!

Faults:

Had to replace a battery, which was probably 4 years old.

Done some plastic repairs to the fairing.

General Comments:

My uncle bought this bike new in 1983 and gave it to me in 2003. The bike only had 10,000 miles on it when I got it, thanks to the weather in Michigan. My uncle kept the bike in his garage, but the roof leaked, and by the time I picked it up there was junk piled up all over it. In fact all you could see was the taillight.

So I dug the bike out, and it was a pain in the butt to get on my trailer with flat tires.

Once I got the bike home, I spent a week cleaning it up and was surprised that the bike held up pretty well. I took the bike to the local Yamaha dealer expecting the worse. But only spent $460.00 for a complete maintenance service. The service tech said the bike was in great shape.

I'm 6'1'' and the Venture is the most comfortable bike I have ever rode. The bike is fast and is very easy to handle. The bike still looks great and people are surprised when I tell them it's an 83'.

If you are looking for a used bike, I recommend the 1st generation Yamaha Venture, it's worth every penny.