Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

ka On the other side of the dash are the controls for Yamaha's Computer Leveling Air Suspension System, whose acronym at least shows that someone at Yamaha was having a good time when the names were chosen for the bike's various features. C.L.A.S.S. basically is a smaIl compressor mounted at the rear of the bike that pumps air into the front forks or the single rear shock. The unit can be operated in either automatic or manual modes. Automatic allows the choice of three factorychosen settings, low, medium and high. In the manual mode, the rider can add air a pound or two at a time to either the front or the rear suspension. In both modes, air can be bled off by pressing a button marked decrease. Air pressure is conveniently displayed in haH-Inch-hlgh LCD numerals above the controls. If that's not enough to keep your eyes and hands busy, there's always the Computerized Monitor. Although rather Orwellian sounding, it's basically a nine-block grid of LCD symbols that light up if there's a problem in one of the monitored areas. The system checks sidestand position, brake-fluid levels, engine-oil level, battery-fluid level, headli~ht operation, taillight operation and fuel level. Should somethmg go awry m one of the areas, the appropriate block lights up and a red warning light at the top of the grid starts blinking. During our 4000 miles with the Venture, only the sidstand and low fuel warnings came on. Incidemafly the warning for low fuel comes on a tad too early. When it starts blinking, almost 50 miles of range are left in the underseat gas tank. At night the constant red flashing can be bothersome. Of course, aU the tricky electronic devices in the world aren't much good if the bike doesn't work out on the open road. The Venture does. And not just on the plumb-linestraight interstates either. The Ven, ture is one mega-tourer that doesn't stumble all over its tires when the going gets twisty. Aided by an in.tegral fork brace and a front-fork antldive system that works far better than those we've tested recently on some sport bikes, the Yamaha can be ridden vigorously around smooth curves il that would leavea Gold Wingdepos'lJ~ting enough metal shavings to build a minibike from. GPz or Interceptor riders won't quake in fear when they , see the. gold-and-tan land yacht fall in behind them, but the Venture is 'competent enough in the twisty stuff to de£late more than a few sport-rider egos. The Venture's behavior on other road surfaces is, for the most part, also bevond reproach. The one exception is on worn, expansionjointed concrete freeways. There the Venture gets confused, and noamot.1nt of fiddling with the suspensIOn seemed to help. Understand that compared to most other motorcycles, the new Yamaha handles these diHicult sections well. It's just that compared to the ride of the marshmellow-soft r Gold Wing over similar sections, the "., Venture is a notch down. I Fully loaded with riders and lug, gage, lOuring bikes like the Venture 'weigh in at well over the half-ton " mark, and demand good brakes to bring that kind of mass to a halt from J. highway speeds. Three large, inter_f' nally vented discs are up to the task rr" on the Venture. As has become de rigeur on touring bikes lately, the Venture uses an integrated braking I system in that the right foot pedal , operates both the rear disc and one front disc, while the handlebarmounted lever actuates the other front disc. A tromp on the foot pedal actuates the rear brake first, then a metering val,,~ .brings the. hont disc. into play. The valve is set so that it is almost impossible to lock up the rear wheel, and although we had some initial reservations about the system, we soon became comfortable with it in most situations. In low-traction circumstances, such as city streets during a light drizzle, we'd rather have a conventional braking set-up, where the rear brake can be used to test how slipPery the road surface is. For most riders in most situations, though, the integrated brakes will work just fine. Ergonomically, Yamaha's new flagship has the right stuff. The Royale's brown, two-tiered saddle made friends with everyone who perched on it. Unlike some buckettype seats, which allow only one seating positions, the Venture's seat permits the rider to move around a little bi l. The dreaded numb· butt syndrome is not a problem with the Venture. In addition, the handlebars and aJl four foot pegs are adjustable, in case you don't like the standard positioning. Theonly complaint we got about the passenger accommodations came from someone with extensive miles riding shotgun on an Aspencade; she thought the backrest on the Yamaha was a little low. The windshield, orrather its height, drew flack from some of our testers. They. complained about buffeting and felt that a couple of inches of extra height would provide a better still-air pocket for the rider. While that may be true. there's a penalty to be paid for tall windshields - you have to look through them rather than over them. That's fine in ideal conditions, but factor in rain, fog, splattered bugs, and oncoming headlights at night, and looking through a windshield becomes a difficult, if not downright dangerous, task. Overall, we'll take a low windshield and a minor amount of buffeting every rime. In response to customer complaints, though, the 1984 Venture will come with a windshield twO inches higher. We've also heard that a sophisticated cruise control system will be standard on the Royale for 1984. One thing we would like to change about the Yamaha is the amount of heat coming from the engine bay. Heat radiating from the cylinders combined with a rush of hotaircoming through the radiator conspire to make life on the Venture pretty uncomfortable anytime the thermometer pushes past 85 degrees. Nighttime sojourns along the coast or autumn jaunts through leaf-strewn country roads will be great on the Venture, but stop-and-go traffic in the summertime will convince you that Yamaha has built the world's first twowheeled sauna. Vents are provided in the dash and in the fairing's nondetachable lowers, but are ineffective in combating the heat, even at cruising speeds. Problems with heat aside, we were very impressed with Yamaha's Venture. It it better than the all-conquering Gold Wing? With reservations, we'll have to say yes. The first of a new wave of.super tourers from Japan, the Venture has a more integra ted feel than the Honda, makes better power and is a more versatile motorcycle. For now at least, there is a new king saun· terin~ alon~ America's highways. Butdon'tthink the Venture will go unchallenged. Kawasaki's high-tech Voyager should be on the streets soon, the premier of Honda's longrumored six-cylinder tourer will doubtless be moved up and lowvolume manufacturers like BMW and Harley-Davidson promise to have a trick or two up their corporate sleeves. The new kin~ will be in for some stiH opposition. And you can bet your Yosemite Sam Get Back mud£lap on •• th'3t."""~"""-" ~ ••.i ' O;oJ"o·e ~ 00 0') ...... Specifications Engine . Type Displacement Bore x stroke Compression ratio Starting system Ignition system Transmission Carburetion _ Water-cooled. V-4 four-stroke. __ _.. _ 1198cc. 76 X 66mm. 10.5:.1. _ : EI~tric. Tran~lstorlzed. Five-speed. Four 34mm Mikuni. Frame Type Front tire Rear tire Double cradle. 120/90-18 tubeless. 140/90-16 tubeless. Dimensions Wheelbase Seat height Dry weight (claimed) Fuel capacity Suggested retail price 63 in. 31 in. 699 Ibs. 5.3 gal. $7599. 19

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