80s venture vs maxim with touring parts...

I know there are some venture owners or PO's here so I'm curious.

I'm not in the market for a venture, but other than larger cc's in what ways is the venture a better touring/fat America 2up bike?

Discarding storage gallons vs. my vetter setup; cb radios/intercoms; radio and styling how in a venture a better ride vs a 750 maxim?

Any major negatives vs maxims (other than no chacal parts).

Just curious in case I end up in the market.

Alternatively 80s venture or dressed goldwing and why?

 

I cant say anything about the touring maxim but I have ridden both the Venture and Goldwing. First of they they are both built for 2 up ridding and are massive feeling bikes (compaired to something like my xj650). I may upset the Yamaha gods but I like the Goldwing better. One of the biggest things that settles it out for me is that the Venture felt very top heavy compared to the Goldwing which I didn't like. Your best bet is to sit on/test drive a few to see what feels best for you even if you are not seriously in the market yet.

 

It's completely an "apples and oranges" comparison.

The Maxim is a sport cruiser, laden with luggage that it wasn't really designed for. Yes, the luggage was designed to fit it, but it wasn't originally designed as a full-dress tourer.

The Venture, on the other hand, and possibly even moreso than the 'Wing (remember the original 'Wing was just a motorcycle) was designed from the ground up as a big-rig touring bike. Weight, handling, power delivery; all vastly different.

There's really no direct comparison.

 

At freeway speeds the Venture turns about 4,500 RPM which is way easier on the ears IMHO. That XJ buzz really bugs me after 20 minutes.

The Venture has way more room, particularly for a passenger. Interestingly the XJ has a larger load rating. The maximum passenger, cargo and gear rating on the Venture is about 380 lbs. A majority of us exceed that with no problems, assuming a stouter rear tire than the spec. Better springs than stock help too.

The 1300 produces better low end torque than the XJs. I can put 500 lbs on my Venture and another couple hundred of trailer and get it moving just fine.

The Venture does feel top heavy at rest and very low speed. It takes some getting used to. To me, Goldwings feel just as top heavy.

The fairings on the Venture block almost all the elements from the rider. This is great going down the freeway in cold, miserable weather. Around town on a hot day it'll roast you alive. Particularly if you get stuck in traffic and the cooling fan kicks on.

The heavier bike and wider tires make the Venture much less inclined to follow tar snakes and pavement defects.

The XJ beats it hands down in around town fun.

The XJ will get you farther on a gallon of fuel.

Way easier to service an XJ. Anything on the Venture requires an hour getting body panels out of the way before you can start working on it. Carburetor removal/installation on a Venture makes an XJ seem a walk in the park.

The stock suspension on a Venture is crap. Conversion to progressive springs (front and rear) is almost essential, especially if you ride 2 up. There is some flex in it you can feel on bumps in curves. I believe a fork brace upgrade helps.

As Fitz said - apples and oranges. The Venture gives a lot of the fun of an XJ but behaves much better on the freeway. You pay for it in service times and roasting in the sun.

If you ever decide to pursue one I recommend you look for the 1300 model (86-93). The 1200s are almost guaranteed to have 2nd gear failure.

BTW, I sell some Venture parts. My selection isn't as robust as Chacal's, but I have quite a few.

 

This is a fun question. I shall now give you my opinion on the issue. Remember, this is my opinion only. YMMV

I don't have a 750 Maxim but I can assume that they are roughly similar to a 650. The Maxim will be much easier to ride around town. Riding a large road warrior around town can wear on you pretty fast. When I go from my long distance mile eater to the Maxim it is like climbing on a skateboard. And I mean this in a good way. 900 lbs of fully faired motorcycle is a lot to keep track of in city riding. On the highway? The Venture will win hands down if you are looking to chew up a few hundred miles.

Venture vs GoldWing: I had an OLD Wing and I loved it. Quiet, smooth, powerful and it was an early enough model that it wasn't faired. It was just a naked bike. But it wasn't a full dresser and that was what I wanted. Soooooo Vetter fairing etc. and it was just never what I REALLY wanted. The Venture is a way more attractive bike than the Wing as the Wings are a lot more boxy looking. One of the reasons I don't have a Wing is because anywhere you see a herd of bikes most of them will be GoldWings or Harleys. I like a bike that doesn't look like every other bike in the parking lot.

To summarize you will need the following motorcycles:

The Maxim for around town
The Venture for the highway
The GoldWing for your "undercover" work. (Officer, he was riding a GoldWing.......)

Have fun!

Loren

 

MiCarl and wamaxim

Thanks

So far the wife barely rides with me and I don't do LONG trips normally, so the Maxim will be more than fine for a good while.

However, with the wife riding I am pushed forward about 2 inches and that is less comfortable even with my highway bar pegs.

On my recent SOLO not-so-short trip (95F - 175 miles one-way on IL 52 - stopping for drinks, gas and lunch) my main issue was my rear end. At least for $200-$300 I could get my seat redone PROFESSIONALLY.

FYI: The 120 mile[b/] SEVEN stop poker run that same weekend was comfortable with all the stops!

 

I know what you mean about the sore keester on longer rides. I am good for non-stop riding except for re-fueling stops at 275 to 300 miles, After the second gas stop I have to get off and stretch every 150 to 200 miles.

I am seriously considering this seat as a replacement for stock. http://www.day-long.com/gallery_BMW.html Select K1200LT $800 is actually a very good price. Corbin is $1200 to $1500 depending on the options.

Stock saddles bad. Aftermarket saddles good!

Loren

 

Everyone's budget is different, but have you considered getting the original seat refoamed?

I don't remember the name, but a certain place was suggested here a few times. http://www.sargentcycle.com/custserv.htm

Of course I have a spare seat + another seat of my "parts" bike I could ship out if I ever get 200-300 to spare. LOL

 

MB/WaMaxim - have you done any experimentation to see what exactly is the mismatch between your anatomy and the XJ seat? Too soft, too hard, too low, too high, not enough side support? Check out this site for seat construction info. Then try out some less-expensive alternatives like the beaded cover, sheepskin cover, an inch or so of either closed-cell foam or memory foam (for too soft, too hard respectively), the Sweet Cheeks seat side bolster, and this ATV seat cover (also sold under the Stearns name) that has helped several riders on the Adventure Rider forum. Then you will have much more specific info if you decide to go the custom seat route.

 

The walmart cheap atv cover might be worth a try first

 

Strange as it sounds, two relatively cheap things to try for seat comfort:
1 - beaded seat cover - I personally know two Iron Butt riders that swear by them, and hey - millions of cabbies gotta be onto something.
2 - sheepskin cover - this is what I use and you'd be surprised the difference something so small makes. Keeps your butt warm if it's cold, and cooler if it's hot out. Also lets you & the seat breathe - so no more sweaty butt.

Two others I'd heard of:
-- A small air pillow with 2 breaths of air in it -- a friend of mine swears by this one.
-- Gel pads - various designs - some people love them, some don't, YMMV

 

The stock Venture seat isn't a picnic either. It's larger than the XJ, but still hard as a rock.

We use a couple seat cushions from wal-mart (they're automotive and called Gel-Foam). They might be a bit large for an XJ though.

 

I grabbed the Walmart / Coleman ATV seat pad cover. It covers about 90% of the top of my seat.

The wife said her rear vibrated less for a ~30 min ride.

I need to ride more than 6 miles solo to work to decide if its helping my rear any.

(The cramped 2up riding didn't seem to feel any different for such a short ride.