![]() ![]() Handling was poor, and all the airbag seats and audio meant something was not going to work. The Calvecade was comfortable, but like driving a battleship - huge and unweildy. Comfort over distance was decent, and it was dependable. Fuel mileage was one, parts availability was another, and getting worse. The Yamaha's were a decent bike, a better handler than the most of the competition, but had some downsides. In the for-what-its-worth catagory, I have owned and rode 2 Yamaha Venture Royales, 2 Kawasaki Voyager 1300's, one Kawasaki Voyager XII, one Susuki Calvacade LXE, and Goldwing 1000, 1100, 2 1200's, 2 1500's and an 1800. The biggest difference I see from the calvacade and the Venture Royale to the 1800 is the fact that they both seem more top heavy in slow speed maneuvers than the 1800. I have ridden one a couple times and really liked it. If it weren't for the amount of miles I ride each year I would seriously think about one of these. The power from their v-4 is awsome compared to the earlier Goldwings including the 6 cyl. They even had a model with air in the seat that could be changed for rider comfort. In my opinion they were way ahead of their time. That comes with the age of them.Īnother good one out there is the Suzuki Calvacade. There are some parts that are not easy to find for these. Between these two gentlemen they have over 200,000 miles on these bikes. I have another friend who owns three Venture Royals and will not part with either one of them yet. He likes the 1800 a little better but still thinks the Venture Royale has some better things than the 1800. Up until then he would not even think about a goldwing. I know a couple guys who ride or have ridden the Venture Royale. Most shops will not work on bikes this old or will charge a 50% surcharge for labor. On the freeway when touring he gets as much as 35mpg.Ģ. Others have reported similar mileage and some have said there's a leak in some kind of air bottles that Yamaha used in the carburation system. The biggest downsides we've found with his '83 are:ġ. ![]() (Sorry I don't have the url handy, but if you PM me, I'll get it from him on Monday and send it to you.) There's a very active Venture forum dealing with the older model Ventures, he gets lots of help with his on there. If it is the Royale model, then it is the way to go (electronic cruise control, on-board compressor, etc.) Personallly, I think the Venture was the better touring bike in the early '80s. Brian is tall (6') and skinny and it seems to fit him just fine. A friend at work has an '83 and I checked them out thoroughly when they were new. ![]()
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