Wing vs Venture maintenance

I do not think I am alone in keeping an eye on the Eluder/Venture as an alternative to the pre-17 Wing/F6B and 18+ Wing/Wing Tour.

Well, in typical Yamaha fashion, they do not appear to be that easy or cheap to maintain. Here is quote from a post on a Venture forum:


About the valve adjustment. Quite frankly, had I known before purchase that at every 16,000 miles I was going to have to do some intensive checkover maintenance, specifically the valve check, the swingarm lube, and the steering bearings repack and more, I would not have gotten it. I have two RoadStars that I do most work on which seems to be a lot less than this new '18.

I believe this guy also was commenting on how difficult it is to remove the rear wheel from his Venture; as well as $1000+ to do a full service at 16k.

So, two thoughts:

1. This is disappointing, as I was hoping Yami had learned from previous lessons (my two VStar 1100s were a PITA to work on) and this is a strike against the big Yammi in my book.

2. This got me thinking as to how much I have spent on my F6B in the first (almost) 30,000 miles:

4 Mobil 1/Honda filter oil changes: $200
3 rear tires $400
1 front tire $120
Final drive lube $6

TOTAL $726.00
Did not include labor, as all work done by myself and was easy!

So on the Venture it would be:
4 Mobil 1/filter changes: $200
3 rear tires $400-$800 (if dealer had done work @ $100 in labor each, due to difficulty
1 front tire $120/$220 (same)
16k maintenance including new plugs and valve adjustment (16k in manual) ~$1000
Belt replacement ??? $400 (parts and labor)

TOTAL up to $2600.00
Does not include pending second valve adjustment at 32k, though, to be fair, most won't have it done this frequently
*would be $1000.00 without labor costs, but sounds like it would require a hefty amount of time and/or swearing

I am not one to wrench for hours and hours, so the likelihood of me just taking it to the dam dealer or shop is high.

The B is extremely easy to maintain. And cheap. Like you I use the Mobil 1 but that is not necessary thus reducing the bill by more. I am a big proponent of Mobil 1 though. It's easy on tires if you keep up with your air pressure. Change that final drive once in a while. She's a cheap date.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cooter

The B is extremely easy to maintain. And cheap. Like you I use the Mobil 1 but that is not necessary thus reducing the bill by more. I am a big proponent of Mobil 1 though. It's easy on tires if you keep up with your air pressure. Change that final drive once in a while. She's a cheap date.

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Absolutely. Just pulled in from a 140 mile ride through the Finger Lakes. It was fun monitoring radar and taking all sorts of different roads I never would have while avoiding thunderstorms. Roads were wet almost everywhere I went, but I never got a drop on me! :cool:

At 26,078 miles, my final drive is draining in the garage, as I type this. Took less than one minute to unthread plugs. I'll fill it with fresh oil later tonight. Easy, easy, easy.

Wing note: Saw first new Wing (not a Tour) ever heading west over Italy Hill between Branchport and Naples. It was brown/orange color. Was riding with a bunch of different bikes ... sport bikes, Harleys, Star cruisers.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by VStarRider

I do not think I am alone in keeping an eye on the Eluder/Venture as an alternative to the pre-17 Wing/F6B and 18+ Wing/Wing Tour.

Well, in typical Yamaha fashion, they do not appear to be that easy or cheap to maintain. Here is quote from a post on a Venture forum:


About the valve adjustment. Quite frankly, had I known before purchase that at every 16,000 miles I was going to have to do some intensive checkover maintenance, specifically the valve check, the swingarm lube, and the steering bearings repack and more, I would not have gotten it. I have two RoadStars that I do most work on which seems to be a lot less than this new '18.

I believe this guy also was commenting on how difficult it is to remove the rear wheel from his Venture; as well as $1000+ to do a full service at 16k.

So, two thoughts:

1. This is disappointing, as I was hoping Yami had learned from previous lessons (my two VStar 1100s were a PITA to work on) and this is a strike against the big Yammi in my book.

2. This got me thinking as to how much I have spent on my F6B in the first (almost) 30,000 miles:

4 Mobil 1/Honda filter oil changes: $200
3 rear tires $400
1 front tire $120
Final drive lube $6

TOTAL $726.00
Did not include labor, as all work done by myself and was easy!

So on the Venture it would be:
4 Mobil 1/filter changes: $200
3 rear tires $400-$800 (if dealer had done work @ $100 in labor each, due to difficulty
1 front tire $120/$220 (same)
16k maintenance including new plugs and valve adjustment (16k in manual) ~$1000
Belt replacement ??? $400 (parts and labor)

TOTAL up to $2600.00
Does not include pending second valve adjustment at 32k, though, to be fair, most won't have it done this frequently
*would be $1000.00 without labor costs, but sounds like it would require a hefty amount of time and/or swearing

I am not one to wrench for hours and hours, so the likelihood of me just taking it to the dam dealer or shop is high.

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Rich mans toy 'gw-smiley'

Maintenance and reliability were definitely a factor in choosing an F6B over a K1600. My 2 old Valkyries have shown me how good Honda's GL platform is. I rode a K1600 and liked it, but the stories from other owners about reliability issues scared me away. I also don't find it attractive.

I've always ridden a lot of miles, and years ago one bike convinced me to make ease of maintenance a factor in my purchases. I bought a 1984 V65 Sabre. It made a very nice sport-tourer, with lots of power and a much smoother V4 than the inline 4s I was used to. But it had a weak valve train that needed frequent adjustments. And that job took a good part of a day. To remove the front valve cover you had to drain the coolant and remove the radiator. The rear valve cover was under the seat, and was such a tight fit that it was made of multiple pieces that were very difficult to remove and replace. I liked the bike, but it had too many warranty repairs and other issues, and I sold it after only 2 years. That was the point I realized riding was more enjoyable than wrenching.

Maintenance almost 4x as much plus its an air cooled v-twin... no thanks