2018 Goldwing vs 2018 Yamaha Star Venture
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Thread: 2018 Goldwing vs 2018 Yamaha Star Venture

  1. #1
    Senior Member STRaider's Avatar
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    2018 Goldwing vs 2018 Yamaha Star Venture

    Has anyone on here ridden both machines? If so, how do they compare?

  2. #2
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    Not ridden each as yet, but sat on both of them as they were sitting side-by-side on the dealers showroom floor..The Yamaha was very difficult for me to upright as the damn thing weighs almost 1000 lbs...The seat is much lower than the one on the Goldwing and the overall bike appears to much larger, bigger bags, trunk, tank, etc. I am told the Yamaha is much slower in the quarter than than the Wing, if that is an issue....If I were a much larger person, and much younger, interested in long range touring, I would give the Yama a look see.....But for my money and riding style the Goldwing is a much better fit.....Hope someone soon gets to compare them on the road.....Ride safe
    Last edited by opas ride; 04-19-2018 at 06:08 PM.

  3. #3
    Senior Member STRaider's Avatar
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    I've yet to see the Yamaha in person. It sure is nice looking, but as you describe, sounds like a monster size wise. However, At 6'3", that might work for me. That's one reason I love the f6b, it fits me better than any other bike I've ridden even slightly better than my 1998 Valkyrie I once owned.

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    Senior Member 53driver's Avatar
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    I rode the Eluder (I know not a Venture) right after I rode the Gl1800 DCT.
    Prolly not fair to the Eluder going in that order, but hey, life isn't fair either.
    Quite frankly, I wasn't impressed with the Eluder's power and amenities.
    I'm pretty sure the Venture would have suffered the same fate.
    My girls:
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  5. #5
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    The new Yamaha is nice looking, and will appeal to those F6B riders that may have come from a "V-Twin" past, and miss the noise and vibration. It looks HUGE, and as stated above, is a heavy bike. It does have more storage, than the new Gold Wing. Personally, I will stick to the F6B. Faster, sleeker, lighter, and quieter!

  6. #6
    Senior Member VStarRider's Avatar
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    I have not ridden a Star Venture, but did sit on one. It is a very large bike, feels noticeably larger than even a last generation full Wing.

    Reviews have been in general agreement that it feels lighter than it looks once rolling.

    I am 6'1" with a 33" inseam and I felt the tank was too wide. Not necessarily uncomfortable, just noticeable.

    The two bikes ... its kinda strange ... they are similar in their purpose, but vastly different in their methods to get to that purpose. I think the Wing lineup has always been distinguishable from the V-twin "full dressers" and their carbon copies with better handling, more performance, liquid cooling, seating position, etc.

    The Venture and Wing of today continue to maintain that separation.

    The sound of a twin is appealing, as is the legroom they afford, but the performance is a turn-off and so is the handling (or lack thereof). Those swept-back bars and extended leg seating position does not inspire my confidence when out on the mean and nasty roads.

    That being said, I would still take the Venture or Eluder out for a test ride to see if all these things I said are wrong.
    Former Ride:
    2013 F6B Standard, black; sold 7/2019
    Latest Addition:
    2016 Gold Wing Level 3, red; SCT transmission stuck in manual mode
    2019 Miles:
    7,900 as of 10/6

  7. #7
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    I purchased my 2018, sight unseen from Texas, I live in Indiana. I had my buddy do the break in for me, so I can fly down there, and we could head out on a trip that day. He raved about his 7 month old Venture from the day he bought it. He picked up my GW on a friday and by monday he was trading his fork tuner in for his own DCT GW. What converted him over were the nimbleness and speed of the GW and the DCT. he liked the yamaha stereo and the bigger luggage.

  8. #8
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    I sat on a new Venture. It was HUGE! It was a tug to get it off the kick stand.
    I felt like I was sitting inside of it.
    I rode a 89 Venture for a few years and liked it. It was pretty quick but not like the B.
    ITS ALL GOOD

  9. #9
    Senior Member olegoat345's Avatar
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    I've owned at least a dozen bikes, rode dozens more. No real sport bikes / crotch rockets. Only 1, BMW K-1000, never a "R".
    "To me," to compare any V-twin the a GW is apple & oranges. The big V-twins weight about the same but that's about it. I find all V-twins top heavy, some more so than others.. The GW has the lowest CG of any bike I've ever ridden, it handles & rides great & fairly quick. "I feel" it's in a class of it's own, there's not another bike like it.

  10. #10
    Senior Member VStarRider's Avatar
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    I am glad this thread continues to get updated. I like what the Yamaha offers, but I just do not think I would be happy long term in that seating position, with the weight, and mostly, the handling. When I went from two V-twin Yamahas over to the F6B, my riding confidence increased dramatically and made me feel safer and less vulnerable on the road. At this point, those things not only make the F6B safer in my eyes, even without ABS, but also make up for the lack of storage and amenities offered on the Venture.
    Former Ride:
    2013 F6B Standard, black; sold 7/2019
    Latest Addition:
    2016 Gold Wing Level 3, red; SCT transmission stuck in manual mode
    2019 Miles:
    7,900 as of 10/6

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