Wing vs Venture maintenance
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Thread: Wing vs Venture maintenance

  1. #1
    Senior Member VStarRider's Avatar
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    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.
    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

  2. #2
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    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.

  3. #3
    Senior Member VStarRider's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cooter View Post
    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.
    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!

    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.
    Last edited by VStarRider; 05-25-2019 at 03:49 PM.
    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

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by VStarRider View Post
    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.
    Rich mans toy
    ITS ALL GOOD

  5. #5
    Senior Member F6Dave's Avatar
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    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.

  6. #6
    Senior Member broncsrule21's Avatar
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    Maintenance almost 4x as much plus its an air cooled v-twin... no thanks
    2013 F6B ---Nimitz Class Battle Sofa

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