So I had the opportunity to do an extended test ride on a 2018 Yamaha Star Venture Transcontinental. There are pros and cons to any vehicle out there. I am not a Harley hater or lover, I am not a metric bike hater or lover. I LOVE motorcycles. There have been a lot of reviews for this bike and this is another one. Sitting still the bike feels top heavy for a cruiser. That feeling goes away over 2 mph. I am sure once I get one and get a lot more seat time even the feeling while stopped of it being top heavy will go away.
On the ride I flick the bike around some and it feels very light. I was not aggressive on this ride since it is not my bike, and it is brand new. I did take some nice curves at a moderate speed. I felt fully planted in the curves and did not feel the need to drag the rear brake to slow down any. I had it on some damp roads and flicked it around a little and it did not slip in the slightest.
The bike has plenty of power. I was running in third at 20 with no lugging of the motor. When I rolled on the throttle it took off at a nice pace. Shifting around 3k seems to be the sweet area for this motor. The torque comes on very quick but also seems to fall off faster than other V-Twins I have owned or rode. This is not an issue unless you are planning on drag racing the bike. LOL At highway speed there was very little wind with the "wings" in the closed position. This will be GREAT for winter riding. I opened the lowers and turned the wings in to allow air on me and was enjoying the wind on a 85 degree morning.
I did not get into the infotainment system or the nav system. I did notice that it would show me what road I was on which is nice in a strange area.
Moving the bike around a parking lot at low speed was no issue what so ever. I NEVER felt uncomfortable at slow speed.
A few issues I do have. The gas door opens backwards. It makes it hard for me to watch the fuel in the tank as it is going in, in case the pump does not auto stop. The lids on the saddle bags are a little more flimsy than I would like. I do not like having to go into the infotainment system to turn on my heaters on the bike. I would like actual switches or dials for that. The handle bars are rubber mounted to stop the v-twin vibration. I notice that in slow speed maneuvers there is a little flex due to the rubber mounting. NONE of these are deal breakers on an overall AWESOME touring motorcycle. As I said in the video I cannot wait until I can own one. A BIG THANK YOU TO Redhills Powersports for allowing me to take the bike out for a nice extended test ride.
