Fuel Mileage 2018 Yamaha Star Venture Transcontinental

When this bike first came out Yamaha put figures of 34 mpg. This may still be the case, not sure. The one knock of the Valkyrie I owned was poor milage of 35 mpg. However RedVics numbers are pretty awesome for this heavy a bike and his are not alone. I have seen reviews from others with mpg in 45 mpg range. I really like the look and I have sat on a couple and they fit me really well. My biggest knock is the weight and even with the Eluder which would work the best for my purposes comes in at 875 lbs. Perhaps if I can get my lower back stenosis nerve pain resolved this winter I will take one for a ride in the Spring. I really think Yamaha should have continued the V Star 1300 Deluxe with updated info center, cruise control, abs, etc. I was impressed with the V star 1300 Tourer I had for 6 months and sold as soon as I found my CC two summers ago. Very comfortable with stretched out gears. With an Ivan's flash and bigger air kit one could coax another 13 hp out of it, and a couple more with cobra slip ons. And the weight is about 720 lbs. Heck - I wish Indian would make a mid size bagger, cruiser, maybe using some form of that 1200 motor. I am not alone. I have seen others on the Indian Forums make this wish also. Just something lighter for us older folks that still want some bells and whistles.

jenkins said:

My brother has had a 1300 V4 Tourer since 2011. Agree with your observations and would add that the glaring missing update that Yamaha could have made, but didn't, was fuel injection. I believe just the fact it had 4 carbs was a deal breaker for anyone considering purchasing the bike. I have had numerous conversations about this item with many riders and haven't found any disagreement, yet. Yamaha screwed the pooch by not updating an excellent platform for many years. My $.02.
Jim

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About 3 years ago I thought I wanted that Royal Star Tourer or the Venture with the fairing. I got to sit on one in Monroe, MI and quickly changed my mind. For me it was to top heavy and total weight of about 850 lbs., I believe, and lifted heavy off the stand. Felt way heavier than my Valkyrie and it was. I agree Yamaha should have went fuel injection, in this day it was quite silly not to. However those owners really liked the bike and it was a good option for those wanting smooth power and more than a twin, but were cramped by the Goldwing flat six taking up most of ones leg room. This group was hoping the new TC Venture would be based on the V MAX 1700, tuned for a bagger, cruiser, tourer of course. They decided not to buy the 1900 twin and well - it just is not selling like Yamaha had anticipated.

I am well aware of all those facts RedVic as I studied this bike a bunch and read lots of reviews. It is all you say it is. I really like Yamy quality and their track record, just as I do Honda. As far as their focus groups I suspect they were hoping to take away from Harley and spent to much time with these folks, instead of their own core which like the V4s, but I do not know. I appreciate very much your continuing education on this bike. I have a stigma as I approach my mid 60's on huge heavy bikes and maybe 800 lbs on the CC is all I want to go. We shall see. I am still very strong for my age and a lot of folks thought I was in the low 50s for age, but how long can this continue - hopefully a long time. If Yamy continues to build this bike, I guess they are for 2020, who knows. Gosh knows they have some really good clearance prices on the 2018s.