10 or 11 Venture GT or TF? Shopping advice requested

[pat the rat]

i was sitting on that sled last week,very nice,congrats,oil change is not hard to do on rs sleds,the filter is right there when you take the access panel off,but you dont have to change it for 20 000 km after the first oil change,if you need help,just pm me,be glad to help

 

[Stephfg]

Thanks Pat. So you sat on my sled before I did... That's kind of funny!

 

[pat the rat]

ya,sorry,no hard feelings i hope,,lol,,i wanted to try the seat ,its a little cramped for me cuz i'm 6'3'' but i think i would get use to it,it is a very nice sled,i'm either going venture or a second vector for my wife

 

[Muskoka Man]

Stephfg
I have the 09 and I put snotrackers on it and all the darting is gone and it turns easier also , almost a must for Yammies IMO

 

[Stephfg]

I now have 1,050 kms on it since picking it up Thursday afternoon. On Saturday, we stopped on the trail between Timmins and Smooth Rock Falls (for those who don't know, this is essentially a snowmobile highway for 55 miles). I noticed oil dripping out of the belly pan seams (front and both sides). Opened oil filter access and the filter was on tight and not leaking, there was no oil on the access door. Oil level was fine, chaincase oil level was fine, no oil lights on in the pod. So I kept riding it like that for another 500 kms. I was going to change the oil myself but decided to bring it to the dealer in case there was something wrong. Turns out there had been too much oil in the engine and it came out into the airbox and then leaked from there. I searched here while the sled was at the dealer's and figured that's probably what it was. I rode faster for a longer period of time on Saturday so that's why it happened then and not in the first 500 kms. The dealer changed the oil in the chaincase too.

I haven't read the manual yet, so on Sunday when I saw that my odometer was flashing OIL and 26, I was concerned. I checked the oil and it was fine. Then I remembered that I was probably just over 800 kms so I checked the odometer and sure enough, it was 826. So what I thought was a problem was actually just a reminder that I should have changed my oil 26 kms before. My SRX isn't that fancy!

My brother in law twisted the crank in his T-Cat on Sunday on our way back so he got on with me for 300 kms. I let him drive for approx 40 kms and rode on the back. I now understand what my wife means when she says that she doesn't like it when I ride aggressively with her on. We managed to pull away from the Apex and 04 Venture we were riding with through some fairly twisty trails! It's not the same without the controls in your own hands.

I found the seat and backrest very comfortable and the grips were at the right height. I don't find the passenger grips warm enough and will probably order Rockmeister's Venture Passenger Warmers as I see you did RnR. I moved the footrests as they were all the way back which is too far.

Darting was still bad but I'll see if I can adjust the suspension to address it before looking for new skis or snotrackers. Do the Yamaha mountain skis have a different keel or are they just wider?

I'm planning to ride 240 kms after work, trying to make the most of it since it's warm all week and it's supposed to rain on Thursday.

 

[RnR]

1050K! I'm moving to Timmins! Nice update. I've also got my registration numbers from LetterTech. They went on real nice. I'll eventually get around to posting some pictures.

 

[pat the rat]

I now have 1,050 kms on it since picking it up Thursday afternoon. On Saturday, we stopped on the trail between Timmins and Smooth Rock Falls (for those who don't know, this is essentially a snowmobile highway for 55 miles). I noticed oil dripping out of the belly pan seams (front and both sides). Opened oil filter access and the filter was on tight and not leaking, there was no oil on the access door. Oil level was fine, chaincase oil level was fine, no oil lights on in the pod. So I kept riding it like that for another 500 kms. I was going to change the oil myself but decided to bring it to the dealer in case there was something wrong. Turns out there had been too much oil in the engine and it came out into the airbox and then leaked from there. I searched here while the sled was at the dealer's and figured that's probably what it was. I rode faster for a longer period of time on Saturday so that's why it happened then and not in the first 500 kms. The dealer changed the oil in the chaincase too.

I haven't read the manual yet, so on Sunday when I saw that my odometer was flashing OIL and 26, I was concerned. I checked the oil and it was fine. Then I remembered that I was probably just over 800 kms so I checked the odometer and sure enough, it was 826. So what I thought was a problem was actually just a reminder that I should have changed my oil 26 kms before. My SRX isn't that fancy!

My brother in law twisted the crank in his T-Cat on Sunday on our way back so he got on with me for 300 kms. I let him drive for approx 40 kms and rode on the back. I now understand what my wife means when she says that she doesn't like it when I ride aggressively with her on. We managed to pull away from the Apex and 04 Venture we were riding with through some fairly twisty trails! It's not the same without the controls in your own hands.

I found the seat and backrest very comfortable and the grips were at the right height. I don't find the passenger grips warm enough and will probably order Rockmeister's Venture Passenger Warmers as I see you did RnR. I moved the footrests as they were all the way back which is too far.

Darting was still bad but I'll see if I can adjust the suspension to address it before looking for new skis or snotrackers. Do the Yamaha mountain skis have a different keel or are they just wider?

I'm planning to ride 240 kms after work, trying to make the most of it since it's warm all week and it's supposed to rain on Thursday.

that trail from timmins to smoothrock is insane,did it cpl weeks ago for the first time,holy #*$&@ that was nice,glad nothing serious with the new sled,what is the top speed of those ventures,our trails are perfect here too from all the snow we got but by weekend its gonna be a mess

 

[Stephfg]

RnR, anytime you want to ride here, let me know. Our trails are almost always in great shape. I'm up to 1,250 kms now. The trails are starting to get chewed up in the corners and the grass is coming through. The 144 bridges those stutter bumps really well. I'll have to stiffen the front suspension a bit.

the guy at the sticker shop installed the registration numbers on the rough plastic of the side panels, between the Yamaha sticker and the reflector. They look good there.

Pat, top speed so far is around 150 km/h on the speedo. There's probably a bit left but I still don't hold it for very long. I was chatting with a guy in Hearst who has the same sled. He said Bender suggested that the Venture was geared too low and would perform well and get better mileage if it was geared a bit higher. It certainly pulls nice between the corners. I lined up with a friend on an RX1 tonight, rolling start. It took a while for him to pull away from me. The 144 really hooks up well.

 

[pat the rat]

that's pretty good,fast enough for a touring sled i guess

 

[Stephfg]

it's usually fast enough, but when you're just getting off an SRX, it's an adjustment

 

[Stephfg]

well my Dad is replacing his 04 Venture with a candy red 10 Venture GT from Irwin Supply in Cornwall. RnR, he'll have your GT's stable mate!

We got lots of rain yesterday and then it froze over and we got some snow too. I'm hoping they'll groom again. If not, there's a few large lakes around here we can ride on. Still close to 4 feet of ice.

I plan to start ordering some accessories this week:
service manual
cover
snowtrackers (not sure which model, but leaning towards extreme/aggressive)
windshield bag
handlebar bag
passenger gauntlets/muffs
driver gauntlets/muffs like the ones I have for my SRX http://www.admsport.com/achat/turbulenc ... untlets:en these are definitely the best ones - they even fit over handguards
nose cone bag
Rockmeister's passenger warmers

 

[RnR]

Yep, my focus is already shifting to the motorcycle. I'm going to do the storage on the Cats this weekend. Need to do the upgrades on the Venture. Thanks for the offer to do some sledding up Timmins way. I'm definately heading north early next season.

Glad to hear your pop nabbed one at Irwin's. They're good guys to deal with. On the accessories. The cover is very well made. It'll seem really tight at first. Start at the windshield and get the handlebars fitted first. I've got to get a service manual too. Don't forget to get that starter doohickie from Rock too.

 

[pat the rat]

well my Dad is replacing his 04 Venture with a candy red 10 Venture GT from Irwin Supply in Cornwall. RnR, he'll have your GT's stable mate!

We got lots of rain yesterday and then it froze over and we got some snow too. I'm hoping they'll groom again. If not, there's a few large lakes around here we can ride on. Still close to 4 feet of ice.

I plan to start ordering some accessories this week:
service manual
cover
snowtrackers (not sure which model, but leaning towards extreme/aggressive)
windshield bag
handlebar bag
passenger gauntlets/muffs
driver gauntlets/muffs like the ones I have for my SRX http://www.admsport.com/achat/turbulenc ... untlets:en these are definitely the best ones - they even fit over handguards
nose cone bag
Rockmeister's passenger warmers

i think agnor had a candy red venture if i'm not mistaken,our trails survived pretty good here,just came back from a short rip(70km)earlton to elk lake,they were insane,calling for snow monday,we might have another week

 

[Stephfg]

I'm almost back to my bikes too but still a bit of sledding left. I'm also getting ski mounted I've scratchers from Hartman Inc.

AgNor has a red Venture but it's a TF. We looked at it while we were there last week.

 

[shed]

my tf goes 103 on perfect conditions
got it to 103 on the lake 20 minutes ago
mine is geared with 20/39
i wonder if the fuelies are faster