2006 Yamaha Royal Star Midnight Venture Cruiser reviews

Over 350000 miles in 40yrs of riding on the road and I saved the best for last. It just don't get any better than VENTURE. One ride on this bike will get it done. Show less

I own a 2006 Midnight Venture. This is the 4th bike I've owned and the best by far. This bike is powerful and comfortable for the long rides. It's great for two up riding. This handles twisties better than any cruiser I've ridden. The radio sounds great at 70+ MPH. The cruise control works great. This bike is carbureted, but it is very responsive and mine always fires right up, even on cold mornings. I've heard other owners of this bike complain about primary gear noise. All I can say is that mine does not whine. I think this is an awesome bike and would recommend it to anyone wanting a long distance tourer. Show less

If you're looking at buying a Royal Star Venture, buy one! You won't be disappointed! I own a 2003 Midnight Venture that I bought in '04, used, with 5,000 mi. on it. I transferred the remaining 5 year, unlimited mileage warranty (no charges either!), and only had to use it twice for minor repairs. I've put over 20k trouble free miles on it since then. This bike is the best bike out there in my opinion. It is rock solid!! I pull a clam-shell type trailer quite often for extended camping trips, and it has plenty of power for it, and then some. The ride is awesome; stereo is very clear sounding at highway speeds and electronic cruise control works great. You have probably read reviews about gear whine issues. Well I'm here to tell you that I have not heard any from my bike, or other friends' bikes at all. I also own a '97 Royal Star Tour Deluxe, and it has the same engine with 40k+ on it - no gear whine at all. My only complaint is the Ventures are not fuel injected. But the carbs (4 of them), do work fine. It's just that it's very cold blooded in the cold morning start-ups. You just have to warm it up a bit longer, that's all. Buy one, and then you to will soon learn that it is the best long distance carrier out there on the highways! Ride safe. Show less

I have now had my Royal Star Midnight Venture for one year now and I can say that I still absolutley love it. If there was one thing that I would change on it, it would be just a little more horsepower. That can be remidied fairly easy. I added leveling links from diamond r and what a difference. It makes the bike feel totally different. Raising the back shortens the rake of the steering and also lowers the center of gravity slightly, making the bike much more nimble. Now I can throw it through the s curves with all the confidence in the world. I am very pleased with what Yamaha has built and I will probably ride this one for a very long time. One thing about the horsepower. I did not mean to imply that there is a lack of power. I have had it in the tripple digits a few times, and she does it with ease, so power is not bad just some times in the lower rpm ranges it would be nice to have a little extra umph when in a higher gear. Anyway no complaints. My Yamaha dealers service department has also done a wonderful job of taking care of me and my bike. Anything that I have had an issue with they have more than come thru. Show less

I read all the reviews before buying. It was a choice between this and a Harley Ultra for me because I wanted the classic styling, plus I couldn't afford the price tag of a Gold Wing. This bike has the styling, but it is a lot quieter than a Harley, which is great for me (no more ringing in my ears after a long ride). One review mentioned gear noise, but I can't even hear the gears on the highway -- the bike is quiet enough to actually hear the stereo at comfortable volume levels on the highway! I only complained about 3 things after my first 100 mile cruise on the bike: 1) Heat on the feet -- there is no airflow below the shins, and the heat from the engine makes it quite warm for the feet. I will have to solve this by buying a set of lower wind vents to help with this, but the Yamaha part is $248CDN -- pricey! This is the reason why I only gave the bike 4 stars for comfort. Otherwise, no complaints! 2) The brake pedal is too close to the engine for me, but I'm starting to get used to this now. 3) I missed the clock in the odometer of my last bike -- but I discovered that all I had to do was hold down the Select button for 2 seconds to make the clock appear -- problem solved! (OK, so that was a very minor problem, but I couldn't find anything else to complain about.) This bike is a perfect fit for me. Being a tall rider the bike height is just perfect, and doesn't feel at all top heavy for me. I have now worries about ever dropping it. Smooth power, a quiet ride, and it handles like a dream. Gearing is good and it purrs along comfortably at 60 mph. My wife's only complaint is that maybe there is too much room for her on the back seat! Other than that, she's really riding in comfort. Show less

Bought a new (left from last year's stock--3mi. on odometer) '06 Midnight Venture, about a month ago. Commute about 55mi. each way to/from work. Mechanically, seems excellent, so far--a good, solid, secure feeling when riding. Read reviews about being top-heavy, which concerned me before test-riding. My previous bike was a 2000 Kawasaki Voyager XII, so the Venture doesn't feel that top heavy, relatively speaking. Had issues with the sound system not responding to controls when temperatures were under 50 degrees F, but dealer checked connections under the fairing, and no problem, since. No other issues, at this point. Quite satisfied with decision to buy this bike. Clutch basket chirp, which I read about before buying, is a little annoying, but doesn't happen at hwy. speeds, so I'm dealing with it. I understand that it can still go on, even if the basket assembly is replaced. Show less

This is truly the best bike I've owned. Bought it new last year 2006. Put 4500 kms on it last year. didn't want to get off. Handles well. Stereo's great too. It's just an awesome ride. What else can I say? Show less

This is my 18th bike in 33 years of riding, to include 3 Harley-Davidsons, the last being a 2005 Roadking Classic. After spending a lot on the HD and 16,000 miles on it, my wife declared that it was the most uncomfortable motorcycle that we ever toured on. We travel each summer and fall, thousands of miles, too many to put up with unreliable bikes, which I put the 3 HDs that I have owned, into that category. This is by far the most comfortable & powerful tourer that we have owned to date. It is everything that the HD Ultra Classic would like to promise, but without the aggrevation of dealing with the HD factory and the lack of backing their warranty. Save yourself some stress and money, buy the Yamaha and forget the attitude and fluff that go with the HD and get back to enjoying what the ride is all about. Take the money you will save and plan a 4 week ride accross a part of historic America, with your partner, and you won't have to worry if the machine you're on will leave you stranded, as our last one did. Show less

I bought mine new in 2001. I've ridden it cross country, all I did was put a sheepskin seat cover on it. Other than that, it is stock and I love it. Never had any problems, breakdowns, etc. It is a big bike to commute cross town on, but great for any distance traveling. It handles great for its size, has plenty of power and more standard features/equipment than anything else in its class, especially for the price. Show less

This is my second RSV, the 1st spoilled me and my wife. We started riding again after 23 years. We started with 1100 shadow spirt and we got hooked. I saw a 2002 RSV and we rode 15000 on it and it was used. I was impressed, then I saw the Midnight. Well I got one now and we put some Barons nasty boys on it, LEDS and a bunch of bling bling. My 2005 rsv midnight is the best. It has sound, speed, and handles and we can go for miles. Show less