Having been the proud and disgusted owner of a 2007 Royal Star Venture I would highly recommend a long test ride on either the venture or the tour deluxe prior to purchase.
The Dreaded clutch whine........some have it bad, some not so bad, but all have it some. It is a very high pitched whine, and if you get one with it, not a whole lot of resolution to it. On mine two clutch baskets later it was simply moved to a lower rpm range, the range you use the most cruising in town or in traffic.
You can go to
www.venturerider.org and do some research on this and one of the solutions that works is just to wear ear plugs or turn up the radio.
They are a bit top heavy , not at all balanced like the wings. If you get one 4 to six inches off center, it is going over and it will not lay on the crash bars like a wing either, it is going to go over and damage something.
The brakes are antiquated (however you say that) and are single front and single rear. The front is very spongy and the rear is very touchy and it is very easy to lock up the rear brake. Dangerously so. You can find a lot of discussion about that on the venture site also. I had installed the Rick Butler brake mod on mine, did help a bit, but mainly just slowed down the ultimate result. But did give you time to think when you did lock the rear.
No ABS is available.
Some of the bikes have a problem with the heads not being torqued properly and start leaking oil, mine did, it was a 2007 model. That is most likely solved on the newer ones.
Poor lighting, only one small rear brake light. Does not come with any front running lights and it has a very poor charging system, almost identical to some of the older wings such as the 1200. Cannot add a lot to it.
No new design for years, kinda goes along with the charging system. No new changes or made better.
Is very comfortable on the road though, and has the easy rider feet forward riding position. Pillow top low seat.
Saddlebag mounting screws love to strip out, you dare not mess with them much, there is a mod for that too, you can find that on the venture site.
Front crash bars with the addition of highway pegs are very weak and flex and if you do drop the bike they bend, you will find a mod for this on the venture site, is a way to brace them up with flat iron and some chrome clamps.
The V-4 engine has plenty of power, runs nice, loves to run just like the wings, but has no engine compression as far as using the gear box to downshift during hard riding in the mountains or similar areas, engine seems to just keep going, so engine compression cannot be counted on.
The Venture was the reason that I now own a Wing. And with the ownership of the Wing, no way would I ever consider a Venture. Just no where near the bike.
The front end on the Wings is a bit harsh, especially as the front tire wears, but other than that, it is much the superior bike. In all ways.
Even the Harley Ultra is available with decent brakes and even ABS if you wish, and as for the 5 year warranty, it is just about like the wings, depends on the dealers, some good, some not.
Kit