I’ve mentioned before that I am a sucker for a stupidly big touring bike. So, it goes without saying that the Yamaha XV1900 Star Venture ─ with an overall length of just under 9 feet and a wet weight of 963 lbs. ─ would be the sort of thing to set my heart all aflutter.
Somewhat anachronistically named (Yamaha had scrapped its US-only Star Motorcycle sub-brand by this time), the Star Venture was produced for just three years: model years 2018-2021. You could be forgiven for thinking its run was longer because they hung around in showrooms for quite some time afterward. Dealerships found them incredibly hard to sell. That situation wasn’t helped by the fact mechanics felt that the Star Venture was unnecessarily difficult to service. “Everything to do with working on them is pretty complex,” according to YouTuber and motorcycle technician Shawn Smoak. “(Yamaha) went out of their way to make something complicated.”
It’s probably more correct to say that Yamaha went out of its way to make something impressive. And on many fronts, the Star Venture is exactly that. Driven by a behemoth 1854cc air-cooled V-twin, the Star Venture promised peak power output of only around 88 horsepower, but a monster 126 lb-ft of torque. It was laden with tech: an extensive infotainment system, LED everything, heated everything, adjustable everything, electronically locking luggage, and rider aids up the wazoo ─ including a so-called “Sure Park” electric motor to help you navigate this beast in and out of parking spaces.
The fact that the Star Venture Transcontinental came standard with a CB radio, however, kind of tells you something; this is a bike that was made at the wrong time. It was released at a point in history when interest was waning in both colossal tourers and metric cruisers. Surely Yamaha knew this, having shuttered its Star brand a year earlier. Yet, this thing exists. And if it’s your cup of tea you probably won’t have to fight hard to get it.
I’ve seen this particular bike come up a few times in recent weeks, with bids getting nowhere near what I’d expect the reserve to be (the Star Venture Transcontinental was priced at $26,999 in 2018). So, there may be an opportunity to get in touch with the seller and work a deal. With 6,018 miles on the clock, you can find this Star Venture Transcontinental for sale in Suncook, New Hampshire here on eBay.