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I always enjoy cruisers because they are designed to deliver a pleasant, relaxing, low stress ride. Yamaha’s retooled Venture GT is all of that and now packs electric power steering too – EPS to newcomers.
This marvelous system that Yamaha rolled out last season aboard its performance-oriented Apex is now a major component of the popular Venture GT that has been a top choice in the 4-stroke cruiser segment for years.
The bottom line is that the Venture GT will accommodate two folks on its cushy seat and take them over hill and trail with ease and comfort. You can ride all day, let’s say 200+ miles, and hop off at your destination feeling none the worse for wear. The GT has power, easy handling, good ride comfort and a gargantuan windshield that provides the best wind protection of any sled on the trails.
It’s exactly what high-mileage cruisers and family riders want.
Start with the heart of any sled, the engine. Venture GT uses Yamaha’s reliable 1049cc three-cylinder 4-stroke that our independent dyno test puts at 130.5 hp. You don’t need more than that unless you’re racing your 2-up. Really, do you ever race your 2-up? I didn’t think so!
The GT’s 4-stroke is fuel-injected to help both keep it running clean and also to boost fuel economy. In the lighter weight Vector we’ve seen up to 18 mpg with this engine and Yamaha says 20 mpg or so is possible. Obviously if you’re riding with a partner the added weight will reduce your fuel efficiency some. Still, it’s a 4-stroke, so no smoke and no adding oil every other pit stop.
Power from the liquid triple is smooth and instantaneous and throttle response is crisp. Clutching is good so you launch quickly and smoothly. Yamaha attaches the primary clutch directly to the crankshaft, which affords that quick response.
If you’re used to 2-strokes you will still notice some engine braking when you let off the 4-stroke’s throttle, but Yamaha does have an engine braking reduction system on Venture. It takes the edge off engine braking to avoid the sudden slow-ups that you felt on 4-strokes without such a system. Again, you’ll feel the sled slow more quickly than a 2-stroke, but it’s easily controlled. I’ve found the engine braking allows me to use the brake more sparingly.
Underneath, the Venture features Yamaha’s ProComfort CK rear suspension that we’ve liked for some time. It provides a plush ride and features 40mm HPG clicker shocks so you can adjust it easily depending on how many riders are going to be on the sled. A full 144-inch track also adds to the comfort level here and we like the RipSaw track that delivers good traction with 1.25-inch lugs.
This year Yamaha also adjusted the front-end geometry some, altering the ski mounts to help give the Venture better cornering ability. And the GT picks up the Apex-developed ski that provides a more aggressive feel in corners to reduce push in turns. That’s comforting to both driver and passenger. Helping that too are new fade-resistant 40mm HPG aluminum shocks up front.