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Ever hear of a Vanderhall Venice?

I saw them at the Long Beach Motorcycle show last November. They are running the same running gear as the slingshots except Auto. Trans. The Company is based in Utah. Provo??

I have some picture on my phone if I could figure out how to get my computer to recognize my phone so I could download the photos.

PS Thanks to whomever rotated my pictures. It was correct on my computer but got rotated when I uploaded it.
 
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Vanderhall Venice

peteg59 said:
Me either, until I stumbled upon this.

It is an interesting looking competitor to Polaris Slingshot, but with auto transmission.

Enjoy...

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/technology/g3160/vanderhall-venice-test-drive/
Click to expand...

Dealerships have been opening all over by end of 2017 and when one opened near me in Greensboro NC in late October I stopped by to take a look and demo ride. Long story short, I traded my Slingshot for a bright red '18 Venice and drove it home that day. Turned out I bought the first one from that dealer. I have about 1200 miles on it now. Its totally different from the Slingshot that it would be hard to fairly compare the two; it all depends on your likes and dislikes. For me, it was just something different.

The Sling has a lot going for it; a big forum, rallies, and lots of vendors. The Vanderhall is so new there are only a couple dozen of us on Facebook with half that number actively participating. one of the participates is a Vanderhall rep and he will answer any question you ask, in a timely manner. I do like the front wheel drive better and the turbo is a hoot when you want to kick it. I had the shifter and cruise control added to mine.

The shifter is handy to hold it in whatever gear you want, usually forth or fifth, because it wants to shift up to sixth too soon to suit me. I expect this will also be useful when I drive up to the mountains. Its not as big as the Sling nor does it have as much storage but this is not a factor for me as I seldom have anyone riding with me. Plenty of room to toss my bag on the passenger floor.

Visibility is way better, the Sling having that tail piece sticking up makes it hard to see behind, plus you sit lower in a Sling. The entire Venice frame is made of welded aluminum, much sturdier than the Sling, but the ABS shell is very light; so much so that that the hood is attached with several bolts rather than hinges and you lift the whole thing off...it weighs very little.

Not very handy if you are on a trip and want to check fluids. If the motor is as sturdy as the 2.4 in the Sling, it won't be using oil, so taking the hood off is not a big deal for me. They call for oil changes every 7500 miles but I intend to do it every 5K.
 

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ulflyer said:
Dealerships have been opening all over by end of 2017 and when one opened near me in Greensboro NC in late October I stopped by to take a look and demo ride. Long story short, I traded my Slingshot for a bright red '18 Venice and drove it home that day. Turned out I bought the first one from that dealer. I have about 1200 miles on it now. Its totally different from the Slingshot that it would be hard to fairly compare the two; it all depends on your likes and dislikes. For me, it was just something different. The Sling has a lot going for it; a big forum, rallies, and lots of vendors. The Vanderhall is so new there are only a couple dozen of us on Facebook with half that number actively participating. one of the participates is a Vanderhall rep and he will answer any question you ask, in a timely manner. I do like the front wheel drive better and the turbo is a hoot when you want to kick it. I had the shifter and cruise control added to mine. The shifter is handy to hold it in whatever gear you want, usually forth or fifth, because it wants to shift up to sixth too soon to suit me. I expect this will also be useful when I drive up to the mountains. Its not as big as the Sling nor does it have as much storage but this is not a factor for me as I seldom have anyone riding with me. Plenty of room to toss my bag on the passenger floor. Visibility is way better, the Sling having that tail piece sticking up makes it hard to see behind, plus you sit lower in a Sling. The entire Venice frame is made of welded aluminum, much sturdier than the Sling, but the ABS shell is very light; so much so that that the hood is attached with several bolts rather than hinges and you lift the whole thing off...it weighs very little. Not very handy if you are on a trip and want to check fluids. If the motor is as sturdy as the 2.4 in the Sling, it won't be using oil, so taking the hood off is not a big deal for me. They call for oil changes every 7500 miles but I intend to do it every 5K.
Click to expand...

Ted 'Is it easier getting in and out of it than it is with the Slingshot?....

That was the only thing that stopped me from getting the Slingshot....

The in and out......
 
rhino 2 said:
Ted 'Is it easier getting in and out of it than it is with the Slingshot?....

That was the only thing that stopped me from getting the Slingshot....

The in and out......
Click to expand...

I like it!!!

But I have the question, how easy is it to get in and out?
 
Getting in/out about same as Slingshot

Gideon said:
I like it!!!But I have the question, how easy is it to get in and out?
Click to expand...

Apology for delay in replying...haven't been on the forum lately.

I use same technique as with the Sling: put right foot in, put right hand on upper edge of passenger seat...the edges are very firm..., left hand on outer edge of driver seat, then lift left leg over as you slide down into the seat.
 
ulflyer said:
Apology for delay in replying...haven't been on the forum lately.

If use same technique as with the Sling: put right foot in, put right hand on upper edge of passenger seat...the edges are very firm..., left hand on outer edge of driver seat, then lift left leg over as you slide down into the seat.
Click to expand...

If there was a dealer near me I would like to test ride it! Tell us more about it., Pro or Con... Thanks in advance ����
 
Was on a review web site , as the testing was done in Harriman State Park NY. Only a stones throw from me. Why would they pick that place from Ohio, is beyond me :Shrug:

I like the FWD idea as well as the GM drive train. Must be a local dealer some ware here, or why test here ?
 
1dn5up said:
Was on a review web site , as the testing was done in Harriman State Park NY. Only a stones throw from me. Why would they pick that place from Ohio, is beyond me :Shrug:

I like the FWD idea as well as the GM drive train. Must be a local dealer some ware here, or why test here ?
Click to expand...

Theres one in Philly, And one on Long Gallon...I don't like crossing either river....:laugh:
 
rhino 2 said:
Theres one in Philly, And one on Long Gallon...I don't like crossing either river....:laugh:
Click to expand...

Brookfield Ct. is only 1hr from here. Being it’s GM , if the ecm is also GM , I got a guy that could get that thing up to 200+ hp.

My HHR SS was dynoed from 270 to 310 after he got done with the computer. :clapping:
 
rhino 2 said:
If there was a dealer near me I would like to test ride it! Tell us more about it., Pro or Con... Thanks in advance ����
Click to expand...

Rhino...this is like comparing a Harley to a Suzuki; its all about what suits you.
The main thing, I think, is what you want to do with it​

Space/Room: If you want to ride two people for a daily jaunt, the Venice is fine, but is not nearly as wide, and does not have as much storage behind the seats as the Sling, particularly if you both are going on a trip. One person on a trip would be no problem as you have the passenger side for bags or whatever.

Handling: To me, it feels more stable in curves; but then, I never had any problem with my Sling either. Lots of folks say a two wheel front drive pulls you around, while the Sling rear pushes with its one wheel drive. I'm a senior cit; my hotrod days are over. The Venice has excellent shocks whereas the Sling has lousy shocks and I felt the need to get after market ones to tune of $1000.

Modifications: Tons of vendors selling "stuff" for the Sling; I did the shocks (twice), seats, windshield, wind wings, and various gadgets to tune of 3K bucks. Didn't have to, but they were avail and made the Sling more comfortable for me. The Venice is so new, there aren't any vendors I know of. Factory makes a rear rack, cruise control (standard on Sling), bump shifter, and are coming out with a few other accessories. So, if you like to Mod, you're not gonna be doing much to the Venice unless you have it custom made. I've made a pair of wind wings that turned out nice; dealer thought I'd bought them somewhere. The Venice windshield (glass vs lexan) sloops back too much for my taste as it lets too much air dump on my helmet. I've figured a way to lean it forward a bit with some moderate machine work to mod the w/s brackets.
The brackets are some sort of alloy and should be fairly easy to machine to get a diff angle. ​
I put an aftermarket tall one on the Sling that put the air up and over my helmet.

My Sling and most others I know of, have a NOISY angle drive unit that converts the drive over to a belt. No one has been able to defeat that whine; bothered the crap out of me, doesn't bother a lot of others. That, in itself, is not a big CON for the Sling. Few people had any mechanical problem with the angle drive although a couple of major breaks were reported. The Venice is still so new, and there isn't a lot of folks on Facebook with much miles on them. I would expect the GM motor and xmsn, like the Sling, which has been out for some years to be a robust unit. Vanderhall makes the boxy frame out of welded aluminum and it appears to me to be much stouter than the tubular frame of the Sling. You sit down in the box.

The Venice has a quiet rumble that sounds good without being loud, and if you hit the gas the turbo moves it out smartly. Auto xmsn is smooth and effortless; I had a bump shifter put on for when I want to select the gear. The Sling doesn't have a nice a sound, but I had no issues with clutching/shifting...the xmsn was smooth. If you wanted a little sound, you'd need to change the muffler which, I believe, is fairly costly due to the way the existing one on the Sling is tucked under. The auto shifter (not the bump shifter) is located between the seats, towards the front part, so if you'd like to move ur butt over you rub against it. If you got a skinny one, no problem! lol

As far as I know, most mechanical parts and electrical wiring is made by GM. Even the swing arm? (things the front wheels attach too) were made for the Pontiac Solstice....very substantially made units. The steering arm with turn sig and such is GM. A slight down side is the Cruise Ct is operated by flipping a toggle on the dash because the wood type steering has no space for such. That could prob be changed but I like the looks of retro style steering wheel. I had my cruise ct put on the toggle nearest me and later put an slight extension on it to make it more intuitive. I use cruise a lot.

Visibility...seeing all around you is excellent in the Venice...not so much rearward on the Sling, even the sides, nor the front which was too easy to bump the lowers against the curb. I had put a curb sensor on the Sling but its not needed at all for Venice as you can easily see where the front is when parking. On the highway with the Venice you can easily see all around you. For that reason, I feel more at ease in town/urban traffic.​

Some of the above is small stuff that may not matter to others. Best thing is try them both to find out what suits you best. If anyone lives near me, I'd be glad to let you test drive mine; if it ever gets warm again!! lol. If you have specific questions I'll try to answer them.
 
ulflyer said:
Rhino...this is like comparing a Harley to a Suzuki; its all about what suits you.
The main thing, I think, is what you want to do with it​

Space/Room: If you want to ride two people for a daily jaunt, the Venice is fine, but is not nearly as wide, and does not have as much storage behind the seats as the Sling, particularly if you both are going on a trip. One person on a trip would be no problem as you have the passenger side for bags or whatever.

Handling: To me, it feels more stable in curves; but then, I never had any problem with my Sling either. Lots of folks say a two wheel front drive pulls you around, while the Sling rear pushes with its one wheel drive. I'm a senior cit; my hotrod days are over. The Venice has excellent shocks whereas the Sling has lousy shocks and I felt the need to get after market ones to tune of $1000.

Modifications: Tons of vendors selling "stuff" for the Sling; I did the shocks (twice), seats, windshield, wind wings, and various gadgets to tune of 3K bucks. Didn't have to, but they were avail and made the Sling more comfortable for me. The Venice is so new, there aren't any vendors I know of. Factory makes a rear rack, cruise control (standard on Sling), bump shifter, and are coming out with a few other accessories. So, if you like to Mod, you're not gonna be doing much to the Venice unless you have it custom made. I've made a pair of wind wings that turned out nice; dealer thought I'd bought them somewhere. The Venice windshield (glass vs lexan) sloops back too much for my taste as it lets too much air dump on my helmet. I've figured a way to lean it forward a bit with some moderate machine work to mod the w/s brackets.
The brackets are some sort of alloy and should be fairly easy to machine to get a diff angle. ​

I put an aftermarket tall one on the Sling that put the air up and over my helmet.

My Sling and most others I know of, have a NOISY angle drive unit that converts the drive over to a belt. No one has been able to defeat that whine; bothered the crap out of me, doesn't bother a lot of others. That, in itself, is not a big CON for the Sling. Few people had any mechanical problem with the angle drive although a couple of major breaks were reported. The Venice is still so new, and there isn't a lot of folks on Facebook with much miles on them. I would expect the GM motor and xmsn, like the Sling, which has been out for some years to be a robust unit. Vanderhall makes the boxy frame out of welded aluminum and it appears to me to be much stouter than the tubular frame of the Sling. You sit down in the box.

The Venice has a quiet rumble that sounds good without being loud, and if you hit the gas the turbo moves it out smartly. Auto xmsn is smooth and effortless; I had a bump shifter put on for when I want to select the gear. The Sling doesn't have a nice a sound, but I had no issues with clutching/shifting...the xmsn was smooth. If you wanted a little sound, you'd need to change the muffler which, I believe, is fairly costly due to the way the existing one on the Sling is tucked under. The auto shifter (not the bump shifter) is located between the seats, towards the front part, so if you'd like to move ur butt over you rub against it. If you got a skinny one, no problem! lol

As far as I know, most mechanical parts and electrical wiring is made by GM. Even the swing arm? (things the front wheels attach too) were made for the Pontiac Solstice....very substantially made units. The steering arm with turn sig and such is GM. A slight down side is the Cruise Ct is operated by flipping a toggle on the dash because the wood type steering has no space for such. That could prob be changed but I like the looks of retro style steering wheel. I had my cruise ct put on the toggle nearest me and later put an slight extension on it to make it more intuitive. I use cruise a lot.

Visibility...seeing all around you is excellent in the Venice...not so much rearward on the Sling, even the sides, nor the front which was too easy to bump the lowers against the curb. I had put a curb sensor on the Sling but its not needed at all for Venice as you can easily see where the front is when parking. On the highway with the Venice you can easily see all around you. For that reason, I feel more at ease in town/urban traffic.​

Some of the above is small stuff that may not matter to others. Best thing is try them both to find out what suits you best. If anyone lives near me, I'd be glad to let you test drive mine; if it ever gets warm again!! lol. If you have specific questions I'll try to answer them.
Click to expand...

Thanks.....Nice write up.... One day i might take a ride to Philly for a closer look....:Shrug:
 
I tried to love the Vanderhall; but couldn't

By April of this year I found that the Venice had too many little things that I couldn't easily change and had grown disenchanted with it. Main complaint was hard seat, windshield that dumped too much air on me, lack of storage, short fenders that threw gravel, water, etc back in the cockpit, and having to remove 8 screws and take hood off in order to check engine fluids. Lots of good things about the Venice; it just wasn't the one for me at this stage of my advanced life. Nice little vehicle for short hops; not so much for longer hauls.

Stopped at Slingshot dealer, traded Venice, and drove an '18 SLR LE home. Have 2000 miles on it now and am a much happier camper. Having had one before, I knew exactly what I was getting.

And to questions about getting in/out; the Slingshot is somewhat easier.
 
I was never a fan of the Slingshot - too weird for my taste. But, to each their own.....

I am 30+ years in Harley; but, with their recent corporate strategy, I have become disheartened with them; that coupled with my advanced years steered me to Vanderhall.....

I guess what others run from, I sometime run to....

Brummbar
 
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