First trip on the new bike...

[darthandy]

Got back Sunday evening from a long weekend in Wellsboro, PA with my riding group, using my new (to me) 2000 RSV. I only managed to get the bike on Thursday afternoon and we were leaving Friday morning, so I didn't have much time to get acquainted, as it were. I was impressed by the looks and finish, especially in that gorgeous red paint with the extra chrome accents the previous owner had added. First impressions? The Royale has better weather protection but the RSV has a much more solid feeling front end. The fork may be flexing but I don't feel it whereas there was a looser feel to the Royale fork even with the Progressive springs. The RSV is heavier, but thanks to a lower cg, it feels lighter at parking lot speeds and while maneuvering around using leg power (Important to us 98 pound weaklings, you know!). The fork on the RSV does , of course, have a tendency to want to "flop" at low speeds due to the weight of the fairing but I'm getting used to that. I did appreciate the auxiliary plug in the tape deck so that we could use our MP3 player. My wife thoroughly enjoyed the trip and found the RSV to be quite comfortable, so it looks like we get to do more touring. Once I've got the Royale put back together, it will be going up for sale. It's a nice bike, but after sampling both, I definitely prefer the RSV (Oh God, here come the howls of outrage from the first gen camp!).

 

One thing I did miss was the lack of bag liners for the RSV (The Royale didn't have any either.). While we did get everything packed away, getting it all into the motel room was a bit annoying. I found three companies advertising liners for the RSV...Star Yamaha Accessories ($79.99 for three pieces), Bestem USA ($65.95 for three pieces) and TLC Products ($89.99 for three pieces). I checked out J.C. Whitney and noted a review mentioning a problem with the suggested bag liners being a bit short in height (Hopnel liners) which left an empty space at the top of the saddlebags ($40.00 for 2 saddlebag liners and $34.99 for a Harley Tour Pak trunk liner (As suggested by someone on this site)).

 

Has anyone had experience with any of these liners? I really would like to use something other than the assortment of bags we used this time. Anything that makes life easier for my honey means more touring time!

 

Andy

[Spyder]

I use the Bestem and like them. No complaints. congrats on the new bike!

[Sylvester]

I use the bag liners from my long since sold (thank God) 2000 HD Ultra. They fit just right.

 

[Mel]

Bestem liners are nice and well built. They fit pretty good are reasonably priced. I sold mine after swapping to the Gold Wing, but would still have 'em if still on the RSV.

[XV1100SE]

After reading on the Forum, last year I ordered the TLC liners and am quite happy with the quality. Nice having the name stitched on them and the seams and zippers are sturdy.

[darthandy]

Thanks all for the replies. Right now the Bestem's seem to be the best deal but first I'll check out the dimensions more closely. I want something that will fill the saddlebags and trunk as much as possible. Looks like I'll have to check out the shipping costs as well since sometimes that can make a big price difference.Then it's off to the RAM mount site for something to hold my GPS. I'm glad the PO added the extra chrome as that has left me a few more bucks for this stuff!

[XV1100SE]

Anything you order from the U.S., try to get them to send it USPS. That way you only pay the HST. If they ship by the major carriers (UPS) you can expect brokerage fees of around $60.... + HST.

 

If you go across the border, Pioneer Motorsports in Chaffee, NY gives members a 15% discount. Call them and ask for Chad. They were at Maintenance Day at Don's this year. I've ordered a fair bit from them and they have been great to deal with.

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=28592

Edited July 15, 2011 by XV1100SE
add link to thread for Pioneer Motorsports

[darthandy]

Anything you order from the U.S., try to get them to send it USPS. That way you only pay the HST. If they ship by the major carriers (UPS) you can expect brokerage fees of around $60.... + HST.

 

If you go across the border, Pioneer Motorsports in Chaffee, NY gives members a 15% discount. Call them and ask for Chad. They were at Maintenance Day at Don's this year. I've ordered a fair bit from them and they have been great to deal with.

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=28592

 

Thanks...I've already had the "pleasure" of dealing with the UPS "brokerage fee" and now make every effort to use the USPS when ordering from the U.S. Thanks for the info on Pioneer as well. I checked out the catalog and may now be looking at a talking to from my wife when she finds out what I'm planning. They do have some neat stuff don't they?

 

Andy

[dingy]

Once I've got the Royale put back together, it will be going up for sale. It's a nice bike, but after sampling both, I definitely prefer the RSV (Oh God, here come the howls of outrage from the first gen camp!).

 

Andy

 

The RSV is a nice machine. If it suits you, excellent.

Us 1st gen guys got to amuse ourselves somehow. Nice thing about having a 20 year old bike is we don't really have to spend so much time polishing the chrome and such. People expect just a little less show from a 2 decade old bike.

In reality, I like the standard footpeg setup and the frame mounted fairing on the 1st gen compared to the 2nd gen.

The 2nd gen would be more difficult to get the performance out of it and still maintain the appearence, due to the VMax heads would be fugly on the RSV.

The 1st gen is also a unique looking bike, I know one from a hundred yards away. To me, I see nothing that stands an RSV out from an HD aside from side view of motor. Going down the road and passing an oncoming bike, I don't have a clue if it was an RSV.

Gary

[darthandy]

+1 on the polishing. Did a "quick" wash and wax on it Wednesday to clean the grime from the PA trip. Yikes! Half an afternoon gone and I couldn't come close to saying it was all done. I agree that the frame mount fairing gives better protection and has less effect on steering, but I prefer the lower c.g. on the RSV and the floor boards, and...well...oh alright...I admit it...I love the red paint and all the shiny chrome bits. And as well, I rather like the cruiser look...I can afford give up some speed and handling since I can just haul out the Triumph when I want to, well...haul out!

 

And, although I know I'm giving up some acceleration, I can still outrun most of the cages, so I'm OK there. By the way, I have magazines with road tests of the 1st gen (Mk. I and Mk. II) and the 2nd Gen (1999) version as well. It's been interesting seeing what they had to say then and what we are saying now. It's also helped me relax regarding the groaning and squealing of the front brakes on the RSV. One of the magazine tests mentioned that their test RSV started doing that after a few hundred miles. Must be something with the pad material Yamaha was using.

 

At the end of the day, what's most important to me, is seeing people out there on two wheels enjoying life rather than just watching it pass by.

 

Andy