looking to buy a royal star

[Jski5669]

Hello, i'm looking at a 98 Royal Star Tour Classic tomorrow. it has 30K on it, and every accessory i'm looking for already on it(driving lights, driver & passanger floorboards, saddle bags, lindby crash bar with additional highway pegs, and aftermarket exhaust) i'm looking for some input on what you think of Royal Star (obviously it's going to be slightly biased if you're a member of this forum) but what are the pros and cons in your opinion? right now i have a Hyosung GV250. it's miniscule compared to the RS, but i need something bigger because i con't ride for more than 30 minutes witout severe a bachache. i feel in love with this bike as soon as i asaw it (and i looked at a LOT of bikes)the only thing i'm uneasy about is the fact that's it a 98. any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[phertwo]

I bought the Royal Star because of the longevity of its notorious engine. You will have maintenance and the occasional problem part (every bike has them) but other than that this bike is one of the best. You won't wear this bike out, it will keep going and going. A '98 in a royal star is pretty new. Not much has changed on them over the years - same engine, same parts.. Don't worry about higher mileage, in fact its probably a good thing to have a bike that has been rode often.

 

I say go for it.

[Jski5669]

i'm leaning more and moe towards that. another one they have is a 2002 Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 fi, but i may have my mind made up already on the royal star. we'll see tomorrow morning when i sit on them both and go from there. thanks!

[phertwo]

I was also looking at the Kawasaki Nomad. It was either the Nomad for the RSTD. Honestly you can't go wrong with either bike. But make sure you are aware of the differences.

 

Royal Star

Higher RPMs (3000 to 7000 rpm) are fully usable. Excellent powerband from start to finish on every gear. You don't have to change gears as often.

Carburetors - require maintenance/syncing (easy enough), but work very well.

Cruise control - if the '98 has it that is

 

Vulcans

Lower RPMs (vTwin). So you get big torque but not the crazy power ceiling of the royal star

Fuel Injectors - does give better fuel economy

 

 

Really just sit on both, fire them up, take them for a ride or ride as a passenger at bare minimum if you can. And know that you can't go wrong with either of these bikes.

[tazmocycle]

the 96-01 royal star has smaller 28mm carbs on them and single valve springs and they have about 78 hp as the newer 99-present venture and 05-present td's has double springs, larger 32mm carbs and larger intake cams and has 98hp. the 96-01 can still outrun most hardlies and nomads. i opened up the airbox, rjetted the carbs and put a dyna-tech ign box on it about $400 and added about 15hp to it. i've had it for 11yrs and just rolled over 74k on it. i run it wide-open most of the time. i was looking at a 01 nomad which had the fuel-injection on it, but after i rode the royal, it was the bike for me. the motor sets lower down as the weight and makes the handling, best of all the bikes. you ned to keep the rpms up as you ride it or it'll lug and shake like it has no power. it has a rev-limiter on it which is factory set at around 5800rpms, but i have mine dyna-tech set at 7250 rpms, which allows me to get more power on top-end. on the newer royal star ventures and tds has a lot more power when you do a few mods to them. going from the 250 hysong to the royal it'll be like going from a 4cylinder to a hemi!! both bikes will last if maintance on them, i have friends with nomads that has over 100k on them and several have royals with 100k to 200k on them and still running good. there's a lot of imfo and help from these folks here in dealing with them. good luck on your choice and you can still be a member if you get the nomad too. i also have a wrecked 96 with 5700 miles and a 97 with around 100k, but a couple of other guys who owned it decided to tear into it because they thought it had a blown head gasket, but i'm sure it's the little mixer between the heads. i'm going to put the motor out of the 96 into the other and have 1 for around town and the other for touring and pulling my trailer.

Edited May 19, 2012 by tazmocycle

[RSTDdog]

Most everything has been said. Both are good bikes. The one that fits you best is what you should go with.

 

You haven't said how much these bikes are going for? Sounds like you are shopping at a dealer. Not always a bad thing if they have the bikes prepped and ready to go, new tires, etc. But you may pay a premium in price vs a private sale. Alot of deals to be had out there on Motorcycles on craigslist,etc if you look around. Of course spring time in your area is the sellers season. If you are not real mechanically inclined or comfortable inspecting a bike your self, any reputable private seller should let you take it to dealer for inspection. When buying privately, Typically a one owner used bike is a pretty safe bet.

 

RSTDdog