1997 Tourer Comparison

[camos]

This article is an interesting read that came out a day or so ago, not sure why though since it is about ancient bikes including the Tour Deluxe.

[bongobobny]

If Honda would have still been building the Valkyrie in 2009 I would have bought one of them instead of the RSV...

[utadventure]

I read this yesterday. It was interesting.

 

I have never had the chance to try a Valkerie and I wondered if the riders/writers understood how to ride the RSTD?

[cowpuc]

Excellent read Camster!! THANK YOU for the link/thread!!

 

While reading thru it all I kept asking myself (as I have many times thru the years) = what on earth was Mom Yam thinking when she dehorned and dethroned her mighty V-4 like she did on those first Royal Stars,, just never ever has made since to me.. The writers of that article (unless I missed something) failed to point out time and time again exactly what had been done to the beloved earth shaking, Honda/Harley stomping, pulling like a mule V-4 we all loved so much. To this day I still cannot for the life of me understand what those folks at Yamaha were thinking.. Drop the balance shafts = heck yea its gonna viberate. Drop those awesome 34mm carbs - poor thing cant breathe and its gonna be a pig (if memory serves me from Sturgis days past - I watched one of those early Royal Stars get spun up on a Dyno out there and 67 horse was all she would pull - talk about anemic = that there is stock Harley Twin Cam 88 inch territory with no opportunity for gains without big money and lots of time invested)..

May sound crazy and from a twisted perspective but I read the article with total anticipation for the writer to have a whole chapter balling Mom Yam out for committing RnD suicide BUT,, in the end, the only place I found any form of expected comment concerning the matter came from something one of the test riders said:

""With its good comfort, quality suspension, roomy luggage and other attractions, it could be the king of this class—if the engine made the power it should. My touring bike needs more power than current Royal Stars make. If Yamaha had made an engine with power comparable to its original V-4 tourer, the Venture, this thing could be my pick.""

 

and that comment brings about another thought = wonder if the guy who made the above comment would have had similar comments about what just happened at the unveiling? WOW,, my dad was right = I guess I really do have a problem with obsessive

[camos]

I read this yesterday. It was interesting.

 

I have never had the chance to try a Valkerie and I wondered if the riders/writers understood how to ride the RSTD?

That was my thought too. So often reviewer comments about lack of power or bogging are made by people who come from V-Twins and shaft-jacking from people coming from sport bikes and don't know how to effectively ride the V4. Until reading Puc's comment, I didn't know the RSTD had only 67 HP. That's only a little more than the 60 HP of my XV1100 Virago.

 

Appears Yamaha has made more than one lame decision prior to subbing a V-Twin for the V4. Perhaps designing an awesome series of bikes like the Ventures was just an accident for Yamaha.

[Pegasus1300]

I read this yesterday. It was interesting.

 

I have never had the chance to try a Valkerie and I wondered if the riders/writers understood how to ride the RSTD?

 

No Dave the testers of the Day never understood how to ride a Royal Star. It was good , not great not fantastic but good if you left it in 3rd until you were doing 65-70 and downshifted if you wanted to pass. In 96 and 97 I think 4th and 5th were both overdrives. Dumb da DUMB DUMB. I have no idea what they were thinking.