Sean

New guy here... But I agree. I'm still debating the purchase of a RSTD or Venture but my Concours has taken me 1500+ miles in a day and 3700 in 5. Hope these will be as "rideable" If I want to vacation with the family AND have the bike for early morning jaunts...it's in the trailer she goes.

Rj & Bj Thanks for the additional info, I'm trying to buy the one at Larsons - they say it's a problem to finance out of state buyers due to the new credit regs. I have to be present in Larson's to converse with the Yamaha bank rep(even though it would be via phone). I've debated doing a fly and ride - but for the amount of a plane ticket( I hate flying btw), hotels, car service and my time, the #'s don't make much sense compared to the (only)$564 it would take to ship it - if they could finance it via phone and mail. It's still a better price than the local dealer though. And it really doesn't pay for me to drive out there from NY with my trailer to pick it up - the F250 gulps gas so fast it just doesn't make $$$ sense to go get it. Cash, unfortunately, isn't an option until next June so I'm trying to work something out. There are a few other new ones out there - just not for this price. Fingers crossed...

Hi Brad, Thanks for the welcome, I'll be sure to post pics if I do pick one up. Hunter, Thanks for the info, glad to read guys are loving this bike Thanks again for the answers RSTDdog - good info - I'll have to look hard at some of the used ones out there

Bj, thanks for the link - I'm waiting on a call back from the dealer. That may be the one! Dave and Derrek, Great info - thanks very much. I like that long valve check interval, and actually do like the fact that the bike has carbs. I've been using a Morgan Carbtune on the Conc for awhile and think it'll work just fine on the RSTD. Does it have a spin on oil filter too? I had to put a kit in the Kawi to get a spin on. The gear whine shouldn't bother me all that much as the valvetrain racket on the Conc will make a non owner think there's something wrong with the engine. I'm an "old school" kinda guy in that I like to be able to work on things myself and when something on the bike takes a dump - not needing a computer to diagnose it is a plus. Same with my boat engines - 325 horse 350 ci , carbureted chevy's - no smog control, no computers - engines the way they were meant to be. Just like wrenching when I was a teenager. I have given some thought to the RSTD's lack of lean angle - I currently live on Long Island (NY) where that's not a problem but am retiring and moving to Georgia next Fall. I figure I'll make the RSTD my 2 up and commuter bike and keep Connie to thrash about in the twisties. I love taking her down the Blue Ridge and thru the GSMNP along with the Dragon and every other squiggly line I can find on the map down there. One thing that I'll need to get used to is not being able to stand in the saddle like I can on the Concours, I wonder if the weight on my lower back will turn out to be a problem?? I'm really leaning towards a new one for 2 reasons - first is of course the warranty 5 yrs!( great heads up btw regarding the in service date). I thought the Connie's was good at 3! Number 2 is, I like to know that it was broken in and taken care of properly, this way if a problem pops up down the road I'll know the history and not wonder if it was a lack of maintenance snafu. Thanks again for the replies - if you guys are indicative of the caliber of person on this site and riding these bikes - I may have found someplace as good as the COG and am looking forward to joining you all. Best regards, Sean B. COG # 5993 IBA # 17160

Thank you much, that's more in line with what I was thinking.

Hi All, Been poking around the site and am thinking about jumping in. I wasn't looking for a new bike but while getting my '04 Concours inspected at the local Yamaha dealer saw a leftover ('08) RSTD. Man what a great looking bike! Here's the dilema - I wasn't looking to add another bike to the garage until my Connie hit a 100k miles (next Spring) BUT... they don't make these anymore and I would hate to pass up the opportunity to buy a new one. I've checked with over 10 dealers and there are a total of 3 (new) local bikes available, 2 '08 and 1 '09. So... If you've got a couple of minutes, a few questions I have are, Any regrets from those of you that have had one awhile? I do ALL my own work on the Connie, oil changes - tires - valve adjustments - etc.. and she's pretty heavily farkled, is the RSTD owner friendly as far as maintenance goes? Connie's valves are spec for adj at 6k miles but I go 10 - 12k and find only 1 or 2 slightly out - what's the interval if any on the RSTD - the stealer said 12k then asked the mechanic and was told 22k??? I guess the last question (for now) is $$$ The dealer is asking $13k for a 2 year old leftover - a bit high (I think) as the invoice was about $12,3xx when it was new on the floor back then. I figure I'd offer a lowball # and hope for the best. What do y'all think would be a fair price based on your purchases? Hope to hear from ya's and maybe meet some of you on the road. Thanks for any help and/or info you can provide. Sean B. COG # 5993 IBA # 17160