Ironically, considering COVID-19’s effects on personal mobility, touring bikes seem to be regaining popularity these days. For instance: KTM’s 1290 Super Duke GT (the world’s only hypernaked tourer) saw an overhaul for 2022, although we probably won’t see that machine in the US or Canada soon. On the other hand, the new (and more sensible) Honda NT1100 is almost certainly going to be confirmed for North America in coming months. At the lowest end of the price range, Kawasaki just updated itsVersys 650 LTto be much more up-to-date for 2022.
But what if your budget has room for none of the above? Even the new Versys 650 LT carries a $9,999 MSRP. If you want to pay cash for a bike, that’s more money than many of us can find in the couch cushions.
There’s good news for the cash-strapped,—it’s never been easier to get your hands on a tourer for little money. Machines like this2001 Yamaha Royal Starare being sold off cheap as their owners age out of the game, or tire of working on them.
The sincerest form of flattery
The Royal Star is, of course, a Yamaha cruiser aimed at poaching a portion of Harley-Davidson’s sales. The saying goes that “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” and boy, the Japanese spent a lot of time buttering up the MoCo in the early 2000s. After some missteps through the ’80s, Honda/Kawasaki/Yamaha/Suzuki mostly figured out the American cruiser formula in the 1990s, and by the 2000s, they were selling a pile of V-twins.
While it was obviously a V4 upon close inspection, the 1300 engine looked like an American V-twin from a quick glance at a distance, especially because it was tightly packed into the frame. Photo: Boonstra Parts
雅马哈的1300 series was one of the pillars of its lineup at that point. Yamaha was arguably the first manufacturer to really figure out how to cut into Harley-Davidson’s retro Americana market; the early Viragos were the first Japanese cruisers that reallylookedlike a Harley, at least to the uninformed outsider. And, when Yamaha introduced the V-Max for 1985, Yamaha had the first Japanese cruiser that was really respected by the grizzled biker set.
A little over a decade later, Yamaha wanted to reuse this engine in a new machine. Yamaha had already put a de-tuned V4 in the Venture Royale from 1983 to 1993. That Goldwingesque bike (see, more flattery!) was now gone from the lineup, and Yamaha thought the public was interested in American cruisers. So, we got the Royal Star Venture in 1999, powered by that same liquid-cooled V4.
Once again, the engine was detuned from the mighty V-Max’s hairy-chested attitude. The V-Max made about 145 horsepower at 9,000 rpm. The Royal Star Venture made a claimed peak output of 95 horsepower at 6,000 rpm, still a respectable number when compared to air-cooled, made-in-America competition of that day. Although the engine lost its high-end kick in the pants, it still had plenty of mid-range torque, over 80 pound-feet at 3,500 rpm. That’s more than enough jam to haul you and your sweetie and a load of luggage to Americade. And, there was a shaft drive matched to that five-speed gearbox so you wouldn’t have to worry about maintenance along the way.
And, most importantly: Yamaha’s visual re-packaging of the V4 engine was superb. Despite the large radiator on the front of the bike, it looked like it very well could have been made in Milwaukee, at least to the casual onlooker.
It looked a lot different from the original Venture Royale, but the Royal Star Venture came with all the proverbial bells and whistles you’d want for the long haul. Photo: Facebook
A different kind of tourer
The original Venture Royale model was a Goldwing imitator that, despite some very loyal fans, was never able to wrest the long-distance crown away from Honda. Now, Yamaha’s premier touring bike came with a fork-mounted fairing and windscreen, heavily-cushioned seats, floorboards, and lots and lots of chromed trim. The front fender had a massive skirt; with Indian Motorcycles on the ropes in the 1990s and 2000s, the Japanese were quick to pick up the company’s historic styling cues.
With two big sidecases and a topcase for a total of 33 gallon-capacity, the new Royal Star Venture was realistically every bit as long-haul capable as its predecessor, even if it wasn’t as sharp-handling. With only 4.1 inches of travel in the rear shock, and 5.6 inches of travel up front, this bike wasn’t made for bashing down sketchy back roads. At least both front and rear suspension had air assist, to help smooth out the ride.
With cruise control, a 6-gallon fuel tank and even a four-speaker sound system (cassette/radio on earlier models, CD on later motels), you could crank your Bob Seger and ride for hours down long, lonesome highways east of Omaha, without even stopping for gas. The machine even came with passenger-to-pilot intercom. In short: It had everything the long-distance rider might want, as long as you didn’t mind the awful 800-pound dry weight. Other touring bikes were faster, or less money, or better-handling, or flashier, but the Royal Star Venture 1300 offered an uncomplicated, reliable long-distance ride.
A dashboard full off gadgetry, a rare thing for 2001. Photo; Facebook
The Royal Star Venture today
Today, the boomers who bought these bikes are now selling them off, and you can find them cheap. The example hereis priced at $2,000 obo in Morrisville, Pennsylvania. A pretty decent deal, right? But there’s a catch. The ad says “it needs a clutch slave cylinder rebuild I have the parts but no time to work on it.”
The downside of buying an old premium touring bike is that they typically came with complicated engines and lots of bodywork to remove when you have to work on them. The bike here is a 2001, with 65,000 miles on the odometer, so you might end up having to spin a few wrenches beyond that clutch work.
Or, you might not. The thing with these bikes is, most of the powertrain and chassis were massively over-engineered, so if you’re OK with peripheral stuff breaking down (sound system, bodywork, etc.), the core bike may run until the government outlaws gasoline.
