Here is a photo of a Yamaha Royal Star that caught my eye in the parking area at Outlanders in Luray. Like me he has sought out a gravel area to park this heavy bike. My Kawi Nomad is pushing 800 pounds and this Yamaha is 787 dry, so the muddy parking area was out of the question for these bikes.
The Royal Star is super smooth. The silky whir of the v-four sounds somewhat turbine-like, something that takes some getting used to. It is only a 1300 - a detuned version of the super speedy V-Max engine. The four valves per cylinder with overhead cams are meant for higher revving, so keep those rpms up for max power. It doesn't make loads of low end torque like a Harley, but when you get it wound up it makes nearly 100 hp. That's more than enough to haul two people and a load of luggage up a mountain.
The dash and speedometer is styled a lot like a 58 Buick, wih the speedometer needle moving horizontally. Photo courtesy of Dave 77459 on flickr.
I'm not sure why these bikes don't sell better. They are rock solid machines starting at under $15,000. Yet they are rarely seen on the road. I suppose it is largely due to Harley having a much better marketing program than Yamaha, so most people opt for an Ultra Classic when in the market for a touring bike.
