A big plus for those riders who want one bike with different looks.

The way I see it with the new Royal Star Tour Deluxe, Yamaha has got the best of both worlds with this new model – the cruising world and the touring world – yeap! All combined in one machine; they call it a “Cruiser Touring”, possibly one of the fastest growing segment in the market today.

And believe me ‘mis amigos’, with its quick release touring windshield and passenger backrest that don’t require any type of tools, (with the help of hidden latches) you can literally, in a matter of seconds, remove it or install it, and go from cruising to tour mode, just like that! Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the new bagger you can undress.

In any event, we had the opportunity to test ride this new bike along the beautiful roadways, highways and byways of the beautiful Charlottesville and its vicinity, like Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and the Blue Ridge Parkway which is literally the “Backbone” of a great scenic mountain region embracing the Southern (and highest) portion of the Appalachian mountain range, an area of approximately 20,000 square miles. The Parkway follows the Appalachian Mountain chain and provides seemingly endless views of many parallel ranges connected by cross ranges and scattered hills. From Shenandoah National Park, the Parkway follows the Blue Ridge Mountains, eastern rampart of the Appalachians, for 355 miles. Then, for the remaining 114 miles, it skirts the southern end of the massive Black Mountains, weaves through the Craggies, the Pisgahs, and the Balsams, and ends in the Great Smokies. In other words, one heck of an awesome ride, on a great cruiser!

But let’s talk about the nitty-gritty. This new Royal Star Tour Deluxe features the same trustworthy 1294cc V-4 liquid-cooled engine many of us enjoyed so much in the Royal Star Venture that was introduced in 1996, a 5 speed gearbox and shaft drive, but with a much lower and aggressive cruiser styling. This engine is powerful, very smooth with a great sound.

The 98 horsepower and 89 ft. pound of torque with a single counter balance, and the 32mm Mikuni carburetors with heater circuits gives this 800+ pound Royal Star Tour Deluxe (which from now on in this report, I will refer to it as RSTD) a wide, flexible powerband, offering plenty of ‘off-the-line’ grunt down low, and gratifying acceleration authority in the higher rev range, even with some baggage and two-up. And its 5.3 gallon fuel tank gives this puppy good range.

With air adjustable suspension front and rear, my first impression when I got on it was kind of soft, but after a quick blast of air, I was happy and good to go. The rear suspension felt a bit wobbly after I hit 55 mph but once again with a little bit of air to raise the rear about half inch, we were in business, and ready for the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Overall, this bike has great engine and chassis performance for its category, as well as good handling, great dynamics, superior suspension and excellent three disc braking, dual 298mm discs gripped by twin-pot calipers in the front and a 320mm rear disc with a four-pot caliper, good enough to stop this big ‘doode’ very quickly and with no problema.

I can’t be a good judge for wind protection; most bikes offer minimal wind buffeting for me, but then again I’m only 5’8” - on the other hand, the comfort level is excellent on this cruiser. The windshield does an outstanding job of keeping wind pressure off your chest at highway speeds without the usual pounding, and the large set of fairing lowers (which also shields the bike’s twin airboxes, which by the way, is the reason for the boost in performance) keeps your legs much warmer and very comfortable in a pocket of still air that makes the long trips a pleasure, especially in cold weather. And that’s a good thing because like we told you earlier, the new RSTD will give you an impressive 200 miles between fill-ups.

The floorboards (both for the rider and the passenger) isolate vibration excellently, and add to the comfort equation. And the bike’s 29.1-inch seat height makes it easy to balance the big bike at stops.

I really like the new hard bags with great luggage capability and one-handed opening facility able to hold enough for a long weekend for two with careful packing. Yamaha also offers a tankbag and a backrest bag that further enhance carrying capacity. And let’s not forget the cruise control, great for extended cruises. All in all, an excellent long distance machine.

The RSTD wears H-rated Bridgestone Exedras - a wide 150/80-16 in the front and a 150/90-15 in the rear, with a chassis that uses the rigidly mounted engine as a stressed member.

And last but not least, as with most Yamaha cruisers, the new RSTD offers plenty of customizing options. And I mean plenty folks, (look out HD) because with more than 120 accessories, that include seats, different sizes windscreens and a multitude of chrome dress-up items, not to mention the matching apparel, all of it designed in concert with the bike, it becomes fun and easy to personalize this machine your own way.

And with Yamaha’s impressive five-year, unlimited-mile warranty that includes roadside assistance, what else can we ask for? Except what color to get… let’s see – the Charcoal Silver and Raven or Raspberry Metallic and Raven… it really doesn’t matter, for this new cruiser from Yamaha with an MSRP of $13,999. is a ‘grand’ winner!