A new standard in tourers? | Page 2 | GTAMotorcycle.com

A new standard in tourers?

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The big twins are actually really nice, one of the girls that rides with us has an HD ultraglide bagger and I was really surprised at how nicely the engine smoothed out at cruising speed, very little vibration at 80kms and no buzzing on the bar grips. For all the jokes about agricultural products the HD as a highway cruiser is very nice.

We joke about the need for reverse gear but a fully loaded touring bike when you pull into a parking spot and realize the pavement has a small dip and foot pedaling a 900lb beast is really really awkward, reverse has its place.
 
R1200RT gives you everything this does, except it weighs 360 lbs less, is fun in the twisties, and you've got an extra $10k in your pocket.
 
Face said:
R1200RT gives you everything this does, except it weighs 360 lbs less, is fun in the twisties, and you've got an extra $10k in your pocket.
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Which will come in handy when the final drive grenades. I kid, I kid.

I'm with Crank Call on this one. Blue skies, blue jeans and a throbbing V-twin on the open road are pretty appealing. Your woman also has the space she needs and won't be tired when the sun goes down (*WINK*). I thought Yamaha dropped the Star name though? It was always a fig leaf that fooled no-one. We all know what Yamahas look like, right? Nothing to be ashamed of. Sure would love to ride the roads in that commercial, regardless of the bike.
 
Flywheel said:
Which will come in handy when the final drive grenades. I kid, I kid.

I'm with Crank Call on this one. Blue skies, blue jeans and a throbbing V-twin on the open road are pretty appealing. Your woman also has the space she needs and won't be tired when the sun goes down (*WINK*). I thought Yamaha dropped the Star name though? It was always a fig leaf that fooled no-one. We all know what Yamahas look like, right? Nothing to be ashamed of. Sure would love to ride the roads in that commercial, regardless of the bike.
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My wife spent 8 happy days on the back of a rented RT with me ripping 2000 kms of twisties in the Pyrenees, and she had all the energy she needed for evening activities. I share your concern about shaft final drives (I had a Triumph drive seal leak on another holiday), but I'd spend a small portion of that extra $10k on an extended warrantee before spending it on an extra 360 lbs.
 
Hardwrkr13 said:
GTAM is the wrong crowd for this. Impressive indeed that Yamaha built it but I think it's priced a bit high. Love that it's got the kitchen sink thrown at it and to get anything comparable from HD would be boatloads more money (a base Electra Ultra starts at $30k and is nowhere near this). Not liking the styling though but features are great.
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This,

Just cant justify throwing 30+ grand on a single bike,
 
Face said:
My wife spent 8 happy days on the back of a rented RT with me ripping 2000 kms of twisties in the Pyrenees, and she had all the energy she needed for evening activities. I share your concern about shaft final drives (I had a Triumph drive seal leak on another holiday), but I'd spend a small portion of that extra $10k on an extended warrantee before spending it on an extra 360 lbs.
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I am not concerned about the final drives on the BMW's. Hardly an epidemic and not reading every day about another failure on a new modern BMW. I am on my 3rd BMW GS and never an issue with a final drive and I never give it a second though. I get my maintenance done when it is supposed to and it just keeps on moving. In fact the shaft drive is one of the things that brought me to the BMW, it was the only large CC bike that had a shaft drive in the adventure bike category.

Not sure an RT would be quite as comfortable as Yamaha Venture, the seat certainly looks better on the venture. My uncle just road his RT from Calgary to Kitchener, it went alright for him and he has a corbin seat, but I am sure he would have loved the plush comfort of my dads Ultra Glide. Stock BMW seats have never been that great, it was the first thing I swapped on my '06 GS and '10 GSA. Still using the stock seat on my '15 GSA, better then previous but still not the most comfortable seat I have ever used.
 
On another website, someone came up with a good name for the new Yamaha: the "Yamapotamus."

It weighs double what my upper acceptable limit is for what a motorcycle should weigh. Less weight is a good thing. More weight is a bad thing. No, I'm not about to buy a Gold Wing, either.

The closest I can ever foresee buying is a BMW F800ST or equivalent. I rode a rental one in the Alps several years ago, and the relatively light weight was a plus.
 
mmmnaked said:
Are these big twin tourers smooth? Do they use super cushy mounts? I've had a few twin supersports and nakeds - would much prefer a smooth 4 for long distance slabbing.
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My VTX is nice and smooth at cruise and nicely dampened at idle as well. Not every V Twin is a rumbling hand numbing machine like the old Harleys. Most modern HD's aren't even like that anymore for that matter.

Brian P said:
It weighs double what my upper acceptable limit is for what a motorcycle should weigh.
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Meh, if you want the kitchen sink you're going to get weight along with it, but it doesn't automatically equate to making the bike un-handleable...in the hands of a skilled rider. To the contrary, a skilled rider can toss around a full decker or touring bike surprisingly well, often better than an amateur or medium skilled rider on a far more nimble bike.
 
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Brian P said:
On another website, someone came up with a good name for the new Yamaha: the "Yamapotamus.".
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Admit it, you just made that up now so you could be mean on the Internet. I'm going to give it a chance even if I don't have the $$$ to buy it OR a lady to come along for the scenery and campfire-lit Scrabble. It's very relaxing while sipping a Rum & Coke (that's what the wink meant).
 
Didn't think I would see anyone crib the worst styling cue from the Buell 1125.

Why did the Stratoliner have to die? I felt like it was pretty much the best Japanese cruiser ever
 
We took the long route to Niagara yesterday. Unpacked the bags at the airbnb then filled them back up at the lcbo and grocery store. One really nice plus about having the bagger.
 
I think it'll do well. The luxury touring market is competitive with the BWM K1600gtl, the Harley Electraglide Ultra and the Roadglide ultra, and arguably the reigning king, the Goldwing. The Kawasaki Voyager is sort of the budget entry into the field but shouldn't be counted out as it is a very competent tourer with enough bells and whistles to be counted as a luxury tourer, just not quite on the same level as the others. The Yamaha FJR has been at the top of the big sport touring range pretty much since day one, and when it isn't, it's close. Yamaha knows how to do touring. I think this one will definitely give the others a reason to take a long look at their bikes and where they need/should update and improve them, especially the Honda as it is the longest serving bike in the category (but still my personal favorite). I think that making it a V-twin is a bit of a gamble seeing as the two best bikes in the category are 6cyl and the air cooled thing is a mistake IMO, but everything else looks right on the money. The price tag is not out of line compared to the competition either. An Ultraglide is $30,000+, a Goldwing is $31,000+ and the BMW K1600gtl is $32,000+. Heck, the big sport touring bikes like the FJR and the Concours are $19,000+ and the BMW R1200rt which sort of lands in the middle between the FJR and the K1600 is $21,000 base but gets up to $28,000 quick when you start adding factory options.

I can't wait to see some reviews on it and how it stacks up, especially against the Honda!
 
If it doesn't come with satellite TV as a standard feature, that is a deal breaker right there!

I've always been curious about the Royal Star Venture. It has/had a 1.3L water-cooled V4 that I assume was borrowed from the V-Max. You see a lot of used ones on Kijiji, but never too expensive. They seem to last forever
 
30K for an air cooled V Twin bagger.....not my cup of tea, but if it were, why not by a HD?
I've owned 5 Yamahas, but I'd not be buying this one
 
The electric forward and reverse alone would be enough to convince me to buy the Yamaha over the HD! Ever try to duck walk a 900lb+ bike backwards or forwards into a parking spot? I have and it sucks! I actually had to hop off and stand beside the bike with one hand on the bars and one on the seat to back it up!

Oh yeah, and lets not forget the Japanese reliability and build quality.
 
Still, It is only competing with the goldie and beemer. None of these bikes mentioned here, will ever steal a customer from HD. These bikes do not have the look that the HD buyer wants. An HD buyer also wants a bike that sounds like a bike, not a sewing machine or a lawn mower or a Corolla. And at this price point, it's even going to make metric touring fans take a look at the ultraglide, and when they do, they won't look back.
 
It's competing with the Goldwing, I agree, but it's doing so on the "I want a Vtwin that sounds like a chopper" market vs the Goldwing which sounds like a sewing machine.

So, it's a 'Wing with better sound.
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