Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

removal. Capacity is good and certainly enough for the casual touring/cruising for which the model is intended, particularly since in its stock form the Tour Deluxe comes without passenger accommodations. Where the passenger seat normally resides is a stylized, chrome luggage rack. Should you desire to carry a friend, a passenger kit including a seat, backrest (definitely different from the one fitted to the Tour Gassic) and floorboards will be available for roughly $700. It seems Yamaha found that a good number of its potential customers toured solo and the price could be lowered if the passenger parts were left off. The seat you do get stock on the Tour Deluxe is designed to be deeper and offer more back support to better suit the model's touring aim. Fitting the larger, hard bags made a couple of other changes necessary, namely to the exhaust system and the placement of the ignition key. The "79_ cubic-inch" (that's 1295cc to you and me) V-four loses the four-into-four exhausts of the basic Royal Star and Tour Gassic and gets instead a long and low four-into-two system. The new system brought about a slight increase in midrange power, though it isn't something you'll likely feel, even riding both types back to back. What you will notice is both a change in the exhaust note and the way the bike feels. The sound of the Tour Deluxe is a little more muted and the individual pulses somewhat less dis- . tinct. Smoother, you might say. Though unrelated to the exhaust changes, the four 28mm Mikunis were treated to refined settings (basically tighter tolerances for float settings, synchronization and the like) in an effort to enhance ridability. All three models benefit from the changes. As for the ignition switch, well, we think its having been moved because of the hard bags on the Tour Deluxe is a good thing, though Yamaha says it received little in the way of complaint about its placement on the first two Royal Star models; the ignition remains to the right rear of the seat on both the standard Royal Star and Tour Classic, but is now placed under the tank toward the front of the Tour Deluxe's frame on the left-hand side. Different chrome pieces here and there, as well as the addition of whitewall tires, round out the cosmetic changes. Two color schemes will be available, onyx and onyx over white. The final functional changes were th~ addition of self-canceling turn signals, an overdrive light (the engine diagnostic light performs double duty for this), to "remind" the rider that fjfth gear is overdrive. What did I say was important? Ah, yes, riding. Well then, let's ride. We began our trek on the shores ·of California's south coast and traveled east through both the Cleveland and San Bernardino National Forests on winding mountain roads to the desert city of Rancho Mirage southeast of Palm Springs. We had traffic, stoplights, an interstate and those winding mountain roads - just about everything you might encounter on a tour of your own. We also had some wind. And with the roughly 5,000-foot elevation we encountered over some of the mountain passes to bring the temperature down, the effective windscreen· and deflectors the same used on the Tour Classic were a blessing. So was the stability of the Tour Deluxe. ~oming around the mountain, you could never be quite sure from which direction the wind would be coming. With Mr. Deluxe, it didn't matter. The most important thing to do when faced with riding a Royal Star is to change your mind. Many of us get caught up in an adrenaline and velocity mentality: Gentlemen, let's eat miles and eat them quickly. Don't think that way. The Royal Star was not designed with speed in mind. I think that's why they call it cruising. That said, any of the Royal Stars will still support a brisk pace comfortably above any posted speed limit. (Above) The indicator light at 3 o'clock on the dial is the engine diagnostic light that does double duty as an overdrive indicator on the Tour Deluxe. (Left) Capacity for the hard bags is 33 percent greater than those fitted to the Tour Classic. (Below) Riding the Tour Deluxe is a relaxing proposition and the machine suits its casual-touring aim very well.. Roughly 160 . accessories are currently available for the Royal Star line and the Tour Deluxe is as changeable as the rest. As we motored out of Laguna Niguel heading south on Interstate 5, one thing it was clearly apparent Yamaha didn't change was the suspension. Expansion joints have their full personality communicated to the rider through the front fork. Those sharp hits are the worst of it and under most other conditions the suspension's operation both front and rear is adequate. While the Tour Deluxe does well on the superstraight superhighway, things are too frenetic to really enjoy what the bike is about. Who can relax when a gasoline tanker truck is bearing down on you at 80 mph? It was once we hit the more isolated two-lane roads the touring personality of the Deluxe showed itself. You find yourself rolling off the throttle a little, checking the mirrors for flashing red lights a bit less and generally looking around more. You tend to notice what's around you, rather than just passing by it in a blur. The Tour Deluxe takes the hurry out of you. So when you see that sign for Sky Sailing glider rides as you pass by the little private airport in Warner Springs, you stop to take one (highly recommended, and make your pilot do a couple of wingovers). Like the rest of the Royal Star line, the Tour Deluxe features overdrive ratios for both fourth and fifth gears. Fifth, in fact, is a very tall 0.703:1 which keeps the revs at a low 2,650 rpm at 60. So when your chuffing along at 50 or so, you get the full feast of the Royal Star sound mixing with the sights and smells of rolling hills and farm land. It is under these conditions that the overdrive light seems like overkill. If you're riding the Tour Deluxe the way you're supposed to, you won't be speed~g, won't need to look at the speedo and you won't see the overdrive light. And because of the tall gearing, you'll also know. that a downshift or two is definitely necessary should you actually need to pass someone. When you go to downshift, your boot will be greeted by the same heeltoe shift lever found on the other Royal Star models. The shifter's operation is transparent, as is that of the excellent clutch. After having the opportunity to ride a couple of different Tour Deluxe models, some accessorized, some not, I must report that the new stock seat's extra back support pushed me a bit closer to the tank than my 6-foot-2 frame would like. One of the bikes was equipped with the Corbin-made Yamaha accessory seat, and that one's still the best. It's broad, firm and flat, allows the rider to move around a bit as well as .lending a better feeling of spaciousness. Like the first time we rode the Royal Star, one of the most impressive aspects of the machine's handling is its lowspeed maneuverability. Riding-shot photo sessions typically entail countless V-turns on narrow, isolated two-lane roads. With the Tour Deluxe, these Dturns are no-brainers a·nd motoring around a parking lot is easy. As a demonstration of Yamaha's commitment to the Royal Star line, there is of course the rest of the package, all included in the $14,999 Tour Deluxe price. 1'm speaking, naturally, about the five-year warranty, the Road Star 24hour roadside assistance program with trip-interruption benefit in case of mechanical failure, the 24-hour, toll-free service line, locksmith service, dealer locator serv:ice and a customized tripplanning ·service. Overall, this is very green grass, if you will. Oh yes, and with that five-year warranty comes unlimited miles. Good thing, too, because chances are you'll be racking up quite a few. (N \0 0\ 0\ ...... o C'l I-< (1) 1 > Z 23

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