2005 Yamaha Royal Star Tour Deluxe - Motorcycle.com

Sean Alexander
by Sean Alexander

Boar's Head Inn, Charlottesville, VA. ~ Rural Virginia is an almost tolerable place to be in the Spring and Fall. The hills, grass and trees are shockingly green in these parts, with winter little more than a bone chilling memory and the summer's oppressive heat, humidity and grey skies still a few weeks off. It's not a bad place to introduce a cruiser, as envious stares from cage bound commuters are evident with every glance, while you loaf around town sending chrome fired twinkles of light to tickle their retinas. Yamaha classifies the Tour Deluxe as: "Motorcycle, Convertible, Cruiser, Touring". Looking exactly like the cruiserfied Royal Star that it is, the Tour Deluxe cuts a dashing (if a bit large) figure, with nicely integrated saddlebags, gleaming chrome and polished cylinder finning leaving no doubt about its touring cruiser intentions.
There are a ton of accessories available through Yamaha's Star Accessories Catalog, the one I recomend most, is this short windscreen for the Tour Deluxe.

As you examine the photos in this story, please take note of the outstanding finish on the brightwork and paint. The Tour Deluxe looks great in pictures and absolutely stunning in person. It is obvious that Yamaha's product development people spent more than a few sleepless nights nailing-down the finish on this bike. I'm not really surprised though, as fit and finish was one of the things that helped Yamaha's Road Star Silverado win our recent Touring Cruiser Shootout. With bikes like the R1, Silverado and Tour Deluxe, it looks like Yamaha has well and truly raised its styling game.

When ridden as intended, the Tour Deluxe has an exceptionally smooth, comfortable and stable ride (as you would expect from the Royal Star platform) and it is blessed with by far the most comfortable cruiser seat I have ever tested. There is no mistaking this bike for a light and nimble 600 race rep, but it is far more capable than a bike this flashy and comfortable has a right to be. Clutch action is smooth and reasonably weighted and the gearbox is silky smooth and positive shifting. At parking lot speeds, the steering is light, but the wide bars mean that you have to move your hands pretty far for tight circles. Above parking lot speeds, the steering is solid, accurate and smooth, making the big Yamaha a joy to meander through country lanes.

Even though it sounds a bit V-Maxish in that healthy V-Four sort of way and though the Tour Deluxe shares a good deal of engine architecture with the V-Max, its engine character is closer to that of a steroidally enhanced Road Star V-Twin. The 1,294cc engine sounds great and pulls like stink, right up to the point where you'd expect the V-Boost to kick-in, then the tuned-for-torque motor quickly signs-off and begs for an upshift. Is it just me, or does it make perfect sense to slap an actual V-Max motor in this thing and let it eat? It's not like the chassis isn't up to the task and the added weight would naturally mellow the V-Max's hit. A bit of work with the polishing wheel and some faux finning, et viola! instant Badder-Ass Tour Deluxe. .

Ok, enough of my poseurish wannabe racer ramblings. The truth is, the Tour Deluxe's "Power" Cruiser status isn't in any danger, as its mill still puts out something in the neighborhood of 100HP to the ground, coupled with enough torque to send your neighbor's favorite V-Twin running for the hills.

If you choose to chase that neighbor into the hills, you will be happy to learn that this big Yamaha is willing to play and handles quite a bit better than expected. Much of this is due to the fairly high mounting of its floorboards and good (for a cruiser) overall ground clearance. There is a hint of shaft-drive-jack, but it isn't bothersome and can be used to slightly increase ground clearance, when you accelerate through corners. I have it on good authority, that the 700+Lb Tour Deluxe is quite happy to hack-sideways into corners, do burnouts and perform other sophomoric pranks, if its owner is as immature as the average motojournalist. I spent a good part of an exceptionally fun day, chasing Darb Retsinab through the VA countryside and the bike was happy to do anything I asked of it. True, it is wise to remember the Tour Deluxe's weight when planning your stops, but its brakes never faded or gave a hint of protest. All in all, I would say this is a thoroughly engineered and well executed package that (much like the original Honda GL1000 Gold Wing) is capable of performing well beyond its intended role.

Neat touches abound on this bike. The quick-release windscreen and sissy bar can be mounted or removed in seconds and attach in a similar manner to Harley's convertible accessories. However, the Yamaha attachment system seems much more solid than the Harley system and engages with a nice, positive click! Removing the windscreen and sissy bar/passenger backrest has a dramatic effect on the Tour Deluxe's overall look, transforming the bike from comfortable cruiser to long and low boulevard blaster in a blink of an eye. The saddlebags are nicely styled and offer ample storage and a load carrying capacity of 20Lbs each. They open wide and give easy access, with positive latches that are easy to operate one-handed. As an added bonus, Yamaha includes a 5-Year Parts, Labor & Roadside Assistance Warranty on every Royal Star and Royal Star Tour Deluxe. Couple these features with the aforementioned uber-comfortable seat, good performance and best in class paint and chrome and you come up with a bike that scores high on the "Me Want one" scale.

Sean Alexander
Sean Alexander

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