Let's see . . . the future of the Royal Star? The only place I've heard any rumblings is here, but I'm going to the Bike Show in Cleveland on Jan. 30, so I'll check it out there. I hope they keep it around for a long time. I have the first year of production's standard model. I like it the best of any bike I've owned, including an '82 Virago 750 and a '74 RD 350. (Both were sweet-handling bikes!) Fit-and-finish is top-notch. Accessories are plentiful, although production can't keep up with demand on some items. This alone should give the corporate bigwigs a clue as to the popularity of the bike. Changes I'd like to see have already been mentioned - put the counterbalancer back in, 6-gallon gas tank, and offer fuel injection. The stock seat seems to fit my rear - don't know if that's good or bad! ;-) 400-mile jaunts are as comfy at the finish as they are at the start. The only way I'd want to part with this bike is if I decide to step up to a Venture. I think Yamaha should offer a 'sporty' model that has a 1300 cc V-Max engine, with appropriate suspension/tires/etc. or maybe offer that setup as a sport/tourer. To summarize, they're nuts if they discontinue the Royal Star, but then they DID toss the Virago 750 and 1100.
Ed Shanks - ISRA #1297

I don't have an RS but I think it's a great bike, several in the group I ride with. One has 4 into 4 Cobra slash cuts, another straight pipes with fishtail tips. They both sound great. I wrote this to throw you an idea on the clock. I hate trying to look at a wristwatch when I'm riding and was looking for another way. I had several old Casio watches around the house. I use them when I'm working on the bike or in the shop. They're about $12 bucks and the band breaks long before the Lithium battery quits. I went to Home Depot and got some small 3/4-inch Velcro tabs. Put one side on the back of a watch and the other on the top of the triple tree under the handlebars on the side. I can see it when I'm riding but otherwise it's pretty much covered. Just a thought. My daughter says what happens if the watch gets wet, I said "Well it's waterproof to 100 meters, if I'm in that much water with the bike I have bigger problems then the watch stopping." Have a good one.
Chuck - ISRA #886

Just my $0.02 . . . I think they should go one of two ways. One, lower the price to 10K-11K and then it would be a real alternative to a lot of the competition. I think the extra few grand they list for put them out of the running. It is stuck between HD for a little more and all the metric cruisers that all seem to be around 10-11k. OR Keep it expensive and make it the hot mother it can be. I like the idea of a V-Max engine. Now that would be something and I think it would justify the bucks in most people's minds. I have heard that the Royal will go the way of the V-Mmax and they will only make about 1100 a year. I would rather see that happen then see it go away altogether. Either way I love mine and will have it for a long time. I got mine for the same price as a new Roadie as a 98 leftover. I like the looks of the Royal over the Roadie and felt I was getting a lot more of what I wanted in a bike with the Royal. So for me the lower price helped make up my mind.
T Mag - ISRA #732

I got used to a clock on my bikes when I started riding my Kawasaki Concours, and then the Wings, and also the XX has a clock. I find that it's a very useful thing to have. I carry a Casio in my little leather windshield pouch. It's a hassle to get at, but it works. Plus it has a digital thermometer built in so I can know how bad a case of frostbite I'm in for when I leave work at 0500. In this day and age I think every upscale bike should have a whole array of gauges, thermometer, clock, elapsed time counter, highest speed attained, etc The Honda VFR800 has a lot of this stuff, very cool. I know it's not stylish on a cruiser, but neither is a radiator, and it could be disguised cleverly.
Pat - 97 RSTD - 97 CBRXX

Good question Terry, I think the styling of the bike is one of the best - the Road Star is up there too. I think they could give the popularity of the Valkyrie a run for its money if they'd add fuel injection to give the motor a little more low-end punch. I'd also upgrade the suspension, especially the rear. It'd be a real shame if Yamaha would kill this great-looking bike.
Mark - '99 WR400 - '98 RSTC

I really like the Royals, and would hate to see them go. Someone has already mentioned that abandoning models is a common slam on Japanese companies, and their urge to change/enhance/fiddle with everything does make it tough. I'd add a little more HP (injections as mentioned might be a start) and re-gear it for a little more pull in higher gears. I'd also drop the price, and that's the biggie, IMHO. One of the first rules has to be "don't compete against yourself".... And the price of a Royal, with a Roadie sitting right next to it (and to many folks conceptually identical, e.g. "big fancy cruiser") is a real problem. I know they're not comparable (cylinders for heaven's sake, just for starters.) But many people see them, rightly so, as very similar in appeal. If it took a stripped down version to get a Royal Star down to 10K, I'd do it. A much better price point for a lot of folks. It does bring into question, what really is the Yamaha "flagship" bike for this series? I'm not sure I know...
Richard McDevitt - ISRA #431

What ... where?? Well, as you know, California didn't get any 2000 Royal Stars. This was confirmed and I checked w/one dealer and he said there were still plenty 99s etc around. Someone else said it, and I agree, that if they were trying to capture "new" cruiser riders, this bike is too expensive, and the Roadie presents quite a deal for less money. Someone also compared the Royal to the V-Max in regard to production numbers ... and I have very good input, (marketing and engineering types meeting with selected owners), that there will be a second generation V-Max and I can assure you it won't have pushrods or look like the MT01. Unlike the V-Max however, (any accessory worth having you had to have made yourself) the Royal doesn't suffer from an accessory shortage. If they redid the top of the frame they could hop up this engine, use the Venture mill or make a real hot-rod/cruiser. I love the styling of this bike and have been on a couple of breakfast rides and sat so that I could look out the window. Every time I see people gathering around it to try and figure out what it is. (I have no gas tank emblems) I have a five year warranty, plenty of hot rod parts, knock out styling that, "I," like and a front tire that scares the hell out of people. It would be kind of neat to have a unique vehicle. (should they pull the line) On the other hand, pulling the bike out of the lineup is not a big deal. The V-Max went to sleep for 1987, the Venture disappeared and came back different in '99, etc . . . So, not a big deal . . . When I roll into a parking lot with the Royal, it is as unique as my V-Max. I plan on having it for a long time. I even get to use some of the neat stuff falling out from vendors for the high volume Roadie, like the Corbin fairing, etc . . . Soooooo, whatever I was saying, it is cool to have a unique ride; I don't even care what they do about future production . . . I have one !!
Campbell

- I'd do what I could to bring down the MSRP: if it's as bulletproof as advertised, does it really need a 5-year warranty?
- Juice! Juice! Juice! What the hell were the Yamaha engineers thinking when they DE-TUNED it?!?! That's got to be the worst case of not knowing one's market, at least for the American market, at any rate.
- And this is very personal, but I'd change the look of the heads. There's something about them that remind me of chrome-covered aliens peeking out over the crankcase!
Those are really the only things I'd like to see changed on an otherwise gorgeous, rip-snorting, beefcake of a cruiser.
Deeter - ISRA#: 0527

As another PROUD owner of a 97 RSTD Onyx & Creme I'd really hate to see this bike dropped from the line also. I think the magazines did the bike as much an injustice as they did it justice, for all the good that was said they beat the hell out of the bike over the issue of a supposed lack of power. While I agree there could easily be more power, for me I bought a cruiser to cruise, downshift if you have to or buy a bike that has the constant HP/TORQUE to run like a bat out of hell all the time. If anything I'd like to see a more throaty exhaust at the stock end of things. As for the price I don't know, I wouldn't change the cosmetics though that's for sure. The Royal & Road Star, 2 different bikes, 2 different riding styles. Zoom 91