Blasting down the highway between Sturgis and Deadwood South Dakota, Mick Jagger is blaring out of the speakers on my 2006 Yamaha Royal StarVenture touring machine.  While I’m singing along to “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction,” a huge smile splits my face as I’m actually quite satisfied in the saddle of Yamaha’s long distance machine riding the twisting asphalt of the Black Hills. 

As I pull into Deadwood another Yamaha Venture pulls up alongside me at the red light.  I look over at the rider who gave me the thumbs up and turned right, as I continued straight.  I don’t know if the thumbs up meant he liked my choice in music or “welcome to the club,” as it was I couldn’t give it much thought as the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally traffic demanded I pay attention to the task at hand. 

This year Brad Bannister offered the Royal Star Venture as my trusty steed for the 10 days of cruising the South Dakota countryside. With the sun setting as I was riding along, I breathed deeply of the clean mid-western air and couldn’t help but think, is this great country or what?

But, there’s work to do so putting aside my warm and fuzzy feelings I arrive at the rental I was sharing with some friends in Deadwood and set about going over this bike with a critical eye towards detail.

America got its first taste of the Royal Star Venture in 1999 and not much has changed.  With any model that’s been around this long some critics are quick to describe the Venture’s styling as dated.  While this might be true, the Venture’s closest competitors, such as the Harley-Davidson Electra Glide and the Honda Interstate, are just as guilty of maintaining the status quo in the styling department.  The BMW 1200 CL which is comparable in engine size is at the opposite end of the futuristic styling spectrum. 

Sitting in the plush pillow soft bucket seat, the operator’s view of the dash resembles that of a vintage 1950’s analog Chevrolet speedometer, but that’s just for looks because the speedo is in reality, digital. As is the odometer, dual tripmeters, the fuel gauge, clock and cruise control.  There is a low oil level light, but not for the fuel and it’s easy to ignore the fuel level.  Note to Yamaha, put a warning light in future models.  On the final day of my week long test I was intent to deplete as much fuel as possible to check the mileage and when I got below the quarter of a tank range the bike just started dying, like it was being starved for fuel and almost before I realized it I was stranded on I-90 about twelve miles outside Sturgis.  Since the gauge showed almost a quarter of a tank, I had no idea I was out of gas in the main tank.  Thinking it was a mechanical problem, I sat there, frantically trying to call someone to help and continuously annoying the starter.   It was obvious it wasn’t getting gas so after 10 minutes of unproductive frustration my passenger suggested that maybe the Venture was simply out of gas.  A light went off in the dingy recesses of my mind and swiftly I reached under the tank, turned the petcock, thumbed the starter and she fired right up.  Thoroughly embarrassed, I forgot to record the mileage so there goes my fuel consumption numbers. 

To either side of the speedometer are two of the 4-speakers which are tied into the (14 watts per channel) stereo system which features automatic, speed-regulated volume control designed to help you hear Mick Jagger over the wind noise.  Speaking of wind noise, the extra tall windshield extending several inches below the batwing fairing, coupled with the frame mounted lower leg cowlings do a good job of opening up the envelope as you ride along.  This provides a nice calm pocket of still air in the operator and passenger bubble so you don’t have to turn the volume up much unless you’re in one of those moods that only twisting the throttle and cranking up the volume with a good road tune can satisfy.

While the tombstone shaped windshield does a good job of moving the air, it’s also way too tall for anyone shy of 6 foot 5 inches to see over.  This became a safety issue during rain shower late one evening coming off the twisty Iron Mountain Highway.  In the sunlight, there’s no problem looking through the windshield even in a downpour.   But, I’m six foot tall, and once darkness descended, the oncoming headlights, coupled with the rain on the windshield made it extremely difficult for me to see the road.  If this were my bike, I’d take a hacksaw to it in short order.  I don’t know how that would change the dynamics of the airflow and it might cause more buffeting, but from a safety standpoint, I’d make the trade.  Actually the hacksaw option is a little drastic since Yamaha offers a smaller windscreen as an option, which I think is backwards, the smaller screen should be standard with the taller being the option. 

And while we’re on the subject of things I’d change, the Star emblem in the center of the console is actually a flip up cover which conceals a cassette player.  Now, I know this bike is marketed to us old geezers, but a cassette player?  Give us some credit, and replace this anachronism with something for the MP3 and IPOD user. 

Mounted on the left side of the handlebars is the control box for the AM/FM, cassette and CB radio.  While the controls are ergonomically excellent, figuring out how to work the volume and squelch on the radio wasn’t as user friendly as expected and I’m no technologically challenged Luddite.  Finally refusing to admit defeat, I searched for the answer in an online Yamaha user group and discovered the maddeningly simple solution. 

Operating the CB microphone was extremely easy and located exactly where you’d expect it to be.  The headset plug was conveniently located on the gas tank where it made it easy to connect and disconnect at stops.  The mirrors provided a clear view to the rear even at highway speed.

Touring passengers will appreciate the plush wraparound arm rests with sturdy hand grab bars and a cushy backrest that is so soft and comfy you might be tempted to fall asleep were it not for the integrated speakers built in to the trunk blasting out road tunes.  Of course the passenger has the option to adjust the volume in the rear speakers to preference.

Out on the open road the Royal Star Venture really shines.  Those of us cursed with middle aged spread will applaud the roomy 67.1 inch wheelbase when touring two up.  Even the thin mints can appreciate the sensible handlebar reach and operator and passenger footboards spaced out as far as possible away from the heat of the engine.  Those with inseams in the under 30 inch range may find the 29.5 inch seat height pushing their feet a bit too far out, but the floorboards easily fold up if you’re forced to duck walk the Venture during an urban interstate traffic snarl.  

Over the years the Venture has put on a pound or two and the 2006 model tips the scales dry at just north of 800 lbs.  Add a couple passengers, fill up the 15 gallon rear trunk and both 9 gallon saddlebags with gear, and top off the 6 gallon fuel tank and you’re somewhere just shy of having to pass through DOT truck scales.  Even so the low center of gravity and assuming you’ve distributed the weight properly in the storage compartment the Venture conducts itself well in the parking lot dance. Comparing motorcycles to animals, sportbikes would be the predatory cats, cruisers would be the horses and touring bikes like the Royal Star Venture would be buffalo or rhinoceros, large and menacing, but surprisingly quick and nimble for the size. 

This Star’s quickness comes from its black and chrome engine which specs in at 1294cc, or 79 cubic inches.  If that looks anemic on paper, banish the thought as the 70 degree DOHC 4 valve power plant provides enough muscle to keep up with any competitor in its class mainly because of the two extra cans.  Yamaha says it will put out 89 ft lbs of torque at 4750 rpm but we didn’t put it on a dyno so we can’t verify the numbers.  The four heated Mikuni carburetors performed flawlessly in the high altitude without skipping a beat even during the cool South Dakota mornings.

The wide-ratio transmission with 5^th gear as overdrive performed better than anticipated at highway speeds.  There were a few times when I’d consciously wish for a taller 6^th gear in the wide open country of Montana west of Sturgis. That usually happened when reaching speeds in excess of 85-90 mph on the interstate, but in reality very few of us live in the no speed limit state of Montana so most of the time we’re in the more prudent range of 65-75 mph.  A taller 6^th gear might be an unnecessary but nice to have luxury.

Power is transferred to the ground via a smooth shaft drive and forward velocity is scrubbed off by dual 298 mm discs up front and a single 320mm out back.  In our real world tests the brakes were adequate for the task but surprisingly squishy considering Yamaha’s sportbike experience.  I’m assuming that these brakes are designed specifically for the “cruiser” riding market which traditionally hasn’t demanded the stopping power that is standard in the other segments of the market.  Should an unexpected animal show up in my path and with this much weight pushing me along I would appreciate the two finger pull and bite of the brakes off an R1, but maybe that’s just me.

Since you’re going to be touring most of the time with the Venture, the suspension is adjustable where you need it most.  The telescoping front forks have 5.5 inches of travel and are air adjustable as well as the single shock in the rear with its 4.1 inches of travel.  Just to test we packed as much gear into the trunk and saddlebags as possible and noticed no adverse effects on the suspension, although once a passenger was added and the fuel tank topped off, the handling could have benefited from a little increase in air pressure.  Still, for fully loaded Interstate riding the stock suspension setup was adequate.

The Venture retails for $16,799-$17,299 depending on options.  For more info visit www.starmotorcycles.com  There’s also a site for those who tour with their Star motorcycles www.startouring.org/

At the end of the day with the sun setting over the Mount Moriah Cemetery in Deadwood, I sat in the bleachers at the gravesite of Wild Bill Hickok.  The last tour bus full of Japanese and European tourists was departing and things had begun to quiet down, as much as they can during the annual motorcycle rally.  As I sat there with the carved granite likeness of Wild Bill it dawned on me that a tank full of gas, a touring bike and enough time to appreciate the wonders of this country is all anyone can hope for.  I think Wild Bill would’ve agreed. 

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