Until the snow melts, or at least the ice on the road, I am stuck dreaming about riding. Reading the motorcycle forums to see what others of like mind are talking about. Reading about rides we would like to do in the near future. Planning summer trips. But there is another activity that can busy a riders mind. Accessories. There are always thing to buy, things to build and things to add to ones motorcycle. Now don't get me wrong, I truly love our Yamaha Royal Star Tour Deluxe. It is in fact, the best bike I have ever owned or ridden. But, there are always changes that can be made.
Our bike, the RSTD, has a sister bike. It is called the Royal Star Venture. It is a true touring bike. Kind of like the Honda Gold Wing every one is so familiar with. They call them full dressers. Big fairing in the front with radio and CB, large saddlebags and a trunk in the back. BIG comfort. Not only big comfort, but a big bike as well.
A little history please...... Our last motorcycle was a Suzuki Boulevard C50. The C50 means approx an 800 cc engine. It was a nice small bike that we did a bit of touring in Arizona a couple of years ago. It weighed 542 pounds. Not a bad size for a little guy like me. My 5'8" 175 lbs frame sat very nicely on it. But with two of us riding, 2up, it was a bit of a struggle. So we looked around for a new bike that would suit us a little better. Especially for the new challenges of mountain riding that the Rockies will be bringing us.
I had been leaning toward the Yamaha Royal Star Venture. A full dresser that looked a bit retro and cruiser style like the Boulevard, but still had all the features of the Goldwing. We found a few on craigslist and went to see them and take a test ride. They were nice bikes. Really nice bikes. But they were a bit on the top heavy side for me. I read a few forums about people who rode them and they said that indeed they were top heavy and a little hard to control at slow speeds, but once you got out onto the open highway they were a dream.
So, we still needed a bigger bike for the rides here and I found a Suzuki Boulevard C90 at a bike shop in Colorado Springs. We took a ride down to take a test ride and buy the Suzuki. Once in the showroom, we saw this cool white bike and she said, that looks cool, lets check it out. It was the RSTD. A very comfortable bike with the look of the cruiser that we both liked. I then found out it was the cruiser version of the Venture. Without all the full dress options.
I thought to myself, we would not need the radio or CB, and it was the fairing that was making the Venture tough for me to handle. This bike had a nice windshield and big hard saddlebags, but none of the extras. On the test ride, it was love at first shift. Needless to say, we left with that bike.
So, where do the accessories fit in? I thought it was the perfect bike? Like anything you own, car, computer, or motorcycle, there are always things you want to do to improve what you have. So, now we have the bike we love with the engine size we want, with the weight I can handle, but we still want to tour without all the touring crap on the Venture. Now comes the fun part. I have started reading the motorcycle forums ( a great source of info about this specific bike style) and seeing what others have done or are planing to do with the rides. I have some good ideas, but of course, everything costs.
Well, this post didn't go where I thought it was going. Cool. It let's you get to know me a bit more and also gives me more things to write about.
Until next time remember, 4 wheels move the body, 2 wheels moves the soul.
Namaste
Dave
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