Yamaha Royal Star Tour Deluxe

Kuralt for Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico was a 1998 Yamaha Royal Star Tour Deluxe. If your first ride was a minibike, the handling may seem familiar. This bike is tight. Even with 1300cc's of power, it seems smaller and is smooth as silk on corners. It'll do a rapid 85 mph without breaking a sweat, although I didn't have much luck getting it goosed much faster on the open road -- a result of the engine or high desert winds, I'm not sure. The style is sleek, probably the nicest cruiser design I've seen, with a great windscreen, saddlebags that have locks on either side, and handlebars just the right height to make riding easy. My critique should include poor mileage. I averaged around 40 mpg, and with no gas gauge I was surprised to drain the tank and have nothing left in reserve in the middle of the desert. Fortunately, I was adopted by a tribe of friendly Native Americans and given the name 'Running-on-Empty'.

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