2005 Yamaha Royal Star Tour Deluxe
Suggested base price: $13,999
Standard colors: Red/black, silver/black
Recommended service interval: 12 months, unlimited miles
Engine & Drivetrain
Type: Liquid-cooled, 52-degree tandem V-twin
Valve arrangement: Three valves per cylinder
Displacement, bore x stroke: 1294cc, 79 x 66mm
Compression ratio: 10.0:1
Carburetion: 4, 32mm Mikuni
Lubrication: Wet sump
Minimum fuel grade: 87 octane
Transmission: Five speeds
Final drive: Shaft
Chassis
Wheels: cast, 16 x 3.50 in. front, 15 x 4.0 in. rear
Front tire: 150/80-16 Bridgestone Exedra Bias Ply
Rear tire: 150/90-15 Bridgestone Exedra Bias Ply
Front brake: 2, 298mm discs
Rear brake: 1, 320mm disc
Front suspension: 43mm stanchions, 5.5 in. travel
Rear suspension: bottom link, air-adjustable, 4.1 in. travel
Fuel capacity: 5.3 gals.
Yamaha 2005: Dark Stars Mean Hot Midnights
In addition to introducing the Royal Star Tour Deluxe (see the first ride report on page 24), Yamaha rolled out new variations of some of its existing models at its June dealer meeting. Two bikes in particular, the Road Star Midnight Silverado and the Road Star Midnight Warrior, got our attention.
Although most of the changes and additions to the Star series are cosmetic, the Road Star Midnight Silverado, in addition to the blacked-out Midnight treatment and whitewall tires, also gets hard bags in place of the leather bags on the standard Silverado. At $13,499, it is $800 more than the standard Road Star Silverado.
Putting the Road Star Warrior in Midnight guise makes Yamaha's big-performance V-twin look particularly menacing. Blacking out the big pipe and airbox make it exceptionally dark. Red pinstripes on the wheels peep through the darkness. You'll pay a $200 surcharge to have it black over the $12,299 flame-and-chrome Warrior.
The Midnight concept has also been applied to the Custom versions of the V-Stars, both 1100 and 650, but in this case the MSRP is actually $100 lower than the flames-and-colors versions, which fetch $8199 and $5699 respectively.
Celebrating its 20th year, the V-Max wears 20th-anniversary badges, and each of the 2000 examples built for the U.S. will be numbered. It gets black wheels with red stripes like the Midnight Warrior and has a flamed paint job for the occasion.
All the models in Yamaha's '04 Star series (and the Virago) are back for '05. It seems to be a year of expansion in the cruiser market, with all the companies that have shown their '05 machines to date increasing their model counts.-Art Friedman
Cracking Velocity Output
Harley's Little Performance Garage Turns Up The Power
"CVO" sounds more like an overmuscled gas guzzler from Detroit than a high-performance bike division out of Milwaukee, but this limited-production venture has turned into something of a subphenomenon for Harley-Davidson. For 2005, Harley expands the performance-bending lineup to three limited-edition models-one more than last year. The Motor Company even chose to unveil the pumped-up trio to us recently at the Irwindale Speedway dragstrip-just to prove the machines have the chutzpah and horsepower to justify their stratospheric price tags. We had a crack at all three models, and can now definitely confirm that CVO doesn't stand for "chrome victim." Custom Vehicle Operations it is.
The Screamin' Eagle Electra Glide returns to the CVO lineup this year (reprising last year's role), boasting a painfully luminescent yellow-and-silver hue instead of last year's overwhelming orange, and two-tone teal and deep red color options. The big news here, though, is the Screamin' Eagle 103 Stroker Twin Cam engine, which at 1690cc is the largest-displacement engine offered in a production Harley. A raft of new-for-'05 components accompanies the power boost, including a new air cleaner and (naturally) acres of fresh chrome. A low-profile smoked wind deflector replaces the traditional "batwing" fairing, and the comfy custom seat comes fitted with a rider backrest. Thanks to an unexpectedly manageable hydraulic clutch, aiming this thing down the dragstrip was a controlled affair, even with a claimed 100 foot-pounds of torque transferred to the rear rubber. The new detachable, color-matched and chopped Tour Pak comes with an interior light and carry-out liner. A new push-button fuel door adds a "wow" factor, as do the chrome Thunderstar wheels and floating brake rotors. Also, the front and rear suspension have been lowered. Approximately 3500 examples of the Electra Glide will leave Harley-Davidson's York plant by the time you read this.
Getting the bulk of the cosmetic enhancements in this group is the new Screamin' Eagle Fat Boy, which offers up a stylized, polished steel pan-style seat and a trick, metal grind-look paint scheme atop a fuel-injected 103-cubic-inch Stroker motor (that's 1690cc again, kids). It replaces the Fat Boy's standard Twin Cam 88B mill, but retains that same fuel injection. The engine uses big-bore cylinders, and a new flywheel assembly, pistons and balance shaft combine to increase bore and stroke to 3.87 x 4.37 inches. The engine also features a new teardrop-shaped chrome air-cleaner cover over a Stage 1 air cleaner kit and a heavy-duty starter. Exhaust gases are directed through new downturned mufflers with chrome heat shields, and like the Electra Glide, the heavy-duty clutch is hydraulically controlled. A fat, 1.25-inch handlebar on new risers routes wiring internally and offers a drag-style tach mount. We were laughing like maniacs launching the Fat Boy down the 1/8th mile strip, though its 100-foot-pound torque output was decidedly harder to control thanks to a heavier clutch pull; because of its riding position, however, many of us agreed it was perhaps the most fun of the three bikes to ride in canyons (even though the lowered rear suspension resulted in more frequent contact with the asphalt). The York facility will churn out 3400 units of the model.
The CVO barnburner for '05 though, is the new Screamin' Eagle V-Rod-its enhanced 103-inch, 1250cc Stroker motor married to the V-Rod's light chassis makes a resounding impression. If you thought the old V-Rod was a hooligan bike, this limited-edition big-bore version is sure to turn you into a speed demon. With CNC-ported cylinder heads, 105mm big-bore pistons and optimized cam timing, the V-Rod had us hurtling down the dragstrip in a hurry. A headlight shroud and bucket produce a sleek look upfront. It's the only one of the '05 CVO trio that hasn't been lowered, but that's only because there's nowhere left to go on the hydroformed frame.
The freshly minted CVOs, of course, don't come cheap-the Screamin' Eagle Electra Glide tops the list at $29,995 a pop, followed closely by the wallet-melting Fat Boy at $27,995 (higher in California). With its favorable power-to-weight-ratio, the V-Rod's a relative bargain at $25,995. Only 2400-3500 units of each will be available, so what're you waiting for?-Andy Cherney