- The massive Royal Star Tour Deluxe measures 6 inches longer and 3.5 inches wider than its Harley rival. It tips the scales at an incredible tank-full weight of 850 pounds.
- The riding position of the Road King is more upright compared to the Star. Storage capacity in the King's saddlebags is limited, so a multi-day trip will require few clothes or accessory luggage.
- Like everything else on the Yamaha, the windscreen is giant-sized. Note the standard-equipment passenger backrest that, like the windshield, removes without tools.
- Would the Road King or Royal Star be a good fit as an urban commuter? Not bloodly likely!
- One of our big gripes about the King was its windshield, which was right in our line of site.
- The Royal Star and Road King have many similarities, but the King makes its rider feel more upright in the saddle.
- The fact that the Road King seems compact by comparison is more a testament to the Star's gargantuan size. All by itself, the King is an imposing figure.
- The Yamaha Royal Star Tour Deluxe weighs in at an astronomical 816 lbs with its 5.3-gallon tank empty.
- Despite its jumbo proportions, the Royal Star proved to be more stable in corners than the Harley, aided by its stiffer frame and big tires.
- With its long wheelbase, the Royal Star was a very stable ride indeed.
- The Royal Star's windshield wasn't as problemlatic as the one adorning the King, although if the wind was just so there was some buffeting to the helmet.
- A meandering route across our home state provided all kinds of roads for us to test out the versatility of these two cruiser's total touring package.
- Part of our testing jaunt took us to the Oregon coast where we hoped to shine a light on the differences between the King and Star.
- The Road King proves to be nimbler at lower speeds than the whale-like Royal Star, but sketchy handling at higher speeds unnerved some of our testers.
- Our route took us through all kinds of road conditions: freeway, mountain twisties, liesurely highways, and even downtown rush-hour traffic.
- Stomping down on the rubber-covered right pedal helped slow down the King, as the strong and controllable rear brake makes up for a lacking front.
- The floorboards on the King, like all the other components, seemed smallish in comparison to the Star.
- Classic styling cues on the King include the front fender.
- With the King you know what you are getting, a classic American V-Twin cruiser that can pack on the miles.
- There's nothing fancy about the King's controls, with an analog speedo and digital odometer resting on top of the fuel tank.
- The bags on the King were narrower than those on the Star.
- The King's saddlebags seemed to open in reverse.
- Our passenger found the King to be the least comfortable of the two.
- The best feature of the Star in regard to its touring capability is its cruise control that allows a more relaxing ride.
- Another view of the Star's wild speedo.
- The Star's bigger floorboards came in handy on the road.
- A retro-looking speedometer figures prominently on the Stars control panel.
- If you so choose, the Star's saddlebags are removable. The luggage was also easier to open on the Star.
- The Yamaha's V-Four mill put out more horsepower and torque on the dyno.
- Rubber-mounted handlebars help reduce vibration.
- To remove the Star's windshield and passenger backrest all you need is your two little hands.
- The Star can strip down in no time flat from tourer to boulevard cruiser.
- A passenger backrest comes standard on the Star.
- If you want to go see the sites on a cruiser, you can't wrong with the Road King and Royal Star.
- On our journey home, the miles clicked away in relative comfort on the roomy Star, with its smooth V-4 engine loafing along below.
- Once we wrapped our heads around the fact that these aren't apex-shredding sportbikes and embraced the more laid-back cruising approach, the King and Star showed us what they are all about.
- We were all in unanimous agreement that the sound of the King's pipes was the better of the two.
- The Road King exhibits the familiar Harley clunk during shifting, a characteristic the 2007 model's Cruise Drive transmission improves.
- The King was a bit quicker turner but not quite as stable.
- Like everything else on the Yamaha, the windscreen is giant-sized. Note the standard-equipment passenger backrest that, like the windshield, removes without tools.
- The King's thunderous torque was more than enough to pull through the corners.
- The Star's V-Four was more refined, which some riders enjoyed, while Twin-loving riders like Ken here found it not as much to his liking.
- When it came time to pick a definitive winner, it all came down to a matter of taste. Do you prefer the overall refinement of the Star or the personality of the King?
- Donny B is a sport rider by heart, so he had a difficult time choosing between the two lumbering beasts. He went with the one sporting the most personality - Harley-Davidson's iconic Road King.
- Out of the five test riders who went on our 731-mile journey, three chose the King while two sided with the Star.
- BC couldn't understand why anyone would pick the Road King over the Royal Star, as he believes the Yamaha is a better overall package.
- Quothe the raven...
- The massive bulk of the Star and King make it difficult to reenact your favorite episode of Chips (you know the one, where Ponch and John save motorists from a wrecked school bus which is about to explode. The very same bus owned by the strung-out hippie who didn't fix the brakes like they told him!
- We took the Road King and Royal Star on a journey up and down the state of Oregon to find out which machine is the better cruising tourer.
- When it comes down to it, choosing a winner between these two was a matter of taste.
- Big wheel keep on turnin'... The Star went a size over on everthing.
- BC: Do you expect me to talk? Ken: No Mr. Chamberlain. I expect you to die.
- The pugilistic nature of picking favorites is inherent when it comes to a bike shootout. Sometimes it just comes down to a matter of personal taste.
- There is something to that Harley mystique.
- The Twin and V-Four are apples and oranges, and this is evident on the dyno where the Star displays a broader and stouter power curve.
- In torque output the Star outmuscles the King, but some of those extra 7 lb-ft get sucked up by the Yamaha's almost 100-extra pounds.
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