new Yamaha Transcontinental Touring

[Old Ryder]

Very Odd Style---to me anyway

Looks like a Goldwing with sharp edges instead of curves----then throw in a big V Twin with belt drive. Honda looks and Harley power. Who thought that one up?

I will say that with the Star V Twin it is a very good drive train. As the salesman put it-- "Star builds a better Harley than Harley."

[F6B1911]

I don't see how an air cooled, 100 year old V-Twin technology can make a flat six liquid cooled engine seem outdated, especially with the ability of the vast aftermarket options. Does the Yamaha have the single swing arm for changing a tire or fixing a flat on the side of the road? And as far as ease of maintenance i.e. changing spark plugs, oil, oil filter. I don't see how the Yamaha excels in any of these areas,what's outdated on the "B".

Only one thing is outdated, the electronic "goodies."

[BIGLRY]

+1.
Too many "angles & cuts."
Like Picasso and Arlen Ness got together and were dropping acid while designing a motorcycle.....

Cheers,
Steve

You nailed it Steve...I am of the same opinion.

[F6Dave]

I always liked the looks of the Royal Star Venture. It was a nicely finished bike with styling similar to the original Valkyrie. It had a detuned version of the water cooled V4 from the original VMAX. I always hoped they'd upgrade it to use the 1700 CC engine from the current VMAX. That sure would have been a potent engine in their new big touring bike.

[edgeman55]

If I were in the market to get a full dress bike again I would consider the Yamaha.I like the looks and it seems to have a great riding position to tour.Has every bell and whistle one could want.Decent warranty and competitive price for the market it shares.The only V twin I have ever owned was a 2005 Yamaha Roadstar and it gave me 80,000 trouble free miles.My buddy bought it and it now sits at 120,000 miles and burns no oil and no leaks so they know how to build a V twin engine.The only concern I would have is engine heat but they claim it has redirect venting.I think this one will do pretty well in the touring market.IMHO for what ever thats worth.

[Redlinez]

http://ridermagazine.com/2017/06/05/...t-look-review/

http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/20...review#page-10

[unsub]

I certainly like the esthetics, but my wife thinks it's ugly...go figure.

If Honda just did some small cosmetic tweaks like led lighting, and easy to read LCD screens and comfort features with modern controls, that might be enough to stay relevant (to the market in 2018).

OTOH I also note that it took Yamaha a couple of versions to iron out the control electronics on the Super Tenere. Much of which I think they have transferred to the TC and applied a new skin, so I'd be cautiously optimistic on this setup first year out. I would love BIG LCD panels that are easy to read in the sunlight.

I either heard or read somewhere that the YTC has a steel frame...that seems a bit odd for this generation of big touring bikes. Are they just cheaping out on the chassis or is steel better in this application?

I would think that the rigidity of aluminum lends to superior handling, as in the GW.

[SimonTemplar]

Dunno....that front end looks like some kind of deranged mash-up of a couple '57 Edsels and a '66 Dodge Challenger. Roll in the air cooled V-twin, the belt drive, and the price tag....



I'll pass.




....sT

[Bob Penn]

What is the name of that company that had something like 8,000 great bikes sitting in their warehouse in the $23 K dollar plus range? They couldn't move them until they offered substantial discounts bringing them down to the $15 K range? Then they were able to move them as leftovers and many of us now ride them. Do you think, maybe it was some kind of tax write off plan?

What was the name of that company that just went out of business trying to sell $25 k bikes in a very limited high end market?

When will they ever learn only Harley can do that and It's mainly because of the sheep factor.

Is history destined to repeat itself?

[unsub]

Harley maybe the only company that can pull "Harley" off but the Japanese are the only ones that can pull reliability off.

When Yamaha released the Virago back in the 70's that began a renewed interest in V twins and that was an inadvertent boost to Harley sales. The affluent of the day wanted the "real" thing (and pirate flair of course, yes it all began there)..If the Trans Continental is a hit, who knows maybe the Harley brand will get invigorated with new affluent interest along with some pirate flair updates that align with hipster fashions.

As a side note, beginning with that first Virago Yamaha has really perfected V twin cooling.

The next 6 - 12 months will be exciting for all the Japanese brands.