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Touring Motorcycles

1996Yamaha XVZ 1300 A Royal Star Venture

27 fields on record

The 1996 Yamaha XVZ 1300 A Royal Star Venture is a Japanese touring bike powered by a 1294cc V4 making 75 hp and 111.8 Nm. It weighs 305 kg dry and has a 5-speed gearbox and an 18-litre tank.

Capacity: 1294.0 ccm
Engine: V four, four-stroke
Gearbox: 5-speed
Dry weight: 305.0 kg
Seat height: 710 mm
Power: 75.0 HP (54.7 kW) @ 4750 RPM

⇄ Compare with another bike ＋ Add to garage All model years

Other years 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999

How it rides

Editorial estimate from the spec sheet - not lab tested

Off-road & trail10%

Cornering35%

City riding35%

Daily riding55%

Touring90%

Two-up65%

Track10%

Best for: Touring motorcycle built for its class - distance comfort and touring.
Built for: A touring motorcycle from Yamaha, built around a 1294cc engine - a real production model, but this profile is formula-generated from its class and spec sheet rather than individually reviewed.
Not ideal for: Not for aggressive off-road or track use.

Scores are derived from the spec sheet using the same model across every bike, so they compare like for like.

Will it fit you?

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Your height

Inseam (optional)

Units

At 710mm, a rider of 68.9" with a 31" (estimated) inseam will reach the ground with both feet flat on the 1996 Yamaha XVZ 1300 A Royal Star Venture, with a moderate knee angle of around 115 degrees and a slightly forward riding position.

Assumes about 30mm of suspension sag once seated. This is an approximation from category-typical geometry, not a measurement of this bike or of you - sit on one before you buy.

More bikes at 750 mm or under — Short Kings →

Find bikes that fit your height →

Reliability & safety

Bike Reliability score, safety recalls and owner complaints

Bike Reliability

How the score works →

out of 100Excellent

The Yamaha XVZ 1300 A Royal Star Venture passed its annual roadworthiness test first time 87.7% of the time, 7.4 points above expected for bikes of the same age and mileage. That beats 84% of models.

This covers every year of the model.

Test records don't say which version a bike is, so this covers Yamaha XVZ 1300 A Royal Star / Yamaha XVZ 1300 A Royal Star Venture / Yamaha XVZ 1300 TF Royal Star Venture together.

87.7%Passed first time

6.4%Failed outright

5.9%Fixed during test

22,000Typical miles

528Tests

Pass rate by miles ridden

0-10k

89.7%

10-20k

92.1%

20-30k

88.2%

30-40k

83.3%

40-50k

82%

50k+

82.1%

All years of this model.

Against its rivals · ranks 3 of 6

#	Model (all years)	Score	Tests
1	Honda GL 1500 SE Gold Wing	93 Excellent	6,563
2	Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic Electra Glide	86 Excellent	582
3	Yamaha XVZ 1300 A Royal Star Venture	84 Excellent	528
4	Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Classic	80 Excellent	107
5	BMW K 1100 LT	65 Good	2,009
6	Kawasaki GPZ 1100	44 Average	5,636

Rivals are the most-viewed bikes on MotorcycleDB in the same category and engine size, from within three years of this model.

From British annual roadworthiness tests, 2005-2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (DVSA MOT test data, Great Britain). How Bike Reliability works.

Full specifications

Engine

Capacity: 1294.0 ccm
Power: 75.0 HP (54.7 kW) @ 4750 RPM
Torque: 111.8 Nm (11.4 kgf-m) @ 3500 RPM
Engine type: V four, four-stroke
Power/weight ratio: 0.2459 HP/kg (dry)
Compression: 10.0:1
Fuel system: Carburettor

Transmission

Gearbox: 5-speed
Transmission type: Manual
Final drive: Shaft

Performance

Top speed: 179.0 km/h (111.2 mph)

Dimensions & weight

Wheelbase: 1695 mm
Overall length: 2705 mm
Seat height: 710 mm
Dry weight: 305.0 kg
Fuel capacity: 18.00 litres

Chassis & suspension

Front suspension: Air assisted telescopic fork
Rear suspension: Single air-adjustable shock absorber, adjustable for rebound dampening, producing
Front wheel travel: 142 mm
Rear wheel travel: 104 mm

Brakes & wheels

Front brakes: 2x 298mm discs 4 piston calipers
Front brakes diameter: 298 mm
Rear brakes: Single 320mm disc 1 piston caliper
Rear brakes diameter: 320 mm
Front tyre: 150/80-16
Rear tyre: 150/90-15

Specs last verified against published sources: November 2026.

Compiled from manufacturer documentation and user contributions, corrected on an ongoing basis. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.

What changed, year to year

Differences highlighted

Specification	1989	1992	1994	1996	1997	1999
Capacity	1294 cc	1294 cc	1294 cc	1294 cc	1294 cc	1294 cc
Dry weight	305 kg	305 kg	305 kg	305 kg	305 kg	305 kg
Seat height	710 mm	710 mm	710 mm	710 mm	710 mm	710 mm
Fuel capacity	18 L	18 L	18 L	18 L	18 L	18 L