New from Vermont

Glenfiddich · 09-11-2011, 09:24 PM

My golden retriever, Barley, and I have been motorcycle camping for a couple of years now. Before that, I traveled solo on the Beemer, but while I loved the freedom of solo travel, nights were pretty tough. It's not much fun talking to yourself around the campfire, and there's no way I can sleep long enough to find the sun up when I awaken. Barley is an awesome travel companion. He never complains, approves of my dietary choices, hangs on my every word as if it's the most profound thing he's ever heard, and is an excellent snuggler.

But my wife is jealous, and suggested a smallish RV as a means of sharing our vacations. The plan is that Barley and I would travel by sidecar while the wife and our two other goldens would travel in the RV, with all of us meeting up at the end of the day. After looking at several Class B and C RVs, we've seen nothing we like better than the Rialta.

Anyway, I'm here to listen and learn.

Pete

CGAZ Paul · 09-12-2011, 05:29 AM

Hello Pete and welcome to all three of you!

Very wise choice to go with the Rialta. One suffers the least guilt with this RV when it comes to gas mileage but it goes far beyond that. I have had several other RV's and though Rialta is small, it has better facilities due to its ingenius design. I have a 1999 HD. If I go with another Rialta I will get 2002 or newer. You get the Onan generator (that is still available), the 201 HP engine, and then if you go 2003 to 2005 you get those features as well as the custom wheel rims (no more hubcaps). They are built well, pretty much airtight and leakproof, and those VW Eurochassis engines are silent at highway speeds - and I have good hearing like Barley!

I have been on this site for a while but didn't realize I could post a pic. How did you do that? Guess I can try to figure it out but I have never seen a pic on here before! I'd be happy to help you with tips or ideas once you get the rig. I have also posted quite a few thoughts and ideas on this site; just look around and see what you can find.

I still have some unanswered questions on a few things like "What does it take to switch my old Generac generator to an Onan 2.8 microlite in my 1999 HD?" and stuff like that. Anyhow! Until next time, best of luck and fun adventures!

Paul

Glenfiddich · 09-12-2011, 09:34 AM

Thanks, Paul. To post a photo that is hosted on a site like photobucket, type IMG in brackets [] then paste the URL of the image, then close with /IMG in brackets. Most photo sharing sites will have a Copy Image button that will actually copy the link in brackets for you, so all you have to do is paste in the body of your thread.

I'm a little worried that Rialtas have been out of production for a few years, and are not getting any newer. That said, after checking out several rigs at the Vermont RV Show this past weekend I saw nothing else that impressed me as much. We saw some Class C rigs with really nice workmanship, but the interior layout was about as inspiring as the inside of a school bus.

We're fortunate that northern Vermont has a couple of highly regarded independent shops that will work on the Rialta.

rem · 09-12-2011, 12:17 PM

Hi Pete, Welcome. Yes the Rialta is an excel. choice. We purchased a 2005 HD in Fl this past April. Just love it, great on gas drives wonderful, just like a car. Here in NY it's considered a call B or B+ we can go on parkways & the tolls are like a car single axel. Good luck in finding a Rialta, you will be happy

Rem

CGAZ Paul · 09-15-2011, 05:59 AM

Hello again Pete, Thanks for the photo tips. I will try that! I did alot of research and looking and have not found anything that compares to the Rialta. Back in 2006 I wanted to buy a 2005 HD that was on the lot. Salesman talked me out of it and into what he called, "the replacement" which was the 2007 Itasca Navion (or Winnebago View). I bought it. It had the Mercedes turbo diesel which was great.....but....the coach walls and body integrity were not. Some of the surfaces in the first year inside were delaminating and outside sealants cracking. The clincher was when my 15,000 btu roof air (central) could not cool the coach down below 89 degrees after 4 hours of running. AC worked great but the coach couldn't keep out the 106 degree Arizona heat. I had a 1983 Brougham that took 25 minutes to cool in that same heat - so...it was the coach. I got rid of the Navion. Next mistake was a 2008 32' Lexington by Forest River. Noisy rattle trap and when I put the Big Foot leveler jacks down, the overhead cab pulled away from the truck chassis leaving a 1 inch gap!!! I have more room in the Rialta bathroom and the Rialta bed is much bigger than the queen bed in that thing. Got rid of it and lost about $40k with that. Lessons learned, the Rialta was the best. The AC is only 7,500 btu but that is not the coach's fault. The coach keeps out the heat much better and also keeps warm in the cold. I will upgrade the AC next year. Otherwise, no cracks, silent as a Rolls Royce inside and I am super happy. Headroom may be a challenge, but you learn where and how to stand. I think they are recent enough to take the chance with service and parts. My Volkswagen dealer has been able to get most everything and if not, Winnebago can in most cases. Their resale value is excellent if you realize it is not for you. I have written other posts about my adventures but I will tell you that the Rialta handled over 100 mph speeds with ease when I was chased by a lunatic (he was attacking other cars on the raod as well) which I got away from!!! All the best on what you decide. When the day comes that they surpass the Rialta with something new, I will consider it. Take care!

Paul

csreese · 09-15-2011, 09:26 PM

Hi All,

Just wanted to chime in here. We bought our 98 RC Twin almost two years ago. We were looking for a conversion van and stumbled across a Rialta. So much more space than a van and MUCH better mpg. We love it. Ours was a creme puff with 38,000 miles on it when we bought it. Big trip last year, 9460 miles in 6 weeks. Awesome! No regrets!

C. Reese

rem · 09-16-2011, 10:03 AM

WoW that's Great. We also just bought a 2005 HD in April, like you we LOVEEEEEE it. Great MPG , lots of room for two people. Heading out the first week of Oct for a few weeks.

Glenfiddich · 09-16-2011, 08:58 PM

I'm really torn on the engine choices. Some say the I5 is underpowered; others call it bomb proof. Some say the big V6 is the way to go, others say it's not as reliable.

In my search should I discount some years entirely or..?

rem · 09-17-2011, 12:29 PM

I went with the 2.6 L V6 , 24 valve for the extra HP. With the larger v6 the eng. does not work as hard & you have the power when you need it. When we were coming home from Fl. in May Useing cruise control on 95, we avg. 20 mpg at one fillup got 21. All in all with driving hwy. & town around 17 mpg. This is one reason why I looked at the later models so we could get the larger v6. The extra HP. I feel is worth it.

Rem

thepooks · 11-18-2011, 12:13 AM

Glenfiddich said:

My golden retriever, Barley, and I have been motorcycle camping for a couple of years now. Before that, I traveled solo on the Beemer, but while I loved the freedom of solo travel, nights were pretty tough. It's not much fun talking to yourself around the campfire, and there's no way I can sleep long enough to find the sun up when I awaken. Barley is an awesome travel companion. He never complains, approves of my dietary choices, hangs on my every word as if it's the most profound thing he's ever heard, and is an excellent snuggler.

But my wife is jealous, and suggested a smallish RV as a means of sharing our vacations. The plan is that Barley and I would travel by sidecar while the wife and our two other goldens would travel in the RV, with all of us meeting up at the end of the day. After looking at several Class B and C RVs, we've seen nothing we like better than the Rialta.

Anyway, I'm here to listen and learn.

Pete

thepooks · 11-18-2011, 12:16 AM

Hi Glenfiddich, My partner and I live in Northfield, VT and are interested in buying a Riatla FD, perhaps over eBay, but we would really like to see one in person first. Would you be willing to let us come by and take a look at yours? my email is sayyes2@tds.net BTW, we want to get a tryke with a sidecar for our dogs too! So cute, seeing your golden!

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