Tweaked version difference message a bit, great stuff thanks docwhat :)

scripts/cli

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ function __rvm_meta {
   rvm_meta_author="Wayne E. Seguin"
   rvm_meta_author_email="wayneeseguin@gmail.com"
   rvm_meta_website="http://rvm.beginrescueend.com/"
-  rvm_meta_version="${RVM_VERSION}"
+  rvm_meta_version="${rvm_version}"
 }
 
 function __rvm_version { __rvm_meta ; echo "rvm ${rvm_meta_version} by ${rvm_meta_author} (${rvm_meta_author_email}) [${rvm_meta_website}]" ; }
@@ -353,10 +353,9 @@ function rvm {
 
   # Check that this is the current version.
   disk_version=$(cat "${rvm_path:-$HOME/.rvm}/lib/VERSION.yml" | tail -n 3 | sed 's/^.*: //g' | tr "\n" '.' | sed 's/\.$//')
-  if [ -z "${RVM_VERSION}" -o "${RVM_VERSION}" != "${disk_version}" ]; then
-      echo "Your shell's copy of rvm is out of date with the version on disk."
-      echo "Please restart your shell or run rvm-restart."
-      return 1
+  if [[ "${rvm_version}" != "${disk_version}" ]] && [[ "reload" != "$1" ]]; then
+    echo -e "A newer version of rvm has been installed ($disk_version) than is loaded ($rvm_version), please do one of the following:\n  * 'rvm reload'\n  * open a new shell\n  * source your shell init scripts"
+    return 1
   fi
 
   __rvm_cleanup_variables

scripts/rvm

@@ -17,8 +17,7 @@ source $rvm_path/scripts/cli
 source $rvm_path/scripts/gems
 
 rvm_loaded_flag=1 ; export rvm_loaded_flag
-RVM_VERSION=$(cat "${rvm_path}/lib/VERSION.yml" | tail -n 3 | sed 's/^.*: //g' | tr "\n" '.' | sed 's/\.$//')
-export RVM_VERSION
+rvm_version="$(cat "${rvm_path}/lib/VERSION.yml" | tail -n 3 | sed 's/^.*: //g' | tr "\n" '.' | sed 's/\.$//')" ; export rvm_version
 
 alias rvm-restart="source \"${rvm_path}/scripts/rvm\""