I test drove the Stratoliner and the Raider at Americade yesterday. I liked the Strat.....LOVED the Raider! It compared very favorably to my old Warrior - lots of pop. At any speed you just crack the throttle and she wanted to GO! It handled very well, too - even with the raked front-end. The only thing I didn't like was the bars.....too high and narrow for my tastes (I will also state for the record that while I like the 'factory custom' styling design now.......I'm not so sure it won't be like wearing a mullet in a few years ).

Anyone else had a chance to ride one of these and what were your thoughts???

I tried the Strat a little while back and liked it, did not love it...mostly a cost issue for me...I love the R* and for me to change bikes it will take a bike that I love as much...truth be told, I am thinking Venture next time around...huge step up in comfort; the wife loved the passenger seat, etc. and the cost difference vs. the Strat is not that significant; at least in my area.

With the FI R* now available I wonder how long the Strat and Roadliner survive

Regards, Ted

I rode the Roadliner and Raider at Myrtle Beach bike week
I was pretty happy with them both... I sorta wish my Road*
was fuel injected !!! The response on both bikes was impressive.
The Raider won my nephew over and said he'll have one buy next year
I also loved the raider but I'll be riding my Road* for sometime to come...moneys tight

I tested the Raider at Daytona... (I think I still have some of that grin left on my face...)
You're right about the bars though... too tight and too high... But! you gotta remember it's a whole different design... and with different bars you might be tempted to relax your grip and when you crack that throttle... Wow!

I test road a Road Star yesterday at the Americade. Like the bike, like the power, the style is what got me on the bike. A couple of things, i scraped the floor board on a turn at a red light. And the front end felt different in turns with bumps. And yes the seat was awful will need a better seat.

I was impressed with the Strat stock seat. I thought it was a big improvement over my 05 R*'s. The Raider's had my butt crying long before the 20 miles trip was over. If I would of had more time I'd have liked to try the new FI R* and the 1300 sport tourer.

But the thing that impresses me MOST with our RStar's is the ability for them to be just about everyman's bike. We can take this bike looks wise in so many different directions relatively inexpensively. When I first got on here, I was amazed at Doc's bike through it's many stages. At every step it looked great......and unique! I really don't see THAT happening with the Raider's. Like the Warrior, people will do pipes, bars and intake and that's about all except for the hardcore guys. Also, the Roadstar is a classic look that will still be appreciated in 20 years. The Raider will looked dated waaaay before it's time. It reminds me of the Honda VTX line taken to a whole 'nother level. Even vs the Strat/Roadliner, I prefer the R*'s cleaner styling. Just for instance, think of how wrong their squared-off Liner speedo would look when sitting in the middle of a bike customized in the way many of our's are? But I'd still take their motor/FI and a big dose of the Raider's handling.

As far as the R* pushing the Liner out of Yami's future, I'd bet it goes the exact opposite. I could see the 1300 adding cc's and squeezing the R*'s out. It depends on IF Yami and their dealers can support that many models - both parts and floor space wise. My guess is they won't and R*'s being the oldest model, it ends up odd man out. For all the reason's above I think that would be a mistake.

My two cents worth..........

DownTownLB wrote:
As far as the R* pushing the Liner out of Yami's future, I'd bet it goes the exact opposite. I could see the 1300 adding cc's and squeezing the R*'s out. It depends on IF Yami and their dealers can support that many models - both parts and floor space wise. My guess is they won't and R*'s being the oldest model, it ends up odd man out. For all the reason's above I think that would be a mistake.

My two cents worth..........

I truly hope you are wrong...that would, IMHO, be a huge mistake for Mommy Yami to make...I agree with you 100%, to me the R* is exactly how a motorcycle should look...I just rolled 20k on yesterday; it still looks great and still gets compliments everywhere I go...there is simply no metric cruiser on the road today that captures the "spirit of the cruiser" quite like the R*

JM2C, Ted

Well said, Ted. But I just have this feeling that:

1) The direction the styling of the rest of their like is going the way of the Raider, 1300, etc. Even the Liner series tries to be distinct in their styling (and for my $, LESS appealing that the R* - I really DON'T like the 3 chrome lines on the tank). For whatever reason, bike/car companies tend towards a similar theme throughout their line. They all look decent right of the showroom floor....but they don't lend themselves towards customization. Who wants a bike that looks like everyone else's? The R* is the perfect "clean slate". Great classic lines that you can create whatever look YOU want with.

2) Most of the bike dealers in my area have smallish showrooms.........OR sell several makes and showroom space is still at a premium. With a Big Cruiser line up of 1100, 1300, R*, RLiner, Statoliner - I just get the feeling they have one more than they'd like.

I hope I'm wrong too!

Well , there was a time I wasn't too impressed with the looks of the Roadliner/Stratoliner combo. But that was in 2D (magazines). Seeing them for myself really turned a corner for me. I love the 3 chrome rails on the tank in real life......they didn't show well in 2D. I think the bike are great , but I loved my Roadie as much , too. Their power is very good , from the factory they make more power than a "done up" Roadie (pipes, air box, manifold, jetted, Dyna3000,etc...), and its only a couple hundred cc's more. Fuel injection is a dream to deal with , although I'll be honest and tell you that it lost it's single pin sound (lope) the same way the Warrior did , and I miss that. There is a lot to love about these bikes , but I doubt seriously that Roadstar is going anywhere soon , I'm mean for Pete's sake they just spend a kings ransom getting the girl FI'd. My buddy just got a Raider as well , hopping off a Roadstar he's had since new (00). They are cool , but I personally like the looks of My Roadliner more. Think the Liner will look good 5 years from now , when most of the world has forgotten about Choppers and have embraced the bagger look. My opinion. And power. It's funny , the Raider feels more eager to roll , but when Roger and I get out to horse around , we can't out pull each other. The Liner has the power , it's just smoother until called upon. I like it that way as well. I'm not selling anyone on my lasted ride , I just like it , but loved my Roadie too , and hope Yamaha finds room to keep all the current models for a long time. BB

When I was shopping for a good 2up bike I was torn between the Stratoliner, 1600 Vulcan, and the Road Star. The Stratoliner, IMHO, has love it or hate it looks with not a lot in between. The Vulcan was nice but the accessories seemed to cost a lot more, and I didn't see much to change. I guess thats good but I would look like every other Vulcan. The Road Star, to me, has a classic look. Most Road Stars I see I have to double take on to be sure they were Road Stars. I also ride a Suzuki RF900R Sportbike when I have that need for speed. My Road Star is just what it is my Crusier