i have a big gripe with my spoke wheels oxidizing and looking kinda beat up when they really shouldnt be yet! I would have liked to have the key not right on top where it can scratch up my dash, maybe on the side of the engine woulda been nice...i actually loved when i bought the bike how much room the passenger would have, but my girlfriend seems to actually hate how much she can move around! I would also back up the svs thing, even though i have a 1600 from what i gather the problem is mostly 1700s because of the change(maybe im wrong?) i still live in fear of burying my valves!!!
I will not go on to make a list of the things i love about my roadie because not to be cheesy, but it would be way too long, It has been the best bike i ever owned and for the first time since i started riding i am content with just keeping this bike and not constantly looking for a new one!!

I dont have much to complain about. Looks good, runs good. Like a more comfort for my butt than the stock seat. Getting ready for a 700 mile round trip in 3 days and my butt already herts. Bofish

No complaints. Haven't had a bike yet I didn't have to change to make it fit me. I'm not in the average sized rider class that they build bikes for. And no I don't know what "Average size' is. I just know I ain't there. It's never not run for me. It's always got me there and back. It came with a bad manifold that caused me grief but that's the only problem I've had. ( That I didn't cause myself. )

After just completing a 2350 mile ride the only thing I would like is a better passenger seat. My wife has a hard time on longer rides. Other than that I am EXTREMELY satisfied with this bike. No bike fits me ergonomically out the door. But I was able to find the parts I needed to make it fit me puur-fectly and it worked. I had no physical problems on this ride. Mind you I have had 4 back surgeries and a neck fusion. I am constantly impressed with the way it rides, pretty much every time I get on it.
Few observations from the road:
It's not the greatest on extreme twistys, but it wasn't meant to be.
It's at home at 80mph. I'm not a speed fanatic and would hit the highway at 65 or so, but just seemed I would end up at 80, not intentionally, but because that was where the engine just hummed.
So far reliability does not seem to be something I have to worry about. I used to love working on machines, but now with kids, work, marriage, mortgage, I don't have the riding time I used to. So I need a bike that will just start and run when I push the button.
It's a beautiful looking bike, even with a layer of Death Vally, 3 layers of Pacific Coast, a layer of LA smog, and a topping of the Mojave Desert on it!!!
OK, a couple of complaints:
I want BlkCherryBombs Stebel horn.
I want smhowse floorboard covers.

Ergonomically speaking, which seems to be the line of thinking here, only one. The stock seat in stock form. But since modifying it ala PCS, it's much better.

But mechanically/electrically speaking, yes, I have complaints about the Road Star.

So far I've been lucky and haven't had to deal with SVS. (Knock on wood..) But electrically, I've had problems. And while you may think that three seperate electrical failures/problems in two and a half years and 22,000 miles isn't bad, I think it's three too many and sucks, compared to none in the first five years and 50,000 miles with my Vulcan.

The bike is a 2005 which I bought used in Feb. 2006 with 1,600 miles on it. Not sure if it's shoddy workmanship or faulty components, but here's a quick recap of the problems I've experienced since then;

1) Fuel sending unit failed within the first 6 months of owning the bike. No big deal; just replaced the sending unit. (And this seems, or seemed to be a fairly common ailement.)

2) A year and a half into ownership (last summer) a bad spark plug boot had me sidelined and almost caused me to have to cancel my trip to Yellowstone.

3) And not quite two and a half years into ownership (just last month) a bad plug on the pickup coil, which led me to believe the pickup coil itself was bad, therefor causing me to unneccassarily disassemble the entire left side of the engine. And again, all this within a week or two of leaving on vacation.

So yes, owning the Road Star has been somewhat of a love/hate relationship. I guess I could look on the positive side and be thankful that the problems haven't been any worse, but it's the timing and the aggrevation they've caused that sucks so bad.

In The Wind,
Aaron

Moondog wrote:
[quote]I'm 5 foot 13 inches.....[quote]
5'13 Good god that's huge.

You had to go there! I have tried to be nice but you asked for it. The thing that bothers me the most is Yamahas denile of svs. The approved the valve job so I guess that means mabye they take some blame I dont know. Still not right. I'm going to have round two with the lawyers and the Yamaha rep next month. Its all about stalling for them. (and backfiring for me) They could have given me a new motor a year ago and been done with it. (cost next to nothing for them) Now I have gone this long still paying on a bike I can't ride. The depostions taken last month went real well in my favor! I don't care how long it takes, I'm not droping this thing. I will have my day. Oh and the spokes do suck to.

LOVE MY * The only gripe if i had one would be the concave design of the speedo. I'm <5'5" and when the sun is to the rear, no matter what angle it's going in my face......of course that is how I convinced the wife I had to get a powder coating system now just to have the time to do it. after a lot of practice Dearman

1) I wish the stock seat were made for riding more than 12 feet.

2) I wish the bike came stock with longer gears. I seem to be between gears most of the time at some very common speeds. Since I'm not concerned with how fast I can take off from a light, I would like to be able to run the gears out farther without having to replace drive pulleys.

Having said that. I love this bike! My fourth bike, all Yamahas. I love their style and dependability. If I ever develop SVS, though, my opinion might change a wee bit.