Hi:
I am a 52 year old man,living in Princeton, NJ with my wife and 2 children.

My love affair with with bikes began in 1976. So far my bikes have been confined to Suzuki, BMW and now Moto Guzzi. I ride a Moto Guzzi California Stone which I like it very much.

Last year during a conference I was able to rent a HD Road King and was instantly impressed with the bike. But I found the price beyond my reach; after all I am putting a kid in college and the economy is not kind.

Last week I again rented a HD Road King in Las Vegas. At the same time two guys who were also renting a Road King. One of them turned out to be a Road Star owner who described his bike being of better quality while having the same ride as the Road King.

My question is: With a budget of 5500 which model is right.

Are the pre 2004 models Ok? they say that the 2004 and up have been upgraded etc.

Second Question: What to look for in a Yamaha Roadstar before buying.

Best Regards to all the riders

M Khan

For $5500 you can find a Roadstar to make your own. I am on a 2003 with 27,000+ miles on it and have not had a problem with it. There are a lot of these bikes out there and there are a lot of happy owner's as well. Not to brand bash but I hear a lot of complaning from a lot of HD owners, not all HD owners but a lot of them. I've only heard good things from star owners with the exception of on this clinic which is what it's here for. Meaning from time to time you'll hear someone talk about a problem, and almost all of the time someone else has experienced something similar and has a solution.

They really are good bikes and you'll do fine with whatever year model you choose.

With the budget I really don't think you can go wrong with the roadstar and with the group of people here, they have helped me mod my bike into a definate one of a kind for little to no cost and not to brag but it is a real eye catcher, and with what LITTLE problems I have had the clinic has been there for me and helped me work through it again at very little cost to me, I am not a mechanic by any stretch of the imagination but these guys can AND DO work with you step by step to get things fixed and fixed correctly. Just my .02 cents.

ALSO

I wish i could figure out how to post pictures

but last june I bought from a very large car dealer a traded in 2003 silverado.....very pretty grey....rant like a top..had 2 friends and a dealer check it out
it had 6100 miles on it ....nothing wrong but a dent in the tank where the bars hit it and a few slight scrathes on the windshield from the previous owner

I got it for a crazy price of $3000.....inclucing tax..so i paid about $2790 for the bike
i have put a 4 piece ultimate seat..tons of chrome, tuend it up.changed the oil.had it gone thru by the dealer.....and still have less than the bike should have retailed for.....and now it has 9500 miles ...and not a lick of problems ..except that i dont get to ride it 24/7
seems like the more i ride it the more i like it


rick

Thanks for the support.

Are there any years to avoid?

Regards

M Khan

All the years are fine...the draw to the 2004 and newer is the 1700 motor, nicer wheels, and taillight. There isn't a big difference power wise IMO, so I would try and find the cleanest one you can for your money and not be too concerned about year. I just sold a really clean 2006 Midnight Star for $5800 so you are definitely in the ballpark. Good Luck!

ZoomZoom we have a few of us here that are the new 40'S.....

I would say to get the newest and lowest mileage scoot you can find! I have a 2002 Midnight Star with about 45,550 miles on her.

You can search on ebay and find a lot of bikes for sale with low miles. I would look around and zero in on a price and go for it.

You can arrange for shipping from anywhere. I shipped mine from California to New Jersey for about $750.

The problem is that most sellers expect to get back all of their bling inve$tment which keeps some prices high. But you can find a bargain here and there and them scap it up.

You can find a new Silverado with 0 miles for about $10,000

And...

ZoomZoom your not old I am. 66 this month so see you got a long ways to go. The 99 to 03 R* have a recall on the for a clip in the transmission so you need to see if that is done. If it hasn't bee then you can get it done at a dealer on Yamaha's dime. I would have the oil pump gear upgraded while they do it for just the price of the part because they tear the engine down anyway. Alot of guys have the add the speedstar parts because the engine is down for just the cost of parts. The 04 and up to say 06 may have what is called SVS but that is mostly caused by be jetted to rich and isn't any big thing. The R* is a great bike and this is my 12th bike and by far the best. Just keep looking till you find what you want and haggle on it.