FIRST RIDE
P52
2013 STAR BOLT
The bike has that bobber look
that's all the rage: short wheelbase, low seat height, small tank,
a solo seat… In a nutshell, it's no
bling, no chrome. It's minimalist.
It's the less-is-mo' approach.
What sets this motorcycle
apart from the competition is that
at its very core, it's still a Yamaha
(there's even a slight hint of Yamaha badging to prove it). And
that's a good thing. It means it
has good brakes, the fit and finish is top-notch… it will run for
days and days. And it will fire up
for you each and every day. It all
adds up to minimalist in looks,
but not in function.
And it's priced right: $7990 for
the standard model and $300
more for the uprated R-Spec.
For comparison's sake, the
aforementioned Sporster sells
for $7999.
At the heart of the Bolt is Yamaha's 60-degree, 942cc Vtwin – the same four-valve-percylinder, air-cooled powerplant
that sits in the V Star. This one,
though, has been re-mapped for
low- and mid-range grunt and it
certainly has plenty of that. It's
"
2.8 INCHES OF TRAVEL IS 2.8
INCHES OF TRAVEL. NO MATTER
HOW YOU PRE-LOAD IT.
easy to see that the Bolt was
made for city streets as it's in its
element when ridden hard from
stoplight to stoplight. Despite its
ceramic-composite cylinder lin-
"
ers to help dissipate heat, some
riders complained of heat… well,
dissipating, on their left leg. We
didn't have such issues. Maybe
because we were more con-
cerned with our right leg, but
more on that in a second.
In order to get the length they
need out of the two-into-one exhaust, Star pushed it forward.
The result is a curvy and goodlooking package that allows the
system to get the length it needs
without extending past the rear of
the bike.
When you hop on the Bolt for
