Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128098
2001 Yamaha Road Star Midnight Star first sit on the bike, the seat seems a little too hard and overly contoured, but the longer you sit in it, the more comfortable it gets. Overall, the Midnight Star certainly has its own distinctive feel. Compared to some of the other Japanese-built massive-bore cruisers we've ridden, the Road Star seems to have a more overall "loose" feel to it. The gear-shift has a long throw and sometimes clunky operation, the bike vibrates a little more than some of the other Japanese cruisers, the brakes are mushy and the air-cooled motor is just plain noisier than some of the other water-cooled V-twin engines out there. But this "loose" sensation isn't necessarily a bad thing; it's just the Road Star's character. It's this seemingly unrefined quality that makes the Road Star probably feel more like a Harley than any other Japanese-manufactured cruiser we've ever ridden. Good or bad, that's up to you, but we think it's pretty cool. Good night. llN ~r;J By KIT PALMER PHOTOS BY BLAKE CONNER T he Yamaha Road Star Midnight Star might twinkle, but it's defi- nitely no little star. In fact, up until Honda's VTX1800, Yamaha's Road Star cruisers featured the industry's biggest production cruiser engine at 98 cubic inches. But even though the Road Stars aren't the king of big anymore, they're still friggin' big! The Midnight Star is Yamaha's latest entry into the company's Road Star line of cruisers. As you might guess, the main feature of the Midnight Star is its color - black. Besides the black fuel tank, fenders and covers, the new Star features a blackpainted engine with polished cylinder fins, black-chrome Road Star fuel tank emblems, and a new Midnight Star logo on the instrumentation face. Studded seats are also new. Other than the visuals, the Midnight Star hasn't changed at all. Internally, it's still the same bike. The Road Star Midnight Star still packs a (Top) TIt. ama'" torque by the ton, and a bottom-end power. Shift earty, and It will treat you right. (Above) 'Night in shining armor: Yamaha definitely got the visual treatment right on the back-In-black limited-edition Midnight Star. n _ _ ,. 18 APRIL 4,2001 • C U III I _ serious punch off the bottom when you roll on the throttle; the 1602cc, air-cooled, long-stroke, OHC, 48degree V -twin motor delivers tons of torque and bottom-end power. It moves along pretty good on top, too, but it's no revver. Just shift it before you think you need to and grab a handful - this is what the Midnight Star is all about. Suspensionwise, the Midnight Star is remarkably good, probably the best in its class. The back-end actually feels almost plush through its whopping 4.3 inches of wheel travel, and the fork is nearly just as good, with the front-end providing good feedback, as well. Overall, the Midnight Star handles nicely in spite of its size and weight, but the floorboards kiss the tarmac rather easily when leaned over, and when they do, they make quite a racket. Getting the big machine slowed down is a workout. It takes some serious squeezing on the front brake lever to get the big monster slowed down, ditto on the rear brake pedal. There is enough braking power there to get the job done, but there isn't much left over. Comfort is another one of the Midnight Star's strong points. When you 1001 Yamaha Road Star Midnight Star m «:DlllffiI! lYPE 1602cc, 98-cubic-in., pushrod, OHV, air-cooled, 48-degree V·twin BORE X STROKE ...95mm x 113mm 8.3:1 COMPRESSiON RATIO CARBURETION .40mm Mikuni Constant-Velocity w/TPS TRANSMISSION Five-speed, wide ratio FINAL DRIVE , Belt ~M~~ll~ SUSPENSION FRONT Telescopic fork REAR .single shock, link-type WHEEL TRAVEL .5.5 inches FRONT . , REAR .4.3 inches BRAKES FRONT , ..Dual, 298mrn discs REAR ., 320 disc TIRES FRONT 130/90-16 in. REAR 150/80·16 in. DIMENSIONS O/A LENGTH 98.4 in. O/A WIDTH 38.6 in. O/A HEIGHT , .44.9 in. SEAT HEIGHT , 27.9 in. WHEELBASE 66.3 in. GROUND CLEARANCE .5.7 in. FUEL CAPACITY .5.3 gal. CLAIMED DRY WEIGHT 677 Ibs. COLOR Black MSRP $11,799