Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

and also better roll-on acceleration at freeway speeds (the final drive ratio is also tighter). but the Warrior's gear-changing prowess is second to none. Same goes for the clutch. which is smooth as silk. While Yamaha has increased the spring force of the Warrior clutch to deal with the additional power of the engine, two additional springs were also added for smoother operation. So, how does she handle then? Truth be told, pretty darned well, with a few reservations. The all-aluminum chassis is a dream, the inherent stiffness therein allowing for quick direction changes with less of a top-heavy feel when compared to most other Vtwin cruisers. You won't mistake it for a sport bike - it does, after all, weigh twice as much as an R 1 - but the Warrior feels anything but sluggish. High-speed steering on the Warrior is every bit as precise as it is at paddling velocities, but of course it is much more fun when you're hauling the mail! Thundering through the trees near Half Moon Bay aboard the Warrior was a riot as long as the speeds were kept somewhat near the edge of sanity. The trouble is, with a cruiser as swift as the Warrior, some folks are inevitably going to want to push it a little, and when we pushed it a little we ran across one of those things that makes you go "hmmm." Our gripe centers around the Warrior's suspension - more with the rear than the front, although both ends exhibited the same tendency: a proclivity for rebounding awfully quick. The excessive slap-back reveals itself when you encounter road irregularities while cranked over in a fast corner - and keep in mind that with a 40-degree lean angle, the Warrior can get pretty cranked over for a cruiser. The quick rebound is at odds with the rock-solid chassis, which prohibits flex. It's as if the two tend to work against each other, and the phenomenon simply makes the Warrior feel twitchier than it should. To be fair, this is not the first time that we have experienced this on a new motorcycle either, having had similar experiences with several earlier generations of Honda's aluminumframed CR250R motocrosser, and later, the RC-5I superb ike. Breaking it down, the greater the rigidity of a given chassis, the greater the suspension feedback through that chassis. On the above-mentioned Hondas, said suspension can be dialed to perfection through the compression and rebound clickers found on the fork and shock. The Warrior's YZF -R 1derived suspension, however, is preload adjustable only, and therein lies a dilemma: Suspension clickers on a cruiser? Are we really there yet? Maybe so, because Yamaha's PR folk have done nothing but tout the Warrior's cornering prowess, as well they should - partially because the Harley V-Rod can easily lay claim to the horsepower throne, but also because the Warrior does corner about as well as a 600-pound cruiser can at normal or even stepped-up velocities. Like we said, with a 40degree lean angle, you'll go quite a ways before scratching the footpegs on this baby, although even when it happens - as it did when we negotiated a particularly gnarly series of lowspeed switchbacks near Los Gatos during our ride - it's no big deal. Our only other real complaint, and this was one that was shared among a few testers on the ride, was that while the Warrior fit like a glove from the waist down, the stock handlebar is too wide and doesn't offer enough setback. When asked about the ergos, one Yamaha official stated that the width of the bars was one change that was made at the last minute, the additional spread being added after the Warrior's introduction in Vegas, though he didn't really explain why. Since ours is not to reason why, there are probably three choices here: 1) Live with it; 2) Barbacks - if you like the stock units; 3) Trash the stockers and buy that set of drag-style bars that are available in Yamaha's parts and accessories catalog. Having sat on a prototype Warrior with the drag bars, we'd suggest option three. Do that, and you're in like flint, because the Warrior's saddle is definitely comfortable enough for the long haul. When riding any streetbike, you're going to have to put the brakes on sooner or later, and if you're on a Warrior, then you'll be smiling, because the bike's binders are good, offering excellent feel and ample power to haul this big boy down from speed. Actually, they're not just good, they're great - as in RI great. And since that's basically where the twin, 298mm four-piston jobbies up front and the 282mm twin-piston unit that brings up the rear came from, you shouldn't be too surprised. Finally, a few words about that exhaust can, which more or less brings us full circle back to the Warrior's styling. Our thoughts? Fuh-get about it. We actually dug the thing, because we think it offers a stark visual clue as to what the Warrior is all about. And once again, if you don't like it, Yamaha will be offering several replacement options. The one that we are eyeing is a set of slashcut units that is forthcoming as part of a competition engine and exhaust package to be marketed through Yamaha's Speedstar competition products line. And if, like us, you do like the big muffler's look but loathe its abilities with regard to sound attenuation, some.body - and we won't say who - told us that those five allen-head bolts that secure its back cap ... are functional. If you were to loosen them up and have a look-see inside, well, you just never know. You could always make like that backcountry mechanic in the Michael J. Fox movie Doc Hollywood and fix it back up "with a few parts left over." At the end of the day, then, what we have found in the Yamaha Road Star Warrior is one heck of a neat cruiser that could also be the best aircooled V -twin that the category has ever known. But is that good enough? Honestly, we don't know yet. Remember, the sport cruiser class represents a cut above, a true heavyweight division reserved for musclebound behemoths with a tough look and the balls to back it up. The Warrior has both, in spades, but the competition is going to be brutal. Hence, our plan is to gather the combatants together for a mano-y-mano clash to see which will be the last one standing. Oh man, we don't even want to offer up odds on the outcome of this one. eN "" U "" I .. n (Above left! The Warrior's all·day ergonomlc:s are hampered slighUy by a handlebar spread that Is rather wide. (Above) The Warrior's fort< and twin 298mm front dlsc:s are derived from the YU-R1 sportbike. The binders are plenty strong. (Left! Redesigned to produce more midrange and top end than the Road Star, the Warrior's 48degree V-twin delivers more punc:h while retaining the performanc:e c:harac:teristic:s of a traditional c:ruiser. (Below) The perfec:t c:ontrast: The LCD bar graph tac:hometer and analog speedometer are not only easy to read, but they also tell the tale of the Warrior. EI'lGII'tE .. Air-cooled 48-degree V-twin VALVETRAII'I ... Pushrod,; four valves per cylinder 97 x 113mm DI~~ 1670cc 8.3:1 COMPRESSION RATIO CARBp Sportmax 2OO!50-ZR17 WHEELS FRONT .. Three-spoke, cast aluminum REAR ... Three-spoke, cast aluminum BRAKES FRONT ..... Twin 298mm rotors wi dual-bore opposed four· piston calipers REAR Single 282mm rotor wi dual-opposed two-piston caliper 606 Ibs. CLAIMED DRY WEIGHT FUEL CAPACITY 4.0 gal. MSRP $11,999 BORE x STROKE e _ S • NOVEMBER 21, 2001 17

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