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/128219
It's low, it's long, it's stylish, and to top it all off it works with aplomb. everything works as planned and in a logical manner. But it isn't a case of function over form as was the case with early Japanese cruisers. Yamaha 712 Ibs. The bike is easy to maneuver in city traffic. at least without a passenger (the little wife wasn't with me). and I was surprised how easily I gets what the image is all about but was able to bang U-turns on the tight. two-lane roads that we did our photo shoot on. I must have done at least 50 of them. and half of them were done feet up - it carries itself well. Vibration from the motor is minimal and is at a frequency that doesn't bother you at all; it isn't the kind that makes your hands and feet tingle. at the same time makes a bike that both functions and looks great. I think it would take a real snob to be bold enough to criticize the Road Star's styling; simply put. it looks right. The Road Star that I rode weighs in at a fairly light (in cruiser terms) 679 pounds dry. and it carries its weight well. The Silverado is a bit heavier at So what about that extra power? more what the engineers had in mind. Just drop it down to fourth from the The power is plentiful for a bike that was designed to cruise. It of course wouldn't be adequate for a hot rod overdrive fifth gear. and the motor has cruiser. but if that is what you are looking for. purchase a Road Star Warrior instead. or check out Yamaha's line of Speedstar accessories. I was impressed with the bike's torque. and although the bike revs out more than it used to. you can't really say that it has a killer top end. Leaving plenty of go in passing mode. Speaking of the transmission. I felt that the tranny was particularly slick. allowing the tranny to snick into the next ratio with ease anywhere in the box. The motor has a nice baritone pulse from the chrome twin exhaust pipes. but they are a touch on the quiet side. Carburetion from the single 40mm stoplights in a tire-spinning smoke cloud is easy enough with all that torque. but roll-on performance is Mikuni CV carburetor is excellent at any rpm. offering crisp fuel delivery. When the day was over. I wasn't necessarily. I could have ridden the thing another 150 miles easily. @[fJ@@D(JD@&J(lD®fJiJ~ YAMAHA Road Star/Road Star Midnight LIST PRICE DISPLACEMENT ENGINE TYPE BORE x STROKE COMPRESSION RATIO CARBURETION IGNITION TRANSMISSION STARTING SYSTEM FUEL CAPACITY WHEELBASE _ RAKE/TRAIL ., SEAT HEIGHT FRONT TIRE REAR TIRE FRONT·WHEEL TRAVEL REAR·WHEEL TRAVEL FRONT BRAKE REAR BRAKE FINAL DRIVE CLAIMED DRY WEIGHT _ $10.999-1 1.199/$1 1.799 1670cc Air-cooled V-twin 97 x 113mm 8.36:1 40mm Mikuni CV Digital Five-speed Electric .5.3 gal. 66.5 in. 32°/142mm 27.9 in. 130/90- 16 150/80·16 .5.5 in. .4.3 in. Dual disc Disc Beit 679 Ibs. Between the location and the. bike. I YAMAHA thoroughly enjoyed the day's ride and can't wait until we get a test unit here at Cycle News so that I can take the wife on a little jaunt of our own up the coast. I can see that a lot of buyers of the 2004 Road Star will be doing the same - coming up with any excuse to go out for a cruise. The Road Star is available in four different model con- Road Star Silverado/Midnight Silverado LIST PRICE DISPLACEMENT ENGINE TYPE BORE x STROKE COMPRESSION RATIO CARBURETION IGNITION TRANSMISSION STARTING SYSTEM FUEL CAPACITY WHEELBASE RAKE/TRAIL SEAT HEIGHT FRONT TIRE REAR TIRE FRONT-WHEEL TRAVEL REAR-WHEEL TRAVEL FRONT BRAKE REAR BRAKE FINAL DRIVE CLAIMED DRY WElGHT : $12.599/$13.199 1670cc Air-cooled V-twin 97 x 113mm 8.36:1 40mm Mikuni Digital Five-speed Eiectric 5.3 gal. 66.5 in. 32°/142mm 27.9 in. 130/90·16 150/80-16 5.5 in. .4.3 in. Dual disc Disc Belt 712Ibs. cue I e figurations. including the Road Star (standard) in Pearl White for $10.999 and in Raven/Raspberry Metallic for $11.199. The Road Star Midnight Star retails for $11.799. and is obviously available only in Raven black. The Silverado. which includes leather saddlebags and a windshield. retails for $12.599 and comes in Black Gold Metallic/Beach Sand Tan. while the Road Star Midnight Silverado is essentially the same except in Raven black and retails for $13.199. eN n e VII os • JUNE 18.2003 69