Big Twin Cruiser
Written: Aug 07 '00 (Updated Aug 25 '00)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Beautiful, gobs of torque.
Cons: None I could see.
|
|
|
| George_Chabot's Full Review: 2000 Yamaha Road Star |
Road Star
The 2000 Yamaha Road Star is a big V-Twin cruiser with muscle to spare.
Sporting an air-cooled 48-degree V-Twin motor, the Road Star takes advantage of the old technology familiar to Harley riders with a few refinements to make it interesting. The degree refers to the angle between the two cylinders of the motor. Harley Davidson has traditionally had a 45-degree angle, automobile V-8s are almost universally 90 degree, while the Japanese bikes usually run somewhere between 45 and 90 degrees. Aesthetically speaking, the narrower the angle, the better looking the motor.
The Road Star motor displaces 1,600 cc, or 98 cubic inches for the American designation. The motor uses pushrods to actuate the valves, but it has four valves per cylinder, an interesting mixture of high and low tech. Fuel is delivered to the cylinders via a single large bore Mikuni carburetor while spark is provided by digital ignition, again a mixture of the traditional with the new. The compression ratio is 8.3 to one, so it can run on 87 octane regular fuel. Unlike the V-Star I reviewed earlier, which has a shaft final drive, the Road Star uses a belt final drive similar to the type Harley Davidson uses. To haul the monster rapidly down from speed, it has dual front and single rear disc brakes.
The Road Star looks like a million dollars. There is no unsightly plumbing, radiators, or shock absorbers to take away from the look of pure lean muscle. It is a low rider that can hold its own in the looks department with the best of them. The fuel tank holds 5.3 gallons, which gives the Road Star a cruising range of about 150 miles.
The bike's quality is typical for Yamaha; flawless paint, polished engine cases, and a good amount of chrome.
How does it ride? Like a dream. The handlebars sit at just the right angle for comfortable riding and the floorboards and heel-toe shifter make it comfortable for your feet as well. The seat is comfortable but may be a little small for someone with a well-upholstered posterior.
The bike handles nimbly at low speed, belying its 700 pounds. At 60 MPH, the motor purrs along at 2,400 RPM and can accelerate in fifth gear like a bat out of hell due to the 98 cubic inch motor's huge amount of torque.
The Road Star lists for $10,600. When you weigh what you get for your money, it is a great bargain, in my opinion.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.