New for the 2008 model year, Yamaha's work horse cruiser, the Road Star, finally gets fuel injected.

That's probably good news for many Road Star fans, because when Yammie introduced the Roadliner a couple of years ago, many thought it was going to spell doom for the Roadie. Adding the FI to the Road Star seem to suggest they're committed to keeping it around for awhile longer.

Otherwise, there's little other change.


I note that the 2008 model Road Star is now a tad heavier at 694 pounds dry, compared to 688 pounds for the 2007 model.

The Star Motorcycle website also says the 2008 model has a seat height of 27.9 inches, compared to 28.0 inches of last year. I doubt this is an actual change; probably just a formality of rounding.

Price is also higher than last year, at $11,899 compared to $11,399, for the base model.

Labels: Yamaha Road Star

Colliers Custom Cycles of Orlando, FL, announced three new frames for the Yamaha Road Star into its line up of custom cycle parts.

Their new frames accept all of the under-seat electronics, side covers, rear fender and more from the stock bike, making them a true custom swap. The only fabrication needed is that of a fuel tank mount.

If you're looking to totally redesign your Yamaha Road Star, consider starting with a new frame from Colliers Custom Cycles.

Labels: Colliers Custom Cycles, Yamaha Road Star

Now that I have the HD Ultra to lug the wife around, I turned my Road Star into a solo-seater.

Yesterday, I pulled off the bags, bag mounts, passenger seat, backrest, and passenger floor boards. I got on the bike, and yeah, it's a lot lighter. Not only that, but I had a bunch of stuff in the bags weighing it down too.

So, me and Jello went to North County Yamaha to buy some chrome pieces for the rear fender to complete the look. I got the fender trim pieces and the fender rack. I thought about getting the seat rail too, just to go for that retro look, but decided to skip on that for now.

Labels: Yamaha Road Star

I'm riding a 2004 Yamaha Road Star Silverado right now. I like it a lot. But my wife seems to want something more comfortable.

Basically, she wants the big comfy backrest and armrests, like what you get on the Harley Davidson Electra Glide Classic or Ultra Glide. What she wants, is to be able to go to sleep while riding on the road, and not have to worry about falling over.

As it stands right now, she often drifts off to sleep while riding on the back of my Road Star, but not for long. What happens is that she bangs the crown of her helmet into my back, as her way of complaining to me. I keep telling her, "then don't ride". But she won't have that. She has to ride.

So, here are my three choices...

Yamaha Royal Star Venture - this is probably the Cadillac of touring bikes, as far I can see. 1300cc V4 engine, with about 75hp at the rear wheel. Large hard bags, large trunk, comfy seats, with the large back rest and arm rests, and full fairing. Price is about $15,000.

Pros: This bike will give my wife the comfort she's looking for, and it comes with everything but the kitchen sink. It's got great power.

Cons: I can barely touch the ground! My legs are that short. The seat height is 29.5 inches. Truthfully, with my boots on, I've got my toes and the ball of my foot on the ground. But considering that this a very heavy bike, 807 pounds dry, and with my wife on the back, being that tippytoed concerns me. And I don't want to spend that kind of money on something that creates more problems than it solves.

Yamaha Royal Star Tour Deluxe - Similar to the Royal Star Venture, but without the fairing, and the seat height is about half-inch lower. But still the same engine, and same power. Another difference is it doesn't have the trunk, and the seat is hard as a rock. Cost is about $14,000.

Pros: The seat is a little bit lower than the Venture at 29.1 inches. I can get more of my feet on the ground, and the bike is about 30 pounds lighter (787 pounds) than the Venture. Still a heavy bike though. But I like the fact that you can quickly remove the windshield, the bags, and the passenger seat, and turn it in to a solo rider.

Cons: I'd have to buy the trunk and armrests separately, and the seat would not work for my wife. I could get the Mustang Seat, which she liked on the Road Star, but I hated the Mustang rider seat. I don't think I'll like it on the Tour Deluxe either.

Harley Davidson Electra Glide Classic - Who doesn't already know this bike? In comparison to the Yamahas, the Harley has much less power, I think something like 55hp at the rear wheel? The cost is about $20,000.

Pros: It's lighter than the two Yamahas, at 776 pounds, and the seat height is even lower too, at 27.3 inches. This is probably the biggest reason why I have this bike in consideration. There's all kinds of after-market stuff available for Harleys.

Cons: It's got much less power, considerably less. When you figure my wife will be on the back of this, and with the trunk and hard bags and full faring, it's going to drag it down. I remember riding to Las Vegas Bikefest, and we had a guy on a Electra Glide Classic with his girlfriend on back, and everything stuffed with their belongings, he was having trouble keeping up with us on the grades (the rest of us sailing along at 90mph). And of course, the price, is much more than the Yamahas.

Labels: Harley Davidson Electra Glide Ultra Classic, Honda Valkyrie Interstate, Yamaha Road Star, Yamaha Royal Star Tour Deluxe, Yamaha Royal Star Venture

For those of you passionate about Yamaha's 1600 Road Star block, but are looking for a custom chopper, take a look at a company called Bobstar Customs.

The guys at Bobstar have been building custom choppers for 20 years. A couple years ago, they founded their custom chopper business in Nashville, Tennessee.

Using their custom frame design, a Road Star 1600 power plant, Morton's exhaust, 63mm front end, RC wheels, ostrich/stingray seat, and custom paint by Shane Brown, their first bike came to life. Designated the "Tangerine Road Star", the guys debuted their design at Bike Week 2004 in Daytona Beach, Florida. They went on to win numerous awards and trophies from shows in Sturgis, Rat's Hole, Star Days, and others. An overwhelming response of praise from industry giants such as "Wild Bill" from Pro Street Customs, Bob Starr,(no connection) CEO of Yamaha Road Star, Dave Nichols, V-Twin Magazine, Indian Larry, Josh Smith, Heavyweight, Mark Stoneman, Easyriders, Scott Britt, Britt Motorsports, Bobby Appleton from the acclaimed Appleton's Harley family and Glenn, Road Star Magazine.

With the market heavily saturated with custom Harley choppers and RevTech blocks, Bobstar Customs is one of a few that specializes in what is arguably the best metric V-Twin block in the world, Yamaha's Road Star 1600. Visit Bobstar Customs online.

Labels: Bobstar Customs, Yamaha Road Star