2005 Yamaha Road Star Midnight Warrior Cruiser reviews

I just picked up my 2005 Warrior Midnight and I'm in love. Limitless torque, excellent handling and the looks, in my eyes, are flawless. I picked up this 2005 with only 2700 miles, I've added about 800 miles in the past 10 days and I'm loving every minute of it. Easy to maintain, beautiful and fast, it's the best of all worlds. I've heard it described as 1/2 sport-bike and 1/2 cruiser, I think that is a perfect description. Very comfortable, lightweight, reliable, powerful, and did I mention beautiful??? Great bike, buy one and you won't be disappointed. Show less

I've been riding for years and started on a Hayabusa (yes my first bike). Well that got stolen and I decided to move to a cruiser. that's a huge jump, so it was important that I found a bike big enough that I didn't look silly riding (6ft5 and 250lb) and had enough power to keep me happy. I don't regret my purchase at all. I've had this bike for 2 years and love it. If it's not freezing outside, this is my primary vehicle. It has gallons of torque down low, lots more than other bikes in it's class. It may not be as fast as a V-Rod or rev as high as the others but this will be the last concern in your mind after riding. I've ridden other cruisers and this thing has handling far and above all the rest. It's light for a bike its size (600lbs) and the front end and brakes are on the money. If I had to name cons it would be the seat and warming up issue. The seat can and should be immediately replaced. Corbin makes a great one for this bike. It's not comfortable for rides longer than 45 min. Also you have to let it warm up or you're guaranteed a stall when slowing to a stop which another reviewer mentioned. Any of you sport bike riders out there thinking of moving to a cruiser - this one is it. If you want more power, the aftermarket for this bike is big. It's got lots of torque, awesome v-twin sound, draws lots of attention, has amazing throttle response, and the all black looks so wonderful in person. Go buy one and stop reading this, you'll thank me later. Show less

A lot of people are asking; Warrior or M109? The very same question I asked myself January as I lead up to making a buying decision. I asked myself 1. Will I be riding that close to the limit to appreciate the M109s extra juice? 2. What bike do I like the look of more? Which one speaks to me? 3. How much do I really want to spend? 1. I decided that while the M109 is more powerful, that the Warrior should be enough. If it wasn't I could always buy a used 600 crotch rocket to fill any sporty hunger. In the absence of a comparison I thought the design of the Warrior and weight savings would still give it the edge in the curves and fun factor. The M109 seemed to me to be a muscle cruiser rather than a sport cruiser. i.e. good in a drag, but lost in the twists don't regret my decision at all, great bike! Show less

I bought this bike last May and have ridden it as much as mother nature will allow. Not only does this bike make great power, but the looks you get will blow you away. I ride with a lot of Harleys, and they all get a little jealous when we go to the gas station and people always come up to me and not them to compliment the looks. If you don't like attention, this is not the bike for you. If you love power, torque and being watched, you won't find a better bike out there. Show less

I used to ride a Suzuki TL1000 and transitioned to the cruiser realm of motorcycles recently. I read in several magazine articles and other reviews that this bike had the characteristics of both a cruiser and a sport bike. I believe it's true to a certain degree. It definitely does not have the sport bike acceleration that I'm used to, but I'm also used to feeling torque at higher RPMs. Since the bike isn't broken in yet, I can definitely say that I'm not disappointed, feeling awesome torque at less than 2000 RPMs. The bike gives off a great hum and sounds intimidating but is not annoyingly loud (not that loud is a bad thing). Switching from a full faced helmet to a 1/4 helmet made a big difference in wind noise so I have to use earplugs (or I can keep using my full faced helmet). At idle, the bike shakes like crazy, something I'm not used to, but don't mind. At speed, the vibrating pretty much goes away. The seat is comfortable and the handlebars are set at a comfortable level. The brakes are very responsive. When shifting gears, it feels as though the clutch pedal is set a bit close to the frame so I feel like I have to exert a little effort adjusting my foot underneath the shift pedal (it doesn't help that I have short legs, either.) The seat height is lower than my TL1000 but still high enough that my feet don't rest completely flat on the ground on either side - again due to my short legs. The greatest thing about the bike is that people don't know what it is, and passers-by take a second to double take the bike and spend a moment wondering what it is. Someone complemented me on the custom work (I did absolutely nothing to the bike so all I said was 'thanks'). Overall, I'm extremely happy with my purchase and I'm glad that I chose this bike over the Suzuki Boulevard M109. I do see keeping this bike well over the 10-year mark. Show less

I bought my 2005 Warrior from great folks in Newnan Ga. in Feb. 2005, and after a fun summer and 1600 miles, I can honestly say I have absolutely no use for my old oil-dripping H-D. I can certainly see where this machine makes a great drag bike. It is very stable and pretty comfortable for what amounts to a big bruising sport bike. It has torque like you wouldn't believe. My two sons (age 18 and 22) both ride Yamaha R6 and R1 sport bikes respectively, and I must say at 47 years old, it's a great healer of mid-life crisis when they mostly get to look at the 200 rear tire on our rides. Maybe if they're good, I'll let 'em take it for a spin... Show less

This bike is awesome! It packs a punch when you roll that throttle and can corner like a sport bike. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a cruiser that can perform like a sport bike. Show less

This bike is a sleeper and the new midnight warrior is fantastic to look at. Bought mine from Sportland in Bloomington IL. Awesome folks to deal with and outstanding service. The Warrior is a 1670cc Beast - you will love it the first time you roll the throttle and the first time a crowd gathers to see the bike up close. Even the HD guys want to look at it! Too bad most just see the rear of the bike. Also want to comment on the great service from Yamaha - I had a mishap with my bike and Yamaha took care of everything for me. No problems and without cost to me. Also thanks to the service team at Sportland. They are great. Thanks a lot! Show less

600 miles later, I can give you some honest feedback so far. The bike rocks! I have no other way of putting it. Hard to believe that torque monster of an engine had anything to show me over 3000rpm, but was I wrong. The darn thing practically threw me off the back when it hit 5000 rpm. However, there are some weird glitches that need to be discussed. This thing needs to be warmed up before taking off because it will stall the first time you shift down to slow at a street light. You need to do a quick snap on the throttle to jump the rpm for an instant. Another point is the riding position. On the highway at 80 mph, you are a parachute. Make sure to get some kind of windshield (I got the Ymaha mini-fairing & the lower cowl to match, fairing-great, cowl-useless). Overall a great bike. Show less

I just picked up my new roadstar warrior and man what a ride. True I havn't seen its full power since it's not broken in yet, but I can feel the beast within...corners like a dream and pulls ward with minimal throttle twist.. really want to see what she will do after it's broken in proper.. I will write again once it's broken in... Show less