Yamaha Motorcycle Reviews on Cycle Insider (4,531)
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I went from a V Star 650 to the V Star 950 Tourer and love my new ride. I did have to buy the wind deflector for the forks as the wind came up around the tank and hit me in the chest. Once those were installed all is great. I can't wait to get on the road.

BEST SPORT TOURING OUT THERE. I loved my 07 for thousands of miles. simple Japanese bullet. goes fast when wanted and needed but tours like a champ. I cashed it a few days ago and I'm distraught. looking for a new one.

I think it is heavy for a 250cc but I'm 62. I put close 8,000 miles on it in just a few years. I took it up to Duluth twice and rode it in a day long dual sport ride over widely varying terrain. It's fun but it is dated. I cashed it in for a 2021 Honda Trail 125...the penultimate old-dude bike.

I have a 2008 Raider I purchased from a golf pro 2 years ago. This is an incredible bike that stole my interest. I was shopping for a muscle cruiser, I had just test drove a Harley Breakout and was going to suzuki dealer for M109 when I saw this red bike that look similar to breakout. I ended up test driving it. When I got back, grin on my face would not go away. Why haven't I seen or heard about this bike before.Amount of tourque this bike has nearly scared me at first. then as I drove it, I knew I had to have it. never made it to suzuki test drive. I ride this bike whenever temps are over 50 degrees. I am not a speed demon but, I love the way this bike gets me up to speed in a blink of an eye.I wish they had designed a tachometer on this bike. even though this is a cruiser and you don't really need a tach, i would have loved seeing that needle buried so fast in every gear. I have read a few reviews and some have said this bike is therapuetic. I agree 100 percent. When I have stress, a 15 minute ride does the trick for me. My riding group is around 8 bikes, (harleys, indians and triumphs) every time people come around to check out our bikes, they always end up asking me questions about the bike. some even ask if they could test drive. i have owned many bikes in my 56 years and 40 years of riding, this bike will always have special place in my heart.

The 2009 Stratoliner S that I have is very powerful, quick, comfortable, stylish, with agility. I have ridden motorcycles for 50 years and am 61 years old. The Stratoliner is the travel version of the roadliner. The only thing that I can think of that I would change about the Stratoliner is for the motorcycle to have increased breathing for the cooling system. It has an 1854 CC / 113.1 Ci engine that requires optimum cooling.

It's been a great ride, until the CDI (part of the ignition system) needed replacing. Yamaha doesn't make the CDI anymore, and nobody on EBay or anywhere I search has one. Am I stuck w/ an otherwise perfectly good Vino because the CDI failed? Can anyone help? Please email me

My first heavy cruiser is like a big old truck. Good power to rear wheel and can pull out of 1st gear at idle speed ( like a big truck in 1st gear). Handling always suggest to (just Cruise at the posted speeds). Is capable of highway speeds with more to spare. The 1998 Yamaha 650 also I have preforms close to the 1100 and is very capable in the street and highway also! They are Not a dirt bike. Cross bike or sport bike . They have a quirky, fun and casual feel to them. Reminding me to Just Cruise and ( get there when You Get there). Whether taking a 100 mile trip or cruising around town it is reliable and casual! Outfitted with windscreen and saddlebags , it is a good fit for my riding style! Compared to larger Yamaha’s and other Brands of Cruisers, I am very satisfied with the Vstar 650 and 1100!

I have ridden my 2009 Stratoliner S for nearly 10,000 miles of highway/city/country roads... The bike runs and performs very well. The finish, performance, and reliability are tops. The only problem I have had is that 1854 CC can get very hot especially in warm weather temperatures. I feel that the design did not take that into account. Other than that, the motorcycle is very attractive, runs extremely well, and has not given me one bit of trouble. The odometer currently is just past the 20,000 mark.

Excellent all around Motorcycle handles fantastic extremely smooth and great on Highway and the back roads. Yamaha built quality looks fantastic and keeps up with the big Harleys and Indians. If you’re looking for an inexpensive capable cruiser look no further than the Yamaha V*950.

Bought New in 2004 and have 25K up through 2020. Have done many 14 hour days - would do 24 but can not stay awake that long - have gently put the pegs on the pavement @ 90 mph in the rain - no issues - great handling - took 3 years to adjust the suspension - lots of settings - all manual - to many different surfaces and tire combinations to ever get it "right" - Original tires were dangerous. Major dislike, engine buzz on highway (rpm too high), engine has no working effort on piston pins unless accelerating - partially corrected with 16/39 gearing changes to reduce rpm in top gear, but transmission in my 1967 RD250 6 speed had it correct - pure magic - FZ1 builders should have honored those who did it correct in 67 with 5th & 6th as double overdrive, 1st as a creeper gear (Fz 1st gear would be a good 2nd gear, and the Fz 6th gear would be better 4th gear, and with the flat torque curve in this motor - they should have changed it up from the R1 - can you tell the gear choice is a little off and that I miss the 1st creeper gear and the double overdrive - my 73 Z1 had a better stock gear box with only 5 gears - but that motor was built so it had more rpm (13K) than the FZ1. Overall, I wanted to replace my custom 1973 Z1 - and this 2003 FZ1 has done the trick for 16 years and I still do not want to part from it - it just ticks too many boxes. Now that I'm 65, I still plan to ride it for another 16 years, and from all expectations, this bike will still be good for another 25K in 2036. Should you buy one - Yes, BUT only if you know how to control your speed and enjoy the ride - be safe.

I just purchased this 2009 MC used for $3800. 2960 miles in seemingly perfect condition w/windshield (after-market), roll bars, padded passenger/sissy bar, everything else is factory. I've owned 3 previous 1100 cruisers. The 950 seems spunkier, easy to handle, smooth, and comfortable. Several reviews on YouTube, all of which laud this bike. Now, it's too dam hot to ride!

Overall very good bike for not a lot of money. Handles like it’s on rails and is extremely stable. Good power can do 85-90 miles per hour for the entire day (have done it several times) and the bike is still very stable at these speeds. The bike is pretty big a little bigger then an older model Harley Davidson Heritage Classic and heavy enough without being to heavy at 655 pounds. I traded my 2011 Yamaha V-Star 650 that I bough new in July of 2012 for a new 2015 V-Star 950 Tourer in August if 2017. I had put over 50,000 miles on my 650 and as of today I have 34,000 miles on my 950. Bottom line Yamaha makes very good motorcycles for not a lot of money and the Yamaha V-Star 950 is an outstanding all purpose motorcycle. In conclusion, it’s a reliable and very capable worlk-horse of a motorcycle.

I have owned my 1988 SRX6 Japanese model for a year now.It had done 57000k's when i bought it and only a couple of problems I've had include a leaking valve seal, so did the rope in the plug hole trick and the socket and magnet to remove valve springs and replace the seals. Only other problem was a leaking gas tank but did a POR15 seal job for that. I own a 1995 Yamaha fj1200 as well but the SRX is by far the best handling and most fun bike I have ever owned.Way better than the SR500. I've owned over 35 bikes from 1968 to 2020 and this one is just awesome. Shame they don't make them again.I love the attention it gets when I go on club rides and I've spent lotsa time and money restoring it to original. Great bike for our New Zealand roads that's for sure

The 1977 Yamaha XS360D2 was the first bike I ever purchased back in 2004 at 16 with 2900 miles on the clock. The price was 550 from a local dealer in a small town in northeast iowa. It was pretty clear it needed carb work right from the start as most of this age will by now. It was the blue one with spoke wheels, front disc, kick starter, and points ignition. Aftermarket emgo megaphone mufflers were also fitted and were plenty quiet. I wish I had the jetting skills I have now because it seemed as though it could have been a very nice little bike. All I could do was clean the carbs back then and they were stupid lean even before I fitted foam filters. Starting was always hard. I would often run the battery down to nothing (probably weak to begin with) then continue with the kick starter until it popped off. I suspect the starter was just a bit too slow, or the idle circuit was just a bit too long (lets out way up on the top side of the carbs) also often resulting in stalls on takeoff. That said, it always idled nice once running and ran well with few flat spots besides the lean top end (my own fault). Because of this fuel economy was amazing at 60mpg+ but I often struggled to do 65. I still put over 6000 miles on it in one summer and always got compliments and questions wherever I went. When you're a kid on a metric bike from the seventies everyone notices. Handling was steady enough to enable full speed back road riding if I so desired, and at 17 and stupid I often did. The bike was also very light and I only dumped it once trying to do a u-turn on crushed rock. Ah, fond memories of learning hard lessons. I didn't get burned too bad and was actually able to lift it off my leg. The engine was a parallel twin with a 180 crank and no balancer, oddly enough. Top end was SOHC, 2 valves per cylinder and tappet type adjusters (no shims required). Something about the sound drove dogs completely mad. Weirdest thing I've ever seen and I've heard others say the same thing. Shifting was always smooth with the exception of a somewhat remote feel to the clutch. This again, could also have been down to poor maintenance (cables) but it made it a bit hard to find neutral sometimes. Suspension was also pretty soft but it mattered less to me back then. All in all it was a high quality, stable, tough, little bike that would have been dead easy to maintain. Had I been as handy back then, it would probably have been a good performer too.

Had to lower it, 2nd gear slipps, super fast, not the most comfortable but I am in the wind. I hear loosing second gear is notorious on the R1. Midprocess of repairing 2nd. Biggest bike I've owned since my CBR929.

This motorcycle is extremely quick and sensitive. This bike is not comfortable. This motorcycle is very flick-able. This motorcycle has a good maintenance schedule. It is also a good looking bike in white.

Like Thor's hammer, Mjolnir; "in Norse mythology as one of the most fearsome and powerful weapons in existence" Yamaha Raider has a 'Thunderous' feel due in large part to its torque no doubt

I've been riding almost 60 years and owned everything from a Honda 50 to a Gold Wing and several Harley Ultras..... This thing is like a two-wheeled car......too big, too heavy and too ponderous in traffic. Look for something less.......

I had a great experience at Honda-Suzuki of Sanford nc the bike and the service there were more than I expected in quality I would recommend them to anyone

ive owned about 50 bikes and id put this in my top 5. i had a 2009 warrior that i sold to purchase a new 2016 hd road king. after about 3 months on the road king i went out and purchased my 2007 warrior because i missed the 09 warrior so much. i tell people the road king is like a lexus and the warrior is like a mustang. to me its the best looking bike on the road. it does everything well. i put floorboards on both of my warriors which made my riding experance much more enjoyable. if you get a chance.......buy one!

Only with mag wheels and all makes and models that look close to a heritage style

I really like the v-star 950. It handles very well and has enough power for comfortable long distance highway riding. Bought the bike in August and put about 5,500 miles on the bike. I can't wait for spring.

Bike had some aftermarket parts to include pipes, air filter and PC5 but she doesn't run worth a crap took her back to the dealer and they replaced the fouled plugs and supposedly cleaned the air filter but the bike has less than 5000 miles on her so I am a little suspect on that. Never the less the bike is just not right and don't know what else to do. I spoke with the Dyno Jet folks several times and have tried everything they told me to do and to no avail still lunges backfires and looses power before quiting .

What a solid ride, you could ride for extended periods ,or until you run out of gas. Big bike bit heavy, but she will take you there in style. Owned the bike since it was new 8 miles.put some tires on it ,lots of gas and an oil change or two. Love it!

Only had it for a month,it's ok very heavy and a little difficult at parking lot speed.ive owned big bikes before this ones different not sure if I'll keep it.