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Yamaha Stratoliner Review

I got my first motorcycle at fifteen years of age. I have bounced from brand to brand and have never owned a motorcycle that I was sorry that I had purchased. I've owned motorcycles from Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha. A few years ago I purchased a Yamaha RoadStar with all the bells and whistle...s. I loved the bike. It was in 2008, my compadre encouraged me to ride the Stratoliner. Needless to explain the details, I now own a Yamaha Stratoliner. The Stratoliner is an awesome V-twin motorcycle. I have no regrets. I highly reccommend the Stratoliner for those looking for a cruiser type motorcycle. A few things that make the Stratoliner so great are a very powerful engine, a truly convertible motorcycle, and a low center of gravity for easy handling. The windshield, saddlebags, and sissy bar can be removed in about two minutes and you have the look of a different motorcycle for off highway riding. The center of gravity is low and slow rolling in heavy traffic is easy. The engine is very powerful and is amazingly fast for a V-twin engine. I really like the bike, however, there are a few cons. The seat is not comfortable for long trips. The exhaust system is attractive, however, doesn't give the sound you might expect from a powerful V-twin. Read Full Review

Not for the rider without skill...

I had one. Beautiful machine. Probably the most comfortable bike i ever owned (i have owned a few dozen over the last 44 years). More power than any other cruiser I ever rode.

But:

At over 800 pounds (bike without gear or riders) fully loaded the Stratoliner is a "Bear" in a crowded park...ing lot two-up at about 15 mph...
It handles fine at 100 mph on I-75, but it is a garbage truck at slow speeds in crowded environments.
The other issue is "Heat". The bike throws off enough heat to cook your right thigh.
If the tight space slow speed handling isn't an issue and the thought of the heat on your right upper leg doesn't bother you; you'll like everything else about the bike :)
In Florida, where it's hot to start with and little old people back out in front of you in parking lots more often than not; I had to sell the Strat... Of course I am not the guy leading the precision drill team (I ride and have ridden for over 40 years); but I couldn't keep the Start inside the "box" at the MSF experienced riders course... Read Full Review

The Definition of a Low-Rider . . .

I purchased a 2007 Strat-S back in 2008 because a friend of mine owned one and I was impressed with how it looked and performed with him (and a passenger) on it. I am a big guy (6'3", 290pounds) and made the mistake of purchasing a Honda Shadow ACE several years ago and quickly realized that I...t was nowhere near what a guy my size needed. Anyway, I looked at the Kawasaki Vulcan 2000cc and the Stratoliner S. The Vulcan was extremely bulky and cumbersome in comparison to the Stratoliner. Also, the Strat's low center of gravity combined with it's 50/50 weight distribution made the bike extremely easy to handle and maneuver. However, like the previous reviewer noted, the bike lacked the roar a powertrain this size demands. I swapped out the stock exhaust for some Samson Shogun Slash-Cuts (you can see it on cruiser-customizing community webpage under BigSarge). Although the Samson's touted increased power to go with it's exceptionally awesome sound, I found that I lost power on the lower end of the throttle. It could be that I just need the bike tuned for the new pipes. The bike is extremely comfortable (with highway pegs) but slightly cramped when using the floorboards. The factory chrome is amazing and is in all of the right places. I forgot to mention, I also own a Honda Valkyrie Tourer and it is by far the best bike ever conceived. After buying the Stratoliner I realized how top-heavy the Valkyrie really was and I had to be mindful whenever I switched back and forth because I could make the Strat do whatever I wanted it to do (I have to do whatever the Valkyrie commands me to do). I've had a few problems with the Strat to date. The analog Speedometer allows condensation to build up inside of the lens and makes viewing the gauges difficult. There's a known problem with a huge Nut down in the guts of the gearing coming loose and making you think the entire engine is about to fall out. The shop charged me $1k to replace (too bad I wasn't smart enough to figure out how easy it was to fix before I took it in, lesson learned). I love the bike and it would please anyone wanting a powerful engine and an extremely manageable bike. Read Full Review