2008 Yamaha Raider S
User Reviews
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Yamaha 2008 Raider S incredible
By (I am an Owner) on Apr 05, 2016I'm still a newbie I consider myself with 3 yrs under belt female 115lbs! I get solid 40 mpg and highly recommend Yamalube with every fill with even 91% fuel. I am incredibly still intimidated by the rake but am working with it with more miles which far exceed street riders. I have to say you feel ... at risk a semi etc swearing into ur lane etc ...take a quick hit on this torque and u will be amazed or just let go of throttle and WOW even without braking she responds amazingly. Price counts but nothing in comparison to your life!! This bike is so center balanced you'll shot your pants!! 7pp lbs and I'm 115!! Seriously guys you can't do wrong with this bike!!!! Wish it had 5 gears and handle bars available closer as option :( Guys also write these up also. Get ready to immediately switch from 1st to 2nd in a slow then even when a stoplight turns. She's a BEAST. Friends (guys) over 20+ yrs rode mine and love her. Plates are WU HOO in Iowa if you see me on the Tommy Blue :)
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Raider Forever
By (I am an Owner) on May 17, 2012I ride a 08 Raider S it has 16000 flawless miles on it.Cobra longshot slash cut pipes and about 4000 bucks of other add ons.Everywhere I go this bike draws a crowd even at the Harley shop.Yes even at the harley shop.If you ride motorcycles and not a name you would be cutting yourself short not to ... try this bike,its that good.I will never sell this bike and I am 46 years old and have had too many to list.From dirt bikes on up from all makes and brands.I am 5'9" and it fits me perfect from long touring rides to hot rodding,single or with my better half,no complaints.There was another bike in my garage with 96 cube motor but after riding the Raider it just became too boring to ride it so I sold it and kept the Raider.
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2008 Star Raider
By (I am an Owner) on Mar 28, 2012Best Cruiser I have ever owned. I have 28,000 miles on it and it has never had any issues. Tons of power, fun and looks accompany this bike around town.
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That will happen
By (I am an Owner) on Aug 31, 2011The post above this said he lost to a VTX 1800 with some extras. That will happen. I have on my Raider a V&H 2 2 2 with Power Commander V and stock air. I will now beat any tricked out VTX. I know this because of real world experience. My brother owns a VTX 1800R with Cobra slash downs, Cobra FI2000 ... fuel management and K&N air intake. I will, and have beat an M109R that was stock, if he had the same exact equipment on his bike that i have on mine, he would have beat me. In this class, you dont see many of these bikes on the road. It really does come down to what you like, what feels best and what YOU want. Both the VTX and M109R are shaft drive liquid cooled. Do not let that make you think that either of those bikes are going to inherently last longer. With proper maintenance the Raider will last just as long. If either of those bikes do not have the proper maintenance done the will crap out before a modern day air cooled bike. To me, there are three bikes to look at when looking at purchasing a Power Cruiser. The VTX 1800 has been discontinued (why? Beats the Sh*t out of me)so that can no longer be considered. SO the three that I would look at, The Raider, M109R, and the Triumph Thuderbird. The only way to know if a bike is for you is to get out, do not be in a rush, sit on all of them and drive all of them. Speed and power is one thing, but, do you plan on taking rides of three or more hours at a pop. Yes, no, find the one that's best for you. The only way to do that is to ride them all and find the one that says to you, "buy me".
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my 08 raider
By (I am an Owner) on Aug 02, 2011awesome looks, i get tons of complamints , Amazing power. but crappy mpg. all in all best bike owned yet..
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TORQUE MONSTER
By (I am an Owner) on Jul 12, 2011Okay. Its the middle of 2011. I bought a 2008 Yamaha Raider "S" with python aftermarket exhausts and a few other goodies. Wow! This bike is quick. Tremendous torque throughout the range. I was looking for a cruiser that had a chopper style look without paying a fortune. This definitely fits the ... bill. Lots of extra chrome with the "S" model. After riding this for a while the only thing I would recommend to improve the bike from a manufacturing standpoint would be to add a larger gas tank; after all it is powering a 113 cu inch motor and add a sixth gear to the transmission. It has the power to use another gear and keep the rpm at a lower revolution. Would improve the gas mileage to when running at higher speeds which this bike does quite well.
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allmost the fastest
By (I am an Owner) on Nov 20, 2010I had a 1800 VTX (very fast bike). I now own a 08 Raider (faster bike). The only cruisers that will beat a Raider are a Triumph Rocket 111, a Susuki M109,Yamaha V Max, maybe V-Rod, I'm not shure about Triumph's 1700 Thunderbird, weight h/p and tq. ratios are very close. If some one smoked you on ... a VTX, he was either a better driver, had a heavily modified VTX, or somethings wrong with your Raider. On some of the early Raiders there was a problem with crossed coil wires. Mine was one. I found out about this from a web site Raider Performance. I had even had my bike serviced at the dealership and they did not catch it. After replacing the exhaust I noticed some back-firing, and after doing some research I discovered some early models had crossed coil wires. Since Yamaha never had a recall on this, it is possible that some bikes may still have this condition. With stock exhaust the back-firing is barely noticable and the bike still has so much power many riders would not know anything was wrong. Fix this and you gain maybe 20 to 30 horses. I have owned many motorcycles and the Raider is by far my favorite. Its a little heavy but so well ballanced it's not really noticable. First gear is a little short but thats kind of nit-picking. For Tim to down- rate the performance of the Raider because someone beat him with a VTX is not fair to these bikes. The Raider is a pure cruiser and exceptionally powerfull for this category. Some of the other bikes I mentioned that are faster than a Raider I feel are boader-line cruisers. My advise is if you want to race and you don't want to be beat maybe a cruiser is the wrong bike for you.
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Raider s 2008 RED WITH THE FLAMES
By (I am an Owner) on May 11, 2010This bike is the best buy out their speed ,comfort unless your ass is like ? what a great bike to ride , best bike i ever owned . what power and can turn on a dime . love it ride and ride
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Raider review
By (I am an Owner) on Jun 27, 2009I owned the 2008 Star Raider.
This bike could run straight up a wall if you could only balance it on it's rear tire long enough.
What a powerhouse.
Gas mileage was 32-38 at best.
Takes high octane 90 or better and is a great rider but not ... for traveling only for bar hopping or runs to work and back.
If you want a throttle bike that will make you smile as you power up and if you put aftermarket exhaust on it listen to the growling sound you will love it.
Pricey and getting more costly to own, I would consider the Roadliner for a road trip bike especially with a passenger and the Harley or Victory line up for comparables. If you want a chopper looking bike go with this Raider or the new Honda Fury or the Harley.
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Hang on tight!
By (I am an Owner) on Dec 03, 2008Yamaha did it right with this bike. The power is absolutely phenomenol, you'd better be paying attention when you grab a handful of this bike. The overall driveability and comfort is terrific even though it takes a bit more effort to turn with the skinny front and wide rear tires. Even with a two-up ... load on mine, it gave a 95 V-Max a strong run for its money. The Max will outhandle it, but in a straight line, it's about a dead heat (at least with an older version of Mad Max!). The styling is right on and draws attention where ever it goes. Great bike.
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Awesome Ride - AB
By (I am an Owner) on Sep 19, 2008I'll admit, I was a little intimidated when I first sat on this bike. Pegs forward, "fists-in-the-wind", the overall length, and massive engine. As my first street motorcycle, I wasn't sure if it would be too much for me to handle. Now, having ridden the bike for several months I can say that this ... bike is very confidence inspiring. Handling is outstanding. It has a solid feel and a very powerful engine. And the bike is beautiful to boot. And with aftermarket exhaust, the sound is rivaled by no other. I made the right choice. If you like motorcycles, you'll love the Raider. Yamaha nailed the formula.
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Excellent Addition to the family
By (I am an Owner) on Sep 18, 2008If you are looking for a performance cruiser then the Raider is a excellent choice. It has tons of torque to roll on in any gear. The gentle thumping of 2 huge pistons as well as the great exhaust note that goes along with it makes for a fantastic ride. It does not handle as good as my FZ1 but does ... handle better than any other cruiser I have ridden, allowing not only the straight aways but also the turns to be enjoyed at any near legal speeds. I would highly recommend this bike.
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2008 Yamaha Raider S, Review
By (I am an Owner) on Sep 15, 2008I have been riding for over forty years both road & dirt. This is one of the best balanced bikes I have ever ridden. The power curve is perfect, power in any gear with out lugging the bike. Even with the front end rake & the fat tire you wouldn't even know they were there.
This was ... one great bike that Yamaha came out with. A great Chopper style bike at less than half the price.
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