Major revisions were done to the 1,854cc, 48-degree V-twin to make it suitable for touring duty, including the addition of self-adjusting hydraulic valve lifters to reduce maintenance, camshaft and primary drive dampers to reduce low-rpm shudder and twin counterbalancers and isoelastic engine mounts to reduce unwanted vibration. The only limitation is cornering clearance. The Star Eluder offers neutral handling and a stable chassis with strong brakes and compliant suspension. (As Tuttle found out during his midsummer test on the Venture, opening the vents on warm days helps pull hot air out of the cockpit.) Lower vents allow the rider to adjust airflow at shin level, and since it was a cold day, I kept the vents closed and welcomed the boot-warming heat radiating from the engine. The broad fairing provides excellent wind protection from the shoulders down, but the short windscreen directs wind blast at my neck and helmet, resulting in significant wind noise at speed even though the airflow is smooth. During a long stint on the freeway, I rested my boot heels on the leading edges of the floorboards to stretch my legs out, like having highway pegs. With long floorboards and a wide, pullback handlebar, the seating position easily accommodates my tall, long-arms-and-legs frame and offers room to move around.
2018 yamaha star venture problems full#
The Eluder has a thick, well-padded seat that’s narrow in front, has a high rear bolster and is comfortable enough for a full day in the saddle. Narrow in the front, wide and flat in the back with a high bolster, the Star Eluder’s seat is supportive and has a low unladen height of just 27.6 inches. Contributing to rider confidence is one of the lowest in-class unladen seat heights-27.6 inches-that makes it easy to plant both feet solidly on the ground at stops. The shared platform carries most of its weight very low, and the Eluder doesn’t have a heavy trunk/passenger backrest perched high up behind the rear axle. The lighter Eluder does an even better job of hiding its heft. The rider’s floorboards are extra long, and the passenger’s floorboards are height-adjustable.Įven though the Venture is one of the heaviest bikes we’ve ever tested, it’s easy to maneuver at parking lot speeds and seems to shed much of its weight at a road-going pace. Sourced from the Raider and heavily revised, the Star Eluder’s 113-cubic-inch, air-cooled V-twin churns out a ton of torque yet is smooth and refined. Claimed wet weights are 957 pounds for the Venture and 875 pounds for the Eluder, and their prices are $24,999 and $22,499, respectively. The Eluder has no trunk, passenger backrest or rear speakers, it has a shorter, non-adjustable windscreen, it foregoes the Sure Park pushbutton forward/reverse system and mid-fairing air deflectors, and it doesn’t have heated grips or tire-pressure monitoring (though both are available as accessories). Major points of difference between the two make the Eluder significantly lighter and less expensive. Research says most Americans want big-boned, heavily-finned, (mostly) air-cooled V-twins, and that’s what Harley-Davidson, Indian and Yamaha are giving them.īefore testing the Eluder, I spent a couple days riding the Venture for an upcoming comparison test, giving me a solid feel for what the platform offers in terms of performance, handling and features. The new Venture, on the other hand, has bold, modern bodywork wrapped around a massive, 113-cubic-inch, air-cooled V-twin that has been extensively modified from its loud-and-proud role in the Raider, Yamaha’s recently departed factory chopper. The last Venture in Yamaha’s lineup-the 2009 Royal Star Venture S-had styling that resembled Harley-Davidson’s Electra Glide and was powered by a liquid-cooled V-4 shared with the mighty V-Max muscle bike. The blue bike is accessorized with a taller windscreen, auxiliary lights, a passenger backrest and more. Read our 2018 Yamaha Star Venture road test review The Star Eluder is available in three colors: Liquid Silver with red/black graphics, Impact Blue and Raven. (What about the Gold Wing? That was the other big news for 2018: Honda’s rebooted flagship tourer is now smaller and sportier, more in line with its six-cylinder competitor, BMW’s K 1600 GTL. One of the biggest announcements last year in the world of motorcycle touring was the return of Yamaha’s Star Venture, a fully-loaded luxury tourer designed to compete head-to-head with the best that Harley-Davidson and Indian have to offer.
The 2018 Yamaha Star Eluder is a bagger built on the same platform as the Star Venture luxury tourer, with bold, modern styling, a big air-cooled V-twin and a wide array of touring and technology features.
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