Russbug1

steps 6 & 7 were missing from the copy of the manual I obtained from the dealership... interesting. thanks, Rich

thanks Joe and God bless you and your family... may the two of you be blessed with MANY more highway miles on your awesome ride. Happy Easter my friend : - ) Rich

we are not iron butts. LOL we are planning a trip to Yosemite this summer, which is a 4 hour ride each way. We are so comfortable on this bike it should be no problem. I am getting older and the muscles and joints don’t work like they use to. However, this is the most comfortable bike we have ever owned :-) Rich

Yes... Star Eluder GT. I installed the medium windshield and eliminated all buffeting. Now I can hear the engine and exhaust sing and I also hear the stereo much better. I installed the fog lights, which helps significantly during night riding. I installed the bag lid protectors. And purchased the bag inserts. Keeps our stuff from flopping around. I bought a tank bib but not sure I like it enough to install it. Time will tell. :-) Rich

Agreed... I made a copy for my wallet and the original in the fireproof filing cabinet. And another reason why I purchased a second FOB. I also carry two spare batteries in my bike bag. I have had three issues, which all have been fixed. The first was a frequent chirping from the security setup while riding. The updated infotainment software solved that. The second was the gas cap door, which is electronic. The catch was not aligned and it would hang up. Unfortunately there is no adjustment. The dealership modified the catch on the door and moved it over a tad. Problem solved. The third was an annoying rattle from the bag lids. Whenever I went over a bump or a pot hole there would be plastic to plastic rattles that sounded like I was driving a junker. I attached felt pads about a 1/4” tall on the underside of the lid where it sits on the rubber bag stoppers. In addition the dealership modified the the lid hinge allowing it to raise up a hair. This fixed the noise, which is 99% gone. Again, there is no designed adjustment. Other than that, this is one fantastic bike! I hear a lot about engine heat on the left leg when temps are above 75 degrees. Today we rode 120 miles in 82 degree weather and the heat was normal to me on both legs. No more heat then I experienced on my Stratoliner. My seat on the Strat got hot. Not on this bike. Everything Yamaha put into this bike is damn near flawless. Torque for days and plenty of passing power. It is like a tractor with a turbo. With 2 up I cannot even feel it. I could feel it on my Strat even with performance mods. The suspension is easy to adjust and performs exceptionally. My bike is black on black and looks sinister. I love it!

I actually received a discount on the FOB... the suggested retail price is $250. I did not watch the technician doing his thing as I had no clue there was a problem until I inquired 90 minutes later. after the tech finally figured it out, he showed me the Yamaha online manual with the instructions, which were the same ones I used and failed. the manual is missing a few steps. it went from step 5 to step 8 without showing steps 6 & 7. I don't mind paying $50. if anything ever goes wrong, they will cover it. the programming of the 2nd FOB is basically the same as the emergency manual key process when your FOB dies or you lose it. unfortunately, it did not work for me and the dealer initially. Yamaha should have provided 2 FOBs just like a new vehicle. the dealership told me the cost to replace the entire unit (not including labor) should the FOB and emergency access code be lost is nearly $4,000. apparently they had to replace one already because of this. I am not a big fan of the FOB setup. I prefer a key and keyed ignition switch. but oh well... I am obviously getting older. LOL

Good morning: I ordered a second key FOB nearly a month ago and just received it this past week as it was on nationwide backorder. I paid just a tad under $160 for the FOB and $50 to have the dealership service department program it. I initially tried using the bike manual but it did not work. The dealership used the same instructions and also could not get it to work. The service technician was on the phone with Yamaha for about 2 hours until they were able to finally get the second FOB working. The bike manual appears to have a few steps missing in the print. And apparently Yamaha told the technician that the manual is not correct. Best of luck to the rest of you! Rich : -)

thanks... I have and will continue to have the dealership service department handle this : - ) Rich

no sir... I have zero interest in electric cars of any type. and that goes for motorcycles! the main thing is to enjoy your new ride : - ) Rich

most of this electronic stuff is way out of my league... hell, I use a flip phone for goodness sake. I did not purchase this bike for the electronic goodies. so I will most likely never use any of it. my wife and I do not use any electronic communications when riding. when we have to talk we yell loud enough for both of us to hear. LOL I used to work on all of my cars until it got to the point you needed a computer to figure out what was wrong. now I go straight to the dealer for maintenance and repair. I read a chain of discussions here on this website from a guy trying to rebuild a 20 year old Yamaha that used a bank of carburetors. I don't know if he ever got her figured out, but the poor guy was so frustrated at the end of each day working on this complicated machine that I felt bad for him. anyways, best of luck to you : - ) Rich

Make sure you download the update through the Yamaha website. The unit is made by Samsung. I was told that folks who used the Samsung website update ended up frying their communications system requiring a new head unit. My bike had the original program, which caused multiple warning messages and chirping as I was riding. The dealer updated the system at no cost and I no longer have any issues. Enjoy :-) Rich

Well, I went ahead and ordered the taller windshield... I noticed a lot of buffeting during my last ride with cross winds. Looking forward to less wind in my eyes :-) Rich

Here is my 2018 Yamaha Star Eluder GT... I have now clocked roughly 1300 miles and find this bike getting better and better every time I take it out. I am looking forward to a longer ride once the weather starts to warm up and dry out. Just ordered Yamaha saddlebag liners and fog lamps. The only other accessory I am looking at is the medium Yamaha windscreen. I am 6 foot and some change. The buffeting I experience with the short windscreen is minimal. The medium windscreen would definitely eliminate all buffeting. The medium windscreen is 6 inches taller than the short windscreen. All I need is the short windscreen to be roughly 2-3 inches taller. Time will tell. Thanks, Rich : - )

Here are some more photos of my bike today before a short ride... this bike gets better and better each ride! Rich

good morning... I purchased the Stratoliner the first year it was available, which I recall was 2007. Black Cherry paint scheme. first Yamaha bagger with fuel injection if my memory serves me right. in stock engine configuration, a decent get up and go engine. revs were in the 3500-4000 where the power increase ended. anything after that was unnecessary strain on the engine. don't get me wrong, it got my 207 pound frame around with no problem. just not at scorching speeds. I rode it like that for 5 years. at that point I thought what the hell. let us add some mods and see what she will do. I left the stock air boxes and filters installed. I added a Power Commander ECU and D&D slip-on pipe. the Power Commander MAP for my configuration was absolute garbage. bike surged and popped. I found a guy in either Nevada or Arizona, don't recall exactly, named Jaffo who was well known for putting together MAPS and selling them with instructions for $50. he had an excellent reputation. I called him and he hooked me up big time. his MAP woke that Stratoliner up like no other. it turned into a tractor puller on steroids. bike freely revved to 5500 and became SUPER fast. I rode it like that for another 5 years before finally selling it due to costs associated with repairs. engine still ran great with 55,000 clocked miles. she was just wearing out in other areas. so, how does my new Eluder compare to the modified Stratoliner? better is the word. I think the power is equal or better on the Eluder side. the Eluder engine is definitely a lot smoother and has more torque. and this is a STOCK Eluder engine I am comparing to my modded Strat engine. that is how good this new engine is. if a Power Commander, air filter and pipes are added, this bike would be unbelievable!!!!!!!!!!!!!! in good ol' California, we are stymied by ridiculous emission laws. I am waiting one day for the government clowns to start enforcing smog on motorcycles. anyways... I loved my Strat. it was a fantastic bike. perfect? no. the Strat weighed somewhere around 745 pounds and my Eluder is roughly 100 pounds heavier. yet the Eluder is a far superior motorcycle in all compartments. the Eluder is so nimble for an 850 pound bike it makes the bike feel like 300-400 pounds. very easy to maneuver and so well balanced going straight and turning on a dime. I could not do that with my Strat. the new engine in stock form is far superior to the stock Strat engine. it is smoother and has a lot more torque. I would much rather have lower end grunt than upper RPM speed. I don't like having to rev the engine high to get somewhere. the Eluder does not require much to get up and go. the valve train is just as noisy as the Strat was... I have heard test riders complain or think the engine is low on oil. I wish I could reach into the computer screen to tap the guy on the shoulder and tell him it is normal. I got used to it with my Strat. Yamaha also designed the dual exhaust to make different sounds. the left side has a pop pop sound and the right side is tuned like a sport bike. combined, they make a pretty cool sound. I had to do some research to find out why they sounded differently. it was also confirmed by the Yamaha mechanic. I am telling you... this new Yamaha bagger is one awesome ride. Yamaha did a great job. so far I am super pleased. I will have to wait until the summer time here in the California valley to assess the heat on the left leg. my Strat pumped out heat also. as a matter of fact, it also directed a ton of heat under the seat, which could be felt in the warmer weather. did it burn me or make it impossible to ride? nope. when screaming down the highway, all was good. on the Eluder GT I have, there are two manual vents down near the floorboards. I am told that they do a good mob dissipating the cylinder head exhaust heat when opened. I can definitely feel a difference riding when they are opened. it creates some good additional airflow. the fairing and cowl on this bike is so well designed it does a great job eliminating unwanted air around my legs. so the vents are well placed. I think I answered your question. if not, let me know. have a wonderful day : - ) Rich

I owned the Vaquero for one year and had problems with it. I liked the looks. However, I had to put a Mustang seat on it as their stock seat sucked. I also had to install a taller windscreen as the buffeting with the Mustang seat was unacceptable. Sticky lifters after short storage was a bummer too. Kawasaki recommended 10-15 minute warmups before riding. What a pain the backside! Belt wine was annoying. It rattled over bumps and the suspension was rough even after tweaking adjustments. Power was okay but not great. Had to full throttle to pass at high rpm. I did see an improvement with a K&N filter. I liked my Strat much better. The Eluder for me is the best bike I have ever owned. Great machine! My two cents :-) Rich

I rode the BMW 1600B and was not overjoyed... no low end torque. It is all the way up in the higher RPMs. Refined? I would say yes. Looks? Okay. Comfort? Okay. My Eluder GT is a much better bike in my opinion. I sat on the Streetglide. It looks nice. But I was concerned about reliability. And you know what they say about Harley Davidsons. Ride ‘me on the weekend and take ‘me to the shop during the week. My two cents :-) Rich

This bike also comes with a hydraulic clutch, which feels a whole lot different than a cable operated setup. I am used to it now and it works great. At first I was thinking what the hell? No longer :-) Rich

I noticed the Yamaha website shows the taller backrest, which I don’t care for. I can see why people have reservations. Rich :-)

Funny you mention plum crazy... I saw a video that indicated the front fairing was designed after a Plymouth Barracuda. Rich :-)

Manual says every 24,000 miles... Rich :-)

I have considered making a beefier pair. The stock ones are okay for the unprepared thief. However, side cutters and a hard yank on the plastic mounting hook would free up your helmet. Two came with my bike. Rich :-)

The Venture is different in a few ways. Different seat, windshield etc... I sat on it and also liked it. My wife and I are not iron butts so I saw no need for the heavier machine. I have to say I was not a big fan at first watching the Yamaha videos. But when I looked at it in person, studied it with my eyes and sat on it, I was sold. It is such a well balanced machine. Turning on a dime even with two up is awesome. I loved the 1845 in my Strat. When I modded the Strat I was able to rev it to 5500 and really scoot. But it had some drawbacks. Not super smooth in between gears at lower speeds. The programmed ECU helped some. The new 1845 is different in many ways. It is a stump puller with a lower redline. I have hammered it a few times to go up hills and pass and have never seen a need to go over 3500. It has plenty of torque and is quick in sport mode. And is super smooth between gears. Smoothest bike I have ever owned and I have owned many. And I absolutely love the Eluder suspension. Easy to adjust and works like a charm. So far I am super pleased! As for the helmet cable... it is cheesy in my opinion. If the thief wanted your helmet with that cable, side cutters would do the trick. Also, the snap hook is plastic. I thought about making a pair that were beefier and longer. But hey, it works for the unprepared thief. When you get her out and break it in, let us know your thoughts. Enjoy! Rich :-)

I have clocked 1200 miles on my Eluder GT and have ridden in low 70 temps. I felt the heat but it was no different than my Stratoliner I rode for 10 years. The complaints appear to be during hot summer temps. I will report my findings when that time rolls around. It is the most comfortable bike I have ever owned. Love it! Rich :-)

I fortunately know the owners of our local Yamaha dealership and have been buying Yamaha bikes from them for 30+ years... so I was able to purchase the Eluder GT for $22,900, which included short backrest and all weather outdoor cover. A great bike! Rich :-)