2012 Yamaha Road Star 1700 from United States of America

Summary:

The best big cruiser I've ever owned!

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong with this excellent bike.

General Comments:

Rider experience: I'm 54 years old and have owned over 50 motorcycles. In the 70's I began with Yamaha RD350's, Kawaski 900's, Ninja 900's, Kawi turbos & have lots of drag racing experience with several bikes.

I bought this Road Star off the showroom floor last year after test driving several Harleys. Instead of buying a used Harley for $10k, I bought this brand new 2012 RoadStar for less than $10k.

I almost immediately added a fairing by National Cycle, which greatly increased riding enjoyment. Without the fairing the wind is a total upper body workout all the time.

I then added 6" dog-legged 1" pull back handlebar extenders, which corrected the riding position for my 5'11" 220 lb. frame. I have "ape arms" to begin with, but these pulled back the stock bars into a near perfect position for me.

I also added Dunlop Elite 3 tires once the stock Bridgestones wore down to 25% after the first 8500 miles. I'm expecting 15-20k out of the Dunlops.

I'm almost ready to purchase saddle bags, but still cannot decide which ones I want. I'm torn between leather, plastic etc.

Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th February, 2014

17th Feb 2015, 23:05

I'm very interested in a 2012 Road Star S. I'm wondering though about vibration. I'm on a Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad now, which has no vibration, but I've read that some Road Star owners have had buzzing issues in the handlebars and footboards. How has yours been in this regard? Thanks.

In reply to 17th Feb 2015, 23:05

20th Jan 2019, 02:38

I had a 2005 then a 2007, which both had a buzzing/rattling. I eventually figured the noise was due to:

2005: Wiring inside the headlight housing was in need of wrapping the internal wiring so it didn't rattle against the housing.

2007: The noise was due to the rim needing to be covered with electrical tape between the outer rim.

2004 Yamaha Road Star 1700 from Canada

Summary:

Best motorcycle I've ever had

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

The Roadstar has a great vibe, it says ride me. When on the road, I find that I want to continue to ride and not go home. She has a great personality and she is my friend, and it's a machine, I haven't seen my girlfriend for a week now. I haven't got any negative to say... sorry. I love her.

Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 14th November, 2012

2007 Yamaha Road Star 1700 from United States of America

Summary:

Everything I wanted in a cruiser!

Faults:

No issues.

General Comments:

I just purchased this bike 3 days ago. I spent a week on my buddies Road King and felt like I had to have one. My budget unfortunately was under $8000. So I started looking for a 2007-2008 Kawasaki Nomad. I found my Road Star on Craigslist from a dealer 2 days before my appt. to test ride a Nomad. I didn't have high expectations on the bike as I was really sold on the Nomad, but thought why not look take a peek?

The Road Star was about $1500 dollars cheaper than the Nomad. My first impression of the bike's appearance was very good. The classic look of the engine with no radiator is this bike's best visual attribute. This bike has a stage 2 jet kit, and Cobra Speedsters pipes.

Being mostly a sport bike fan, I was not prepared for the sound that burst forth once the bike was started. Holy cow! I did not know a metric cruiser could sound so good. Very deep lope and rumble. Taking it for a test ride was amazed at how smooth it was. Even though the sound coming from the end of the pipes gave sense of vibration, at speed there's hardly any.

My bike has aftermarket saddle bags and a quick release windshield. I love it, and for sure made the right decision.

Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th September, 2010

2007 Yamaha Road Star 1700 from United States of America

Summary:

Very good quality and value for the price

Faults:

Very good acceleration, massive low-end torque.

Roll-on performance good at all speeds. On the highway it seems to have plenty of reserve for passing without down shifting.

Excellent low speed handling.

Braking seems weaker than expected, but my previous bike was power assisted, so maybe it's me.

One minor repair, seat release latch broke. Dealer fixed without an appointment while I waited!

Running costs excellent except gas mileage is not that great, low 40's.

Definitely would buy another Yamaha cruiser product.

General Comments:

Very high quality fit, finish, function. Equal to my BMW in build quality at a fraction of the price.

Most comfortable stock seat I've ever had on a bike. Like the floorboards, and the sitting position while on the road is very comfortable. With a windshield you could easily ride this bike long distances, although I prefer no windshield and just use the bike to commute to and from work.

Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 24th February, 2009

19th Feb 2010, 19:30

How is the vibration factor on the Yamaha Roadstar 1700?

28th Jul 2010, 12:10

Someone asked about vibration, and other than it sitting there at the stop light vibrating, I'm not getting any on the road while moving along. Fantastic bike. Just miss my VFR800 when it comes to nice long sweeping apexes!

11th Mar 2011, 08:00

I know what you mean about those appexes! Went to Deals Gap in August of '09, and the ride across North Carolina was a joy, as the Roadstar is a comfortable ride, and has enough juice in it to carry you on down the road. But once at Deals Gap, I found the floorboards much too low for the curves, and had to go slower than I wanted to, and I was still throwing sparks! But wouldn't trade the enjoyment of riding it for anything. Love the bike, and will gladly tolerate the lack of speed around switchbacks of Deals Gap!

In reply to 19th Feb 2010, 19:30

23rd Feb 2020, 02:43

I have owned a Roadstar, a 1999... I actually bought it because I WANTED vibrations and I did not find them to be bothersome at all...

2006 Yamaha Road Star 1700 from United States of America

Summary:

The best ride of all bikes I've ever had

Faults:

Needed carburetor adjusting when new.

Stayed with stock pipes.

Nothing else.

General Comments:

This machine runs great for me. I put Mustang seats on, which made the ride much better for long hauls.

Moved the running boards 3" to the front. No need for a highway bar. Rides very smooth.

Not too good on gas.

Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th September, 2008

9th Apr 2020, 23:29

I see several comments about the 1700 Roadstar not being good on gas. I ride a 2006 1700 and my son rides a 2007 VStar 1100. We have gone on many rides together including a 10 day trip when he came home from the Marines. On every trip we take, both bikes register 50 mpg. I thought maybe my odometer was off, but both bikes show the same mileage +- 5 miles. So the mileage is correct and the 50 mpg is correct. I have since discovered that the 1700 has a double overdrive which would account for the good mileage. Been riding since 1968 and the Roadstar is like Ali, float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.

In reply to 9th Apr 2020, 23:29

29th Jan 2024, 12:28

So basically what you folks are saying is that a 2007 Roadstar with 14,000 miles is pretty much a new bike?

In reply to 29th Jan 2024, 12:28

4th Mar 2024, 02:07

I recently purchased an '05 1700 Roadster with 11,000 miles on it. This bike replaces my beautiful '08 1100 V Star. Even though the Roadstar is three years older, it rides better than my V Star. It feels like a brand new motorcycle.

2006 Yamaha Road Star 1700 from United States of America

Faults:

Nothing yet.

General Comments:

It handles really nice and is very comfortable. I did a review on a V-star 1100, said I would not buy another Yamaha, but when I took the Road Star for a test ride... well that was it.

Very low maintenance.

Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th November, 2006