![]() They open with one touch on the button and the lids pivot outward. In loading the bike, I found the locking saddlebags cavernous, holding a claimed 13.7 gallons (as opposed to the base Stratoliner’s 10.3-gallon bags). ![]() Yamaha invited the press to its facility in Cypress, California, last February to introduce the new Deluxe, and to put several hundred miles on the bikes during an overnight ride to Rancho Mirage. Add in that streamlined front end with flowing turn signals, and rear signals that are as pointy as Madonna’s bra and that large V-shaped LED taillight, and you’ve got an impressively styled machine. It also delivers in terms of styling with its tapered pushrod tubes and machined fin edges, chromed oil lines, valve covers and some chromed engine cases, steel fenders and those neo-classic chromed strips along the front of its 4.5-gallon flangeless tank. As for that technology claim, the bike comes with four valves and two spark plugs per cylinder, Mikuni electronic fuel injection and dual counter-rotating balancers, all of it set into an aluminum frame and swingarm. Like the Roadliner and Stratoliner, the Deluxe model is powered by Yamaha’s biggest motor, the air-cooled, pushrod, 48-degree V-twin displacing 1,854cc-or a whopping 113 cubic inches. The Deluxe version is equipped with new larger hard saddlebags and a fairing (but no backrest), and Yamaha has stated that with this model its strategy is to offer modern, classic styling, today’s technology and outstanding performance, all on a platform that is easy to personalize. To take advantage of this trend, Yamaha’s Star Motorcycle Division has released the 2010 Stratoliner Deluxe, a new model based upon its Stratoliner that comes with saddlebags, a passenger backrest and a windscreen. After all, wouldn’t you rather have a bike that not only looked good, but that also allowed you to do some traveling? According to Yamaha, it’s because riders have found radical bikes too uncomfortable and impractical, and with the economy causing people to cut back on luxuries they are now demanding more comfort and functionality from their customs. ![]() If you’re into cruisers and have kept your eyes open, you may have noticed that baggers-cruisers with saddlebags (and often fairings, too)-are replacing radical customs as the latest trend. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |