Yamaha comparision

 Drinks are on me.  I recommend you have one too, this is kinda long.  I'm
gonna have a soda.

I've been posting here occasionally, but mostly lurking since '99 when I
bought my '97 Dyna.  It's got 72k miles on it now and its still running
great.  I've added the accessories and modifications I need to make it my
daily commuter and a good touring bike.  Last winter I added an SE3 cam and
I'm loving the extra power.  I love this bike.

So what's my problem?
Every year I anxiously wait to see what see what revolutionary changes to
motor company will come out with.  And every year I'm disappointed.  Mostly
its just new colors.  Last year they put a 6 speed in the Dynas.  That's a
good step, but they are falling so far beyond the competition its just not
gonna cut it.  Yeah, they came out with the V-Rod a few years ago, but its
just butt ugly IMHO.

So I've been looking at Yamaha's new Stratoliner since it was announced last
year.  It comes with a 113" air/oil cooled, fuel injected, counterbalanced
v-twin with 4 valves and 2 spark plugs per cylinder.  It also has a
lightweight aluminum frame, fat handlebars with internal wiring, belt drive,
dual 4 piston calipers on the front wheel, 2 into 1 exhaust, an exhaust
valve that opens up at higher rpm, hydraulic clutch, and LED tail light.
Many of these features are the same ones we add to our Harleys, or would
like to add.

I like the looks of it.  Mostly.  Of course your opinion may vary.

So I took it for a test ride (try doing that with a new Harley).  Here's my
observations.
The riding position is comfortable.  The big floor boards give you plenty of
room to change you position on long rides.  The wide handlebars are nice,
especially compared to the buckhorns on my Dyna.  The seat is wide and
comfortable.  However its impossible to tell how comfortable the seat really
is until its broken in and you take it for a couple a hundred mile ride.
The power is incredible!  Far more power than by stage 2 80" EVO Dyna.  The
first time I punched it from a stop the blood literally drained from my
head.  I briefly debated about letting off the throttle before I passed out
or just riding through it.  I just rode through it.  Maybe I should see a
doctor about that.  I don't know what would happen to me on a sport bike.
Handling is slightly better.  The floor boards have a replaceable skid pad
that hits the pavement when you reach the cornering limit (which doesn't
take much, but about the same lean angle as my Dyna).  I suppose the skid
pad is better than scraping the pipes on my Dyna.  The brakes are way
better.  It's smooth, but not Gold Wing smooth.  The sound is nice,
especially for stock exhaust.  It sounds different than my bike, but still
nice.

On the negative side:  The turn signals use the standard Japanese switch on
the left for both right and left signals.  Tough to get used to.  The gas
tank is only 4.5 gallons.  I'd like at least 5.  The saddle bags won't hold
much.

After studying the bike online, watching the promotional video they sent me,
several visits to the showroom and a test ride, I went back to the dealer
Saturday to see how much the bike would really cost me.  The salesman
started at the msrp of $16,580 for the "S" version (chromed) and discounted
from there!  Still not many Harley dealers going below msrp.

I didn't buy it.  I can't make up my mind.

Like I said before, I like my Harley.  It's a good bike.  But the
Stratoliner is better.  But it's a Yamaha.  There's a different atmosphere
at the Yamaha dealer.  To get a salesman's attention you have to wait for
him to get done working the woman and her teenage girl that are shopping for
a scooter.  I haven't dealt with parts guys at a Japanese bike dealer for
many years, but I suspect the odds are good that the punk at the parts
counter would order me an air filter for a Honda power generator instead of
the oil filter for the Stratoliner I needed.

Is there any hope the motor company give us what we want?  Will they ever
recognize the competition is not just building cruiser look-alikes anymore,
they're building better cruisers?

So what's my point?  I'm not sure I have one.  I guess I'm just thinking out
loud.

 Pigdog,  If it wasn't for Harley's cult like following,  they would have
been out of business a long time ago  IMOH !

 
Pigdog wrote:

Beer is fine, thanks.
(Snip)

What's this *we* stuff? Just bought an EG last years. Just what I
wanted.


The MoCo is selling bikes like mad and doing a great business. I think
they've got some marketing guys that probably know what's best.
Whatever they're doing seems to be working, anyway. And 'better' is
subjective in many respects. I think my EG is better than all the rice
out there. JMHO.


You do that too, huh?

Andy aka Big Stinkie SLOB#3

 (Snip)

 Glad you got what you wanted.  The EG is a nice bike.  Wouldn't mind having
one of my own.  But why can't they give us something with more power out of
the box?

(Snip)

Yeah, their business is still good, but I think they'll soon be losing
market share unless the marketing wizards take a look at what the competion
is offering.

 
competion

They are sure shipping a lot of bikes out of the country, and I haven't been
in a dealership in the last couple years that didn't have plenty of new
bikes sitting on the floor.


--
Bob La Londe
Fishing Arizona & The Colorado River
Fishing Forums & Contests
http://www.YumaBassMan.com



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