Road Star Warrior

[sml-27]

I have been thinking of going the crusier route because thats what everyone I ride with has, and I really like the lok of the RSW, how many here have owned one? what can you tell me about it, Will it make a good touring bike? I know I wont get the milage like the fjr and I lose storage but it has to let off less heat the then oven I ride now.

 

[Silver Penguin]

I have been thinking of going the crusier route because thats what everyone I ride with has, and I really like the lok of the RSW, how many here have owned one? what can you tell me about it, Will it make a good touring bike? I know I wont get the milage like the fjr and I lose storage but it has to let off less heat the then oven I ride now.

We have a Warrior, which my husband used as his touring bike before he got his BMW. It will do the job BUT the fuel range is very limiting. His low gas light would come on at about 100 miles, then he have to get gas before 120 (total) miles. That made for some scary moments, out in the boonies. He used Joe Rocket soft bags which worked out well, but rubbed paint off eventually.

The vibration generated by the big V-twin is wearing on the riding during a long day on the road. Mirrors are had to use for the same reason. Heat was never an issue, but there is no weather protection.

The Warrior is a great bike to ride but there are better options out there for touring. Having said that, Andy has put about 60K on his Warrior as a tourer and commuter.

Jill

 

[mfletch69]

I had an '04 ...and they are pretty - But I found the bike uncomfortable over 50 miles. And you can spend an absolute fortune on mods. I would not recommend a RSW for any sort of touring.

 

[JRO]

I have a friend who 'tours' on his custom Warrior. A tour seems to be anything over 75 miles, and he reports it's tiring.

I've rode a couple. They're fun and they're torquy, but they're too slow, noisy, and too much vibration, for me. If I was looking for a performance cruiser-type bike, I'd look at Rocket III's.

 

[HotRodZilla]

I put about 35k on my VTX 1800R in just over 3 years. As much as I love my FJR, I really miss that VTX. It was comfortable over distance and had all the power you could want in a cruiser. Adding V&H pipes and a PCIII made a huge difference. I had the black Honda bags, a Honda backrest with a sissybar and a Mephis Shades WS. That stuff made it pretty friendly to ride two up and for distance. It kept the wind off. The boards drag much sooner, which is what finally made me look for something else, but if your riding style fits a cruiser, its a pretty nice bike. The biggest bitch I had was the lack of a fuel guage. The warning light would come on at about 130 miles. A couple of times I pushed it to about 150 miles and never put more than about 4.5 gallons of fuel (in a 5.1 gallon tank). It was easy to work on, fun to ride, and reliable as they come. Just my $.02.

 

[sml-27]

but they're too slow, noisy,

How could you say there slow? there like 1700cc and known as a top drag bike.

 

[Silver Penguin]

How could you say there slow? there like 1700cc and known as a top drag bike.

In comparison to an FJR, the Warrior is slow. DH followed a friend and I during a group ride. She was riding a GSXR 1000 and was on the FJR. We passed a large group of RV's at a decent speed ( OK then, an indecent speed). I had another gear to go and my bike was just eating up the speed in comfort. The Warrior had the mirrors folded in, everything shaking like crazy and the rider's feet about to be flipped over his shoulders.

Flat out speed is not what the Warrior is about. It will pull fast off the line, but not sustain the speed, or at least not in a way that allows the rider to have any kind of comfort.

Also, the rev limiter kicks in pretty early. I borrowed DH's bike and hadn't a clue what was going on when I tried to pull off in a hurry. One has to learn to shift early, rather than stretch the gears.

It's a great bike when asked to do what it does best, but it's no FJR.

Jill

 

[krashdragon]

I have been thinking of going the crusier route because thats what everyone I ride with has, and I really like the lok of the RSW, how many here have owned one? what can you tell me about it, Will it make a good touring bike? I know I wont get the milage like the fjr and I lose storage but it has to let off less heat the then oven I ride now.

Fast for a CRUISER.... after lots of mods...

If you haven't' checked out the Victory's or the Triumph's yet, do those first.

Especially the RIII....

My Harley Softail Deuce is more comfortable than my son's VTX1300 was...VTX had lots of vibration in the handlebars.

Only Yamaha cruiser I've had was the 1100 V* tho.... didn't like it, didn't fit me (frame was too big).

If you're buying a bike cause everyone else has one, I've got a nice Harley Softail Deuce I want to sell.... cause I want another sport touring bike! <BG> Had an FJR but it was too big for me. I want a baby FJR!

Mary

 

[angus]

I have several friends that have the Yamaha Stratoliner it is great touring bike.

 

[BuilderBob]

I had one. Pulled like a frieght train off the line. Loads of torque, but as Jill mentioned, it runs out of steam quickly as the rev limiter kicks in at about 5,500 rpm (as I recall).

Nice looking bike, in my opinion. If I were to consider getting back into that genre of bike, the Warrior would be on the short list along with the V-Rod.

Here's a pic of mine just before I sold it:

 

[RatoneMuerto]

Warrior is a fun in town only machine.Great commuter but a pain for any distance.Decently priced new but even better to buy one used.You will find it dangerous to your wallet because you cant stay away from adding things to it like Cobra pipes,led's,custom etching, bags and other farkles.The Stratoliner is a higher priced ride but so much better by far for anything outside 100 miles of road time.The torque of the Strat is to die for.Just my 2c

 

[ShawnKing]

I have been thinking of going the crusier route because thats what everyone I ride with has...

Serious question: Why do you have to have the same kind of bike everyone you ride with has? What difference does that make?

 

[JRO]

Serious question: Why do you have to have the same kind of bike everyone you ride with has? What difference does that make?

There are those who feel a serious need for group idenity, co-operation, and conformity.

I can still hear my Mother:

"If your friends jumped off a bridge, would you, too?"

... It's amazing how many people actually would. Most of them seem to ride cruisers.

 

[BuilderBob]

Serious question: Why do you have to have the same kind of bike everyone you ride with has? What difference does that make?

... It's amazing how many people actually would. Most of them seem to ride cruisers.

Who cares what his motivation is? He was asking for opinions from former or current Warrior owners.

Somehow, all of us FJR owners have found our way to this site to be among other owners of FJR's. Would you consider us to be lemmings as well?

 

[sml-27]

I seem to get bored fast while rideing with them, the fjr is such a superior bike.

My other bike I was considering was a stratoliner.

 

[Jetmaker737]

I think it would be awkward riding the FJR with an all-cruiser group. Your pace would be naturally faster, especially in curves. You'd either be frustrated in trying to match your pace to them, or you'd be waiting at every stop. No offense to cruiser riders but the bikes are naturally very different rides.

(edit - sml beat me to the punch!)

 

[ShawnKing]

Serious question: Why do you have to have the same kind of bike everyone you ride with has? What difference does that make?

Who cares what his motivation is?

I do - that's why I asked the question.

Would you consider us to be lemmings as well?

Excuse me? Who called anyone "lemmings"? I think you're assuming motivations that aren't in my post.

 

[Richouse]

I had a '04 Warrior and it was a great bike. Its all what you want to do with it. Its fast up to about 100 and then it peters off to about 120 or so. With no wind protection there is no way you can sustain that kind of speed for any time really, then if you do you run out of gas. You can mod it all you want, there is really no limit except your wallet. I got rid of mine because I wanted something I could load up for a week or so and go on trips with some comfort. Anything over about 45min on the warrior and I was ready to get off.

 

[Ford68xl]

I had a highly modified 02 warrior. Big tire conversion, raked trees, 108 CI Orient Express engine, etc etc. You couldn't even recognize it as a warrior. Loud fast and expensive. Not as fast as my FJR, but through three gears I could take on anything. I did not find rides up to 150 miles too bad. No wind protection so you NEED a full faced helmet otherwise the wind and engine noise will kill ya. Heat? Ride for an hour and then get caught at a long stop light. Let's just say I was glad I was beyond having children due to the heat that monster put out. Vibration on mine was minimal (for a v-twin). I really liked my warrior, but spent way too much money on it. The reason I sold? Wanted to do something other than the custom bike/cruiser scene. It got boring fast.

My 2 cents as well.