Rennie Scaysbrook | January 26, 2018
2018 Yamaha Star Eluder | Bagger Nation
We love our baggers in the U.S. and now we have a new one with a distinctly oriental flavor. Welcome to the brand-new Yamaha Star Eluder.
We live in one of the finest countries in the world for motorcycle touring. A land as big and culturally diverse as the United States is best explored by motorcycle. Taking in the sights and smells is simply out of reach when you’re in a motorized tin box.
And for the most part, those sights and smells are best experienced with a thumping air-cooled V-twin. Yamaha’s been on this bandwagon ever since their Star cruiser line-up was debuted way back in 1996 with the Royal Star. But in truth they’ve always played second fiddle to Harley-Davidson—even if Yamaha’s bikes were mechanically and dynamically better.
Photography by Drew Ruiz, video by Ray Gauger
Harley-Davidson owns the bagger market across the globe and it’s up to the rest to get a slice of that lucrative pie. Indian is right in the mix with a bunch of models from the Chieftain line up and the Springfield Dark Horse, as is Honda with the F6B and lately BMW with the K 1600 B. Now it’s Yamaha that has debuted its all new Star Eluder and Star Eluder GT (which gives you GPS navigation, SiriusXM satellite radio, a CB radio and a security alarm), based off the Star Venture they quietly launched in 2017 under their Transcontinental Touring segment.
2018 Yamaha Star Eluder
The Eluder takes the base package of the Venture and strips back the body as well as removing some creature comforts like the passenger backrest (now available as an accessory) and dumbing down the sound system. But everything else is identical in terms of engine and chassis componentry. You get the same 1854cc (113 c.i) beast of a motor that pumps out its max torque of 126 lb-ft at 2500 rpm, and the same gearbox, chassis, suspension, and tires, but you’re getting a whole lot more attitude for the money.
Gone are the massive front screen, rear trunk and elegant Raspberry Red and Granite Gray colors, replaced instead with a stubby unadjustable screen and Impact Blue, Liquid Silver and Raven (black) color schemes. The Eluder is not so much the in-your-face puncher something like the Indian Dark Horse is, but has less intimidating demeanor and stance. It’s a big guy without being a bully.
2018 Yamaha Star Eluder
One part of the Eluder that takes some time to get used to is the infotainment system. It’s absolutely rammed with features, and I’ll admit in my short time with the machine I didn’t come close to getting a full handle on what it could really do. Accessed through a massive, class-leading seven-inch LCD screen, you can voice command everything with Yamaha’s system, and you access all the features via the left switchblock on the handlebar while you’re plugged in via your helmet and the cable system.
You can play music via Bluetooth through the dash-mounted speakers but the sound at full noise at speed can be quite tinny. So for optimal sound quality you’ll want to have the tunes playing through your helmet and the J&M Audio setup.
2018 Yamaha Star Eluder
The enormous screen makes it an excellent tool for navigation—which is a standard feature on the GT option but an accessory on the base Eluder—and all the usual things like speed, trip, odo, with a nice analog fuel gauge on the right, and once you understand the various shortcuts you can scroll around the system quickly. The cockpit is laced with fat, chunky buttons for cruise control, volume, kill switch, high beam etc, but they look rather clunky compared to something like the BMW K 1600 B, which retails for a similar price.
There’s 1854cc of Japanese air-cooled V-twin (it feels strange typing that) lurking underneath that big ol’ backbone frame. And it while it pumps out that beastly 126 lb-ft, the way in which it does so feels sedate and totally civilized. The motor is fitted with twin counter-balancers, which cancel out a good deal of the vibrations inherent with a big-capacity twin. But it’s also the way the motor is mounted in the chassis that helps the cause. The engine is secured to the frame via two huge rubber mounts, which go further to taking out unwanted vibration. The result is a delightful motor with a velvety smooth throttle response and a chassis that barely vibrates considering the engine architecture.
2018 Yamaha Star Eluder
The V-twin comes with two engine modes of Touring and Sport via the D-Mode (Yamaha Drive Mode) selector, and there’s a decent difference between the two with Sport allowing for much more instant torque than Touring, and it’s deceptive how quickly it’ll rush up through the rev ranges in the first three gears thanks to the shortness of the ratios.
First to third is short, with fourth and fifth overdrive gears, and six really overdrive. As such, only on freeways when the speed was consistently north of 70mph did I see sixth gear, with fifth the almost perfect ratio for most backroad touring into the almost never-ending hills around San Diego county.
2018 Yamaha Star Eluder
The gearbox action is very good with the Eluder and won’t sound like a bag of wrenches being hit against a wall when you engage first gear. There’s no heel-toe shifter and the effort is helped by the slip and assist clutch that allows for a light lever pull and makes downshifts a breeze from high rpm that would otherwise have the backend skipping around on corner entry.
At speed, the Eluder is a rolling, thundering behemoth, which is surprisingly light on its feet for an 875 pounds (claimed) motorcycle. That is a lot of bike to get used to, but Yamaha’s engineers have done exceptionally well in making the center of gravity nice and low, which gives the chassis a planted and secure feeling in corners.
2018 Yamaha Star Eluder
The Eluder doesn’t require a large input from the rider to initiate the corner—yes, it’s a big bike but it’s surprisingly easy to hustle about—and it’ll change direction swiftly if you’re patient with it.
You need to take things a little slower on an Eluder and allow for wide corner arches otherwise you’ll be grounding the floorboards (which must have been designed with Shaquille O’Neal’s feet in mind—they’re that big), but if you’re sedate in your riding you won’t have this problem.
2018 Yamaha Star Eluder
The Eluder is fitted with unadjustable front suspension and a preload adjustment on the rear under the cover on the right-hand-side below the seat. And I must admit to being thoroughly impressed with not just the bump absorption but also the ride quality. The Eluder will ride over some pretty serious bumps and the weight alone will help soak up some of the shock. But overall the suspension performance is one of the standout features of the bike. It won’t dive excessively under brakes, won’t squat from the rear too much under acceleration—all in all, it’s very good.
Comfort from the heated seat is excellent. Admittedly, we only covered 270 miles during the day whereas many Eluder riders will easily crack 500. But I only started to become uncomfortable on the 27.6-inch tall seat as we cruised into San Diego at dusk. The back pad on the seat is angled a little rearward from vertical, which allows you to sink in and not curve your lower back too much.
2018 Yamaha Star Eluder
The bodywork has one major flaw in that the screen is unadjustable. The Eluder’s screen is at the perfect height for the wind to totally rattle my head. So at 6’1” I either have to sit as tall as I can and cop the wind blast to the chest or I have to duck down somewhat and have it go over my helmet. Not ideal. The only way to fix this issue in the short term is to wear earplugs, as they will cancel out much of the wind buffeting.
Another issue is the Eluder doesn’t come with heated grips as standard fitment. I understand that much of what a dealer makes when they sell a bike comes from accessories, but if you’re dropping $23K-plus on a touring bike, heated grips should be a standard feature.
2018 Yamaha Star Eluder
Despite these flaws, the Star Eluder is still an excellent motorcycle. As part of the Transcontinental Touring category, the Eluder brings a style quite far removed from the Venture, which will go head to head with something like Honda’s Gold Wing.
The ride experience is extremely good on the Eluder—which it ought to be considering the price tag—and it’s made the choice in a bagger even more difficult if you’re in the market for one. CN
SPECIFICATIONS
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2018 Yamaha Star Eluder ($22,499/GT $23,999)
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Engine:
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Air-cooled, V-twin, 4-stroke
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Displacement:
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1854cc
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Bore x stroke:
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100 x 118mm
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Compression ratio:
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9.5:1
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Clutch:
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Wet multi-plate, slip and assist
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Transmission:
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6-speed
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Chassis:
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Steel main frame and CF die-cast aluminum sub-frame
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Front suspension:
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46mm telescopic fork, unadjustable
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Rear suspension:
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Monoshock with remote preload adjustment
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Front wheel travel:
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5.1 in.
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Rear wheel travel:
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4.3 in.
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Front brake:
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298 mm discs, dual four-piston calipers, Unified Braking System, ABS as standard
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Rear brake:
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320 mm disc, single-piston caliper, Unified Braking System, ABS as standard
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Front tire:
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130/70R18 Bridgestone Exedra
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Rear tire:
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200/55R16 Bridgestone Exedra
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Rake:
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31°
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Wheelbase:
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67.6 in.
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Seat height:
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27.6 in.
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Fuel capacity:
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6.6 gal.
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Weight:
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875 lbs. (curb, claimed).
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Color:
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Liquid Silver, Impact Blue, Raven
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