Tell you what i agree its a nice bike i own one my self and it lived up to all the expectaions i had for it. Brut force, bad ass handling, and one thing i do agree the pipes suck, but if your lookin to step it up a lot look for the the Reaper Tips, these things rumble and you dont have to replace the whole exhaust, and no tuning the injection ports or any of that crap so check em out. but after all i like the bike alot big time.Yamaha taps the custom world for styling cues on its 2008 Star Raider including a chopped-out rake, raised handlebars, and the widest tire yet in its 'Liner line.With plenty of power on tap in a surprisingly agile package, the Star Raider's ability to carve lines over curvy mountain roads on our Southern Oregon stomping grounds made me forget sometimes that I was on a big cruiser.The chrome 2-1-2 down-swept exhausts have an EXUP valve that aims to boost torque in the 2500-3500 rpm range and includes environmentally-friendly twin catalyzers and an oxygen sensor. While it keeps the EPA happy, it does cost the bike a little in its growl.The Raider is no "Captain America." This thing would blow the socks off Peter Fonda's iconic scoot.
Central to this claim is the Raider's 1854cc air-cooled pushrod engine. The merits of the 48-degree V-Twin has already been developed in the Roadliner, but it only takes a light twist of the throttle for riders to realize that what was established in the Roadliner now packs even more punch. The power comes on early and kept me pinned to the back of my seat in every gear. Star claims the Raider reachs peak torque at 2500 rpm, and power numbers from our Dynojet 200i substantiate the claim with a reading of 102.8 ft-lb of torque at 2600 rpm. Getting up to freeway speed is a cinch. The throttle position sensor is dialed in to the computer-controlled twin-bore fuel-injection monitors and keeps the wide-angle 12-hole injectors feeding the forged pistons with a light twist of the wrist. The fuel injectors worked seemlessly for smooth throttle pick-up that starts low in the broad powerband. Better yet, the power keeps on coming throughout the rev range until it finally tapers off slowly between 4000-5000 rpm.
