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I have recently "upgrade" from a '05 Kawasaki Nomad to a '06 Stratoliner S. I wanted more grunt, power for 2-up riding and always liked the fit and finish on the Star lineup.
The Stratoliner delivers just as you can read in any of the professional reviews. Whatever site you chose to get your information from, reviewers have to nit-pick to find anything wrong with it; it usually ends up being the saddlebags and the rather smallish tank.
On back roads and in twisties this behemoth handles surprisingly well and torque is more than plenty in any gear, even OD/5th. On the superslab, you just can't beat the quiet cruising of the 1,854 cc engine, no rattles at all. My complaint is that there is a good amount of wind buffeting behind the standard (tall) windshield, but custom lowers can be had to eliminate most of that. I am 6'6" in boots and have ample room on this cruiser. One last complaint is that during night riding, the light of the instrument cluster annoyingly reflects in the windshield, even with the lights dimmed to their lowest setting.
Overall, this is my "Dream Cruiser" and wouldn't trade it for any other bike out there. Thank you Yamaha for making such a quality monster cruiser!!!!
