Yamaha Stratoliner: Problems, Advantages, and Features You Want to Know

If you love motorcycles, you know the Yamaha Stratoliner. It was sold in the US as Stratoliner and in the UK as Roadliner or Midnight Star. This is a legendary motorcycle that is officially called Yamaha XV1900A. And this is one of the biggest Yamaha motorcycles ever made. The bike is not only big but also really impressive in terms of design and technology.

This is a cruiser bike that was produced between 2006 and 2017. A lot of motorcycles were sold in the US, so, now you can easily find plenty of them available for sale. Also, the big number of bikes sold in America allows us to form a very detailed opinion on many problems and weak links in this bike.

Today, we'll be speaking about the following:

1. What's the Yamaha Stratoliner? Is it a good motorcycle?
2. What kinds of problems can you get if you own this motorbike?
3. Is it hard to maintain and repair the Yamaha Stratoliner?
4. How many miles can this bike go without problems and breakdowns?

Let's get started!

Is Yamaha Stratoliner a good motorcycle?

It's hard to say whether a motorcycle is good or bad until you have owned it for years and you know about all its problems and downsides. So, we asked the owners of this bike to give their short reference. And all of them said that the bike was superb. They even said that the Stratoliner was the best motorbike in their experience. Some of them had owned dozens of bikes from numerous producers, by the way.

But let's be more specific. When we are saying that a certain motorcycle model is good, we have to prove it somehow.

Let's look at some important features of the Yamaha motorcycle:

• the 1854 cc engine proved to be one of the best Yamaha engines for motorcycles, it's a really powerful beast with 95 horsepower;
• the engine is set to deliver maximum torque at 2500 RPM which makes it cool to cruise at 70 mph and get wonderful fuel economy;
• standard suspension and aluminum frame - very simple and traditional decisions that will never let you down;
• the engine is equipped with the EXUP System (Exhaust Ultimate Power Valve) which is a unique feature for cruisers;
• the bike is really big - its wheelbase is over 1.7 meters, and it's really comfortable for two people.

With wonderful torque and power, this bike can get you to any place pretty fast. You may cruise at 70 mph which is the most comfortable speed for such bikes, but you may also want to go faster - the Stratoliner's top speed is about 126 mph. Well, cruisers are made to have pleasure in long rides, they aren't made for racing with crotch rockets.

Yamaha chose a wonderful engine and a very simple and reliable transmission for the Stratoliner, so, you will not have many problems with the motorcycle. But still, this is a bike and you may know that bikes aren't as durable as cars. So, how many miles will you be able to ride on your Yamaha Stratoliner bike?

Longevity questions for the Stratoliner

We don't see any reasons why we shouldn't say that the Yamaha Strato should go to the top 10 bikes with the longest lifespan on the market of cruisers. But let's talk about this. You see that the Stratoliner is actually wonderful in terms of technologies - they are very simple and traditional, so, you can even repair and maintain this bike in your own garage.

Well, the Stratoliner will be able to go around 100 000 miles easily with proper maintenance. This is enough for 20 years approximately, if you ride an average of 5 000 miles a year. But we've seen the Stratos with over 140 000 miles on the clock and they were still OK.

The longevity of the Yamaha Stratoliner depends much on such factors:

• engine maintenance - the engine is the part that can fail around 100 000 miles and make you spend a lot of money;
• riding habits - if you are careful with your Yamaha cruiser, it will serve you for years and will only bring good emotions;
• fuel quality - bad gasoline will kill the injection system fast and then the engine may start malfunctioning;
• winter storing - please, keep up with all the rules and requirements to store your bike for more than a month.

One of the main things that will kill your bike is overheating. If you overheat the engine, you will have to repair it soon. The problem is that the aluminum head and other parts may just crack if they are overheated.

You should remember that the Strato is a cruiser, it's not a sports motorcycle or a racing bike. You shouldn't rev up the engine up to the red line. This will only make it worse and will ensure that you will have to sell your bike as a salvage vehicle sooner.

What are the main problems with the Stratoliner?

Yamaha Stratoliner still has some common issues and problems. Why do you need to know them? Because you will have a chance to avoid any problems and to keep on riding your bike for more years. This knowledge will make you check the bike more often and make diagnostics when you service it.

We have to say that the Yamaha Stratoliner has much fewer problems than you may think. And it's far less problematic than many other motorcycles in this class.

Here are some of the main problems:

1. Air-heated engine. The engine displacement of almost 2 liters adds some problems. It's a big unit that generates a lot of heat. And the traditional cooling system is not bad for smaller engines, but it's not efficient enough for the Strato engine. That's why it's very easy to overheat the engine and to get a lot of problems.
2. Early models problems. If you are looking for a used Stratoliner, you should prefer younger bikes. It's not only because of age but also because Yamaha dealt with a lot of initial problems in 2-3 years after it first presented the Stratoliner. So, the models of the 2012-2017 period are the best to buy. Earlier ones had a lot of minor problems.
3. Parts. You will struggle to find any aftermarket parts for these motorcycles. This is strange because Yamaha sold a lot of bikes. But in most cases, you will only have a chance to buy OEM Yamaha parts that will cost you a fortune.
4. Steering stem problems. The stem was OK, but some nuts were getting loose over time. If you have this issue, better replace the steering stem because fastening the nuts will not help you much. This problem was very popular in older bikes, but it was also possible in newer ones.
5. Clutch problems. Well, any bike will have this problem. But we know Stratoliners that had slipping clutch issues at 10 000 miles which is ridiculous. The clutch slipping wasn't very common, but you have to bear it in mind. Especially if you love long rides on your Strato bike.

It may seem like the Stratoliner has a lot of problems. But actually, these problems were gathered in many forums and also by talking to mechanics who know everything about these bikes. And a lot of owners say that they have ridden 50K miles and more without a single issue.

Of course, to ride your bike with no problems, you will need to service and maintain it. Without proper maintenance, any motorcycle will become a piece of scrap metal in a couple of years.

What year of a used Stratoliner to buy?

We would concentrate on finding the 2014 Yamaha Stratoliner. They were also made in 2017, but it's pretty hard to find any younger Yamaha Strato than 2014 one. If you want to risk, you can buy Yamaha bikes made before 2010, but this is not a very good idea. Most likely, such a bike will have high mileage and a lot of minor problems that you will have to pay for.

Buying newer bikes is not only wise because of the age. Yamaha was always developing the Stratoliner, so the last model years were actually the best and the most reliable. A lot of common problems were solved in the latest Stratoliner models. That's why we would choose one of the bikes made in 2012-2014. And the prices will not vary much compared with 2010 or 2008.

Final words

You may know that the Yamaha Stratoliner is one of the most interesting cruisers made by Yamaha. But now you also know that this bike has some problems that you should consider when you have a high-mileage bike or when you are going to buy one used.

We don't recommend this motorbike for those who want a racing bike - cruisers are made for a completely different task. And you should use your Yamaha like a cruiser motorcycle, not like a sports one.