Yamaha Unveils Star Venture Cruiser Motorcycle

With the unveil of the king-sized Star Venture, Yamaha has taken the cruiser bike segment to an all new level

Yamaha has turned up with a completely new motorcycle for riding enthusiasts who love long distance cruising. Star Venture, as it is christened, was launched in the US market this week. Yamaha calls it a Transcontinental Tourer which will rival the likes of Honda Goldwing, BMW’s K1600GTL, Indian Roadmaster and Harley Davidson Road Glide Special. Yamaha claims that the Star Venture will mark the beginning of an all-new segment within cruiser bikes. We aren’t sure about it spawning a new segment, but the Star Venture does fit in as one of the biggest bikes ever created in the history of cruiser motorcycles.

The Yamaha Star Venture gets a large headlamp housing with four channels for different lights along with a tall windscreen to protect the rider from wind blast (essential parameter for high speed cruising). It has also got what could probably be the biggest air-intakes seen on any motorcycle yet. Riders can adjust the electrically-controlled windscreen with the touch of a button. The Star Venture also features mid-fairing deflectors to direct cool air towards the rider to keep him ventilated. Even though the motorcycle looks extremely aggressive from the outside, it does share many of its mechanical bits with the Yamaha XV1900 Midnight Star.

This humongous bike is powered by a massive 1,854cc, air-cooled V-twin engine which develops 170Nm of peak torque. This immense torque is sent to the rear wheels through a belt drive system for smoother power delivery. The bike weighs a colossal 434kg and to make maneuvering and parking at slow speeds easier, Yamaha engineers have also provided the motorcycle with an electric bi-directional crawler gear. The Yamaha Star Venture gets all the bells and whistles one needs to make his/her ride more engaging. Features include a 7-inch full-colour LCD display which is touchscreen enabled and compatible with smartphones. You also get USB charging, tyre pressure monitor, heated seats, keyless ignition and heated grips as well. Mechanical goodies include riding modes, ride-by-wire throttle response, cruise control, traction control and ABS.

Yamaha has also added essential equipment for long distance touring like a GPS, LED fog lamps and dual-zone speakers. With these speakers, both the rider and pillion can listen to two different source music at the same time. It also allows them to answer calls separately via an accessory headset and mike set. The base Yamaha Star Venture has been priced at $24,999 (Rs 16.08 lakh) while the optional TransContinental pack retails for $26,999 (Rs 17.37 lakh). Yamaha hasn’t revealed if the bike will be launched in Europe or our market. We don’t think it will make its way to our shore anytime soon as the current engine neither complies to Euro 4 nor BS-IV emission norms.