Driving report Yamaha XV 1900 Midnight Star

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Driving report Yamaha XV 1900 Midnight Star
Tom Riles

Driving report Yamaha XV 1900 Midnight Star

star sign

A new star shines in the cruiser sky: the Yamaha XV 1900 Midnight Star. Plenty of displacement, more than enough power and torque, and everything embedded in a light aluminum frame.

Toyota: You think of Corolla, Yaris, Avensis. Good cars, but somehow colorless. Toyota has therefore come up with a different brand name for luxury cars, namely Lexus. What is fine with Japanese car manufacturers can be cheap for motorcycle manufacturers under the rising sun: Yamaha is taking the same step, first of all in the USA. All cruisers, from the small XVS 650 to the big Road Star Warrior, change their family name there. Instead of Yamaha, they are now simply called “Star”.
Just to change the name, another offspring joins. The fattest cruiser of the young star family is called Roadliner in the USA, in Germany it is the Yamaha counterpart XBaptized V 1900 Midnight Star. To avoid confusion, Yamaha alias Star presents the XV 1900 Midnight Star alias Roadliner at the presentation in Palm Springs, California, without it
Brand emblem. Nothing can be seen on the tank, on the side or housing covers of the bulky cruiser ?? no hint
on origin or displacement. Instead, chrome lines flanking the tank on the right and left evoke memories of the 1930s. The whole design is based on this era with its streamlined, curved streamlined shapes.
As if ready to jump, a hat box-sized one lifts itself up,
Chrome-clad headlights against the wind. The lamp housing is drawn in between the shoulders from solid standpipes. The initially wide fenders run narrow towards the rear. Even the turn signal housings end in pointed caps like the helmets of earlier record time drivers. Whimsical? Trendy? Perhaps. But at least noticeably. In contrast, the motorization does not fall
out of the frame. Why actually “only” a XV 1900, where the competitors offer a full two liters? “Now go first,” the Yamaha representatives answer annoying questions from ignorant journalists. The air-cooled 48-degree V2 with bumper control could on the surface just be a drilled out Warrior engine. But 100 HP at 4250 / min and a whopping 168 Newton meters at just 2250 / min suggest that the technicians have done a great job. This two-cylinder has even more steam than the V-engine in the Roadster MT-01.
Listing all the changes would make a long list. Here are the cornerstones of the conversion: Larger, forged pistons with a diameter of 100 millimeters and a stroke of 118 millimeters result in a displacement of 1854 cubic centimeters. The larger inlet and outlet valves (36 and 31 millimeters) are at a closer angle to each other. This made it possible to design the intake ducts more favorably in terms of flow and results in better filling. Two spark plugs per combustion chamber ensure more efficient combustion. And in the exhaust, an exup valve works like in the super sports cars to make the torque curve even more voluminous.
It is thanks to the playfully light, controlled hydraulic clutch that the XV 1900 does not jump at the slightest turn of the throttle grip. It simply rushes away seemingly weightless with a dull rumble and gains a lot of speed with every small increase in the number of strokes. Nobody can complain about a lack of thrust, no matter what engine speed, no matter what gear. It is up to the driver to find the right speed: to let the gentle pulse of the V-Twin comfortably flood him through at low speed or to hit a faster beat and, in return, be massaged a little more intensely. Everything is possible. In any case, the technicians have succeeded in keeping annoying, high-frequency vibrations away from man and machine with two balancer shafts. The only point of criticism goes to the transmission. Given the strength of the torque, an overdrive gear would have made sense.
The Midnight Star is a colossal figure, its size inspires respect. Nevertheless, dealing with her almost gets
playfully easy. The low seat height and a low center of gravity, which is due not least to the light aluminum frame, help the power cruiser to be more unexpected
Maneuverability and easy handling. The weight distribution of 49.6 percent at the front and 50.4 percent at the rear, which is virtually balanced for cruiser conditions, has an advantageous effect in practice. Their neutral driving behavior makes them safely manageable and despite the comfortable chassis set-up
precise and easy to steer. Four-piston calipers grab the two 298 brake discs and have the Yamaha, which will soon weigh seven hundred pounds, easily under control. Also the rear discs-
bremse provides decent support.
The XV 1900 Roadliner is already on sale in the USA, the Midnight Star will only arrive in Germany in the summer. The dull rumble from the side pipe will fall victim to the local noise regulations. Whether a loss of power and torque is to be expected is still in the stars.

Specifications – Yamaha XV 1900 Midnight Star

Engine: air-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke 48-degree V-engine, two balance shafts, two gear-driven camshafts below, four valves, hydraulic valve lifters, bumpers, rocker arms, wet sump lubrication, injection, 43 mm dia., Regulated catalytic converter, 450 W alternator, battery 12V / 12 Ah, hydraulically operated multi-disc oil bath clutch, five-speed gearbox, toothed belt.
Bore x stroke 100.0 x 118.0 mm
Cubic capacity 1854 cm3
Compression ratio 9.5: 1
Rated output 73.6 kW (100 hp) at 4250 rpm
Max. Torque 168 Nm at 2250 rpm

Chassis: double loop frame made of aluminum, telescopic fork, ø 46 mm, two-arm swing arm made of aluminum, central spring strut with lever system, double disc brake at the front, ø 298 mm, four-piston fixed calipers, disc brake at the rear, ø 320 mm, double-piston floating caliper.
Cast aluminum wheels 4.00 x 18; 5.50 x 17
130/70 R18 tires; 190/60 R17

Dimensions and weights: wheelbase 1715 mm, steering head angle 58.8 degrees, caster 152 mm, spring travel f / r 135/110 mm, seat height 735 mm, tank capacity / reserve 17.0 / 3.0 liters.
Two year guarantee
Colors red, black
Price around 14,500 euros
Additional costs 195 euros

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