Nice ride! Glad it worked out for you and glad that you found us. Only thing remaining to tell you at this point is that you need to "RIDE IT LIKE YOU STOLE IT!" 
Just an observation....Unless you are some type of big weight lifter, I firmly believe it would be a challenge for the average person of any age to keep the big girl from going down once she decides to take a nap...to me, the "secret" is balance, ya got to keep her balanced.WillieC said:I am 67 now and do not seem to be as inclined to gamble as much as I was when younger. I am hoping to be able to keep riding and have the leg strength to keep it up (the bike that is) for many years to come. But I seem to think in year to year
terms any more rather than far into the future.
The Road Star is a terrific looking bike and I think they are awesome.Mark7 said:As someone who is about to go from cruiser to touring bike myself this thread strikes a chord with me.
I just sold my '04 Yamaha Road Star Midnight to make room for an '09 LT that is waiting for me in Dallas. I'd had the Roadie for 5 years and "made her mine" like the Yamaha folks want you to do. I was very sad to see her go since she'd never left me on the side of the road or disappointed me in any way. She's a great bike to take on a day trip, but much more than that and you have to be a sadist to enjoy that much saddle time. Just not made for long tours so it would have been stupid of me to expect that.
That year of Road Star was known to have something called Sticky Valve Syndrome(SVS) due to the design of the heads. The next model year they made some slight alterations to resolve that problem. Like the LT FD problem it reared it's head on about 4% of the bikes out there. I lived in fear of it for the first 3 years of ownership, but finally let it go and said to myself if it happens I deal with it. Till then take preventative measures and ride!
A riding buddy warned who rides an LT me about the FD issues, but like the SVS problem I'm not going to let it worry me. All bikes have some sort of quirk or something. Till I have a problem of some sort I'll just enjoy riding the bike and all the freedom that entails.
Gee whiz Vern this does give me hope and some really good advice. I remembervernvernvern said:Welcome willie,
I'll give you a little hope. LOL I'll be 72 next month 7/18/2012 and have just rolled up 139.673 miles on my LT.. :bmw:
Thanks very much Dennis.K100Dennis said:Hi Willie, welcome from Tasmania, Aust. Just be mindful of the clutch on the K12. There is a definite technique required in order to prolong the life, or more importantly, not to shorten it unnecessarily. Basically you need to practice not spinning the engine above 1500rpm whilst engaging the clutch/moving off Cheers, Dennis
Yes, the combination of not much torque at low RPM and a too tall first gear, makes launching the LT require more concentration and time than is necessary on almost any other bike. My Kawasaki Voyager was FAR easier to launch than is my LT.WillieC said:Thanks very much Dennis.
The clutch was replaced at about 34k miles on it. I saw the repair bill and it was $1,500.00 for the job. So the information to keep it below 1500 rpm at start is appreciated.
I have noticed that it seems to be underpowered at start so I will be careful to not rev it up too high and also not to slip it any more than necessary to get moving.
First I ever corresponded to anyone in Tasmania.
Ride Safe my friend,
Willie