Yamaha Star Eluder Vs. Harley Davidson Road Glide

“You don’t stop riding when you get old, you get old when you stop riding.”

Motorcycle riding is a fun and healthy activity. It reduces stress, releases endorphins, and can also be a form of light exercise. Motorcycle touring has become a global trend in recent years, with more riders loving motorbikes capable of carrying luggage and fitted with fairings and windscreens suited for long-distance rides and touring. Some motorcyclists prefer customizing their motorbikes by adding saddlebags and windshields. While most riders nowadays prefer factory-made touring bikes with stock fairings, hard saddlebags, infotainment systems, and windshields.

Harley Davidson has long been dominating the touring bikes market with its Harley Davidson Road Glide and Street Glide. Other motorcycle companies, including Honda and BMW, tried competing with Harley Davidson’s touring bikes by introducing the Honda Gold Wing and the BMW K1600 B Grand America. Both touring bikes were great successes and put up great competition. Yamaha also revived its touring bike legacy by introducing the Yamaha Star Eluder in 2017 for the bagger category.

Like the Harley Davidson Road Glide, the Yamaha Star Eluder is also fitted with a twin-cylinder V-Twin engine. However, the Yamaha Star Eluder has a bigger engine size and produces more horsepower. However, the Harley Road Glide has the advantage of being slightly more lightweight. This article is a detailed comparison between the Yamaha Star Eluder and the Harley Davidson Road Glide.

The Yamaha Star Eluder is a heavyweight, modern-style, touring bike with an aggressive front fairing and a small windscreen. It comes in three different color schemes that complement its blacked-out finish. The Yamaha Star Eluder is fitted with a comfortable step-up seat capable of two-up riding. There is a dip in the rider’s seat, providing lumbar support for the rider. The Yamaha Star Eluder also comes with rider and passenger floorboards to improve comfort. It has a wide shark-nose fairing fitted around four headlamps, a small windscreen, and sporty side mirrors. The shark-nose fairing is also fitted with two large air breathers on both sides. The Yamaha Star Eluder has a sporty front mudguard and a large, extended rear mudguard with a tail/stop light and a license plate holder. The rear turn signals are mounted to the stock hard saddlebags fitted close to the rear mudguard. The Yamaha Star Eluder also comes with twin separate mufflers on both sides and is fitted with split, five-spoke aluminum alloy wheels wrapped around Bridgestone® Exedra tires.

The Harley Davidson Road Glide is a classic bagger motorbike with a frame-mounted shark-nose fairing and hard saddlebags with a storage capacity of 2.3 cu ft. It has a simple design and easily removable fairing and saddlebags to provide a stripped-down cruising experience. The Harley Road Glide is fitted with a chrome engine guard and forward-mounted floorboards. It also comes in three single-tone color schemes with a black frame and chrome finish, giving it a more classic look. The chrome parts include the air filter, cylinder heads, gearbox cover, crash bars, front forks, handlebars, mufflers, and wheels. The frame-mounted shark-nose fairing is fixed in place even while turning the handlebars and is fitted with a digital display screen, four analog gauges, dual speakers, and a small windscreen. The Harley Road Glide also comes with a single-piece saddle capable of two-up riding and a small dip in the rider’s seat providing lower back support for the rider. It is fitted with a chopped front fender and a big rear fender with a small LED tail/stop light, license plate, and rear turn signals. The Harley Road Glide is also fitted with chrome dual tapered mufflers on both sides.

The Yamaha Star Eluder is powered by a 1,854 cc air-cooled, 48° V-Twin engine capable of a torque of 170.8 Nm at 2,250 rpm. It has a six-speed gearbox that connects to the rear wheel via a belt drive, and a multi-plate assist and slipper wet clutch ensuring smooth gear shifts and clutch operation. The Yamaha Star Eluder is also fitted with a fuel injection system with YCC-T and D-mode to ensure optimum fuel delivery and provides a fuel mileage of 34 mpg. The 1,854 cc 48° V-Twin engine provides a smooth riding experience and better low-end torque performance. Counterbalancers are installed to reduce vibrations at lower rpm levels.

The Yamaha Star Eluder also comes with a standard traction control system (TCS) and a D-mode, allowing throttle response adjustments to switch between the Sports and Tour riding modes with a push of a button. It uses the same chassis and suspension as the Yamaha Star Venture. A 46 mm front telescopic fork and rear linkage-type, gas-pressurized shock absorbers ensure a smooth riding experience and better cornering. The Yamaha Star Eluder also comes with dual front hydraulic discs, a single rear hydraulic disc, a unified brake system, an ABS, and a ride-by-wire throttle to ensure a safer riding experience. It also comes with standard cruise control for a better cruising experience on open roads.

The Harley Davidson Road Glide is fitted with a 1,753 cc, air-cooled, Milwaukee-Eight 107 engine capable of a horsepower of 93 hp at 5,020 rpm and a torque of 150.5 Nm at 3,250 rpm. The Milwaukee-Eight 107 engine produces smooth power delivery and throttle response. The Harley Road Glide also comes with a six-speed gearbox and a mechanically actuated, multi-plate wet clutch with assist & slipper functions to ensure smooth gear shifts. The Harley Road Glide is not a fast motorbike due to being heavyweight. However, the Milwaukee-Eight 107 engine provides a good throttle response and smooth power.

To ensure a safe riding experience, the Harley Road Glide comes with standard cruise control, electronically linked braking (ELB), and an optional ABS. The ELB system prevents the wheels from locking when brakes are applied to help the rider maintain balance. The Harley Road Glide also ensures a comfortable touring experience due to being fitted with high-quality 49 mm dual-bending front forks and hand-adjustable rear dual shock absorbers.

The Yamaha Star Eluder has a wet weight of 875 lbs, while the Yamaha Star Eluder GT model has a wet weight of 877 lbs. It is not an ideal touring bike for beginners due to being heavyweight. However, the Yamaha Star Eluder is a comfortable motorbike for long-distance rides due to being equipped with several ride-assist features, including two riding modes (Tour and Sports), an infotainment system, navigation, speakers, Bluetooth connectivity, a heated seat, traction control, and ride by wire throttle.

The Yamaha Star Eluder has a low seat height of 27.8 inches, forward-mounted floorboards, and swept-back handlebars, ensuring a stretched riding position. The step-up seat provides lumbar support for the rider. The Yamaha Star Eluder is also fitted with midsize passenger floorboards, allowing the passenger to rest their feet. It comes with stock saddlebags with a storage capacity of 24 cu in and two storage compartments in the fairing.

The Harley Davidson Road Glide is one of the most comfortable touring bikes in the Harley Grand American Touring lineup. It is fitted with stock forward-mounted floorboards and pulled-back handlebars, ensuring an upright back position. The Harley Road Glide has a low seat height of 25.9 inches and a low center of gravity. The forward-mounted floorboards, upright riding position, low seat height, and adequate legroom make this motorbike comfortable for taller and average riders. However, the Harley Road Glide is also a heavyweight motorbike that is uncomfortable for shorter and novice riders. It is also difficult to maneuver at low speeds, make U-turns, and turn tight corners due to being a bulky motorbike. The Harley Road Glide can be transformed into an ideal touring bike by replacing the small windscreen with a large windscreen and adding luggage racks, backrests, and sissy bars.

The Yamaha Star Eluder has more comfortable ergonomics than the Harley Road Glide due to being fitted with swept-back handlebars within the comfortable reach of the rider. The low seat height, forward-mounted floorboards, and swept-back handlebars provide a stretched riding position. However, it has a wet weight of 875 lbs which makes it uncomfortable for novice riders. Meanwhile, the Harley Road Glide is also a heavyweight motorbike that is difficult to maneuver at low speeds and when turning tight corners. However, it provides an upright back and adequate legroom, making it best suited for taller and average riders.

The Yamaha Star Eluder and the Harley Davidson Road Glide are comfortable touring bikes with shark-nose fairings, two-up seating, saddlebags, and floorboards. Both motorcycles have comfortable ergonomics, making them suited for long-distance rides. However, the Yamaha Star Eluder is powered by a bigger engine than the Harley Road Glide, providing better throttle response and more powerful performance. It does not feel as heavy while maneuvering at high speeds. The Yamaha Star Eluder is also equipped with modern ride-assist and safety features to ensure a safe and fun riding experience. Meanwhile, the Harley Road Glide does not have modern features like a heated seat, ride-by-wire throttle, and traction control system. The ABS is an optional feature that can be installed for $819.