Does anyone have an opinion on the stratoliner ??? Iam leaning towards buying a new 06...haven't rode in 25 yrs!!!  

Big bike but great handling cruiser. You have 25 years to make up-get it now !!
                 JimmyU  Antelope Ca  

I bought one last year and I couldn't have made a better choice.

I was considering a 1999 Harley Road King.  But for the same money i could get a brand new Stratoliner.  

It handles like a dream. It has a really low center of gravity making it a very easy bike to hold up for its weight. The lean over angle isn't very good, but what cruiser doesn't have this problem. And you can replace the feelers in the boards when they wear out.  

The motor is absolutely awesome. It has plenty of power. It is smooth without being too smooth. The only drawback of it is that it will buck pretty wildly if you lug the engine at all, but you shouldn't be doing that anyway.

I love that it actually has a tachometer and a fuel gauge, unlike a lot of other cruisers.

There are a few things that i would change though. The bags are a little on the small side and they aren't as water tight as I would like. And sometimes they don't latch properly and end up flapping in the wind and wearing out the hinges.

I would have liked to have a slightly larger fuel tank.  You can get 200 miles on a tank of gas, but you have to stay off the throttle. And whats the point of a 113 CI motor if your not going to hit the gas?

Overall it is a great bike. If you are considering one go out and get it, you won't regret it.  

I bought my Stratoliner last Feb.  It is a great ride.  But it took a few months to get used to after riding an 1100 a couple of years after not riding too long myself.  So would definately recommend the Stratoliner but it is a big bike and may not be the first one to go to if you haven't ridden for a while.  

I took possesion of my new Stratoliner "S" on March 14, 2006. It's now February 2008 and I have 27,500 miles on it. I road from Ohio to Wyoming in 2006 and spent 3 weeks riding around the area. The bike handled flawlessly. It didn't matter if I was at 4,000 or 12,000 feet, the bike never missed a beat. It handles like a crotch rocket and has all the power you will ever need. It was a blast to ride whether I was cruising on I-90 at 80 or hammering it around the curves in the mountains. I averaged 45 mpg and never got tired riding. The hydralic clutch felt the same no matter how hot or cold the engine was. This is by far the best bike I've ever owned. I've been riding for 44 years and have ridden them all. Nothing compares to this motorcycle.  

I have a flat tire on my 06 Stratoliner and NO ONE in town wants to touch it!  "We don't want to mess with that bike" is what I am getting. The dealer i bought it from tells me thats a strange size tire and $350 is the lowest price I found!  

Questions.....

if you have a stratoliner with a tire that has to be special ordered and it takes 5 days to order....what do you do when you need a tire 700 miles from home?  be stranded in some far off town for days waiting for tire?  

I agree it is an awesome bike. I bought mine last July and now have 10k miles on it. I plan on taking a cross country trip on it this summer and look forward to every mile.

Bike as plenty of power handles great. The gas tank looks very large but doesn't hold as much as you think (a little over 4 gallons). I average around 35 mpg with good hard riding. I'm also a 350 lb guy so that doesn't help. The saddle bags could be larger.

I had a new rear tire put on a few weeks ago. I bought mine thru the dealership it took them about 3 working days to get it and they installed it fopr free since I bought it there. The tire was right @$250. I'm ordering a front tire and it cost $167. I guess if you are in the midddle of no where and get a flat that could be a big problem. I carry a plug kit for that reason. It's not recommended for long term but can get you to the nearest big town with a dealership and you can call ahead and have the tire waiting.

My previous bike was a Honda Goldwing that I had for over 10 years. I really loved that bike, but I think this bike is far superior to even the new Honda's. It's nice for around town to pop the winshield off and back rest to give the bike a cleaner look. On the highway or the city streets I have been impressed with everything about this bike.

Good Luck and Good riding.    

Hi everyone out there.
I'm looking for some Roadhouse slip-on for my Stratoliner.
Any one have some for sale, or can tell me where I can get some?

rudyard3  

I just traded my Vstar 1100 Silverado in for a new 07 Stratoliner S. What I will tell you is that if I had purchased the Strat first after my long riding layoff I would not be here. The difference in torque and power is overwhelming. The Liner is easy to handle and does not feel it's weight. But put some seat time in a smaller bike first!!!!  

HI; GOOD CHOICE    Have fun and ride safe...sruffy  

Hi Thread

Go to MOTORCYCLEMART.COM and order a Bridgestone G850 (original replacement tire) for (get this!) $129.00

I did - it's worth the savings!

Rudyard  

I am considering purchasing a Stratoliner in the near future.  I hear nothing but good things other than the tire issue, size of the bags, and fuel tank size.  Does anybody have any issues with excessive engine heat?  That is a big air cooled motor and I hear some issues from some of the HD guys complaining about engine heat of the their 1584 cc bikes and the Stratoliner is a lot bigger.  

Probably late for a reply, considering that this was posted in April. Just got home on my 06 Strat, God, I LOVE this bike. I must cop to the fact that it does throw a lot of heat, especially in traffic on a real hot day, but, after having an issue with my last bike (A Honda Shadow ACE Tourer) wherein the hose let go and sprayed coolant all over my girlfriend's leg, I kinda like the fact that this is air cooled.
Let me tell you, this is one solid, substantial bike. I got it with about 3K miles on it last season, and I have 20K + on it now .. the most off-putting things are, I don't think the bags, though pretty at first are very durable or functional, I had a piece of the bracket that holds the quick-release windshield on go flying off on me, but that's really about it. Again, let me reiterate - I LOVE THIS BIKE!!! I can't believe that, though they sit on dealer's floors at 16K + that you can get a new one on eBay for 10 -11 grand ... that's probably the best motorcycle deal going as far as I am concerned.
If you're considering this bike, GET ONE!

Barry  

Hi guy's which would be a better choice between a STRATOLINER S vs KAWASAKI VULCAN 2000.