Yamaha XVS950A Midnight Star

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh! (This is my cool noise!)

After the break neck power of the Rocket 3 and the mind numbing speed of the GSX-R 1000 over the last two weeks, it was actually rather refreshing to get on the back of the subject of this week's Diary, the extremely chilled out and very cool Yamaha XVS950A Midnight Star.

I have already tested the equivalent Suzuki model, the M800 Intruder, a few weeks ago and it was a bike I absolutely loved with retro styling, and being a big Yamaha fan, I was keen to see how their version of an entry level cruiser would stand up against its rival, and you know what, it's pretty damn sweet!!

My first impression was mostly one of "Wow........it looks amazing, almost like a chopper!" and it does, as it has a slightly longer frame than the Intruder and Yamaha have cleverly left some gaps in the chassis to give it that real "Old school" custom built cruiser look. It is breathtakingly beautiful, with my version being in dark blue and black with loads of chrome on show, although for those worrying about having to spend hours polishing it, most of the "chrome" is actually made from heavy duty plastic to save on weight and cost, and it also makes it a lot easier to keep shiny.

"Mindy" has a beautiful set of all chrome (real this time!) exhausts on her, and they not only look the part, but they actually produce the best grunty V Twin "Thwocking" sound that I have heard on a Japanese cruiser, which really comes into its own as you get up through the gears, managing to create a whole world of torque-y noise without the need for any aftermarket cans.

In fact, it must be said, having ridden a few Jap cruisers, this was by the far the one that felt and looked the most like its American counterparts, and when you consider the price for this is only £6500, that's one hell of a statement, so let's get down to why I like this bike so much.

I have mentioned before when I took out the Intruder, that I always had the image of cruisers as bikes for old men who wear open face helmets and polish there chrome so hard they can style their moustache in it. I was wrong, sure I will never lose that desire to get on a superbike and scare the crap out of myself with its amazing speed and acceleration, but I will put my hands up and say I have been converted to the ways of the cruiser! I just love everything about them, from the macho manly image, to the old style looks, to the awesome riding position, to the sound and grunt their Twin engines make.............they rule, and if you haven't tried one then you don't know what you're missing out on!

It's important to remember though, as with all bikes, that it's all about compromise though, so if you're looking to have your head snapped back by acceleration that would rip a whole in the space time continuum, you need to look elsewhere, this type of bike is not about breakneck speed or razor sharp handling, it's all about getting you there in comfort and style.

I also think that cruisers connect to that romantic image that exists somewhere in every biker, about hitting the old highways in the US and just travelling from town to town a la Easy Rider. It's probably more to do with an impending midlife crisis than anything else, but when I get on a cruiser.............a good one that is........I just feel..........well for want of a better word.......cool!

I don't mean the modern meaning of the word cool; I mean people nowadays spend more money on hair products than they do on food, and whatever happened to the side parting eh? No I mean the "I just rode here from Wales with nothing but a rubber band and a quart of whisky to power this thing" type of covered-in-oil manly cool that you associate with bikers from back in the day.

Yes I can't help but smile every time I get on the back of "Mindy" for instantly it makes me think about just heading out on "Route 66" to grab a burger, and not coming back for ..........ohh about 4 years!

With a big like this you will find yourself actually digging out your map book, even for a route you know really well, to simply find a longer, alternative way that will help you avoid any traffic, so you can just keep on cruising. This actually got to such a point that a 7 mile trip to my friend's house actually turned into a 28 mile journey so I could avoid a busy main road during rush hour, but I really didn't care, because I was having so much fun. In fact this bike should be crowned Queen of the leafy B road, as she has the ability to make even a 30mph speed limit fun.

That's not saying that you can't filter through traffic on her, in fact she is very easy to handle at low speeds, meaning you can throw her through the smallest gaps without too much trouble. It's more that with a bike like this, you just don't want to be sitting in traffic; you want to be embracing the open road with the wind in your leather tassels.
Easy to ride in the wet and damp, she really comes into her own when that rare thing happens during the British summer.............and the sun comes out.

Simply put "Mindy" is the perfect bike to ride in the heart stopping heat we had last week. You don't need to don full racing leathers before you nip to the shops, you won't be having to constantly throw yourselves into corners and work up a sweat as you would on a superbike, and you when you ride a cruiser you actually get that bit more time to appreciate the beautiful sights around you, instead of watching them flash past at a million miles an hour. All of this adds up to onje of the nicest chilled out riding experiences I have ever had.

It's just a much more mellow way of getting somewhere, that's not to say "Mindy" doesn't perform, with the 942cc engine providing more than enough power to see you up to 130mph, and while it might not be as quick off the line as other styles of bikes, it will still outperform most cars, and leave you pulling away easily from pretty much everyone else at the lights.

As I mentioned though, the key is to enjoy the journey, instead of trying to get there as quick as possible, and having now ridden a few cruisers, I can really say I must admit I love this style of biking.

You will find your Speedo and your entire instrumentation slap bang in the middle of the tank on Mindy, which is perfect as you wouldn't want to interrupt those beautiful handlebars, and sleek lines that start with the headlights and flow back, plus it's where it should be on a cruiser and it adds to this bikes authentic looks.

In fact Japanese cruisers are often referred as "Fake Harleys", so I thought I would do a bit of a test by taking her to Stratstone Harley's Open day at the weekend to see how she would fit in with the big boys! Sure it didn't quite have the full chrome and massive engines of the bikes from the USA, but considering the hefty price difference, I didn't think it looked too out of place, and in fact attracted some admiring glances and questions from the most grizzled of Harley fans.

So what else do you get with this bike, how about one of the most comfy rides I have ever experienced, sure like any two wheeled machine you'll feel it when you go over a massive pot hole, but this won't throw you off balance at all and just seems to swallow up any small bumps and dips in the road, in fact you kind of get the impression she would be pretty comfy riding over the Grand Canyon.

The brakes are ace too, and unlike the Intruder it has rear disc brakes instead of drums, which add a bit more oomph to your stopping ability and allow for much more manoeuvrability at low speeds. I also like the front foot rests, which are actual foot rests and not pegs, as they add to the overall sense of comfort on the bike, and they give you the option of changing gear with your heel for those who may be used to old style UK cruisers, which is a really nice touch, and shows that Yamaha really know their market.

The brand new 90 degree V Twin 942cc engine is designed to produce more torque than bhp, exactly what you want on a cruiser, and in fact kind of sums up this genre of bike, plus this works brilliantly on something as raw looking as this as it is styled to make it look like you made it in your shed with nothing but a blow torch and one of the legs of from the Eiffel Tower.

I must admit for someone who is used to really quick bikes, at no point did I feel frustrated about the acceleration of "Mindy", and in fact I grew to love the burble the cans made and the old school feeling of grunt that this thing produces. You can really work the gears if you want to and get a pretty respectable performance out of her, but you will have so much more fun just riding the wave of torque that she produces, and letting the bike do most of its work in the low down rev range.

Another great thing about the Midnight Star is that it's not just one of those cruisers you want to only take out on a long journey, with her being just as easy to nip on to for a quick visit to Kerrang Towers, as she is for a nice long cruise down to Bristol to visit a friend. In fact with most bikes you sometimes do feel like it might be bit wet for you to take out, or its pointless getting your gear on and taking the bike out for a such a short journey if you were thinking of nipping to the shops, but with Mindy none of this happened, as she was simply so easy to jump on and ride.

In fact that's the beauty of this bike, you get all the old school benefits of a cruiser, looks, style, noise, riding position etc. but because it's a Yamaha, you get none of the drawbacks, and you also get the positives of riding a Jap bike, like fuel economy, reliability, cheap parts etc so it really does give you the best of both worlds.

Probably the most amazing thing about Mindy is the amount of bike you get for your
buck, as at only £6,500 otr its a steal for a thing that feels so well made and so capable. Honestly I don't think she would have any problems if you tried to ride her to the moon, as long as you found a decent b road.

So in conclusion, a pretty damn sweet entry level cruiser, that at such a cheap price makes for outstanding value, and seriously, when the sun is out, there is nothing better than simply heading out on a bike like this and forgetting your worries! If you always wanted to try a cruiser but have been put off by the price and cost of running etc, then why not give this one a look?

I am going to stick with the cruiser theme next week when I take out the Triumph Rocket
Tourer, a customised Rocket 3 that looks like something from CHIPS, and the week after I will be trying out the grand daddy of the cruiser world, a Harley 1200R, and I can't blooming wait!

Plus I have also just been sent a picture of the Harley Fat Boy I will be getting in July to ride.....check this bike out..............dribble!