2006 Yamaha reviews

It appears ugly but it grows on you. It's not fast but it's not dangerous. It doesn't have a ton of storage but certainly enough. It's not light but it's stable. OK, so it's not pretty, fast, or light, and tall people need not apply. So why do I love it? I have never owned such a high quality scooter. It treats me to 74 mpg. with decent capacity. The unusual handling is completely predictable and solid. The brakes are wonderfully predictable. It's whisper quiet as a scooter should be and has a smooth as glass ride. You'll notice big bumps but never jarring. It's completely highway capable. But I only use it to get to the curvy roads. Did you ever take a chance at work or in school and make friends with the weird kid that was a little bit different but interesting? Then found you became best friends because he had so much personality and was truly a good person and a dependable friend that was up for whatever it was you wanted to do? Well, You should have! Show less

Everyday I get on, it feels like the first time. There is plenty of power and looks. A lot of friends have H-D's and say, take mine for a ride - wrong! A Road King with big juggs and cam and all the other so-called parts, can't compare. Comfort is day and night. When it's time to fuel up, they have to use high octane, and still ping along, and don't forget the added octane booster. Whenever taking off at a stop, somehow someone always misses a shift. Is it me, or don't these guys know how to shift, or is it running too hot? My only complaint is tire wear. I'm on my third set in 17,000 miles. Normal, I don't know and can live with that. Plenty of miles and tires ahead. Ride safe. Show less

When I was a beginner rider, this bike was great. It handles nice on the track and in the mountains and it's great for off road. It has the get-up-and-go that any new/intermediate rider needs. It's a great bike. Show less

It's just a smooth ride at 55/60 and the handling is great. I have had several scooters. The Vino is the best all around for me. Show less

I bought the Roadliner as my first bike because it is a big air cooled v-twin that looks good. However, after riding the bike several weeks I realize this is far more than a good bike. It's a great bike. The engine produces a ridiculous amount of torque that just keeps coming on endlessly. The engine is so smooth that Yamaha had to build a "pulse" into it so it shook a little. The wide "beach bike" handlebars make have the cables hidden inside them and give you a comfortable and easy riding position. There are two sparkplugs per cylinder for complete ignition and max combustion efficiency. The frame is aluminum so the bike is amazingly stiff and you can throw it around pretty easily for a big cruiser. Like all modern bikes, it's fuel injected, computerized with oxygen sensors and LED taillights. I personalized mine with some cool aftermarket parts but the D&D slip-on muffler made a significant performance improvement. On the downside, gas mileage is only about 44 mpg combined city/highway. I just came back from Daytona Beach bike week and got tons of complements on my bike. Show less

The lil' XT is a great dualie as a commuter/off road bike (not highway or rush traffic, mine will do 74 mph. but I weigh 210 pounds). The bike has a nice low seat position (I have a 30" inseam and I can touch both feet on the ground with some to spare). The 6th gear is great on level grounds (but is very tall and will pull it down on inclines). It has electric start (you can get a kick start for this bike for about $130, but it is extremely cold natured). You can take twisties with ease (with the right tires). The bike is a ton of fun to ride even though acceleration is slow (about 8 seconds 0-60 on tarmac and very sluggish after 60). With all that said, this is an excellent bike, and I couldn't imagine not having it (my pure street bike is a CB750). Bear in mind that it's not a KLR650, it is a 225. If you don't hit interstates or have to maintain 55 or higher going up mountains, and you are inseam impaired, this is an excelent lil' dualie. Off road there aren't any complaints. In fact it's light weight and its manuverability are why I bought it in the first place, but soon realized I was driving it more than the CB750 on the street as well. I highly recomend this little bike to anyone. Show less

Highs - The modern UJM - it does almost everything OK, and many things very well. It's a tremendous value. - It handles light touring and two-up riding. - It's nice upright riding position soothes my aching mid-forties back (after the past several years on sport bikes). - It's a very reasonable sporting alternative to an all-out sport bike. - The engine pours on the power above 8,000 rpm. and up past 13,000. - It has a light, easy and consistent shifter. - The Harleys can't keep up. - It's 100% reliable over four years and 4,000+ miles. - It's averaged 55-60 mpg so far. Lows - It could use a bit more torque at low rpms. - The clutch is a little tricky off the line (minimal freeplay). - The seat height is a bit tough on my inseam. - You should use both headlights on low/high beam. - The suspension could have more adjustments. - The brakes will fade a bit in the twisties. Show less

After waiting 30 years to ride again, I couldn't afford an expensive bike, so the wife let me buy this. It reminds me of the two strokes of the 70's, but easier to ride. It's both a hobby and fun ride. At 50, my mind would love a YZ250, but my body is in love with this bike. I have a young daughter to take care of, and this bike allows me all the fun of mods, riding all day and returning home safe. It's great weekend fun. Show less

This bike is awesome!!! The local dealership is a great place to deal with. I have bought seven bikes from them. I live in Florida and still will only buy from them. I have owned every bike on the market. Yamaha is the best Japanese bike when you put the right parts on. Show less

I bought this for my son last year because his 50cc Vino slowed down so much when going up hills that he was holding up traffic. I didn't realize until we parked it next to the 50cc Vino that it is quite a bit bigger. I am short and can barely tippy toe touch the ground on it while sitting at edge of the seat. My inseam is 29". It rides great for a scooter and has a lot of pick-up when taking off. I think that it would feel more stable if it had bigger wheels though. The battery is easy to reach if you need to recharge it, unlike our 50cc Vino. The styling is nice, and I like the choice of kickstands. It seems weird to me that it will not start if the kickstand is down. This is inconvenient for me, because it is hard for me to use the kick start without the kickstand being down. We bought this used and it has always been a little trouble to start. We usually have to kick start it while pressing the starter button. The housing for the headlight is really expensive if you run into the wall and break it like my son did. I think it may have to stay broken unless he wants to pay $250 for a new one. The front leg shield was also cracked, but it is under $100 to replace that. Go figure. Show less