[Bubs]

Well my mate got his new Raider s today.Caught up with him early afternoon,he only had about 20 miles on it.Well I don't know,yeah the finish is great, nice chrome, colour good (Blue)Looked great from behind following him for about 15/20 miles just taking it easy 60-70mph.But I had a better look when we stopped for coffee,it looks (to me anyway) a bit "high" at the front thetank/ bars area.Is it me,but I still think the Warrrior has it hands down,your thoughts guys.

 

[robriguez]

I dont think there is another cruiser out there with the awesome sleek n sexy styling that the Warrior has. But then again, Im a bit biased.

 

[sin_city_warrior]

it looks (to me anyway) a bit "high" at the front thetank/ bars area.

I had the same observation the 1st time my coworker rode his Raider to work. (I was polite about it)

 

[slngshott]

I have seen many raiders in person and I agree it is high in the tank n bar area.It has that chopper look and I prefer the drag look.That is why I have a warrior.The raider is a very nice looking bike.I wouldnt mind having one but just prefer the warrior.

 

[BeauBo]

I test drove the Raider S. I drove it through swooping canyons, interstate, gravel, through town. IMO the Warrior handles a lot better. I prefer handling over looks. The Raider does look really good for a mild chopper but not many choppers handle like a warrior or drag bike would.

 

[07midnite]

I like it if I was to get back into the regular cruiser market again. I love the motor but not very sure about the style. It was my second choice whenI purchased my Midnite. Glad I bought the Warrior but still, it's avery nice bike.

 

[ezg123]

just don't like em. wasted money. they should have spent that time and investment on a better more powerful warrior with more custom features right out of the box. yamaha chopper? come on, the chopper market is way too far ahead of yamaha. No competition there. yamaha should stick with its mainline products and improve the good to even better. maybe riding one would make me feel different but if it does'nt out handle my warrior then I doubt I will like it.

 

[irichards]

I've had both and you can't compare them head to head as they're different beasts. If it was just down to me riding, I'd stick with a warrior, but as I'm taking my daughter to rallies, the Raider is a better bet(......for now).

 

[MarcoPolo]

you can't compare them head to head as they're different beasts.

+1 This has always been my view on it every time this topic comes up.

 

[gman]

I've had both and love the Warrior and the Raider. I just liked the looks of the Raider better and it has more power.

 

[ohiomike]

I think yamaha nailed it with The Raider. Its a great bike and half the price of a cheap chopper. Its faster than Most choppers, Handles better than any big dog and has tons of possibilities. Its reliable and as yamaha says, "Make it your own". The warrior is MUCH better in the handling dept especially in the corners. Power is in different areas. Both great bikes.

 

[irichards]

Mike,do you know how big a reartire you can get on the Raider (230?)before youneed a new swing arm, even if I do need to adjustthe belt pulleys? Given the bike hasn't got the same groung clearance/lean as the warrior, I figure it won't lose too much if I up the size a bit.

 

[tomba]

Mike,do you know how big a reartire you can get on the Raider (230?)before youneed a new swing arm,

Wondered how long it would take you Mr R....why are you asking about a 230 when you know you love that 300 look...ok..ok..so the 300 never took a corner well..i agree the Raider could look so much stronger with a bit of your favourite mods..and you are good at them i'll give you that in spades

 

[ohiomike]

I had a 240 on mine with NO MODS. There is a guy on the raider forum with 260mm on his with no mods except he had to notch the belt guards. personally I think the 260mm is way to big for the 7.5" rim. The 240 handles better than the stock 210.

 

[fake]

I wanted a black Raider since it came out. Sat on one and found it to be 100% more comfortable than my Warrior. When the time came to purchase the Raider, I could not find one anywhere. Then I saw my Warrior and fell in love with her. I love the look of the Warrior; the "i'm going to take you money and kick your ass too" school yard bully look.

 

[zipper]

The Raider is a great bike and would be better compared to the Rocker, Victory Jackpot, and Honda's new 1300 cc chopper, All these bikes go after a different market than the Warrior all together. The Raider that I rode had lots of power and handled better than I expected it to. Its not a Warrior when it comes to the curves but it will do a fly-by on the other three I mentioned. I ride with a guy who has a Kingpin with a stage one done to it. I was riding my XB12s( with a race kit and race only ECM and a tricked download) with him one day last summer and we met a guy we both knew who had just bought a new Raider. He said the only thing he did to it was pipes, an air cleaner, and a download. We all left together and got on it. He was behind us both. I left both of them like nothing, then at about 70 or 75 mph he blew by us like we were in reverse. It was impressive. Dynoed at 114 ft lbs. of torque and 370 pounds, my XB12s is one of the fastest bikes I know of from light to light. If we would had started out side by side he would have passed me at 65 or 70 mph. Thats almost Busa- like. Afterwards he let me take his Raider for a ride. It made me want one. The things i don't like at all are the fenders and the rear struts. I use to have choppers years ago and don't like how they handle. Long wheelbase and raked front ends do not generate into good handling geometry and road manners. I give it to Roadstar, the Raider does out handle and out run the Rocker, Jackpot and most other manufactured choppers. If I were looking for a "chopper" the Raider probably would be one of my favorites. That said I bought a 2002 Warrior and will have lots of cash left over to turn it into a sweet ride I can live with.

 

[MarcoPolo]

I give it to Roadstar, the Raider does out handle and out run the Rocker, Jackpot and most other manufactured choppers. If I were looking for a "chopper" the Raider probably would be one of my favorites.

If I were looking for a chopper I'd probably look at an actual chopper and not any of the bikes you mentioned. How are people still not understanding that "chopper inspired" does not mean it IS a chopper? Victory doesn't even claim the Jackpot to be chopperinspired but yetit even gets pulled into this? By the way a stockJackpot has 113 ft lbs of tq now without a singlemod or ECU change whatsoever. Not thatit's any more likely to outrun a Raider but the new 106" in them has improved from the older model you're using in your comparison.


Roadstar is a model, not a manufacturer by the way. Star is the brand that makes the Raider and Warrior. It's ok, you're not the first person that has posted here anddidn't know what brand bike they owned somehow.

 

[zipper]

2,760 posts in 417 days( as a member ). That's 6.618 posts a day. Looks like someone needs to get a life. This isn't all that important. Don't pop a tube on us.

 

[MarcoPolo]

Looks like someone needs to get a life.

Maybethe person who spends their time calculating other people's daily post percentage? lol


I'll keep the life I have thanks, it really doesn't suck retiring in your 30s and having all the time in the world to do whatever I want.

 

[zipper]

No problem, it only took a minute. Don't get your foreskin caught in the zipper. it's painful.