Yamaha has a new "tourer" on the market.
The Eluder. It is a "re-birth" of the Venture Touring. It will be sold "less" touring topcase.
This one will be an 1800 cc V-twin, has analog gauges. Weight 873#. The entry level is $22,499. About $500 less than the 1800cc/6 wing.
The article:
Before I rode the Yamaha Star Eluder, I wondered if it should be called the Enigma. As a package, the motorcycle didn't immediately make sense to me.
The Eluder is essentially the Venture touring motorcycle Yamaha introduced last year without the top box, passenger backrest, rear speakers and the Sure-Park feature (an electric motor that helps the rider maneuver into parking spots). There are some other minor styling differences, such as blacked-out parts on the Eluder, but it still has two defining elements that struck me as contrasting when I saw them on the Venture: a thoroughly modern and full-featured touch screen infotainment system and electronic rider aids package coupled with a very traditional, low-revving, air-cooled V-twin engine.
I'll get to the riding impression in a minute (skip ahead if you just want the review), but before I even threw a leg over the Eluder, I was eager to ask the Yamaha execs why they chose this engine for their touring bikes.
A link to my original thread with some pictures.
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/s...d-is-Happening