[motorcyclistonline] - 2016 Star Motorcycles: New Cruisers, Touring Bikes, and Returning...

At the combined Yamaha/Star Motorcycles event today, the company pulled the curtain back on its returning and new 2016 cruisers. Because the stylish and diminutive Bolt sold so well last year, Star has already introduced 2016 versions of the base and R-Spec bikes (priced, as before, at $7,990 and $8,390, respectively). CLICK HERE to see the early-release 2016 Star Bolt and Yamaha FZ models.



Now word comes that the C-Spec has had its contract renewed for 2016, drenched in a very hipstster-esque Desert Bronze paint scheme at the same $8,690 as it sold for this year. No mechanical changes to the Bolt’s bobber-style sibling.

MORE 2016 FIRST LOOKS:

• 2016 YAMAHA YZF-R1S
• 2016 Yamaha 60th Anniversary Specials

Two new models for 2016 are the V Star 950 Tourer and V Star 1300 Tourer. Adding locking, removable clear windshields and backrests to the long-running touring cruisers adds to their mile-eating capabilities without making them overly complicated. As before, both models come with leather-wrapped, formed saddlebags, floorboards, generously pulled-back bars, and cast wheels. There is no “base model” of the V Star 950 or V Star 1300 this year. Prices start at $9,790 for the V Star 950 Tourer in Raven and $12,390 for the V Star 1300 Tourer in Raspberry Metallic. The 950 comes ashore in November, and 1300 will arrive in January.



Other Star models returning for 2016 include the V Star 650 ($6,990 in Electric White) and the V Star 250 ($4,340, also in Electric White). No changes in price or specification for either of Star’s smallest cruisers.



At the other end of the displacement scale is the mighty VMAX, unchanged for years but who the heck cares? Its 1,679cc V-4 pounds out pavement-rippling torque through a shaft final drive and an aluminum chassis. New this year? Galaxy Blue paint. Same price as before: $17,990. Availability starts in November.



Star’s chopper, called the Raider, also returns for 2016 unchanged mechanically but wearing a Candy Red paint job for $14,990. That’s a 21-inch front tire out ahead of the 1,854cc, pushrod-valved, air-cooled, 48-degree V-twin. An aluminum frame allows a 33-degree steering head angle that’s pushed out another 6 degrees with canted yokes for a radical look but, so it says here, neutral handling. Available in December.



Ted Stryker survived Macho Grande to slap his savings down on either the returning 2016 Star Stryker in Galaxy Blue or the Stryker Bullet Cowl in Matte Gray. Set aside $11,690 for the unfaired bike, and $12,090 for the bulleted version. Both are mechanically the same as in 2015 and even carry over their MSRPs. And both carry a liquid-cooled, 1,304cc 60-degree V-twin. Look for them in your dealers come November.



Star’s mini-tourer, the V Star 1300 Deluxe, stays in the lineup for 2016, featuring a handlebar-mounted mini fairing and hard, lockable saddlebags along with a killer sound and navigation system underpinned by a standard Garmin zumo 665 and iPod/iPhone integration. Last year, the Deluxe’s tall windscreen came on the red version with the Raven bike getting a shorter, bobbed example. This year, the shorty is the only one available. Otherwise, no changes for the 1300 Deluxe, which runs $14,090 in Charcoal Silver and will be available in January.

Read between the lines and it’s obvious that there’s no Raider S or SCL in the ’16 lineup, nor does it look like the Stratoliner, Road Star, or Roadliner models will return to service for 2016. But with some tweaks to the existing platforms and continued success of the Bolt line, Star dealers shouldn’t have much to complain about next year.

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