Years sold: 2002-2009
MSRP new: $11,999 (2002)
Blue Book retail value: $5840 (2002) to $9270 (2009)
Basic specs: A 1670cc, air-cooled, ohv, four-valve-per-cylinder, fuel-injected, inverted-fork, belt-drive, 48-degree V-Twin that hammered out 80 rear-wheel horsepower and 104-foot-pounds of torque.
Why it won: The Warrior barely got nudged out of 2002′s Best Cruiser award by Harley-Davidson’s new-for-’02 V-Rod, but it did grab an Honorable Mention in what was a very close competition in that category. The Warrior thoroughly impressed us by bridging the huge, seemingly insurmountable abyss between cruiser and sportbike. It offered the feel, the sound and the soul of a V-Twin cruiser, but mated it with enough cornering clearance, steering agility, suspension competence and radial-sport-tire grip to allow surprisingly spirited handling on twisty backroads. “A rationalized version of a cruiser,” is how we described it in our January, 2002, issue, “a bike that encourages you to ride the type of roads that must be ridden.” If there’s one bike that looks and sounds like a laid-back cruiser but hustles and bustles on a backroad, this is it.
From the Ten Best story: Though the aluminum-framed, 1670cc Yamaha got edged by an 1130cc, steel-framed Harley, “The Warrior still kicks ass, and you can buy two of them for what your Harley dealer gets for a V-Rod.”
Useful resources: As usual, there is a wide variety of information accessible through the Internet. This includes forums dedicated to the Warrior, along with parts and accessories for this particular Yamaha, along with bikes for sale, technical insights, tests and reviews, and even listings of recalls for the Warrior. You’ll also find also information regarding Yamaha Road Star clubs that, of course, include Warrior riders in their ranks.
