Yamaha Drag Star 400 - review of a cruiser from the 90s

RU-MOTO rating

• Reliability
• Chassis
• Appearance
• Comfort

5

Verdict

The Yamaha Drag Star 400 is a suitable motorcycle for a beginner as it is forgiving of mistakes. Another plus is its appearance. You will be noticed in the city and stand out from the crowd on the road. The disadvantage of the motorcycle is that it is not in a hurry and accelerates slowly. And after a couple of seasons, it usually gets boring.

Drag Star 400 is the first model in the Drag Star series from the Japanese manufacturer Yamaha. It replaced the Vigaro model in the production line. The new model received a modified silhouette, and a durable duplex frame instead of a spinal one.

The Yamaha Drag Star 400 is suitable for riders shorter than 180 centimeters who prefer to ride without passengers. The Yamaha Drag Star 400 has been and remains popular among bikers, which indicates the quality of this motorcycle.

Motorcycle Yamaha Drag Star 400

Price

Yamaha no longer produces this motorcycle, but if desired, the four hundred cc Drag Star can be purchased on the secondary market. Depending on the year of manufacture and technical condition, you can purchase a motorcycle on the Russian market for 155,000-168,000 rubles.

Read other motorcycle reviews Motorcycle Minsk MMVZ-3.112

Screenshot of the price of a motorcycle of different years of production from the portal moto.auto.ru

Yamaha drag star 400 modifications

Two modifications of the Yamaha drag star 400 appeared on the market at the same time: custom and classic. Motorcycles have different seats, fork covers, fenders and headlights. In addition, the classic modification has a larger rear wheel than the Custom modification.

Yamaha drag star 400 classic

Owners claim that the Yamaha drag star 400 classic has a higher level of comfort due to its wide and comfortable seat. In addition, the wing of the classic modification protects from water and dirt flying from under the wheels.

Yamaha Drag Star Classic. 400 cu.m. Profile photo

Yamaha drag star 400 custom

Yamaha drag star 400 custom for aggressive riding. This modification is lighter in weight and has a narrower steering wheel. This model is faster, but the stability is worse than the classic one.

Yamaha drag star 400 custom. Profile photo

In general about the Yamaha Drag Star 400

As mentioned earlier, the Drag Star 400 cruiser model replaced the outdated Virago. The new Yamaha has changed quite a lot and received several major changes. Among them are a new duplex frame, noticeably improved appearance and wheels. Some of the engine settings were also changed and the fuel system was redesigned. However, the main novelty was the new V-engine, which we will talk about a little later.

It is worth saying that Drag Star 400 almost immediately gained popularity in the market. It immediately began to be supplied to such large countries as America, Germany, Russia and others. The model was especially loved by American bikers, who improved and modified the bike in every possible way. The reason why the bike was a big success not only in the new engine, comfort and other important things, but also because the bike had two modifications.

The first version is classic, it’s called Classic. This is the regular version purchased by most motorcyclists for everyday riding. In principle, it was the basis of this model and did not represent anything unique.

The Custom version was considered a more unique version of the motorcycle. That is, it was not an ordinary one, but a modified Yamaha Drag Star 400. More specifically, it had improved technical characteristics and appearance, some unique details, such as wheels, wings, and so on. Thanks to the lighter weight, the bike picked up speed faster, but at the same time did not have such good handling. In general, this modification was intended for operating the motorcycle in a more aggressive mode.

Specifications

The motorcycle is equipped with an XV400/535 overhead gasoline engine, which is reliable and produces 32 horsepower. Thanks to this engine, the Yamaha drag star 400 reaches a speed of 135 kilometers per hour. The model accelerates to 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds. When used in mixed mode, the motorcycle consumes up to 5 liters of AI92/Ai95 gasoline. The gas tank capacity is 16 liters.

Read other motorcycle reviews Review of the IZH Planet-5 motorcycle

Yamaha drag star 400 is equipped with a five-speed gearbox, and rear drum and front disc brakes.

Brief history of the model

Model

: Yamaha Drag Star 650 (Europe).
Factory designation
: 4VR2, 4XP1, 4XP2, 4XR1, 4XR2.

Model

: Yamaha Drag Star 650, Yamaha Drag Star 650 Classic, Yamaha V-Star 650 Custom, Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic (Europe, North America).
Factory designation
: 4VR3, 4VR4, 4VR5, 4VR6, 4XP3, 4XP4, 4XR3, 4XR4, 4XR5, 4XR6, 5BN1, 5BN2, 5BN3, 5BN4, 5BN5, 5BN8, 5BN9, 5FB1, 5FB2, 5FB3, 5FB6.

Model

: Yamaha Drag Star 650, Yamaha Drag Star 650 Classic, Yamaha V-Star 650 Custom, Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic (Europe, North America).
Factory designation
: 4RX8, 4VR7, 4VR8, 4VR9, 4VRA, 4XR7, 4XR8, 4XR9, 4XRA, 5BNA, 5BNB, 5BNC, 5BND, 5BNE, 5BNF, 5BNG, 5FB7, 5FB8, 5FB9.

Model

: Yamaha Drag Star 650, Yamaha Drag Star 650 Classic, Yamaha V-Star 650 Custom, Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic (Europe, North America).
Factory designation
: 4VRB, 4VRC, 4XRB, 4XRC, 5BNJ, 5BNK, 5BNL, 5BNM, 5BNN, 5BNP, 5BNR, 5FBA, 5FBB, 5FBC.

Model

: Yamaha Drag Star 650, Yamaha Drag Star 650 Classic, Yamaha V-Star 650 Custom, Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic (Europe, North America).
Factory designation
: 4VRD, 4XRD, 5BNT, 5BNU, 5BNV, 5BNW, 5BNX, 5FBD, 5FBE, 5FBF.

Model

: Yamaha Drag Star 650, Yamaha Drag Star 650 Classic, Yamaha V-Star 650 Custom, Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic (Europe, North America).
Factory designation
: 4VRE, 4XRE, 5FBG, 5FBH, 5FBJ, 5SC1, 5SC2, 5SC3, 5SC5, 5SC6.

Model

: Yamaha Drag Star 650 Silverado, Yamaha V-Star 650 Custom, Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic, Yamaha V-Star 650 Silverado (Europe, North America).
Factory designation
: 5FBK, 5FBL, 5FBM, 5SC7, 5SC8, 5SC9, 5SCB, 5SCC, 5SCD.

Model

: Yamaha Drag Star 650 Silverado, Yamaha V-Star 650 Custom, Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic, Yamaha V-Star 650 Silverado (Europe, North America).
Factory designation
: 5FBN, 5FBP, 5FBR, 5SCE, 5SCF, 5SCG, 5SCJ, 5SCK, 5SCL, 5SCM.

Model

: Yamaha Drag Star 650 Silverado, Yamaha Drag Star 650 Classic, Yamaha V-Star 650 Custom (+ Midnight), Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic, Yamaha V-Star 650 Silverado (Europe, North America).
Factory designation
: 3B61, 3B62, 3B63, 5FBS, 5FBT, 5FBU, 5SCN, 5SCP, 5SCR, 5SCT, 5SCU, 5SCV, 5SCW, 5SCX.

: Yamaha Drag Star 650 Silverado, Yamaha Drag Star 650 Classic, Yamaha V-Star 650 Custom (+ Midnight), Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic, Yamaha V-Star 650 Silverado (Europe, North America).
Factory designation
: 3B64, 3B65, 3B66, 4C51, 4C52, 4C54, 4C55, 4C56, 4C57, 4C58, 5FBV, 5FBW, 5FBX, 5SCY.

Model

: Yamaha Drag Star 650 Silverado, Yamaha V-Star 650 Custom (+ Midnight), Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic, Yamaha V-Star 650 Silverado (Europe, North America).
Factory designation
: 3B67, 3B68, 3B69, 4C59, 4C5A, 4C5B, 4C5D, 4C5E, 4C5F, 5FBY, 5S11, 5S12, XVS65AW-B, XVS65AWC-B.

Model

: Yamaha Drag Star 650 Silverado, Yamaha V-Star 650 Custom (+ Midnight), Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic, Yamaha V-Star 650 Silverado (Europe, North America).
Factory designation
: 3B6A, 3B6B, 3B6C, 4C5G, 4C5H, 4C5J, 4C5L, 4C5M, 4C5N, 4C5P, 4C5R, 5S13/ 5S14, 5S15.

Model

: Yamaha Drag Star 650 Silverado, Yamaha V-Star 650 Custom (+ Midnight), Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic, Yamaha V-Star 650 Silverado (Europe, North America).
Factory designation
: 3B6D, 3B6E, 3B6F, 4C5S, 4C5T, 4C5U, 4C5V, 4C5W, 4C5X, 5S16, 5S17, 5S18.

Model

: Yamaha Drag Star 650 Silverado, Yamaha V-Star 650 Custom (+ Midnight), Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic, Yamaha V-Star 650 Silverado (Europe, North America).
Factory designation
: 1BF1, 1BF2, 1BF3, 1BG1, 1BG2, 1BG3, 3B6G, 3B6H, 3B6J, 5S19, 5S1A, 5S1B.

Model

: Yamaha Drag Star 650 Silverado, Yamaha V-Star 650 Custom, Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic (Europe, North America).
Factory designation
: 1BF5, 1BG4, 3B6K, 3B6L, 3B6M.

Model

: Yamaha Drag Star 650 Silverado, Yamaha V-Star 650 Custom, Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic (Europe, North America).
Factory designation
: 1BFA, 1BG6, 3B6S, 3B6T, 3B6U.

Model

: Yamaha V-Star 650 Custom, Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic (North America).
Factory designation
: 1BFC, 3B6V, 3B6W, 3B6X.

Model

: Yamaha V-Star 650 Custom (North America).
Factory designation
: 3B7D, 3B7E.

Model

: Yamaha V-Star 650 Custom, Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic (Canada, Australia).

Model

: Yamaha V-Star 650 Custom, Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic (Canada, Australia).

Model

: Yamaha V-Star 650 Custom, Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic (Canada, Australia).

Model

: Yamaha V-Star 650 Custom, Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic (Canada, Australia).

Owner reviews

Below we have collected 5 screenshots of owner reviews from the bikepost portal and thematic forums:

Screenshot of owner review #1

Screenshot of owner review No. 2

Screenshot of owner review No. 3

Screenshot of owner review No. 4

Screenshot of owner review No. 5

Comparison with Honda Shadow 400

Honda Shadow 400 is a competitor to the Yamaha drag star 400 both in the Japanese and in our markets. If we compare both competitors, we will conclude that the Yamaha drag star 400 has a comfortable fit for people above average height. The fuel consumption of both motorcycles is the same, as is the acceleration dynamics. The Yamaha drag star 400 has a longer engine and transmission that will last longer. Thus, despite the comparable cost, the Yamaha drag star 400 outperforms its competitor in terms of technical characteristics.

How convenient and comfortable is Drag Star 400?

The Yamaha Drag Star 400, whose technical characteristics make it possible to confidently move both around the city and on the highway, has a number of other advantages. The first is, of course, comfort. Even on older motorcycles, uneven roads will not cause you much inconvenience, because the motorcycle suspension is quite soft. The rear shock absorbers and front fork do their job very well and absorb all the bumps perfectly. However, as the owners of the Custom modification say, in this version the Yamaha Drag Star 400 is not so convenient. The point is a stiffer suspension, which is made for better handling.

Also, people with a height of more than 180 cm will experience discomfort. Since the bike is quite low, sitting on it will be extremely uncomfortable. Otherwise, the motorcycle is ideal for riding around the city and beyond.