Passing Lamps!

[EnergyGuy]

Other than switching between solo and two up, I am satisfied (for now) with my ride. It showed up at noon, and I spent the afternoon wiring it up and getting it mounted:

https://imgur.com/a/o14onPr

What in the fuck is up with some of the prices for parts for the Roadie??? I actually came across a BENT passing lamp bar off of a wrecked '07 that the guy was asking $100 for. I realize they are discontinued, but mother fucker!! I just can't wrap my mind around my $5000 Japanese HD knockoff ever being a collector's item that would ever be worth enough to justify the price on stuff that sometimes is ok and sometimes is shit, but not available! If I had not come across a helluva a streak of luck over the past month and a half, there's no way I could have done half of what I've done to my bike and stayed under the purchase price / 4 = sensible upgrade budget. This isn't directed to anyone personally, as I just ignore those ads and move on, but I'm just throwing a general Fuck You and the horse you rode in on! for trying to get rich off of, for the most part, a respectable bunch of dudes that just want to make their bikes their own. If I've offended anyone, I'll kindly grab my onion belt and get off my own lawn. The final straw that brought out that rant was after 3 months of just missing new passing lamp posts on the RS facebook page, I hit one within 10 minutes of it being posted, messaged ol boy, was just about to finalize, and he messaged back that someone else - not naming names, but this guy ALWAYS seems to have bars for outrageous prices when none can be found - had offered 20 bucks more and I could have it for 20 on top of that. Love the look of the passing lamps, but couldn't justify the price.

So I really started digging. Ain't a junkyard in California, Arizona, Texas, Missouri, Louisiana, Florida, or North Carolina that would admit to having one. I went so far as to look up Wild Star parts out of Europe looking for a damn passing lamp bar. I found a guy in London that is still fabbing them (mostly to spec, I think the turn signal mount is different, but it's still solid and drilled for hidden wiring, in lieu of the "Special Bolt") brand new out of stainless tube. Guys, I paid $88 for the bar and $25 for the ride. Sucks that with covid and Christmas it took 7 weeks to arrive, but it's winter so I've nothing but time right now.

Here's how the lollipop mounts on the bottom side:

https://imgur.com/a/VImNuv4

and here's where it mounts to the OEM location on the frame. I wasn't sure what to use for spacers since I'm not mounting the windshield right now. At first I used 3/4" nylon spacers but after coming to the realization THAT connection is the ground that completes the circuit and allows the lamps to come on, I switched to brass:

https://imgur.com/a/9g3Eakh

I'm not pitching this guy, and I get nothing for even mentioning, but I'm a firm believer in word of mouth advertising and I guarantee this piece is every bit as quality as OEM Yamaha and I'll stick it to the guys selling overpriced trash every chance I get.

Here's the link to his persistent ebay listing. It always says last one, but like I said he makes them as they're ordered. Gentleman's name is David. Did not find him to be the most charismatic person to deal with - don't bother him before 10 business days after order because he will give you no information other than don't bother him until 10 business days have passed - but I'm not holding that against him. You can change the title to Road Star and he has a listing for it, too. Same part:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/YAMAHA-XV16...72.m2749.l2649

Business website. Doesn't list the passing lamp mount, but it looks like he does crash and sissy bars, too:

bikemastersuk.com/brand/yamaha/

And that completes everything I had planned for the off season:

AIS removal
Barron BAK
Gutted Stock Mufflers
Customized Brake Pedal
Laid Down Plate
Kuryakyn Highway Pegs with custom mount
ED seat
KST Mayhem Handlebars
Victory V92c Risers
LA Chopper HexTex Grips
Barron Stainless Steel Lines and Cables
Daymaker LED Headlight
Passing Lamp Mount with LED Passing Lamps

Can't wait to get her on the road!

[Horsehammerr]

I second Your Emotions on PRICE GOUGING !!! And Thanks for the Lead on new parts availability .

[Lug Nut]

Used prices on Yamaha (discontinued bikes) parts have increased about 25%-50% over the past 6 years that I have seen.... Availability dries up quickly... More bikes totalled/scrapped yearly... And online bike forums grow larger and more demand.....

Less parts + more demand = price increase

I don't think of it as price gouging because no one holds a gun to my head to make me buy something... It's my choice. Ge uine Yamaha / Star Accessories pieces are tons nicer than aftermarket parts and you end up paying More used than what they cost new in many cases.

As consumers we could stop the price increase by not buying... But we like that shiny chrome shit.

I remember paying $125 shipped for like new passenger floorboards and that was expensive....

[EnergyGuy]

As a guy tryin to get by, there's more than one rea$on I'm on a Star over a Hog, and it just sucks to see cheap up front / expensive on the back end vs outrageous upfront and cheap aftermarket. There's great deals out there, I found a bunch, but for everyday Joe with a couple bucks in his pocket this month but might get used up before next month who's looking for shiny chrome shit for his cheap ride, it's disheartening to see what is most apparent. For me it was that damn passing light bar. Last February I had found a couple of places with NOS kits but before I could pony up the $175 they disappeared and I've been chasing it since. My bike is titled as a Silverado but I guess the dealer either ran out of kits or the guy that sold it with 5k miles on it made a couple extra bucks on his way out the door. Now maybe I'll stop hearing from the guys that know "I thought the Silverados had factory fogs"

Like I said, I wasn't trying to offend anyone, just figuring I could rant to some guys on the same ride.

[Horsehammerr]

Well Brian , It's just Motorcycles in general . Some people have very large Heads and very Hard hearts. There are a few out there that simply realize others just want to ride , and if they feel the need for what they got laying around anyway , it's yours very reasonably priced . Heck , I've shipped stuff out to folks for the Good Feeling of Blessing someone to get the feeling back . Just a PAY IT FORWARD !!!

[EnergyGuy]

You're a good egg, Chuck!

[Jclevesque]

Not just in motorcycles is the supply and demand rise in prices. Any toy to get out of the house of the covid restrictions. I have started snowmobiling again last January and have seen an increase pf near 1.5 times going rate of used sleds and parts. Glad I was able to purchase at a normal used price back Jan 2020.

[brianmac]

No there's a bunch of guys that decided they need to make a living by taking bikes apart and selling the parts. They know that Yamaha quit making parts for them so they see a need and a want and an empty pocket they want to fill. I got to tell you though if you pay the same price as what apart costs new part that's been discontinued and you want it and need it I guess you got a deal. I have a set of beautiful leather saddlebags I'm too spare sets of hard bags with brackets that I'm fixing to sell on eBay. Just a FYI hard hard bags for road Stars are like unicorns also. we are seeing more now that a lot of the guys want their road starts to look like Harleys, and now they're using Indian bags, but Indian bags ain't cheap either. I have some assorted chrome parts too that eventually I'm going to post on eBay.

[Pauli466]

Im pretty sure the oem star passing lamp bar for the vstar 650 and 1100 will fit and there's lots of those for sale (str-4wm35-40-00

[EnergyGuy]

every site I search for that part number says unavailable:

https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-str-4w...ct_top?ie=UTF8

https://www.yamahapartspro.com/oempa...ing-lamp-mount

https://www.chapmoto.com/str-4wm35-4...tr-4wm35-40-00

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Yamaha-ST...4000/302743894

https://www.boats.net/product/yamaha/STR-4WM35-40-00

Unicorn....

Here's the list I use to cross reference parts numbers across the Star. It only goes to '03, but is very helpful

https://app.box.com/s/6pv19t8clhzgkntb3wjs36s4uz8j9zme

[brianmac]

No the v-stars 1100 won't fit the road star. The road star passing lamp bar is unique in that it holds up the third bolt to the headlamp bucket. The hole spacing may be different also. I put a set of passing lamps on my Vstar 1100. And a pair of pair of hardbags. I took it all off when I sold it, I sold the light bar by itself without the lamps on eBay for 75 bucks because even those are rare. Like I've said before I've been scavenging hard bags and light bars for the last I don't know eight years cuz if they just don't man come anymore. They do make a decent aftermarket one though I think it's Cobra it's like three bills or something but you know hey, I like the extra lighting they give a good amount of light, short of an LED conversion. Remember you cant put a LED bulb into a halogen lens it just won't focus properly. So if you're thinking about led ing your spots. I would have advise against the oems.

[brianmac]

I guess there's a bunch of people that are not lucky enough to make enough money so they try other ways even if some may think they're predatorial.

[SouthernLineman]

What gets me is finding a NOS part that is specifically for the Roadie, then trying to install it, only to find out it interferes with what's already there. I found a reasonably priced, NOS "Yamaha Star accessories" passing lamp bar, and after having to grind down the top rear weld to get it to fit with the headlight bucket mount, it won't fit with the Memphis Shades QR windshield bracket!