2011 Star Stryker First Ride

 Fall may signal the end of summer, but it also signals the beginning of press launch season. Woke up at the Driskill Hotel in downtown Austin last week with riding on my mind. Went outside where a row of raked-out cruisers with custom-painted tanks and low-slung saddles awaited. The motorcycle’s back-to-front symmetry leaves a positive initial impression. Low and wide out back, the 2011Star Stryker gradually gets taller as you scan forward, the bars mounted on its raised steering head punching out rider’s arms almost horizontally before the fork drops off at a heavy 40-degree rake angle. The 21-inch tall front hoop balances out the 210mm-wide rear tire. We fire them up with the effortless thumb of an electric starter. The 60-degree V-Twin vibrates sedately at idle as dual crankshaft balancers work their vibration-quelling magic. The mill sits ready for a solid twist of the right wrist to activate the flow from its dual 40mm throttle bodies. Heading down Sixth Street, another motojournalist takes the opportunity to be the first to light up the tires. Right in front of Austin PD. Fortunately, the officer was in the middle of writing a ticket and we were able to embark without incident on a 125-mile first ride on the 2011 Stryker through the Texas Hill Country. 

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