2006 Yamaha XV1700 Road Star Silverado

1 Owner | Just 2,659 Miles | Exceptional “Like New” Condition | £7,995

1,670cc / 102ci Air-Cooled V-Twin | Pearl White | Silverado Touring Model | Climate-Controlled Garage Kept From New

There are low-mileage motorcycles, there are exceptionally well-kept motorcycles — and then occasionally we find something like this.

This stunning 2006 Yamaha XV1700 Road Star Silverado has covered a quite staggering 2,659 miles from new, has had just one owner, and has spent its life stored in a climate-controlled garage in Florida.

We use the words immaculate and like new very carefully, particularly on a motorcycle now approaching 20 years old, but in this instance they are entirely justified.

Look closely at the photographs. The paintwork, chrome, engine casings, fasteners, wheels, controls, leatherwork and fittings all tell the same story. This isn’t a bike that has simply been polished up for sale — it is a motorcycle that appears to have been cherished and preserved throughout its life.

This is exactly why American Cruiser UK sources motorcycles from Florida. Bikes of this age simply do not turn up in the UK in this sort of condition very often.

A little history – the Yamaha Road Star

The Road Star was a hugely important motorcycle for Yamaha. Introduced for the 1999 model year, it was developed as the flagship of Yamaha’s American-style V-twin cruiser range, with Yamaha deliberately setting out to create its own genuine heavyweight cruiser identity rather than simply producing a Japanese interpretation of the genre. When the original XV1600 appeared, its 1,601cc V-twin was actually the largest-displacement engine fitted to a production motorcycle at the time.

From the outset Yamaha also offered the Silverado, taking the muscular Road Star platform and turning it into a proper long-distance cruiser by adding equipment such as a windscreen and leather luggage. The philosophy was straightforward: retain the stripped-back character and huge V-twin presence of the Road Star, but make it considerably more practical for two-up touring.

For 2004, Yamaha enlarged the engine from 1,602cc to 1,670cc – or 102 cubic inches – while also introducing changes including lightweight cast aluminium wheels, tubeless tyres and a slimmer final-drive belt. Fuel injection did not arrive on the conventional Road Star until 2008, meaning this 2006 machine retains the traditional carburetted big-V-twin character of the earlier motorcycles.

Interestingly, 2006 was also the model year in which Yamaha’s American cruiser range began being marketed more independently under the Star Motorcycles banner. The 2006 Road Star Silverado carried an original US MSRP of $12,799, and Pearl White was the listed factory colour — exactly the elegant finish you see on this example.

1,670cc of old-school V-twin character

At the heart of the Road Star is an engine designed to deliver character rather than chase revs.

The 1,670cc, 48-degree, air-cooled V-twin uses traditional pushrod-operated overhead valves with four valves per cylinder and hydraulic valve lifters. Fuel is supplied on this model by a 40mm Mikuni CV carburettor, with power fed through a five-speed gearbox and belt final drive.

It is an engine built around enormous low-down shove, a relaxed cruising rhythm and that unmistakable big-twin pulse. The hydraulic lifter arrangement also reduces the requirement for routine valve-clearance adjustment, while air cooling keeps the motor beautifully uncluttered.

And yes — that wonderful chrome “radiator” grille fitted to this motorcycle is purely for show.

There isn’t a radiator.

It’s air-cooled!

It’s exactly the sort of slightly outrageous period cruiser accessory that somehow looks completely at home on a Road Star.

The Silverado – the Road Star made for touring

The Silverado wasn’t simply a Road Star with a different badge.

It was Yamaha’s factory touring interpretation of the platform, adding the equipment owners would otherwise have had to purchase separately. On this example that means the gorgeous OEM studded leather panniers, large OEM windscreen, deeply padded studded seating and OEM passenger backrest which visually tie the entire motorcycle together.

The deeply valanced mudguards, huge teardrop tank, whitewall tyres, floorboards, sweeping twin exhausts and liberal use of chrome give it the appearance of a traditional American heavyweight cruiser, while underneath sit considerably more modern components including dual front disc brakes, belt drive and cast aluminium wheels. The 2006 model uses twin 298mm front discs together with a large rear disc, helping give the big cruiser reassuring braking hardware.

This particular Road Star

And this is where this motorcycle becomes genuinely unusual.

2,659 miles.

Not 12,659.

Not 22,659.

Just 2,659 miles from new.

Combine that with one-owner history and climate-controlled storage and the extraordinary condition suddenly makes sense.

The factory Pearl White finish is beautiful, particularly with its delicate contrasting pinstripe and the enormous amount of chrome surrounding it. The combination of Pearl White bodywork, whitewall tyres, black studded leather and brightwork is about as traditional as a heavyweight cruiser gets.

The chrome still has that deep mirror finish you normally only see on motorcycles a fraction of this age. The engine is exceptionally clean, the alloy remains bright, the wheel rims present beautifully and even the areas that normally betray years of use show remarkably little evidence of it.

It really does need to be seen in person to appreciate just how well preserved it is.

Factory equipment & fitted accessories

It is also extremely well equipped. Alongside the core Silverado equipment, this motorcycle comes with an excellent collection of genuine Yamaha and period accessories:

• OEM studded leather panniers
• OEM touring windscreen
• OEM passenger backrest
• Chrome rear luggage rack
• Full crash/highway bars
• Adjustable highway pegs
• Decorative chrome faux radiator grille
• Chrome lower fork covers
• Chrome front mudguard/fender rail
• Chrome light visors/eyelids
• Auxiliary front passing lamps
• Classic whitewall tyres
• Chrome rear fender tip/trim
• Full-size rider floorboards
• Studded rider and passenger seating
• Chrome switchgear and extensive additional brightwork
• Phone holder
• USB charging point
• Sat-nav unit – supplied with the bike, although the mapping/software would benefit from an update

What is particularly nice is that none of this looks as though it has been thrown onto the motorcycle later simply for the sake of accessorising it. Everything works visually with the Silverado’s original styling.

A genuine survivor

We import a lot of American cruisers, and condition is one of the main reasons we continue to source motorcycles directly from the United States — particularly states such as Florida where exceptional, low-mileage examples can still occasionally be found.

But even by those standards, this one stands out.

Finding another 2006 Road Star Silverado isn’t impossible.

Finding another one-owner example with 2,659 miles that has lived in climate-controlled storage and still presents like this is an entirely different proposition.

It has all the ingredients that make an older cruiser special: traditional carburetted V-twin engineering, acres of chrome, whitewalls, leather panniers, huge swept mudguards and genuinely imposing road presence. Yet it also has Yamaha engineering behind it and the practicality of belt drive, disc brakes and a proper factory touring package.

Whether it is bought to ride, show, collect or simply polish and admire, it would be difficult to find a better-preserved example.

2006 Yamaha XV1700 Road Star Silverado

Year: 2006
Engine: 1,670cc / 102 cubic inch V-Twin
Cooling: Air-cooled
Fuel System: Mikuni carburettor
Transmission: 5-speed
Final Drive: Belt
Mileage: 2,659 miles
Owners: 1 from new
Colour: Pearl White
Condition: Exceptional / Like New
Origin: Florida, USA
Price: £7,995

£7,995

This isn’t simply a clean Road Star. It is one of those rare, wonderfully preserved motorcycles that reminds us exactly why we travel thousands of miles to source our stock.

One owner. 2,659 miles. Climate-controlled storage from new. And condition that genuinely has to be seen to be believed.

Imported from the USA by American Cruiser UK – importing the finest American Cruisers since 2016.