Yamaha Star Venture / Eluder (1854cc, 2018-2021) Maintenance Schedule and Service Intervals
This is the maintenance schedule and associated service intervals for the 2018-2021 Yamaha Star Venture / Eluder.
The Yamaha Star Venture is a mega-tourer, or a luxury tourer. It’s basically a first-class plane ticket in motorcycle format. The Eluder is the same bike, but in “bagger” form.
Yamaha calls these “transcontinental” type cruisers. They’re powered by the 1854cc engine from the Yamaha Raider. It’s an air-cooled pushrod V-48-degree overhead valve twin with four valves per cylinder. It makes peak torque of 126 ft-lb (171 Nm), though power specs aren’t quoted (but this bike is more about torque, anyway).
This was originally published on July 30, 2020, but has since been significantly updated.
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Yamaha Star Venture / Eluder Service Intervals
The Yamaha Star Eluder and Star Venture have 4000 mile or 7000 km or six-monthly service intervals.
At every service, change the oil and either check or replace the spark plugs. Also run through the standard maintenance checklist, checking everything for leaks, cracks, looseness, etc.
Every 16000 miles or 25000 km, check the valve clearances (sadly this motor doesn’t have self-adjusting hydraulic tappets).
Interestingly the Star Venture / Star Eluder are air-cooled, so there’s no coolant. And there’s a low-maintenance belt drive on the rear end whose tension you should check periodically.
What you need to service your Yamaha Star Venture / Eluder
Because the Yamaha Star Venture and Star Eluder (which is the same as the Venture but ever so slightly trimmed down) are big, new, expensive machines, it’s unlikely you’ll be doing much more than oil changes on your motorcycle — if that. But in case you’re game, here’s the full maintenance schedule.
And in any case, yes, change your oil!
| Product | Part for Yamaha Star Venture and Star Eluder |
|---|---|
| Oil | The manual suggests Yamalube 10W-40, or any other oil that has API service SG type or higher, JASO standard MA. A high-grade alternative is Yamaha’s own fully synthetic Yamalube Synthetic 15W-50 (a favourite on the Star forums) |
| Oil filter | OEM Yamaha part is 5GH-1344061-00, or you can use a HF204RC, which you can remove without a special wrench. Tighten to 17Nm (12 ft-lb). |
| Spark plugs | Use NGK spark plugs with code DPR8EA-9 for the Star Venture/Star Eluder. |
| Air filter | Standard Yamaha part number is 2DF-14451-00-00. You can also use the K&N part YA-1818 which is more available. |
| Brake Fluid | You can use any DOT 4 brake fluid (the one we recommend is a high-grade synthetic one) |
| Cable lubricant | Protect all cable life is a popular and affordable cable lube. |
| Lube | Use Valvoline full synthetic lithium soap-based grease to lube external pivot points, bearings, etc. |
| Belt tensioner | Use a belt tension tool to measure the belt tension (and know if you have to make adjustments) |
Yamaha Star Venture and Star Eluder Maintenance Schedule
Below is the maintenance schedule for the Yamaha Star Venture and Star Eluder.
It’s broken into two parts:
- The service schedule (major items to do infrequently), and
- The maintenance checklist (to do at every service)
Service schedule
Notes
- At the end of the service schedule, keep following it in the pattern shown.
- Yamaha suggests you get a dealer or mechanic to service every aspect of the Yamaha Star Eluder other than the air filter, changing the oil, and greasing various external points.
| Mi x 1000 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Km x 1000 | 7 | 13 | 19 | 25 | 31 | |
| Months | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | 30 | Every |
| Conduct standard maintenance checklist (see below) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Engine oil — Change while warm (Yamalube Synthetic 15W-50) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Engine oil filter — Replace (HF204RC) | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Spark plugs — Check condition. Adjust gap and clean. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Spark plugs — Replace (DPR8EA-9) | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Valve clearance — Check and adjust valve clearance. Adjust if necessary. | ✓ | |||||
| Fuel injection — Adjust synchronization. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Air filter element — Air filter — Replace (YA-1818) Do not clean with compressed air | 24000 miles / 37000K km. More often if riding in dusty/rainy conditions. | |||||
| Brake hoses — Replace | 4 years | |||||
| Brake fluid — Change (Castrol DOT 4) Also change rubber parts of calipers and master cylinder. | 2 years | |||||
| Evaporative emission control system — Check control system for damage. Replace if necessary. | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Air induction system — Check the air cut-off valve, reed valve, and hose for damage. Replace any damaged parts | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Swingarm pivot bearings — Check operation and for excessive play. | ✓ | |||||
| Swingarm pivot bearings — Moderately repack with lithium soap-based grease. | ✓ | |||||
| Steering bearings — Moderately repack with lithium soap-based grease. | ✓ | |||||
| Rear suspension link pivots — Apply lithium-soap-based-grease lightly | ✓ |
Standard Maintenance checklist
Below is the standard maintenance checklist for the Yamaha Star touring motorcycles. Do this according to the schedule above.
| Standard maintenance checklist |
|---|
| Diagnostic system check — Perform dynamic inspection using Yamaha diagnostic tool (if you have one) and check the error codes |
| Fuel lines — Check fuel hoses for cracks or damage. Replace if necessary. |
| Clutch — Check operation, fluid level, and for fluid leakage. |
| Front brake — Check operation, fluid level, and for fluid leakage. Replace brake pads if necessary. |
| Rear brake — Check operation, fluid level, and for fluid leakage. Replace brake pads if necessary. |
| Brake hoses — Check for cracks or damage. Check for correct routing and clamping |
| Wheels — Check runout and for damage. Repair / replace if necessary. |
| Tires — Check tread depth and for damage. Replace if necessary. |
| Wheel bearings — Check bearings for smooth operation. Replace if necessary. |
| Steering bearings — Check bearing assemblies for looseness. |
| Chassis fasteners — Check all chassis fitting and fasteners. Replace / tighten if necesasry. |
| Brake lever pivot shaft — Apply silicone grease lightly. |
| Brake pedal pivot shaft — Apply lithium soap-based grease lightly. |
| Clutch lever pivot shaft — Apply lithium soap-based grease lightly. |
| Shift pedal pivot shaft — Apply lithium soap-based grease lightly. |
| Sidestand pivot — Check operation. Apply lithium soap-based grease lightly. |
| Sidestand switch — Check operation and replace if necessary. |
| Front fork — Check operation and for oil leakage. Replace if necessary. |
| Shock absorber assembly — Check operation and for oil leakage. Replace if necessary. |
| Front and rear brake switches — Check operation. |
| Throttle grip — Check operation Lubricate housing tube guides |
| Lights, signals and switches — Check operation Adjust headlight beam |
| Crankcase breather system — Check breather hose for cracks or damage. Replace if necessary. |
| Exhaust system — Check for leakage. Tighten if necessary. Replace gasket(s) if necessary. |
Maintaining the Belt
Every 2500 miles / 4000 km:
- Check the belt condition and replace if damaged.
- Check the belt tension, and adjust if necessary.
To check the belt tension, perform the following steps.
- Put the bike on its side stand
- Look in the drive belt check hole and note the current position of the belt.
- Apply 10 lbf (45N) of force on the belt using a belt tension tool.
- Measure the new position.
The belt slack should be between 4 and 6 mm.
Yamaha recommends you get a Yamaha dealer to adjust the slack if it’s incorrect. You may have to remove luggage and even the muffler to get to the bolts. But otherwise, adjusting belt tension is like on any other motorcycle.
About the Yamaha Star Venture and Eluder
The Yamaha Star Venture and Eluder were released in 2017 for the 2018 model year and is aimed squarely at luxury Harley-Davidson riders… as well as Honda Gold Wing riders.
They’re both luxury premium tourers with everything. Heated grips, cruise control, a really advanced audio system, and even a seat on the rear that many passengers would look at with enthusiasm rather than dread.
The two big Star variants are:
- Yamaha Star Venture — The full-dress tourer. You mostly can tell it’s the Venture because of the rear back rest and top box with integrated speakers.
- Yamaha Star Eluder — The bagger. This is the slightly pared-back version of the Venture. It has a shorter screen and is missing the top box, plus has a lot more stuff painted black.
The huge engine, which is 1854cc in capacity, is just under the displacement of Harley’s largest displacement engine, the Milwaukee Eight (which is 1868cc). It’s the same basic block as the one in the Yamaha Raider, but tuned differently.
Since it has less stuff, the Star Eluder (the bagger) is quite a lot lighter. The Star Venture weighs 434 kg (957 lb) and the Star Eluder weighs 397 kg (875 lb). They’re both obviously very heavy though, and weight isn’t likely to be a primary decision-making factor.
Both the Yamaha Star Venture and Star Eluder are powered by the same 1854cc (113ci) V-twin. It uses an old-school air-cooled pushrod activated design, though the engine is fuel injected. The final drive is a belt drive.
One thing Yamaha always does well is make big heavy tourers that handle well. Yes, they’d be a nightmare if you dropped them (mostly because of the scratches… they’d probably gently balance on their side cases!). But once underway, both Yamaha tourers are easy to control at every speed at which you take them. They even can handle moderate speed twisty turns well.
At low speeds, the big Yamaha tourers have motors to help you park them. And for the long tours, you have all kinds of touring aids like GPS navigation, satellite radio, dual zone audio control, fog lights, and a security system with an alarm.
Finally, the Star Venture and Tourer have a wealth of rider aids, including traction control, power modes, linked ABS, and cruise control. They’re not unexpected on luxury tourers, but it’s interesting to see them alongside an air-cooled pushrod-actuated V-twin.
Maintenance of both models is very similar to maintaining the stripped-back Yamaha XV1900 Raider. But that changes when you get to maintaining the infotainment system on these things! They both come with it.
In 2021, Yamaha quietly phased out the Star Venture and Star Eluder, focusing more on their sport touring and adventure touring motorcycles.
Reference — Manual for the Yamaha Star Venture and Star Eluder
The above information was gleaned from the owner’s manual for the 2018 Yamaha Star Venture. The schedule is the same across both motorcycles (we checked).
You can download it from Yamaha’s website here. Note some of the manuals online are for the infotainment system only.
