Yamaha V star 1300 touring

[OldF7Guy_imp]

I am just wondering if any of you guys ever owned any of the V stars? I know two local folks who had the small 650s and they were nearly indestructible and one fellow had a 1100 which was a real good bike long term.

I was just killing time today these things can be had pretty cheap if you shop it out. They make a touring model in the 1300 which is pretty nice. These things are way cheaper than the sport touring models like the ST1300 or FJR1300. They dont have near the power and would not be as sporty but if your one up on a long trip I dont see why it would not work pretty well. Im just kicking around some ideas and wanted some opinions.

For once, I dont like the Honda offering of the 1300 interstate because the front end is raked too far out and I think that could cause some handling gremlins. Im thinking 1300 cc would be enough even on a V twin one up for some longer hauls. These things only make the horsepower of the old 750 Nighthawks but have loads more torque and it better have because its over 200 lbs heavier. Appreciate any opinions. Is this enough bike to ride cross county on one up? I am thinking its enough but would like to hear what others think.

I mean heck, a while back some fool rode a Honda Grom 125 from Texas I think to Alaska and actually made it. I just dont want to go that slow to see the country just to say I did it on a 125 with 9 horsepower.

[NightRider_imp]

I am just wondering if any of you guys ever owned any of the V stars? I know two local folks who had the small 650s and they were nearly indestructible and one fellow had a 1100 which was a real good bike long term.

I was just killing time today these things can be had pretty cheap if you shop it out. They make a touring model in the 1300 which is pretty nice. These things are way cheaper than the sport touring models like the ST1300 or FJR1300. They dont have near the power and would not be as sporty but if your one up on a long trip I dont see why it would not work pretty well. Im just kicking around some ideas and wanted some opinions.

For once, I dont like the Honda offering of the 1300 interstate because the front end is raked too far out and I think that could cause some handling gremlins. Im thinking 1300 cc would be enough even on a V twin one up for some longer hauls. These things only make the horsepower of the old 750 Nighthawks but have loads more torque and it better have because its over 200 lbs heavier. Appreciate any opinions. Is this enough bike to ride cross county on one up? I am thinking its enough but would like to hear what others think.

I mean heck, a while back some fool rode a Honda Grom 125 from Texas I think to Alaska and actually made it. I just dont want to go that slow to see the country just to say I did it on a 125 with 9 horsepower.

Well. It seems to me that 750s used to be the Superbikes and a 750 with a Vetter fairing made great long distance runners so I suppose an 1100 or a 1300 is almost overpowered? I think our 1100s should make great touring bikes but I've not toured with one so I might be speaking out of turn. If I were looking for a touring bike, I'd focus less on engine size and more on great fairing and luggage options and real cruise control as must haves.

[metallyguitarded_imp]

I wonder if NightRider realizes he quoted OldF7Guy but then didn't write anything. Is there a hidden message there? Is NightRider saying the answer is so obvious he need not write anything? In quoting OldF7 without an answer is he saying, "Search within yourself. You already have the answers to all the questions you ask"? What is the sound of one hand clapping?! C'mon NightRider, don't do this to us! Speak your wisdom plainly, loudly, so all can profit! Have I had one too many glasses of wine? Possibly.

I have never ridden a V Star but think they're beautiful bikes. Having ridden a cruiser for just over a year, however, I can say that most, if not all of them, tend to lock you into position - feet forward putting all the weight on your bum with little ability to move around in the saddle. If you invest in a good aftermarket seat (I ended up going with a Corbin Gunfighter and loved it), it helps tremendously. Still, without the ability to slide forward and back and carrying all the weight in one spot, it can get rather uncomfortable on your backside after a couple of hours. The more upright or even slightly forward position of the touring and sport-touring bikes, I feel, is much more comfortable over greater distances. Can you ride across the country on a 1300cc cruiser. No doubt in my mind that you could. Proper saddle, windscreen and bags and you'd be fine. Stop when you need to stop. Go when you need to go. Take lots of photos and share them with all of us. All is right in the world.

Edit: Okay, either I drank WAY too much wine or NightRider came back and edited his post! I suppose the alternatives are not mutually exclusive.

[NightRider_imp]

Quote:I wonder if NightRider realizes he quoted OldF7Guy but then didn't write anything. Is there a hidden message there?
Yes. The hidden message is NightRider still has not figured out all the buttons to push when posting, and probably never will...

[the Ferret]

I've only test ridden one to diagnose a strange noise in a customer bike for the dealership. (had a strange gear whine when decelerating). I only rode it 25 miles but 2 things struck me immediately. One the peg placement. Guess I could get used to it, but had a devil of a time finding the pegs after leaving a light. 2 nd, when you come to a stop and went to put my feet down, my feet hit the ground way before I was expecting them to.

Engine power was fine, brakes were fine, acceleration adequate, but I swear I don't know how guys get used to that cruiser body positioning. Ergonomically it just felt so weird.

As far as power, I think they have way less power than a CB 1100. If it were me I'd rather put a clear fairing, and a set of soft luggage on the CB and ride it. Then again you could pick up a used ST 1300 for around $6K, a Bandit 1250 Suzuki for probably $4K a used FJR for $6-7K, a Concours Kaw for $ 6-7K...Especially this time of year if you are looking for a cross country sport tourer

[ss2wheels_imp]

I have owned 2 1100's, for the money they can be had for they are great bikes.[/img]

[furious_blue_imp]

While not the V-Star, I did take a month off once and took a solo trip on a Honda VT1100 Shadow, west coast to east coast (NYC), down south to Georgia and back through the southern states. At no time did I feel that I needed any more power (probably saved me a lot of speeding tickets).
I would think that the V-Star would be just fine for this kind of thing.

I had always wanted to see a 'Piggly Wiggly'. Some people in the parking lot thought I was nuts taking this picture.

[the Ferret]

SS did either your 1100's have a very noticeable whine whenever you let off the gas, clutch out, and just decelerated without using brakes,(compression braking) like approaching a curve, or slowing before a stop sign?

[ss2wheels_imp]

SS did either your 1100's have a very noticeable whine whenever you let off the gas, clutch out, and just decelerated without using brakes,(compression braking) like approaching a curve, or slowing before a stop sign?

I dont think so ferret, my 1st one was a 2000 and my current one is 2008 I really dont think i have noticed that, I really enjoy the bike for what it is, a low cost comfy cruiser...

[the Ferret]

Oh you would have noticed it, every time you let off the gas it was WHHHHHIIIINNNNNNNEEEEE, pull in clutch, noise goes away. Put it in neutral, noise goes away. Figured it wasn't normal. A week later customer traded bike in on something else..