Yamaha V Star Silverado - anybody have one?...

[Moses195]

Was wondering if anybody has any experience with a V-star. From what I've read it's a LOT LESS POWER than a FZ6. But people say it will go on the hi-way at 75 mph all day? That's kinda what I want for a 5 hour ride.

 

[08fz6]

by Vstar im asuming you are talking about the 650? my dad was a dealer for 10 years. And yes all the vstars are less power than your fz6 however it is also a different kind of power. I rode a vstar 650 when I was in high school for 2 weeks. I was 250pds it wasnt a whole lot of fun. Now a vstar 1100 is well worth the extra money! the 650 tops out roughly around 80mph and it has tons of vibration at that speed. the 1100 is a much smoother ride. I have heard nothing but great things about the 950 and 1300, they are also fuel injected where the 650 and 1100 aren't. Anyway any of those bikes will do just fine, however the 650 is a little under powered for interstates etc...

 

[Moses195]

Thanks 08fz6, Thats exactly what I meant! Thanks for the info. No 650 for me then. I like the wheels on the 950 a lot better! Now, where did I put that $2500.

 

[Moses195]

How about a 2008 Harley 883? Anybody. Would this cruise the hi-way?

 

[08fz6]

How about a 2008 Harley 883? Anybody. Would this cruise the hi-way?

Yes however I would say as long as you are a small framed person. Very tight bike....

 

[Moses195]

Thanks, but I'm 6 foot 4 inches! Harley too small?

 

[08fz6]

883 deffinetly! im only 5 foot 10 and im cramped. even the 1200 is gonna be. best thing to do would be go into the store and sit on one!

 

[Mexi-can't]

If your 6'4" you may need to change the forward controls to fit. Like most bikes though try and sit on a few cruisers and see what fits. As for power, I couldn't deal with a 650 or 750 personally, and I'm 5'10" and 160 lbs. There's just not enough power there for me. I have an 1100 Shadow Sabre and it fits me just right. Cruisers carry more heft and typically have less HP than the FZ6.

 

[CCHOUSEKY]

by Vstar im asuming you are talking about the 650? my dad was a dealer for 10 years. And yes all the vstars are less power than your fz6 however it is also a different kind of power. I rode a vstar 650 when I was in high school for 2 weeks. I was 250pds it wasnt a whole lot of fun. Now a vstar 1100 is well worth the extra money! the 650 tops out roughly around 80mph and it has tons of vibration at that speed.

I traded my '05 Vstar 650 Silverado for my '06 FZ6 after two years of riding it, so I feel pretty qualified to say the following.

08fz6 is right that it has a different power band than the FZ6. It's not going to get up and go anything near our bikes. HOWEVER...I'm 235 lbs and it had plenty of power for what it's main use is, that is, cruising. The saddlebags are a nice thing to have as are highway bars, but they're extremely hard to find for the 650. It took me about 2 months of searching online to finally find some to fit (the highway bars, that is). You'll find aftermarket stuff all day for the 1100, but the 650 is, apparently, the bastard child of the Yamaha cruiser lineup.

I'm not really sure where 08fz6 is getting that the 650 tops out at 80 mph. That's garbage, plain and simple. I would easily cruise at 80 on the interstate, with plenty of passing power to spare. Is it flickable power like the FZ6? Of course not, but that's not what those bikes are built for. I had mine over 100 mph many times, so the bikes got plenty of power, even for a big guy.

I'm also not sure where 08fz6 gets the vibration thing from. By far, the 650 Vstar is the smoothest bike I've owned, and that includes my FZ6. I never had any sort of vibration out of either the engine or suspension at any speed, let alone while cruising at 80 mph.

Now, all that being said, if you're 6'4", you're not going to be comfortable AT ALL on the 650. I'm 6 feet tall and I was extremely cramped on it, to the point of feeling like my meat and potatoes were sitting on the tank at all times, let alone under hard braking. Forward controls would help a bit, but the biggest problem is the seat. It's just too small in diameter. A coworker of mine had a 1100 Vstar and after sitting on and riding it, I tried to see if there was any way to make the 1100's seat fit the 650. No dice. Sure, you could probably rig something up, but it wouldn't fit easily. The seat on the 1100 is MUCH larger in diameter and gives you a lot more room, both for your ass and for your legs.

In your case, it sounds like the 1100 or something of similar size would be better. I loved my 650 and got a killer deal on it, but I always knew I was a sportbike person at heart. If you can, go to a Yamaha dealer and sit on both the 650 and 1100 back to back...you'll see what I mean about the cramped feeling of the 650.

If you have any other questions about the 650, feel free to PM me. :thumbup:

 

[C-bus Biker]

How about a 2008 Harley 883? Anybody. Would this cruise the hi-way?

With forward controls, you should be fine. Cruising at 75, the 883 still has some passing power. Look at 2004 and more recent specimens though as the prior-years will shake you off the bike. Other than the fact that I was ready for something a little more sophisticated, my only complaint with my 2000 883 was the vibration. My mirrors were useless. If I was going shopping for a cruiser today, I'd spend some time considering the Star cruiser line as well as a newer Sporty.

 

[Moses195]

Thank you so much CCHOUSEKY, Helps a lot. I actually make myself a pest at the dealer as it's only 1/2 mile away!!! I sat on the 650, 950, and 1100 today. I like the wheels and handlebars on the 950. The 1100 seems too big! I take my FZ in tom. for oil change and will look at the 650 closer. It didn't seem real small but sitting isn't riding! I really think I only need to go 70+ about 10% of my riding time. And now I know the 650 will do it. Surely somebody makes aftermarkets seats??

 

[rbesr]

A lot of V-Star owners swear by Mustang seats.

 

[Dennis in NH]

I had a 2004 Vstar 650 for about 2 months; I put a 19" Memphis Fats windshield on it. In my experience, at 90mph indicated (probably more like 80mph actual), you get serious vibration. This is where I felt the 650 had it's practical top speed. I'm sure it would take it but there was no way I'd feel comfortable at that speed on this bike. This bike is much happier at say 75mph indicated (maybe actually 67mph). Maybe things are better with no windshield but I like to ride with a windshield on the highway.

I thought the 650 and 1100 felt like the same bike -- except for power. Size-wise, they felt similar. I almost bought the 1100 for that reason but ended up wanting a bike I had to grow into.

I ended up with the Vstar 1300 Tourer -- great bike and still love it to this day. It will be 2 years old in 2 months. It isn't an FZ6 in the acceleration/handling department but surely is a fantastic bike as a cruiser. The more I ride, the more I like it. This bike is smooth and has plenty of power for highway riding and feels strong on the highway and not "busy" as the 650 felt. I could go on and on about this bike.

If you want Yamaha, definitely give the Vstar 1300 a look or even the 950. They look almost same. But maybe look at other vendors too to see what you might be missing or what the Vstar 1300 may be lacking. Visit the vstar 1300 forum and see the complaints too. The Vstar 1300 is a great bike but is not perfect -- I made a few mods to make it a good bike (e.g., different handlebars, drilled OEM muffler, fuel management system, different grips, lowers for windshield to mitigate wind buffeting to name a few).

Dennis