- This topic has 43 replies, 19 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 8 months ago by ironi.
yamaha belt drive v-star 1300
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June 17, 2008 at 8:49 pm #7461daffysmilesParticipant
i started myself off smaller for weight wise plus being comfortable learning and experience and when i feel comfortable completely then i am going larger. better safe then sorry and end up crash burning and a damaged cycle and injuries on top of that. plenty of time to go larger. buy a used smaller one so your not out of alot of money then buy a nicer one when your experienced. i have a 1990 virago route 66 250. i did some customizing on it and when i am comfortable with it then i plan on going bigger . good luck
June 18, 2008 at 4:59 pm #7479acidpopeParticipantYou have to be careful of imaginary advancement. I’ve spent months looking at getting my first bike, and I’ve gone through the mental advancement stage and have thankfully come back to reality. But during that stage I had myself starting on a 250, then a 500, then a 650 and finally a 600 all with my imagination before coming back down to reality. Had I bought one during those stages though I could have ended up with a bike that might have turned me off of the activity or gotten me hurt. No, I think I’ll stick to the 500 range with safer power. Also keep in mind the weight. The 500’s range around 400lbs. You were talking about 600+. Try lifting that, It’s ALOT! Even if it’s just leveraging something that weight into an upright position.
June 19, 2008 at 6:30 am #7513AmberGuestThanks for the opinions…I’ll definately take them into consideration. I can say I am not one to take risks, atleast dumb ones when I am inexperienced. I’ve been looking at bikes since April and am still undecided so I will look into everything…
June 19, 2008 at 7:51 pm #7531acidpopeParticipantThere is also the Ninja 650r. It runs a parallel twin. I’ve sat on them before and there is zero leaning forward on them. Infact, I lean forward less on the 650 than I do on my bycicle. It has a real upright feel that should inspire confidence in most riders. I’ve sat on the GSX650F and a sv650s (the sport version with fairings). The GSX is about the same riding position as the sv650 standard and it feels pretty comfortable. It does feel like it has a noticable difference in feeling more top heavy than the Ninja though. Atleast to me (6’0″ 180). The sv650s (sport, w/fairing) you lean forward alot. At stops with your feet down you’ll more than likely be stretching yourself out if you are holding onto the grips, but it gets a little better when your feet are up on the pegs. The Ninja seat basically cradles you. I’d highly suggest sitting on the Ninja650r. The Suzuki’s you mentioned will feel like tanks compared to it. It also looks great and will give you the feeling you want. Drive safe. Adrenaline rushes are nice, but living and not eating apple sauce for the rest of your life is nicer.
August 1, 2008 at 9:14 pm #9777AnonymousGuestI was in your shoes a few months back. After months of looking I bought my first bike , a v-star 650, in June. I felt it was under powered on the highway but was fine for commuting short distances. After someone hit it a month later, I traded it in and bought an 1100 v-star. I am much happier with the new bike. At 5’8″ 160lbs. I can reach the ground flat footed with room to spare. The bike is well balanced and very simple to ride. I taught myself on the 650 and rode the 1100 before I was ever able to get into my class. I would recommend taking the class first if you can. I wanted to, but there was more than a 3 month wait to get in. If you are going to trade up keep in mind what bikes hold their value the best so you don’t loose too much on the upgrade. Good lock with your decision.
August 2, 2008 at 5:18 pm #9795AmorylParticipanttheres also the V-Star classic thats 650cc and a damn nice looking bike. personally I’m looking at the V-Star 250 for my first bike, and after I ride the heck out of it, get the feel of only having 2 wheels beneath me, and so on and so forth, then I’ll move up to the next bike, having recouped almost all the money spent on the 250 due to 250’s having amazing resale value. yeah I won’t be able to take it for cross country road trips comfortably (though if you’re determained people can and HAVE crossed the country on all manner of bikes, even some lady I heard about on another motorcycle forum doing cross country trips on a 7- or 90cc scooter from the 60’s)
every time I look at a thread talking about getting a 1000+ cc bike as their first bike, I’m reminded of when I picked up a Schwinn mountain bike. I had to sign a waiver stating that I understood that just because my BIKE was capable of taking the rough and ready mountain trails, that didn’t mean that I was able to, and should ride to my level of experience. the difference being that on a mountain bike (or high end street bike) it’s largely only speed and location where you’ll run into trouble, not the bike itself. however the bigger bike you get, the more out of your depth you’ll be, and most people have the tendency, if even just a little, to try to push the limits of what they’re on. with a 250, there’s not nearly as much limit to push as the 1000+ and thats another reason to start smaller.
I started driving on an old 83 escort, I know I’m a safer driver than I would have been if I’d started in a new ford mustang. and I’ve never met anyone who won’t speed at least a bit if you put them in a fast car, unless they’re already terrified of driving to begin with.
August 14, 2008 at 6:05 am #10485RobGuestI had never ridden a motorcycle in my life 2 years ago when I purchased my v star. After I got used to it I thught it lacked power so I threw on a set of pipes and a hypercharger and WOW its now a beast. Basically what I am saying is look at the stars and you may be safe starting on a 650. And after you’r comfortable dont buy a new bike squeeze 15 more horses outa that one with a few mods and it will keep up with 1000+cc bikes .
People are constantly telling me how gorgeous my bike is.
August 14, 2008 at 1:43 pm #10493BuddParticipantYou won’t be happy with the 1300. You will get bored with it and outgrow it in a few months. You should just go ahead and get the VMAX. Does that sound stupid? I am not sure what you after here. Engine power? Do you want a big rumble under your seat? Do you just want a pretty bike. If it is power you want, then maybe cruisers are not what you are looking for and maybe you should just get a track bike. You like the rumble, get a sportster. You want a pretty bike, sorry but mine is not for sale.
Basically, with a motorcycle, you are straddling a combustion engine kinda like Wiley Coyote stratling an Acme rocket. When you first start out you don’t want the moon or bust rocket, you want something more managable. We all know Wiley Coyote went with the bigger is better theory and he crashed every time. Honestly on a cruiser, you aren’t out to set any land speed records or to go out carving up twisties. A cruiser is going out for a nice comfortable, relaxing ride.
“I am the best there is at what I do, and what I do ain’t nice.”-Wolverine
August 14, 2008 at 4:38 pm #10507WeaponZeroParticipantIf you really want a starter cruiser and don’t want to go with a 250 (I sure wouldn’t knowing how underpowered cruiser engines are compared to standard/sportbike engines), the Yamaha V-Star 650 should be the absolute biggest bike you consider. The Kawasaki Vulcan 500, however, despite being smaller, is actually quicker and faster due its sportbike-derived engine.
If you won’t go that small, then you really don’t belong anywhere near a bike. I’m sorry but after spending days talking to my friend Lauren and trying to talk her out of buying a GSXR for her first bike, I’m through sugar coating things and I’m not holding back anymore.
You, sir, are the kind of guy who gives the rest of us a bad name. Assuming you aren’t scared sh*tless the first time you crack the throttle open and garage it or sell it after releasing your bowels, you’re going to wreck your bike within a few months after buying it and possibly die from the accident. You will then become a statistic. The kind that insurance companies look to when they decide MY premiums.
Start out on a V-star 650 or smaller, or start putting money toward paying the monthly insurance payments of everyone who uses this forum. You and everyone else who buys a bike that no beginner belongs on for their first bike owe it to the rest of us.
August 25, 2008 at 4:25 pm #11128AnonymousGuestI have owned my V-Star 1300 since April of 2007,And it has been a great bike it has the weight distributed so well,has good power,i have no real complaints. I dont know how it would be for a beginners bike, i would say you need something smaller so you can ride without any worries,learn the basics.
August 25, 2008 at 7:19 pm #11145smokeizfireParticipantwill be a V Star 650 Custom. It could of been my first bike, but I couldn’t find it to save my life. And, I thought it may have been too powerful for me as a newb. So, I bought a Hyosung GV250 Aquilla. i’m not hungry for a lot of power since I want to concentrate on handling. The Hyosung is very handsome too, and I’m suprised too much hasn’t been said about it on this web site. but if you don’t want to go 250, the Kawasaki 500 ltd gets great reviews for a 1st time cruiser.
August 31, 2008 at 5:30 pm #11475AmorylParticipantmake sure you keep us up to date on your hyosung, the only complaints I’ve ever heard about them is “questionable reliability” but nearly everyone who repeats that (like I am now) got it second or third hand. I think not much has been said because its not one of the well known brands with a long honorable history like the japanese bikes. there’s still that mentality out there that chinese, korean, or taiwanese bikes are cheap piles of garbage made by 6yr old sweatshop children banging on rocks. same as the issues back in the 70’s with everything from japan being cheap knockoffs of better american products. now japanese is synonymous with quality, reliability, and affordability. hopefully the hyosungs will be one of the flagships that’ll bring people around to korean built bikes as well.
I know Daewoo is korean and was really popular for a bit, then dissapeared, then came back…some places…is Scion korean?
good stuff’s finally coming out of places other than Japan, but it’ll take a while for word to come around is all
September 1, 2008 at 2:10 am #11487MattParticipantScion is Toyota (it is their youth brand, just as Lexus is their luxury brand).
Daewoo is Korean, went bust, and was bought by GM. Many GM cars are Daewoos (notibly, the least reliable GM cars).
The Aveo/Swift+ is Daewoo, the Epica and Optima as well.There is a Hyosung dealer around here, I keep meaning to ask their service guys what they Hyosungs are like compared to the other makes they sell (Aprila, Guzzi, and Victory).
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“The two seconds between ‘Oh S**!’ and the crash isn’t a lot of practice time.”September 1, 2008 at 3:10 am #11490AmorylParticipantahhh, ok. had no idea why i thought maybe Scion was Korean…it wasn’t based on anything even remotely like evidence
I too am interested in knowing how hyosung’s hold up, they’re a nice looking bike
September 2, 2008 at 7:09 pm #11559smokeizfireParticipantWill do. I bought the bike because it looked good, light weight, the price, and the 2 year warranty(since the Manufacturer is virtually unknown in the states). I wanted a Vulcan 900 Custom 1st, but my research took me to the Hyosung. This article, from ’05, in particular
http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/roadtests/250cc_cruiser_comparison/index.html
I think Hyundai is Korean, too. I wouldn’t have bought it if the warranty wasn’t for 2 years, and they give you $300 rebate on the bike with an MSF Certification. The dealers were friendlier and less shark-ish than the ones at Kawasaki or Yamaha, telling me 900 and 1100s were good for beginners. Actually the dealer at Hyosung told me that for my size, any of the other bikes I wanted may have been too heavy, and or powerful. Even his GV650 or Yamaha’s(next bike) V-Star 650 cruiser. After sitting on the GV650, compared to the 250 weight wise, I had to agree with him.
Another note, in my research I always looked on YouTube to see them live before I bought one. Internationally, there were a lot of post. All of the owners seem very proud of their 250s.
HE WHO DIES WITH THE MOST TOYS WINS
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