2005 Yamaha V Star 1100 Classic Cruiser reviews

Whether it's your first bike or you're an experienced rider, you will absolutely love this bike. It's very smooth and sounds great! It gets lots of compliments. The only upgrades I did were the exhaust, air box, risers and saddlebags. Show less

I purchased this bike in Aug of 2009 with 3500 miles on it, it was a one owner. The last time we rode was the last week of october 2009. 2500 miles on the bike and I love it! The only complaints I have is the seat sucks after about an hour or so and the oil filter changing headache is a poor design. I will be going to an oil filter relocation kit soon. We rode 650 miles on a trip with 5 bikes last fall and we did 75 mph+ almost the whole way, never a hiccup or an issue. I am averaging about 45-48mpg (215miles/4.5 gallon tank, 47.77mpg),at those speeds with 2 riders and gear. The best mpg I have had so far is 56.45mpg, 175 miles-3.1 gallons. I have Cobra pipes, Kuryakin hypercharger and the dealership said a jet kit. The mechanic at the dealership said he has dyno'd a bike like mine and it had almost 80hp. Not sure how close mine is but it is A LOT faster than stock!! You won't regret it if you add these items. With the mods this bike hauls pretty good and people notice you because they hear you. I have 3 friends with V Star 650's and they like theirs too. I would recommend this bike to anybody. My bike has been mistaken for a Harley Fat Boy. :):) Show less

Since purchase of my 05' VSC1100 on 05' Thanksgiving, I have put 10k miles on it. Engine has performed extremely well. Within these milages, me and my VSC1100 have travelled together through many regions of the western continent. We have been thru I-15 in 95 plus degree hot summer day from LA to Vegas and above 10,000 ft mountain on I-395, Pacific coast Hwy 1 to Seattle from Bay area under heavy pouring rain. It runs well too in Chicago's harsh cold winter windy day. It does take for a while for it to warm up on cold mornings. My VSC1100 always starts right up and performs well. It's been a pleasure to own this bike. If Yamaha could add a 6th gear for better Hwy cruising and fix the location of oil filter, VSC1100 would be a perfect bike to own forever. Ride on, Ride safe!! Show less

I bought a new 2005 in August, 2006. I quickly came to the realization that the bike was a quality product and handled as well as any bike I have been on. However, after a short while I realized the bike lacked power (approx. 51 HP from factory). I quickly installed new pipes and an air pod kit and the HP increased to close to 70. The bike is now a sweet ride. A lot of power and no fall off in reliability. I would recommend this bike to anyone and I would also encourage the pipe and air pod upgrade to really bring out the full potential of this bike. Show less

I love my V-Star 1100 Classic. I get compliments wherever I ride. The quality of the workmanship and finish is first rate. Most people confuse my Classic with a Harley Davidson. We can smirk knowing our Classics cost about half of what we would pay for a HD. It performs like a dream at 70 mph on the interstate highways giving me extremely good gas mileage for that size of an engine. Show less

This is my 3rd and final review (see my 2 previous). I now have 6,400 miles on the beast and I still love this bike. Not a single problem from day one. I finally replaced the stock seat with a Mustang solo (wish I had done this on the first day). I've also added lots of chrome, but no more changes to the engine. For those of you who are wondering about cruising comfort and speed: at 75 mph the rpms are at 3,800; At 80 mph they're at 4,100. The rev. limiter is supposed to kick in at 6,400 rpms, so there's power here to spare (I've never even been near 5000 rpms). But I find prolonged rides at 75 and over to be quite taxing on me so I try to keep her at 70. The Roadstar would no doubt be more comfortable at these speeds, but that being said, I wouldn't hesitate for one minute to ride this bike cross country. Over and out. Show less

At first the bike felt heavy but I was fresh off a 650. I have gotten quite used to it and now am quite comfortable with it. I installed Vance Hines Slip on pipes and a larger air box and for those of you that want smoother shifting it really helps. The Slip on pipes relieved the back pressure and the shifting is a lot quieter and smoother now. I can't say that I am in love with the bike but it is a lot easier to ride than a buddie of mine's H-D Road King. And I am out less than half of what he paid. I am not in love but I am yet to ride anything better. Closest is the 1600 Vulcan, and it is a little rougher ride. I am a happy rider. Show less

I've now had this bike for a year and am just as happy with it as the day I bought it. Starts in any temperature, gets excellent fuel mileage. Lacks a little in the gear ratios though, once you hit 55 you're looking for a sixth gear. Many people complain about the seat comfort but I have done numerous 200-mile trips on this bike with no complaints. All my friends have been talking about getting one of these; most of them have Hondas or Kawasakis. Show less

The first season on my V Star is coming to an end. The bike is nice to ride, great looking and certainly gets a lot of attention. Cons:<br /> The seat: Hated it. I had a sore lower back after 1/2 hour ride. I changed it to a Mustang seat and experienced no more back pain even after a 4 hour ride. If you are going to buy one, plan on the new seat as part of the price.<br /> Noisy Shifting: I would prefer a belt drive as the shaft drive often clunks when shifting, especially if not accelerating quickly.<br /> Oil Changes: Wish it was easier to change the filter. Pros:<br /> Style: Its got lots of it; people notice my bike, it's a great feeling. People stop on pedestrian crosswalks to tell me how nice looking the bike is. Several people asked me what type of H-D it is, and are surprised it's a Yamaha. Better yet it runs like one.</br> Customizing: There are lots of parts to choose from Yamaha and after market. Yamaha parts have all been good quality and easy to install. Much cheaper to customize than a H-D.</br> Ride: Easy to ride, stable in all conditions and well balanced<br /> Quality: Have had zero issues with the bike, runs great. Longest ride was 1100 miles in 2 days, in the rain and freezing cold. I wish I had bought the Mustang seat with the driver backrest... it would have made the last couple hours each day more bearable. My Cobra slip-ons discolored during the ride; there is a hot spot where they connect. I managed to get almost all of it out with Blue Magic chrome polish. It took several hours of polishing, but unless you inspect up close you can't tell (and the pipes were dark purple in places). Show less

My V Star is everything that I could have expected. I almost got the 650 but it was sold a few hours before I got there so I put out the extra cash for the 1100. I will say the going with the factory upgrades can be expensive but on the plus side they do bolt right on withoout any modifications. I read about common problems all the time but have yet to see any of them. At my 600 mile service I noticed that it seemed to that the idle was set higher than when it was before it went in for service. Other then that, the bike runs great, the response is good and as soon as I get a set of pull backs my riding comfort should improve. Show less