Yamaha V Star 1100 reviews

I have had the bike for about six months and will have 4,000 miles on it after this weekend. Construction/fit/finish are excellent, as expected from a Yamaha. The ride is comfortable; power ample for two-up on the freeway and fabulous for solos; exhaust note is quiet but still throaty. The saddle is comfy up to about six hours, and I'm not sure anything is comfy beyond then. Bags and windshield are wonderful, although full-size helmets won't fit and the helmet hook is so inconvenient as to be worthless. The looks are macho, but not quite "Sons of Anarchy." She sits low, so I've got solid foot placement even on slanted roads and parking lots. I'm an old street biker (also Yamahas) who loves the twisties, and the 950 Tourer scrapes her floorboards when I get excited and toss her side-to-side. It was scary at first but is now just a little annoying. My riding partner says it gives off sparks at night -- so maybe that's cool. The ignition key placement is poor: keychain rattles against plastic trim, and there's little room for mounting GPS, iPod, etc. Overall, this bike is great for almost anyone with a few month's experience: easy to ride, well-balanced, nice power. I highly recommend it. Show less

I purchased this V Star on Friday, March 30, 2012. I was looking at a new C50T but the cost was a little high. This bike only had 1,300 miles and the waranty extended until August 2014. I bought the bike without my temps. The service manager drove it home for me and I started it up everyday until I got my temps. I've been riding in my neighborhood everyday. I'm going to take the state motorcycle training course soon. Us older guys need to be careful. Can't wait to get on the open road. Show less

I purchased my new 2009 model in March, 2012 and can't believe someone had not taken it yet. It's a wonderful machine, has plenty of power and is great for 2 up riding. I've owned many bikes over the last 40 years, but this is one of the best. The fuel injection is great and the handling is very good. It averages around 50 mpg. so far. I'm looking forward to many miles and smiles with this one. Show less

I just bought this bike. It is awesome. It is a great ride. Thanks to the dealership I got it at. Show less

This my first brand new bike, and I love it! It has the perfect engine size for me, providing plenty of power and low end torque for cruising. I do keep looking for a higher gear when on the highway. But overall, this bike handles very smoothly, and has great balance, especially in low-speed manuevers. The build quality is definitely good, with plenty of chrome standard. Of course it is a neverending process to add more chrome -- it is hard to have too much. But really, it is the ride comfort, balance and feel, as well as looks that really make me love this bike. I definitely gets lots of looks and great comments on this bike. Show less

It's a great bike. No problems, only regular maintenance, except for the recall for new fuel lines. I wish there were more aftermarket accessories for it. It's a smooth riding bike, I even still have the original rear tire on it. I am thinking about replacing it. Show less

I bought this bike in August of 2011, with 1,300 original miles on it. I bought it from a Navy sailor in Chesapeake, Va. He had it stored for a few years while deployed to Iraq. He came back, and was expecting to be deployed to Afghanistan, and needed to sell to help his wife and child out, and I got a great deal. It was just a base model when I bought it, and completely stock. I have since upgraded the entire bike, because I like it so much. It rides like a dream, and has not had any glitches, whatsoever. It has plenty of power, and outruns my Roadking, and my buddy's Screamin' Eagle Deuce that has the 1550cc engine. I have fine tuned this bike, and did not require rejetting of the carb when fitted with the SpeedStar pipes which are manufactured by Yamaha and the K&N upgrade. I did not purchase a sissy bar or rear rack as I prefer the Retro-Classic looks of the bike without that garb. The addition of the fender tips with the flared fenders really set off the looks of this bike. I also bought a set of the OEM mini engine guards, as I thought the larger one looked quite gaudy. I bought most of my parts online, and have about $1,500.00 in upgrades, bringing my total investment up to $5,800.00. I just had it appraised for $8,500.00 last week. It now has 4,500 miles on it. I will be buying another set of whitewall tires in the near future, as the originals have become a bit hard...to be expected after six years. If you're considering buying a very dependable cruiser, buy a RoadStar!! Show less

I had purchased a 2nd hand 2006 Roadstar recently with approximately 18,000 miles on the clock for $9,000 (Australia). I had sold a brand new 2011 Victory Vegas as I was very disappointed with the transmission and the poor treatment from the dearlerships. I am very happy with this bike as I prefer not to have fuel injection and I like a well behaved and smooth transmission. The bike could do with a sixth gear and more horsepower. It's an easy bike to live with! It's easy to jet carby and adjust lifters with one end being hydraulic. Also it has rather simple pushrods as opposed to 3-4 feet of cam chain as in the previous bike. Show less

After years of riding on two wheels and a trike, it's time to down size to a 650 Yamaha. It's a nice bike. It's not at all heavy. Keep on riding. Show less

Hello All, I am writing a review on the 2012 V-Star 950 Tourer. I just purchased this on 01/07/12. I traded in my 2004 V-Star 650 Classic which was a great bike, though I felt after 3 years and 10,000 miles I needed something with a touch more go. It is usually hard to get out and ride this time of year in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania with the extremely cold temps and wintery conditions but this winter is one for the record books, one of the most mildest winters I can remember here. Anyhow, I have had a chance to get out and ride this bike a few days and have put about 250 miles on it. Every mile has brought a grin to my face. The belt drive is virtually maintenance free, the oil level is now checked via a dipstick on the oil fill cap, (no more getting down on one knee, balancing the bike with hand, and having to look through the sight glass) and my most favorite feature has to be the Mikini Electronic Fuel Injection. The bike is usually garaged all season but since we have had a few nice days I decided to keep it out. The bike sat outside for three days (covered of course) with the temps in the mid 20's. I went out Sunday, turned the key on, the fuel pump in the tank ran for about two seconds, hit the start button and bike fired up instantly, it barely even cranked. Where as with the ol' 650, you have to pull the choke out on full, get a sputter, try again, get it running, but then have to wait about three to five minutes for it to warm up before you could drive off without it acting cold blooded. The other thing I like about the 950 is that it seems like the 5th gear is very tall, meaning when you are cruising at 70 on the highway the bike is just purring along without sounding overworked (cough, cough ol' 650...). The bike really looks sharp, with its 18-inch front wheel, cast rim, and impact blue color, and lots of chrome. I am sure that within about four weeks I will be in heaven since we will then be in March and old man winter will have hopefully moved on and I will be able to hopefully ride quite often. It also looks like Yamaha extended the valve adjustment intervals too, the old 650 was every 4,000 miles according to the book. The new 950 is every 16,000 miles which is nice. It handles terrific, too. The ride is very smooth, although I have read when doing some tight cornering, the floor boards will get scraped up pretty good. But I say that this bike is a cruiser and is designed to do just that...cruise. If you drive it as intended and not like a sportbike, you will have no problems making it through the turns without scraping. I too had a very nice 1990 Kawasaki ZX750R Ninja sportbike, but sold it after only one month because I found myself in the triple digit speeds too often. No need to go that fast or act that crazy. When you are traveling that fast you can only concentrate on thing and that is where you are going, you can't enjoy the views which kind of takes away from the sport. Well all, as I get a chance to put more miles on this bike. I will update you along the way. Be safe, ride smart, peace out... Show less