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Fairly New Rider, Bigger Bikes!

3K views 23 replies 14 participants last post by  KCW 
#1 ·
I am a fairly new rider, having gotten my endorsement in May 2017 (at the ripe young age of 59!), my skills keep improving, and the miles are ticking by!

I started out with a 2001 V-Star 650 which I rode for about 9 months before realizing I wanted something bigger. I wanted to be more comfortable at highway speeds and do some longer distance touring.

In October 2017 I got a 2015 950 Tourer, which has been a reliable, comfortable steed. When it arrived, the odometer read about 700 miles! I quickly remedied that as I am doing tours of increasingly longer distances.

My brother and I went to Moab from Colorado in June 2018 and I did a solo tour to Santa Fe that September. In July 2019 we went from Colorado up to Yellowstone! My brother now rides an Indian Chieftain, and it was on that long trip that I started wishing for more power.

I have been reading a lot of positive things about the Roadliner and Stratoliner and hope to find one in good condition in the next year. I will have to stop with that bike as it's the biggest Star in the galaxy! I would appreciate any comments, pro and con, that current riders of these bikes could share.

Thank you!
 
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#3 ·
Welcome from Atlantic Canada. It's addictive, isn't it? lol I'm also older (like many members on here) and recently got back into riding. I had bikes when I was younger but took a 20 year break to raise kids and stuff. A few years ago I got back into it on an 1100, which was a great bike, but like you I wanted more power for highway cruising. I looked around for a Road Star but they were all grossly over priced around here. I ended up getting a Vulcan Nomad 1600 and it has satisfied my need for more power, plus my wife likes the cushy passenger seat.

Love to see a pic of your ride when you get a chance.
 
#4 ·
you have discovered the problem with Vstar bikes: there are several models and options and its really hard to pick one over the other.

For touring Vstar made the Royal Star V4 1300 with 4 carbs, water cooling, shaft drive, which was available from a naked base model (like my Ursa over in the garage page on the left side of this post) up to a fully loaded touring version, with bigger carbs and more HP. It has been the rock solid, easy to maintain Vstar touring standard for decades.

If you want fuel injection the Vstar 1300 is a Vtwin water cooled bike with a belt drive, which also is available in a touring package model

The 1600 or 1700 road star is a single carb V twin, air cooled, belt drive, push rods instead of overhead cams. Mechanically its a very simple bike, and its engine is used in the Strat and Road liner.

You can find or upgrade any of these bikes into long distance touring machines.

Get your hands on as many as you can and ride them for a day. It really is hard to choose one over the other.

The only new bike Yamaha still makes is the new Venture, instead of the V4 its a fuel injected Vtwin - their transcontinental touring bike. If you want a new one (or a used bike only 1 or 2 years old) that may be what you want.
 
#6 ·
I am new on here also, I have been riding 53 years. When I retired the wife and I got rid the the car to save money and have a motorcycle only. I have had 15 different motorcycles, right now I am riding a V Star 650 Classic. Next week we are going to Daytona and I am picking up a 2006 Stratoliner. I love to ride all over, we took a trip on the V Star from Pensacola to Milwaukee,Cedar Rapids, St.Louis, Biloxi and back to the house in 7 days. Next summer we will take the Strat to Kansas City. It is a bad addiction that there is no cure for.
 
#7 ·
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#8 ·
Good solid approach to learning to bike, starting from a smaller displacement & shorter trips to longer trips on a bigger bike. I recently got back into cycling after a 25 yr break, bought a 07 Roadliner. Had to get used to the riding again, and how the bike handled. Started out on short local trips to longer runs. Last bike I had was a 95 750 Vulcan.

I ride a lot with my wife, and will be upgrading the suspension to something more sporting. Other than that, the bike is perfect.

In July 2019 we went from Colorado up to Yellowstone!
Beautiful country. 15 yrs ago, I traveled in a rented convertible from Denver to Laramie WY, to Rock Springs, then to Pinedale Wy. Crossed over to the Idaho border to catch a glimpse of the Grand Tetons, up rt 20 & east to West Yellowstone MT. From there, traveled all through the park, exiting Cody & back to catch the return flight in Denver. Wish I had a go pro & my bike.
 
#11 ·
Had the 950 tourer for five years and it was more than capable of long distance touring. Mind you I changed out the front pulley and added the pipes, air, and fuel controller so it could breathe a lot better and had more horsepower.

Bought a 2013 Road Star and couldn't be happier. This thing stock has plenty of power and I have no need to add anything to it. The Road Star sits you up a little higher that the 950 so that and the extra weight take a little getting used to.
 
#18 ·
Hi Digger -

Thanks so much for your reply! Good to hear your experience with the 950. I have found it does have vibration through the footboards, noticeable on the highway. I will be test riding a Strat on Saturday and the dealer also has a Road Star. Will take a look at that as well.
 
#12 ·
I also started out on a 650 vstar custom and after 10yrs I upgraded to the Roadliner and couldn’t be happier with the power and size not to mention all the complements the Liner gets when I pull up. There is a downside Iv found and that’s aftermarket parts. Seems like they are few and far between. Especially an exhaust, the only one Iv found that suits my style is one from Blacksmith Motoring and it’s $1200. Plus good luck finding aftermarket wheels or 21” upgrade. Only one of those I found was same company and it was $2000 for the 21. But if you are gonna keep it stock it’s a fine piece of machinery. Safe travels from West Kentucky
 
#13 ·
I I upgraded to the Roadliner and couldn’t be happier with the power and size not to mention all the complements the Liner gets when I pull up.

There is a downside Iv found and that’s aftermarket parts. Seems like they are few and far between. Especially an exhaust.
Exactly. I hope Yamaha continues to support the Roadliner / Stratoliner.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Personally I don't like the 21" front wheel. Makes the bike look like a Big Wheel toy IMO. But I don't like cars with big rims and tires with one inch sidewalls either. Guess I'm just old school. I prefer a nice fat front tire and 16 or 17" wheel. But that's just me, to each his own.
 
#16 ·
NorthernRider and Deeksvstarclassic, I’m right there with you. I’ve seen 21’s on certain bikes that don’t look too bad, but it still makes them look like big wheels. I remember when the fad was the tallest wheels with the smallest sidewall.
I’m too frugal and old school for that, I once saw an old crown Vic Police car on 22” wheels. Sidewall was less than an inch. When it was going down the road, it was bouncing so much it nearly jumped over to the next lane. It reminded me of the saying about putting a 40 dollar saddle on a 20 dollar horse.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#21 ·
Hi Pat!

"Thanks so much for your reply. My brother told me some Strats have had 3rd gear failures. Have you had any problems with yours?"
I've had zero problems with The Strat. I think the problem was only a few bikes around 2007. Not sure.
 
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#19 ·
Hi RidgeRunner,

Thanks so much for your reply! My brother and I have read that some Stratoliners have had 3rd gear failures. Haven't heard if the Roadliners have been known to experience the same problem. Have you had any transmission problems with your Roadliner?

Thanks for the warm welcome!
 
#20 ·
Welcome Elronda!

Until someone with first-hand experience has time to answer your question about the Strat/Roadliner 3rd gear issue, you might check out the recent thread here called "New Bike Issue Research." The 3rd gear Liner issue is mentioned.

I had a 2012 950 Tourer for several years - it was a wonderfully reliable, powerful-enough, fantastic bike. I now have a 2014 Stratoliner, and I expect more of the same dependable, maintenance-free reliability from this ride, too! Good luck with your search.

-Beth
 
#22 ·
Hi Pat,

Thanks for your reassurance! In another thread, it was mentioned that the issue occurred only with '06-'07 bikes manufactured in Canada, which I've learned is number 2 at the beginning of the VIN. The bike I'm test riding Saturday is an '07...will find out the VIN then. This bike does have over 38,000 miles on it, so my hope is if it had an issue it's already been dealt with.

Nancy (aka "Elronda")
 
#24 ·
... In another thread, it was mentioned that the issue occurred only with '06-'07 bikes manufactured in Canada, which I've learned is number 2 at the beginning of the VIN. ...
all Vstar bikes are manufactured in Japan. There might be bikes destined for Canada (english manuals, metric speedo....) but I doubt there are any mechanical assembly issues unique to bikes only produced for the Canadian market.

sometimes things get a little distorted on rider forums
 
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#23 ·
Hi, I've been riding since I was ten years old. I've owned a large variety of bikes over the years. One each of the well known brands at least. The Roadliner is the best bike I've ever ridden bar none. The alloy composite frame makes all the difference. The low centre point of gravity and lighter due to the frame makes this cruiser handle almost like a sports bike. I changed the seats to a mustang seats, put a memphis shades batwing fairing on the front and a memjet remaping device. My bike has awsome handling, comfort and the mejet gets rid of any backfire issues and dead spots down in low revs in traffic. Best crusiers ever built in my opinion.
 
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