I have the same bike 2 years older.
<= photos in my garage page, click on the thumb nails in the garage page to see full size photos.
Without riding your bike myself I cant say if what you are experiencing is normal, or if something is out of balance on your bike. A v twin engine is not inherently balanced, so you will get some vibration.
My bike is fully stock. Winding up thru the gears its pretty smooth unless I really crank the throttle going up a good hill, then I can feel the engine pulsing on each revolution of the crank.
For a reference point, riding at a steady speed in 5th gear at 50mph on level ground the bike is very smooth. If I creep the bike up to about 60 I feel some vibration in the engine. Its there up to about 62..65... then it smooths out again all the way up to 85mph.
Its a good indication when you are riding in a 55mph speed zone that you have crept up to 60 without having to look at the speedometer.
The other thing you should know, even though the 650 is a V twin, its not a long throw engine like a Harley. The 650 piston throw is about the same as the piston width, so its really a hi -reving engine. Not 10k rpm hi like an inline 4 cylinder sports bike. You can lug the 650 down to 25mph in 5th gear if you want if you are riding at a steady speed, then give it some gas and let it wind out all the way to 100mph (about where the rev limiter kicks in and shuts off the ignition).
You can really get on the throttle, the peak HP in 4th gear is at 55, and the peak in 5th is about 75mph. Im not sure what your intake pods sound like, but with my stock intake the engine just growls at those peak shift points, and begs for more.
That brings up another point: with your modified intake pods and aftermarket exhaust did you put bigger jets in the carbs and adjust the PM screws out a bit? If you leave the stock jets in the bike it will be running a bit lean. That would tend to make it knock if you let the RPMs get too low in any gear. If you havent changed the jets you should. Running the bike lean in the long run will burn the seats of your valves, and if you ride it hard it will melt the center of your pistons clean thru.
Have to add, if you are not aware, according to Consumer Reports customer tracking, the Vstar 650 is THE most reliable motorcycle you can buy. Congrats on your new ride. It should be good for at least 100,000 miles on the odo.
If you think your VStar is vibrating, stop next to a full size harley at a red light. I was watching a HD in front of me a few weeks ago, his hard bags on the fender were shaking sideways like he was mixing paint, and his handlebars were bouncing up and down about 1/2 an inch with the bike idling.