I've never ridden a 1300 but I can say the 1100 is a very nice working bike. It'll cruise reasonably comfortably at highway speeds and handles well around town. I feel it working a little harder at highway speeds and on hills around 50 when my wife is with me, but I just need to twist the throttle a little more. If I had to choose between the two I'd go for the 1300 though. Fuel injection, belt drive, and those extra ccs will make a difference, especially if you're hauling a passenger. I plan to upgrade to a Road Star at some point but if a good deal came along on a 1300 I'd have to think hard on it.

 

they are very different bikes

throw the road star 1600 into the mix and you get more options: push rods instead of cam chains, a single carb on the early years, fuel injection later

I think yamaha went out of their way so everyone could find what they wanted: carbs or fuel injection, air cooled or water cooled, shaft drive or belt drive...

they are all great bikes, and they all have their unique advantages.

and if you want a really smooth running bike, the royal star is a V4 water cooled bike. In the V4 configuration the engine is very well balanced.

 

As NortherRider said the 1100 is a great bike. I've done many trips with wife for several days at a time. It does well but you do have to twist throttle a little more. That's with windshield, saddlebags loaded and large bag on back. If I had to choose one as a daily commuter the 1100 wins. I've daily driven mine for over 4 years now. Again, if doing 2 up I would go with the 1300, one up and occasionally two up the 1100. Another consideration is the 1100 has been out of production for several years now and the 1300 was only dropped last year. The after market support for both is excellent. If anyway possible test drive both and see which one fits you.

 

Royal Star etc....I fear the heavy weight and extra cost....especially the heavier weight. If I get rid of my 650 which for now is fantastic, it will be for a bike that is just a bit stronger. If Yamaha made a 800 cc....that would be great. The bolt looks nice but it is physically smaller than my 650. However it does have a similar weight.

 

The weight is not an issue after a brief learning curve. My 1100 loaded down with wife and clothes is about 975 pounds, my Harley loaded the same way is right at 1200 pounds. Now I'm all of 5'6", well maybe 5'5" really and 125 pounds soaking wet. I ride for days at a time like this, city traffic, open roads and curvy roads ( twisted sisters) very spirted. Now at times at an intersection with a lot of camber I do have to concentrate a little, but no big deal. Just make sure you can flat foot the bike and the weight should never be an issue, and no I can't totally flat foot the Harley, maybe one day I'll grow up. ?

 

if your 650 is stock you could coax a few more HP out of it with an aftermarket intake air filter and exhaust, and rejetting the carbs.

One thing to do is check your stock air filter, if its not white like paper, replace it. Its surprising how much power a dirty air filter will block, it is the same as keeping your throttle from opening up all the way. If the engine cant breath, it cant scream.

If you want another option, there is a Vstar 950.

One more thing that is worth pointing out: Vstar bikes are Vtwins like HD, but harley makes a long stroke, low rpm, high torque engine. Vstar engines have a shorter stroke and a much higher red line.

If you are riding your Vstar like a Harley, lugging it around and shifting it too soon, you are not hitting the peak HP of the engine.

on the 650 the peak HP is at 55mph in 4th gear, and 70mph in 5th gear. There are a couple websites that will tell you the RPM at any given speed, in all five gears.

The 650 is already a fast bike - it will do 100mph. If run WFO up to 55mph in 4th, the stock air intake growls with joy, and does it again at 70mph in 5th.

Maybe you just need to shift a little later....

 

When the time comes, don't make a decision without trying the V-4. It's a different world from a v twin. For me, I'll never go back.

 

^ I almost bought one 2 years ago that had less than 500 miles on it, for $3000.

Being the nice guy that I am, I talked the owner out of selling it. He got a good deal on it at an estate auction, and wanted to flip it, take the $3000 and buy a HD.

I told him you will never find a HD that runs as nice and is as reliable as a Royal Star, and you will not find a HD bagger for $3000 that runs at all, esp not with 500 miles on the odo!

He was very grateful that I explained it to him, and last time I saw him he was very happy with the bike.

 

I rode a Royal Star for a few hrs and the weight is a bit of a handful especially with a passenger coming up to a stop. It didn't have a lot of go unless you dropped one or two gears and hit it. I owned a 1700 Roadstar for a couple years and traded it on an FJR. The Roadstar was heavy too but a little easier to handle than the Royal Star. The 1700 engine was not nearly as smooth as I desired. Stop and go traffic was awful with it as you had to have it above an idle or it would chug and lurch. You had to be doing at least 60 in top gear or it would not be happy on a grade. So much for all that low end torque. I did get a big surprise going up a rain soaked hill in second gear with a moderate amount of throttle. The back tire broke loose on the pavement as I was going up the hill! I backed off and gave it again only to have it happen again. A pucker moment.
My sweetie and I are much happier on the FJR, it is smooth and fast without any work. It will idle two up on the flat in any gear. Slow for a town speed zone, leave it in 5th and gently accelerate back up to speed. Stop and go traffic is a breeze two up. Ist gear has a nice easy launch and stop and go traffic is easy just idle it in first No problem. The Roadstar would not idle in any gear any time with out chugging and shaking badly.

 

Ive been on all 3. My Dad had a 650 with hyper charger and straight pipes. IO had the 1100 myself and it was close in performance in my opinion. Always wanted a little more on the highway and carb was a problem on occasion. Got a 1300 2 years ago and I love it. only one mod I have done to it is to drill out the baffle. Haven't had much $$ to do more but next season will be different. My wife has the 1100 now and I get on it once and while and it still feels good but the 1300 has a lot more room on it. Fuel injection is a first for me and it makes a big difference for me.

 

I've owned a V Star 1100 Custom and test rode a Honda 1300 and a Yamaha Stryker 1300. The Yamaha served it's purpose as kind of a stepping stone to get into the bike I really wanted and that fit me better. Because of its low profile and manageability I was able to practice and apply what I'd learned in the safety course. It was a good bike, never had any mechanical issues and there are a ton of accessories you can buy to make it *your bike*. Each 1300 I rode were fuel injected and the throttle response was a vast improvement over the carbed Yamaha. Not to mention brake upgrades. Is the Yamaha 1300 belt driven? If so pay attention to the differences between a shaft drive and belt. I prefer the smooth response of a belt but that's just me. One isn't better than the other, just different brake improvements excluded. Better brakes are well...better. My next bike was a 1500cc bike and I'm now on a 1900 cc bike. I think for a lot of people the natural progression is the more skilled you become the more bike you want but again I'm strictly speaking for myself.

 

01 (?) VStar 1100 Custom. Good bike.