[djscottymiami]

Howdy Guys.


I'm looking to currently upgrade from my 1980 Suzuki GS850GL to a Yamaha V-Star 950.


I'm looking for input as to wether or not go the touring or cruiser model.


I live up in Canada where the riding season is very short.

I really like the windshield that comes with the touring bike but I like the 1700$ cheaper that the cruiser is. Plus I really like the metallic blue that you can get with the cruiser instead of the touring.


Who has the touring/cruiser and do you enjoy it? A lot of my rides so far are around town wiht my GS850 because I don't trust it to do long haul rides. How much does a windshield for a 950 cruiser run? If I could get the Cruiser in Blue with a windshield and the possibility of adding on the saddle bags later as I need them i'd like to go this route.

Thanks guys!

-Marc

 

[ovityons]

You can certainly add the Windshield and Saddlebags to the Cruiser, It usually costs more to add the VStar Windshield and Bags but there are alternatives, Also there are three sizes of windshield that you can get, the tourer comes with the short windshield. there is a quick release windshield available in all three sizes, it would cost about $330 for the short one and the mounts would cost another $160
Sadleman makes some nice looking saddle bags that look good on the 950.

I have the 950 Tourer and I love it, I recently moved from a 1985 Yamaha Maxim X 700, I really wanted the windshield, Saddlebags and sissy bar. I got tired of strapping things to the passenger seat on my old bike and wanted some storage. My wife wanted the sissy bar.

 

[Funk]

I also just bought a Blue 950 cruiser and here is what I like and am not so found of about the bike.


I commute 124 miles a day and had just over 110,000 on my old Katana and wanted something different so I got the Yamaha.

Now all my issues with the bike circle around the fact I spend so much time everyday in very heavy traffic. Or on higher speed windy dessert areas. The bars are too wide to maneuver through traffic. The old Kat was only about 26 inches wide at the bars so adding about 10 inches to that has made things a bit more precarious.

Also I have rather long arms and personally prefer to have my arms extended a bit more when I ride but the stock bars don’t afford much space with a 14+ inch pullback.
Moments ago I just picked up a set of 8 inch rise 6 inch pull back 27 inch wide drag bars on eBay so I am very hopeful they will solve that problem.

Second item was the amount of wind in my face and body. Like you I wanted the Blue bike and there were no classics in blue. After only one week of riding in the wind at about the 75+ mph area I could take no more, it was physically beating me to the point I did not look forward to riding at all.

So I bought the Yamaha medium windshield to add to my bike.

Ok this is a must have item if you do any riding at higher speeds or in windy conditions for an extended period of time do yourself the favor.
I looked at all the after market ones but the Yamaha shield with the quick release is so beautifully made and even with the shield off makes the bike look even better with the added chrome brackets, Also I had it keyed for my ignition so the key that locks the shield in place so it cant be stolen is the same key that starts my bike. Very nice feature and I can’t say enough about how nice the shield is and how well it fits. I think it took all of 5 minutes to completely install and seriously not more then 10 seconds to remove or put on.

Lastly was storage, the under seat storage is nearly non existent so it was saddle bag time. Once again eBay was my friend and I picked up a new set of some rather nice leather saddle bags that have an awesome feature. They zip off. So once I am at work I can simply zip one off that has my lunch and junk in it and carry it in to work like my “Man Purse” BTW they were under 40 bucks…


Don’t get me wrong I really love the look, feel and sound of this bike. The low speed ride is really awesome and if you can keep it below 60 you can get 50+ mpg my best is 56 mpg cruising the back hills near my house. On a normal commute ride I average 48 mpg.

I plan on doing this exhaust mod (drilling out the plate thingy) maybe this weekend as after owning a few Harleys over the years I like a louder rumbling tone.

I have had the bike exactly two weeks and have 1490 miles on it, the poor thing had no idea what was going to happen to it when the loaded it up in my truck for me to take home.

 

[Oddcrow]

Dragbars solve a lot!

I must agree largely with Funk. So, I got a pair of 12 inch Highway Hawk risers and a dragbar, and they work just fine for me. You no longer hang on the bar, which my back does not like at all and steering is much more direct.
So, go for the cruiser and get some good accessoires and with the 950 you will have a lot of fun!!

 

[Oddcrow]

Dragbar on 950

Marc, as I said before, I went for a dragbar with 12inch risers and they improved riding a great deal, for me that is! I realise a lot of this stuff is sort of what you yourself favour on your bike!
The picture shows the dragbar on my Ruby Red 950!

Ride safe!

 

[stuckathome]

I have the candy red 950 cruiser, bought it 3 weeks ago and have 1750 miles on her, I like to ride. Its my first bike, I'm 42 and the wife says its my mid life crisis,lol.

I have to agree 100% on the windshield, I liked the look without it, but anything above 60 MPH is insane. I looked for aftermarket shields, but the 950 being so new I was told it would be another year before I would see parts available. So I bought the yamaha quick release with the medium shield, looks awesome on and off, love the locking feature, but its much more enjoyable now to ride and not feel like I'm free falling. About $550 total,ouch!

I plan to add sissy bar, luggage rack, saddlebag supports and bags. I wish now I would have gotten the tourer, except I like to pick each part I add to fit me and to make my bike unique. Right now I have a saddle seat that bungees on, refuse to wear a man purse,lol. I also did the e-mod and I love the sound.

Mike

 

[jjay90]

I'm considering buying the 950 Tourer but haven't seen a lot of data on 2 up riding and if there is sufficient power to get me and the Mrs. down the road at highway speeds. I'm sure it could get us there but is there anything left when you're cruising at 70-80 MPH. I'm about 180 and the Mrs. is about 110 so I don't think weight is an issue. If it doesn't seem like a good option I'll get the 1300, only problem is that I sat on both bikes and the 950 fit me like a glove, I felt like I was sitting in the bike. The 1300 didn't fit as well and I felt like I was sitting on a seat that was too big, basically I didn't feel as secure.

Any body have any info, it would greatly help me in my decision to get the 950 or 1300?

 

[Funk]

As for the two up riding, my "tale of the tape" is I am 6 foot 3 inches and a ready 285 lbs nearly you and your wife combined... Ok no jokes or I just might come and EAT You~!

I have done lots of two up riding with my daughter who is about 100ish lbs and we had zero issue with power. If you add the exhaust mod to the mix I think you will be very happy with the bike performance and power.

 

[jjay90]

Thanks for the info Funk. I'm not a speed demon or anything but I ride an 83 shadow 750 now and once you get over 65 it is struggling to keep up on the interstate and I have to downshift if I even think about passing and that's just with me on the bike.

 

[eprovenzano]

I'm considering buying the 950 Tourer but haven't seen a lot of data on 2 up riding and if there is sufficient power to get me and the Mrs. down the road at highway speeds. I'm sure it could get us there but is there anything left when you're cruising at 70-80 MPH. I'm about 180 and the Mrs. is about 110 so I don't think weight is an issue. If it doesn't seem like a good option I'll get the 1300, only problem is that I sat on both bikes and the 950 fit me like a glove, I felt like I was sitting in the bike. The 1300 didn't fit as well and I felt like I was sitting on a seat that was too big, basically I didn't feel as secure.

Any body have any info, it would greatly help me in my decision to get the 950 or 1300?

I was in your shoes recently. I tried all three flavors, 950, 1100 and 1300. For me the 1100 just fit me better. The 950 was good, but the 1300 just seemed big. I'd go the the one the fits, more than trying to adjust to fit the bike. Me, I went with a leftover 08 Silverado, and couldn't be happier.

 

[bevo1981]

you want to decide between the tourer and the cruiser models? easy question to ask yourself here:
do you like the installed hardbags so much that you think they're worth $500 to ya? cuz that's basically what we're talking about. about half of the upgraded tourer price is the hardbags. so if you just want a windshield or the sissy bar or can live with a different set of saddlebags, do not get the tourer package.