There are many good cruisers for beginners on the market today. When I look back at all the bikes I have ridden one of the all time favorite cruisers was my 2003 Yamaha V Star 1100. It was my second motorcycle, but the one I kept for the longest until recently. The Yamaha V Star 1100 is the bike I rode the most miles.
Below is a review I posted in 2009 about the V Star 1100. I have added some details at the end of the original post.
I ride a 2003 Yamaha V Star 1100 Silverado. I bought it used in March 2005 and it had less than 14,000 miles. Well, as of today (September 16, 2009) it has just over 92,000 miles. The picture above was taken July 17, 2009 in Vicksburg, MS near the Mississippi River Bridge. I was on my way home from Florida.
I have greatly enjoyed the bike. The ride is smooth and the handling is awesome. Due to the low center of gravity and quality engineering making tight U-turns, quick swerves, or riding aggressively in the twisties is smooth and very comfortable. I never feel like the bike is going to fall over or get away from me.
The engine is good, although I rejetted it and put K & M pod air filters on it in order to increase the power. I am not for sure why Yamaha designed the engine in such a way that there is a lot of untapped power, but they did. The power is still good and I can roll on the throttle to pass when I need to. I even have a trailer that I pull with the bike. I pulled it on a 12-day trip from Texas to Colorado and through the mountains. The bike never faltered.
I currently have a Mustang seat and pillion, but in all honesty I wish I still had my stock seat. I loved the way it felt. The position of the floorboards are very comfortable and allow a lot of foot movement and placement options, which is nice on those long rides.
Overall the question is, "Would I buy a V Star 1100 again?" I answer with a resounding "Yes!"
The bike is great and is an incredible good value for the price!
Additional info:
I sold the cruiser in May of 2010 with 110,000+ miles on the odometer. It was still running strong.
While I had the bike I changed grips and added handlebar risers. Both I purchased through JandP Cycles.
I highly recommend J&P Cycles. I am an affiliate with them so, if you follow the link I will get a small commission, but the low prices stay the same for you.
Finally, would I say the Yamaha V Star 1100 is a good beginner motorcycle? Yes. It has a low center of gravity and is one of the best handling motorcycles I have ever ridden. It has some power, but not as much as the bigger cruisers or any of the sport bikes.
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How many miles do you go between vavle adjustments and does your engine tap like mine.
ReplyDeleteThe VStar has been great. As hard as this is to believe I have only adjusted the valves once - around 80,000+ miles. The exhaust valves were on the tight end of the range.
ReplyDeleteI have not noticed any tapping and no one has ever mentioned that they heard any, including mechanics that has worked on it.
See these two posts - http://motoroz.blogspot.com/2010/04/milestone.html
http://motoroz.blogspot.com/2009/09/v-star-1100-review.html
I agree, my brother has told me this bike is good and legendary in motorcycle industry ever.The high-speed thrill him over and over.
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing like having a machine you love. Unfortunately, my favorite machine, a cb550 from 78 never runs right. Still, I feel so comfortable and capable on it I'll never sell it.
ReplyDeleteBrady
Behind Bars - Motorcycles and Life
http://www.behindbarsmotorcycle.com/
I have a 2005 V Star 1100 classic. I feel that I am one with the machine. Only 8400 miles and no problems. I will ride the Tail of the Dragon at thanksgiving. Great ride. Can't find a bike I like better and I look and ride them all the time.
ReplyDeleteI love my "Mistress".
ReplyDeleteThis bike has a big problem!
ReplyDeleteEveryone has overlooked the most obvious problem with this bike! I am surprised that there is not one comment on this problem. The problem is: I do not have a V Star... saving up for one now to fix the problem :-)
I have a 2002 v start 1100 and lately it's making a noise while driving and I press my clutch. I have no problems shifting gears, it just makes this weird noise while running on the road and I press my clutch … anyone had the same issue and how was that solved ???
ReplyDeleteGo to "Yamaha Vstar middle shaft engineering defect" on face book had similiar noise engine blew apart
DeleteAnonymous - try the site below. I used it a lot when I had the V Star -
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sloneservices.com/SilverBack/VStar1100-FAQ.htm
Just bought a 2005 VStar 1100 classic with 7000 miles on it. Paid 4600 for the bike, and she looks brand new. I will be the 4th owner, and I am looking forward many road trips with it!
ReplyDeleteI have a 02 V-star 1100 and my speedometer stopped working... I replaced the speedometer and the speed sensor with no luck Does anyone know what else could be the issue? I could not find a speedometer fuse – is there on eon this bike? Or a relay maybe? PLEASE HELP I love my bike !!!
ReplyDeleteI never had problems with the speedo. Check this site. It is very helpful -
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sloneservices.com/SilverBack/VStar1100-FAQ.htm#Topics
I am interested in buying a 2003 Vstar 1100 Classic that had sat for years from 2004 - 2013, then the owner switched out the rusted tank with one that has two small dents in it, cleaned the carb etc., got it running and now wants to sell it but it has been sitting again for some months. Any thoughts on the potential problems the bike could have from sitting all that time? I probably would need new rubber, and to clean the carb again, plus work on the bit of pitting here and there, but with some tlc I wonder if the bike would be a worthy investment. He's asking 2,800 but I would offer him less since I'll need to change the tank again, put new tires on and do some work. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks. Mark
ReplyDeleteI think if you can get it below $2500 it would be great. When I sold it w/ over 100K miles I got $2000.
ReplyDeletelooking into buying a 2006 V Star with 6,000 miles on it for $2500. is in good shape. What do you folks think? Buy It or no?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! I am on my 5th yamaha now. Started with small motor viragos in the early part of the 2000's. Then v star 650 and recently upgraded to the 1100 classic. They have never let me down. Comfortable and easy to ride, low maintenance and for the price you cannot go wrong!
DeleteAbsolutely buy it! I have ridden yamaha for the last decade and recently upgraded again to an 02 v star 1100 classic. Low maintenance, no problems as long as you keep up on oil changes you will be happy.
DeleteGoing to buy my first bike ever in a few months here. Of coarse it's going to be a v star 1100. I can't wait to ride! Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteFor all you smart guys out there. I just bought a 2003 v star silverado a little over a month ago and it ran fine the first couple of times out but lately its been chugging and backfiring. Any ideals what the issue could be. Please help, I love the looks of this bike and want to ride.
ReplyDeleteEither your seals or you need your carbs adjusted.
DeleteLOOK for a vacuum leak
DeleteYou probably need to run some Seafoam through your tanks, maybe a few cans over several tanks. I bought a used 2003 V-Star 650 and it rans great initially. Now and then, though, it would start chugging, backfiring, and ran like crap. That was crud working through the system. Several cans of Seafoam later she purrs like a kitten and runs strong. She just sat too long before I bought her, apparently.
DeleteHere is were I use to get my info when needed - https://sites.google.com/site/vstar1100kb/home and http://www.starbikeforums.com/index.php - cut and paste the URLs. You will get some good help at these sites.
ReplyDeletePlugs are probably fouled out! Running with the chock on to long will do it!
ReplyDeleteYes, running w/ choke on for too long will hurt the bike. Be careful about w/ that choke.
ReplyDeleteI own a 2006 Silverado 1100 - I love the bike in its handling but my problem I have is not being comfortable on it. I change the stock seat out and put a saddleman on. Seems like I still have a lot of vibration. I love to take those 200+ mile trips but around 175 I am not comfortable anymore. Any suggestions on getting less vibration and more comfort.
ReplyDeleteLes, I never had a vibration problem. Make sure you are running good tires. I loved the Metzler Marathon 880. Depending on miles you may want to check the suspension. I rode a lot of 400+ days and was always comfortable. Hope you can make it work for you.
ReplyDeleteresync your carbs it will smooth right out
ReplyDeleteI bought my '05 V Star 1100 Classic last summer with 34K miles. It has been a great bike and fun to ride. My previous bike was a Yamaha Royal Star that weighed 850#s which was a lot heavier then this bike at 600#s. I do get a small engine vibration at a certain RPM but seems to run well other than that. Good looking bike.
ReplyDeleteno one said anything about the starter and up graded starter gears $500 parts plus $ labor up dated repair??? Ticking noises ??? is this forum real.
ReplyDeleteThe starter upgrade is something I never did. This is really not a forum, just a blog. There are some good active VStar forums out there you might find more helpful.
ReplyDeleteI have a 2008 vstar 1100 Silverado Canadian edition bought it brand new with 4 kms on the clock. sitting at 78000 now I have taken this bike on many long trips even coast to coast across Canada. it has been phenomenal the only time it let me down was when the headlight burnt out, have since replaced with an led so that will never happen again . I was looking at a new bike this year but decided to do some mods to my vstar instead, new cams, upgraded clutch , high output stator, keihin flat slide carbs,dyna ignition cobra 2into 1 exhaust, pods. as much as I liked my ride before it is amazing now. the cams changed the characteristic on the highway. 130 kph used to feel fast now the bike is just coming on there it cruises smooth at 140 all day and has amazing pickup now. I even get better mileage go figure
ReplyDeleteI'm wanting to upgrade my headlight on my vstar 1100 custom can you tell me what brand of LED you purchased.
DeleteI have been riding Yamaha XVS 1100s for 10 years. The distances are vast here in the Northern Territory Australia and service/parts shop are hundreds of klms apart and i have never been let down by mechanical problems. the secret is good maintanence. My current bike is a 2000 model and i have been riding it for nearly six years and i am the second owner, the origional owner was an older man of 75 who said it was getting a bit heavy but as i am younger by 7 years i got a bargain.The bike is original. Most people dont believe me when i tell them i have just turned over 169,000 klms and the engine has not been split. Only regular servicing using full synthetic oil(since new) and tune ups. I have replaced a stator unit, disc pads and 4 sets of tyres.The engine doesnt use oil and purs.The only complaint i have is how much road dirt it atracts, i do a lot of gravel roads travel(carefully)as not all our roads are sealed and all the cables, lines and hang on bits bring home tons of dust and gravel. I have nearly completed re-sheeting my 60 meter drive way.
ReplyDeleteI had a beautiful 2005 vstar 1100 i bought it with 10k...unfortunately, at 25k, the starter clutch went out....$800 in LOS ANgeles....sold her afterwards...shold've kept her....
ReplyDeleteThe starter clutch is the Achilles Heel of the 1100 VStar, but after that she is all good.
ReplyDeleteFinding that out. Researching an upgrade now. Hoping there is an upgrade.
DeleteHi - I used to have a 1989 Virago 1100 - loved her to bits - the starter clutch went, which is apparently a classic i learnt then..- i was kind of hoping that for models after the 2000 point this would have been fixed?? Im looking at buying a Vstar and have the option of 2006 classic with 24k on the clock or 2003 custom with 13 - both seem to be in excellent shape. what would anyone recommend? newer with more miles or older with less? and how about that starter clutch on these years?
ReplyDeletePersonally I would go with the 06. The starter clutch is the weak link, but the bike is awesome. Mine had 110000+ miles on it when I sold it.
DeletePersonally I would go with the 06. The starter clutch is the weak link, but the bike is awesome. Mine had 110000+ miles on it when I sold it.
DeleteThanks very much - appreciated
DeleteThanks for the review, really enjoy reading your blog.
ReplyDeleteYeah I have a 2004 model 1100 Silverado 12000 miles on it bought it used was a great bike but again also Starter and starter clutch went out waiting to repair the starter clutch freaking expensive but I love the bike can't go wrong for $2,500 everybody thinks it's a Harley have no emblems on it just fun to get out there and ride keep Ridin
ReplyDeletewhat do i look for as a problem with a starter clutch.Just bought a 2004 vstar 1100 classic 2 days ago
ReplyDeleteThe bike will have difficulty starting and there will be a strange sound. Check out this forum - http://www.starbikeforums.com/forums/18-engine-work/1946-starter-clutch-problem.html There is some great info.
ReplyDeleteThe secret to keeping the starter happy is to keep holding the start button for 1 or 2 seconds after the bike starts.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard that. Is that personal experience or is there some documentation on the subject?
Deletehttps://sites.google.com/site/vstar1100kb/home/new-owner-must-do-list/using-the-choke
Delete"When starting your V Star 1100, it is better to leave the starter button depressed until it starts, or up to around 15-20 seconds. Pressing it for just a few seconds and letting off you are more likely to cause the motor to kick back and damage your starter clutch."
Thanks for the info.
DeleteAnd NEVER give it any throttle when starting. Doesn't do anything and may cause the starter to kick back when it fires up, leading to starter clutch failure.
DeleteYes, that is great advice. The extra throttle can cause problems.
DeleteLooking to buy a 2005 V Star 1100 classic. it runs great and has been well maintained. But it has 84,000 miles on it with 2 previous owners. Should I take this one or keep looking?
ReplyDeleteWhen I sold mine in 2010 it had 110,000+ miles on it and was still running great. I would check over really well, maybe have a knowledgeable friend check it out unless you are confident of your knowledge. If the price is good the bike has a lot of life left in it. I sold my due my son's growth and he rode a lot with me.
Deletehave a 03 1100 classic with every mod u can do for fuel and air and 27,000 she is still fast and rides as a new one..easy to work on !
ReplyDeleteI must say that the Yamaha V-Star is one of the best lineup by Yamaha and those who own it should be proud of that. A lot of my friends have V-Star and they spend of their time on the bike. They use to keep the latest Yamaha V-Star Classic Repairing and Servicing Manuals that help them in repairing and servicing with the help of diagrams.
ReplyDelete