V-Star.. Good size bike for me?

[matt123]

Interesting,I had an 83 xj 750 midnight maxim #333 of 601 with gold plated side covers, light bucket and other trim (very disco and matched my Saturday Night Fever outfit).Had it up until aug 2009 best bike ever.It was rear drum,didn't know the 1100 was rear disc but I'm thinking it's more the exception than the rule.Your not gonna prove me wrong again are you?I'm starting to get a complex.

[adri]

Never underestimate the CruisinChick. Ask Shoe what happened when he did lol.

[RetroGrouch]

Point is a rear drum on a cruiser should not be a deal-breaker when deciding what to buy.

[Cat13]

I just bought the vstar... Sadly she doesnt have the oil filter relocation kit. Does anyone know where to get a good price on one? I'm gonna go plate her tomorrow and hopefully ride her this week. Then I'll start making decisions as per hypercharger pods etc.

[adri]

Congrats!

[CruisnGrrl]

Interesting,I had an 83 xj 750 midnight maxim #333 of 601 with gold plated side covers, light bucket and other trim (very disco and matched my Saturday Night Fever outfit).Had it up until aug 2009 best bike ever.It was rear drum,didn't know the 1100 was rear disc but I'm thinking it's more the exception than the rule.Your not gonna prove me wrong again are you?I'm starting to get a complex.

i had an 83 xj 750 maxim too, no gold though. Had it until march 2010 until it got run over. I briefly looked into the feasibility of getting a disk put on it. at the time disk was less common but the xj's were from what i understand where yamaha tried a few new things (like the YICS system). you do see a few modern cruisers with rear disks besides the harleys, there's a post where i took the entry level metric cruisers and compared them with a harley sportser (fuel injected, radial tires instead of tubes, disk brakes). my main complaints with the vstar are the spoke wheels and carbs, the drum is just kind of added insult

[matt123]

Nice lookin bike lots of my friends have them.I'm not big on spokes either since they're a maintenance item and you can't get them plugged at a gas station or carry your own kit while on the road like a tubeless tire.There are some options for sealing the the rims as well but I'm not sure i like it and no one I know has done it.Actually there a new product that just came out.
I think carbs are ok since they're easier to fix and modify if you go the exhaust and intake rout,pissin around with FI fuel possessors can be a real treat. I'll ask where they got the filter relocation kits.They seem to think they got a really good deal There there is also an issue with undoing and redoing the exhaust bolts constantly so I'd look into it soon. I think you know how i feel about the rear brake.Even though CruisnGrrl did in fact take me to school on it.
I loved my maxim and was told many times they were state of the art and the bike to have in the 80's. People flocked around it when brought on club rides as It looked fairly new.Sadly I ignored the cam chain sing too long let it drop into the crank.

[zibzer]

I havent checked this post in a while, after about the first page of posts I came across the following 2004 V-Star 650 and bought it:



I hadn't looked at this thread since I bought the bike. I did some research on the HP and it has the same HP as my XS400 which kinda sucks. Torque is higher though. Its a beatiful looking bike so hopefully I can handle the lack of power. I'll enjoy the fuel economy and lower insurance though! I may trade it in a few years for an 1100, but we will see what happens. Heck, I haven't even ridden it yet, I shouldn't pass judgement yet

[Cat13]

Congrats!

Thanks hoping to get her out this week

I'll ask where they got the filter relocation kits.They seem to think they got a really good deal There there is also an issue with undoing and redoing the exhaust bolts constantly so I'd look into it soon.

Would be greatly appreciated. I am looking on my end also. So hoping to find something.

[matt123]

Cat13,Their saying baron is the best deal but I would call the local shops first,some dealers would likely stock them and sometimes it's worth it by the time you pay shipping and duty depending on whether your doing it yourself or having the shop do it. I would get my online prices and then see if they'll match it.Sometimes you can have a pleasant surprise and don't have to deal with the shipping.

http://www.baronscustom.com/catalog/display/532/

[Cat13]

Cat13,Their saying baron is the best deal but I would call the local shops first,some dealers would likely stock them and sometimes it's worth it by the time you pay shipping and duty depending on whether your doing it yourself or having the shop do it. I would get my online prices and then see if they'll match it.Sometimes you can have a pleasant surprise and don't have to deal with the shipping.

http://www.baronscustom.com/catalog/display/532/

Thank you. I will look into all of that My hopes though are to do the install myself and also put on an oil cooler to help her out when stuck in traffic etc.

[The Last Boyscout]

Hey Cat. Congrats on the Vstar. I got my relocation kit installed at Northern Motorsports in Bradford. They should be able to get you one no probs. Although you got the Classic and i'm not sure the classic had the same issue as mine which is the Custom. Either way the relocation kit will still make it a snap to do oil changes. As for the Hypercharger I had Northern install that too.....



http://www.northernmotorsports.com/

[Flywheel]

Some of the newer versions of the v-star 1100 are equipped with cast wheels. Although they still have the drum brakes at the back, they at least have dual disks up front.

I did some research into the oil relocation kits--there's a bit of discussion about the oil line diameters. Some are narrower than others, which MIGHT be a problem in the long term.

The 650 doesn't have the same problem with oil changes, fortunately.

[Sundie]

+1. Maintenance stuff is a pain in the ***.

I disagree. Maint is about the same either way. Check liner thickness via inspection port. Weee.

If drum brakes were as good as disks why don't Sport bikes use them?

Why don't transport trucks? If you're talking about braking power, transport trucks need a lot. And they use drums.

Brakes use friction to stop the rotation of the wheel which gives off heat. The better your brake can handle (disperse) the generated heat the better your stopping power will be. ... Now imaging you're on the highway and need to hammer the brakes from top speed.

Because one stop vs one stop, i'd put drum brakes up against discs any day.
Certainly, *repeated* applications will tend to induce fade.

Once the shoe in your drum brake overheats it's going to feel a lot weaker and spongier. The disks travel through air while braking and our better designed. They get contact from two pads generally with multiple calliper pistons and will result in better stopping power, regardless of what people post on the Internet because their bikes have drum brakes

Actually, i have a bike from dual leading shoe front drums/rear drums, a bike with dual front discs/rear drum, and a bike with front/rear disk.
Trying to compare them would be ridiculous however - they're from different eras.
However, i will say this: if i could make a 232mm drum brake, it would have more stopping power. Newer designs of disc brakes don't benefit so much from the fact that they're "disc", as that they can put the friction area so much farther out, thus improving leverage on the wheel. However, form follows function, and it would be difficult to make a drum brake that large, and light.
Discs are better? Sure. For specific applications. Drums are better in other applications.

Even my "ancient technology" Harley Sportster has a rear disk.

Bet it doesn't work as well as my ancient-er Triumph.

[adri]

I'll send you a PM on disk brakes on trucks...

[Cat13]

Some of the newer versions of the v-star 1100 are equipped with cast wheels. Although they still have the drum brakes at the back, they at least have dual disks up front.

I did some research into the oil relocation kits--there's a bit of discussion about the oil line diameters. Some are narrower than others, which MIGHT be a problem in the long term.

The 650 doesn't have the same problem with oil changes, fortunately.

I wanted the 1100 for the power. Want something good for long trips. Though day 2 out and think I've got my first mod. Handle bars are awesome BUT for my short torso my back is starting to hurt. So gonna look at that tomorrow. BUT all in all really to take off the pipes to do an oil change is not THAT big of a deal. Sucks and takes longer but I'm doing them myself anyways so I'll crank the tunes and go at her. I'm going to def do the relocation kit after I got some extra money rolling in. Right now I'm a broker than broke *****.

[Cat13]

Hey Cat. Congrats on the Vstar. I got my relocation kit installed at Northern Motorsports in Bradford. They should be able to get you one no probs. Although you got the Classic and i'm not sure the classic had the same issue as mine which is the Custom. Either way the relocation kit will still make it a snap to do oil changes. As for the Hypercharger I had Northern install that too.....


http://www.northernmotorsports.com/

Thanks I will def keep the link down for when I look at doing that If I could find a cheaper set and do it myself I'd do it now but going to wait a bit.

[Torren]

I'll send you a PM on disk brakes on trucks...

Yup.. air disc's.. the wave of the future that will never be. Good technology but as of now too damn expensive. You can't beat the slacks and drum system for ease of service and running costs.

[Roli001]

Hello, I currently have a maxim xs400 and am looking for a larger and more comfortable bike to cruise on. I came across a good deal on a 2000 V-Star 650CC ($3500). The reviews I saw on the internet seems to claim its good for a tall rider, but no mention of shorter riders. Im 5'8" 170lbs, so I'm not a big guy. would I look silly on this bike? thanks!

Crap. I'm 5'7" and I thought I was tall and now I hear that a guy 5'8" isn't.

Joking aside I have a vstar 1100 and it fits fine. Bought it last year and did on it over 11000 kms. No problem size wise but I've heard that there are better seats out there for this bike.

My buddy said that I should go with a 650 seeing that this was my first year but no regrets for choosing the 1100. I would have been bored half way through the year with a 650.

[canuckerjay]

I just bought the vstar... Sadly she doesnt have the oil filter relocation kit. Does anyone know where to get a good price on one? I'm gonna go plate her tomorrow and hopefully ride her this week. Then I'll start making decisions as per hypercharger pods etc.

Nice ride, Cat. Congratulations. When you get to it, Shane from SS custom has a great pod kit --- get you more power than the hypercharger.
http://www.sscustomcycle.com/product...star1100.shtml

There's a couple others on the market that people have negative reviews on. Buyer be ware.

The other one with wicked reviews for performance is Tim B.'s 'Dragon's Breath', here:

http://www.metric-magic.com/

In addition, I've scored tons of knowledge from this forum:
http://forums.delphiforums.com/yamaha1100/?
If you have trouble with the link, set up a login with delphiforums, and search "v-star 1100"

Which has on it this knowledge base:
http://www.sloneservices.com/SilverB...ar1100-FAQ.htm

Stay cool, enjoy the ride. PM if you ever need anything.