V-Star 1300 Review

[Doogie]

I bought the red Yamaha V-star 1300 tourer. Paid $10,500 for it. Some of the discounters show prices of around $10,000, if you have one that is close enough to make it worth your while.

Looks-The V-star 1300 has a nice big bike look to it. Standard features include dual discs on the front, fuel injection, nice looking instrument cluster, and 5.0 gallon gas tank. The tourer comes equipped with great looking saddlebags, windshield, and backrest. Finish on the bike is flawless. Even though the V-star is a water cooled bike, the lines are hidden for the most part. The seat is comfortable ( a first where I don’t feel the need to replace the seat as soon as I buy the bike) and sits well on long rides.

Ride-The ride on this bike is great! I previously had a Honda Sabre that rode nice, but the V-star 1300 has a much smoother ride. Bumps and uneven spots in the road are no problem for this bike. I can ride this bike all day without feeling tired.

Handling-The V-star handles well in the corners, and for slow speed steering. The bike is stable in curves and goes where you want it to without any problem. I feel confident with quick maneuvers when I need to change direction. The bike has a low center of gravity, which helps with slow speed handling. My only complaint is that the handlebars hit my knees when I make a full turn, but then again, I have this problem with most bikes.

Power-The V-star has approx 75 hp and 78 ft-lbs of torque, which is more than the stock Harley 80 and 88 cubic inches generate. The bike pulls hard through all of the gears. The V-star loafs along in 5th gear at 80 mph, but accelerates quickly for passing.

Overall, I give this bike a big thumbs up! Throw in a free 48 month extended warranty (available if you bought before the end of the year), and the V-Star was too hard for me to pass up on.

Personally, I prefer a bike in the 1100-1400 cc range, rather than riding a 1700 cc+ behemoth that doesn’t handle well in town. The V-star 1300 is a great bike that can be ridden in town, on the back roads, or down the interstate without any compromises to handling or power.

[Rydr]

Congratulations on your new bike. I hope you enjoy it. My girlfriend tried one out. She didn't like it. She found the V-Star 1100 custom handled better. She also preferred the looks of the 1100 custom. When all was said and done she bought the 1100 custom. Each to there own I guess.

[MotoF150]

I have a price quote on a stripped down 07 V Star 1300 of $8999, but with tax, plates and dealer prep its $10K OTD, and ur glad you never paid anything for that free 48 month warranty cause it isnt worth the paper its printed on, did you read the whole warrant contract? Did the dealer make you sign the copy of the warranty? Yamaha is also giving out free extended warranties on their ATV's and thats a much different warranty than what you would pay for, it only covers certain things, you understand, when its free, you should know there are strings attatatched

[Doogie]

What's your point?

I posted this to give people an opinion on a new bike from someone who has actually ridden a V-star 1300, so I'm not quite sure what your post has to do with that. Your previous thread on the V-star was to "dog" about how much it cost, so I let people know what I paid.

I assume you must have evidence to back up your statements, because the warranty I received was the same one that you buy from YES.

[Sev]

Thanks for the great review.

[canuckerjay]

Enjoy the bike, dude! I haven't ridden one, but a bunch of us from ISRA were at Yamaha in the fall and they had one there; very different from my 1100 custom -- Fuel injected, liquid cooled, 2 into 1 standard, wider power band, longer and wider and I hear the exhaust comes stock with a throaty sound as opposed to the 'sewing machine' sound so typical of japanese cruisers.

I might actually want to trade up; but I still like the look of mine better.

But an awesome ride! See you out there Bro!

[Gummiente]

Power-The V-star has approx 75 hp and 78 ft-lbs of torque, which is more than the stock Harley 80 and 88 cubic inches generate.

Since Harley never publishes HP figures for their bikes, I'm very curious to know where you got your information from. As for torque, they do publish those numbers, though; the new TC96 generates 92.6lb/ft @ 3500rpm, while the TC88 manages 86lb/ft @ 3500rpm. It's not quite relevant (or fair) to include the old 80ci motor, as they were last offered in 1998.

As for the HP of your new V-Star, is that measured at the crank or at the rear wheel? 75HP at the crank will be reduced by an average of 15-20HP by the time it gets to the rear wheel due to parasitic losses from the transmission, suspension, etc.

Anyway, congrats on your new bike!

[MotoF150]

I AM HELPING THE NEW PEOPLE! The new people that never owned a bike before! The new people that have NO IDEA how the dealer ripps them off on price of the bike and warranties! I have been ripped off, I have learned from my experiences and I wanta help the NEW PEOPLE of this forum not to get ripped off like I did! I just wanta be honest and truthfull, and not sweep under the rug and not tell everybody the way you former bike owners do, cause ur embarressed and ashamed to admit how you were also ripped off. #1 General Rule; any extended warranty is a rip off, don't buy it, #2 The MSRP price on a new bike means nothing, the only reason why dealers sell bikes at full MSRP price is because so many guys buy them for that price thinking they can be the dealers friend and after they buy the bike they can hang out at the dealership and be special and important cause they own a new bike, Motorcycle Dealerships are owned by low class business failure types and are run the way a mafia or a drug dealer operation is run and they think it as a sucucess when they rip you off!

[Sev]

I AM HELPING THE NEW PEOPLE! The new people that never owned a bike before! The new people that have NO IDEA how the dealer ripps them off on price of the bike and warranties! I have been ripped off, I have learned from my experiences and I wanta help the NEW PEOPLE of this forum not to get ripped off like I did! I just wanta be honest and truthfull, and not sweep under the rug and not tell everybody the way you former bike owners do, cause ur embarressed and ashamed to admit how you were also ripped off. #1 General Rule; any extended warranty is a rip off, don't buy it, #2 The MSRP price on a new bike means nothing, the only reason why dealers sell bikes at full MSRP price is because so many guys buy them for that price thinking they can be the dealers friend and after they buy the bike they can hang out at the dealership and be special and important cause they own a new bike, Motorcycle Dealerships are owned by low class business failure types and are run the way a mafia or a drug dealer operation is run and they think it as a sucucess when they rip you off!

Still lubing the chain on your shaft drive motorcycle?

[Doogie]

I AM HELPING THE NEW PEOPLE! The new people that never owned a bike before! The new people that have NO IDEA how the dealer ripps them off on price of the bike and warranties! I have been ripped off, I have learned from my experiences and I wanta help the NEW PEOPLE of this forum not to get ripped off like I did! I just wanta be honest and truthfull, and not sweep under the rug and not tell everybody the way you former bike owners do, cause ur embarressed and ashamed to admit how you were also ripped off. #1 General Rule; any extended warranty is a rip off, don't buy it, #2 The MSRP price on a new bike means nothing, the only reason why dealers sell bikes at full MSRP price is because so many guys buy them for that price thinking they can be the dealers friend and after they buy the bike they can hang out at the dealership and be special and important cause they own a new bike, Motorcycle Dealerships are owned by low class business failure types and are run the way a mafia or a drug dealer operation is run and they think it as a sucucess when they rip you off!

I'm sorry that you didn't do your homework before you made an expensive purchase. Here is what I can tell you about my purchase:

1. As I stated above, I picked up the V-Star 1300 tourer (list 11,100) for $10,500. I could have gotten it for slightly above $10 grand if I would have been willing to travel about 300 miles each way. In the final analysis, it made more sense for me to pay an extra $500 instead of travelling 600 miles while I took time off from work.

2. As also stated above, the extended warranty I got is the standard four year extended warranty offered by YES, or which I have a copy in hand. I got this for free by purchasing the V-Star prior to the end of the year. Perhaps you should check things out before you make generalized statements for which you have no factual basis.

3. I feel that I will have a good relationship with my dealer because I took the time to check him out with other Yamaha riders in the area, as well as reviewing his local business practices and any possible complaints prior to making any purchases. Didn't you do this before you bought your motorcycle?

Having bought a few motorcycles in my time, I think what I wrote above shows how to buy a motorcycle, while apparently you can fill us in on how not to buy a motorcycle.