Just bought my bike!

[buddhacide]

Well, in partial thanks to the membors of this forum, I went out and bought a v-star 650 classic (99). The bike looks great, and felt nice to sit on, although it felt so heavy compared to my bicycle, lol. ANyway, the guy is delivering it on Sunday.

I have 3 questions (for now), not really related at all.

1) Where can i get a copy of the owners manual?

2) The bike comes with "Engine guards", which he said will protect the bike if i drop it (which is a real comfort). Are their any con's to leaving these on in the long run?

3) Can I buy gloves suitable for motorcycling at a bicycle shop, or will i need to go to a motorcycle shop.

The guy threw in a nice jacket and helmet with the deal, along with a cover ($600 in bonuses ), but i still need to get gloves.

[The Grinch]

The guy threw in a nice jacket and helmet with the deal

Remember, that free helmet is worthless if it doesn't fit you. Please be sure to read the helmet fit guidelines sticky in this forum.

[t_bonee]

1. Try ebay. Worked for me. Or the dealer may be able to still get one for a 1999 bike. Google is your friend as well.

2. Nope. I wouldn't be without them myself.

3. I would say just go to the motorcycle shop and that will guarantee you are getting motorcycling gloves.


And +1 for what XM23 said.

[sharpmagna]

Congrats on the new bike

1) Try ebay or if all else fails, the local Yamaha dealership can probably order it for you.

2) I leave mine on all the time because what good is it if not installed? Also highway pegs have been mounted on them so I can stretch out on long cruises (you may be able to see it in my avatar)

3) Motorcycle gloves are designed for motorcycling so I'd stick with them. Look for something that is made out of leather, has gel padding in the palms and maybe some armor for your knuckles

[buddhacide]

Thanks. The helmet fit quite well actually. The guy is roughly my size, so the clothing thing turned out to be a good deal (I was going to buy the bike anyway).

As for the gloves, the cycle shop I plan on going to, which is just down the road from me, is rather large with a huge selection. I dont have a motorcycle shop anywhere near me, so its a pain to get to one. I'll look at what they have and see if there is anything that will at least do the job until I can get a look at some more specialized ones.

[zarakand]

Congrats on the bike. As far as the helemt, the concern isn't the fit but that you'll never know if its been dropped till its too late. Though you didn't mention if it was a brand new helmet or used, so if it's new no worries!

[Sev]

A while back there was some stuff going around saying that engine bars could increase the likelyhood that you'll break a leg in a crash. I don't believe it myself, but it's something to be aware of.

E-bay or your local dealership can get you a manual, you might want to grab a Clymer or Haynes for it as well, just in case.

I'd go to a real bike shop, bicycle gloves are meant to proctect your hands in a 10-20 kmh crash. Motorcycle gloves (good ones) should protect you at MUCH higher speeds.

[MotoF150]

You can download a copy of the owners manual from the Yamaha site, www.starmotorcycles.com. I recommend engine guards they are designed to protect ur engine from damage if you tip the bike over, you can crack ur engine case if you tip it over without engine guards. Gloves come in a lot of choices, there are gloves that provide a better grip and there are gloves designed to keep ur hands warm, I suggest a thin tight fitting glove, personally I wear mechanics gloves cause of the good grip they provide and they feel like a second skin. Thats a great bike the Yamaha 650 V Star a friend owns one, bulletproof engine, easy to ride and control, from a distance it looks like a Harley and nobody can tell the difference between the Yamaha 650 and 1100.

[Scoutmedic]

I don't have anything else to add other than Congratulations!

[motogirl]

Congratulations on your new bike. Those V-stars are so pretty.

I would definitely try to get motorcycling gloves. The ones from the bike shop aren't designed to protect you at high speeds, and I doubt even the ones the downhillers wear have gauntlets.

I got my Virago manual from Yamaha, just ordered over the phone so that I didn't have to go out of my way. All of the ones on eBay were for Virago models that spanned several years. Though there probably weren't any significant changes made to the bike over the years, I wanted the one just for my bike. It only cost around $17.

Happy Bike Day!

~Janet