Virago 250 vs V-Star 650

[Fropa]

Thanks again for the help. I ended up being offered a Maxim 650 at a great price so I bought it. I take the MSF course next month. I can't wait to start riding.

[joshhead]

My '04 VStar Classic 650 is my first bike and I love it! I had a Nighthawk ??? for the MSF class and I looked like a shriner at 6'1" 300 lbs.

My wife's Vulcan 500 is another story - way too small for me but perfect for 5'8" her. I do love to wind up that 500 Ninja engine tho......

[blues2cruise]

Fropa, my friend had a Maxim. It had plenty of power for two even on the highway.

I, however, bought a 650 V-Star for my first bike. It didn't take long to get used to a 650 after the 250's in the course.

[monkers]

I am new to street bikes and have also looked at the V star 650. Does anyone have problems with it overheating? I like the Volusia 800, trying to find one I can afford. My class is in two weeks. What are the exercises you guys mention?

[Sev]

I'd stick with a V-star simply because the bigger the engine, the more it weighs the harder it is to keep up at slow speeds. How big you are, and how much you weigh doesn't mean much if you don't know how to get your foot down and braced quickly enough to keep yourself from tipping at that stop sign.

Unless you live in the middle of the desert and intend to spend a lot of time sitting around with the engine running an air-cooled bike will be fine for you. You don't really need a lot of speed to keep it cool, and even in start stop traffic you should be okay.
One of the things to remember is that liquid cooled is just one more thing that can go wrong, and unless you're planning on riding AT the redline constantly for extended periods of time it isn't something to base your decision on.

[drrhythm39]

I just purchased my first bike 3 weeks ago. It is a V Star 650 Custom. I got a 2007 I did dump it (my fault) but to my supprise there was NO damage. I thought that the turn signals would break off but they are rubber mounted and BEND, all it had was a little scratch on the left hand grip. I guess Yamaha designed this bike for beginners who they know WILL drop them once or twice.

[NewGuy]

When I took the MSF Basic Course I was convinced I should get a 250cc to 500cc bike. My instructor actually said that if I was going to get a cruiser I should get something 800cc or larger. I was actually looking at Suzuki C50s, and H-D Sporster 1200s, and loved the ones I test drove. However, budget wise I knew I could pay cash for a used V-Star 650, and the insurance would be about 1/3 to 1/4 the cost of the other bikes. Once you go above 650cc the insurance costs go way up. So I got a V-star Classic. Great bike, and although I wish it had a little more power I think once I have more experience I will mod the intake and exhaust to get a little more get up and go.

I rode a 250cc Suzuki at the MSF and that was way too tiny for me at 5'10". It was uncomfortable to ride that bike. I sat on a friends Honda Rebel, and had the same problem. The V-star has a low seat height for short people, but also has the pegs or floorboards far enough forward that taller folks don't feel cramped. Really tall people can get an inexpensive kit to move the controls forward another four inches here: http://zivney.net/Products.htm

[Fast Eddy B]

Thanks for the advice. I'll see how the 250s feel during the course and then check out the V-Star.

There ya go. On training you find out a lot. Ask if there are larger bikes to try out; good experience.

[drrhythm39]

I also just passed the MSF (3months ago.) For my first bike I went with the yamaha V Star 650 Custom. I'm a fairly big guy (6ft 220lbs) I love it.