650 vs 1100

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bikemech · #1 Unread post by **bikemech** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 1:58 am

OK, here is my question. After talking with everyone I could find about starting out all I hear is if you get a 650 for daily commuting and 2 up riding on the weekends you will not be happy. I do have to drive over a mountain and on the interstate to work. I have a friend who has a Honda Shadow VLX that he wants to sell. I know there is nothing wrong with the bike and it is practically brand new. I have also found a really nice deal on a Yamaha VStar 1100 Classic. I have sitten on 10 different motorcycles at various places and I am the most comfortable sitting on the VStar. And I understand sitting and riding are 2 different applications. But does anyone have an opinion on how much different these bikes would be for a beginner. I know the VStar weighs approx. 135 lbs. more. But having a bigger engine should mean less vibration at say a cruising speed of 60 mph. Correct? The VStar is shaft driven vs. chain on the VLX which is also very appealing to me. Thanks for you input.

#2 Unread post by **Sev** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 3:12 am

I used to own a Suzuki ls650 Savage, now known as the c40. It was a 650cc single cylinder. The longest ride I ever took on it was about 500km in a day with my GF on the back. By the end we were both a little sore from the substandard seating, but otherwise okay. We weighed about 250, 260 pounds together. The bike was literally a 250cc frame with a 650 engine crammed inside.

If you feel more comfortable in a 650 then it is more then enough. Check the ergos and the weight of the bike itself before you make any choices.

The guys I ride with have a shadow 750, and marauder 800. Both have yet to report any problems with long trips, including several weekend trips to the mountains.

brbolin · #3 Unread post by **brbolin** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 6:45 am

I went to our local Yamaha dealership a couple of months ago looking at VStars, too. I told the guy that I was just looking to get started into riding, and was wanting to know a nice, good bike to start out with. I told him that I had read quite a few things, and the VStars really appealed to me (will probably get the VStar Custom when I get one...but I digress). He talked to me for quite a while, answered silly questions a "newbie" has, and asked if I had ever even sat on one. Of course, I hadn't. Just looking at them got my heart racing.
Anyway, during our talk, he mentioned that there wasn't realy much of a difference between the 650 and 1100 (other than price and about 100 lbs.). I told him that I just wasn't sure, with me starting out that an 1100 is really what I 'need'. He was finally like, "alright, let's take a look at these 650's up here." I actually "got the courage up" to sit on one of those and LOVED it. Since then, I've sat on a couple of Suzuki's (M50, C50), but felt most comfortable on the VStar.
Long story short...after reading a few other posts on this board and others, I feel that, even with 2-up, on my cruise to work (about 35 miles, hills and valleys), the VStar 650 should be fine. Now...just the money aspect...

jdrestore · #4 Unread post by **jdrestore** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 2:11 pm

I am a big guy (6'3" and 300+lbs) I ride a Honda Shadow 750 and it gets me back and fourth to work on the interstate just fine.

Gadjet · #5 Unread post by **Gadjet** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 4:49 pm

In the last year, I've logged ~25000km on 650's, including three trips through mountains (with passes up to 7000' altitude) loaded down with gear for several days and never had a problem with either acceleration or top end speed. Both bikes (83 Suzuki GS650GL, a shaftie, and an 05 Kawasaki KLR650) are able to cruise comfortably at 75 - 80mph for hours on end.

If you do any amount of riding in stop and go city traffic, the smaller, lighter bike will handle better than the larger one. And if you are worried about a 650's ability to reach high speeds.......don't be. I've hit 100mph on my old bike and I've currently topped out at ~90mph on the KLR (I could go faster, but why would I really want to?)

If you plan on doing any two up riding (which you shouldn't do for quite some time after you get your bike), make sure you check out what the GVWR is for each bike you are looking at and what their individual dry weights are - the larger bike might actually have a lower capacity for additional cargo.

#6 Unread post by **ZooTech** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 7:35 pm

Okay, you've heard from the 650 supporters, now you're gonna hear from an opponent. Cycle World magazine just compared about a dozen "budget bikes" and the word "terrible" came up more than once during the V-Star 650 review. It would probably be okay for a bachelor wanting to use it as a commuter, but forget taking trips and/or passengers. If you like the feel of the 1100 Classic, consider the almost identical ergos of the Suzuki C50t shown below:

I have ridden both the C50 (dressed up like a C50t) and a V-Star 1100 Classic. Of the two, I actually prefer the C50, despite the slight power advantage of the V-Star. For two-up, nothing short of the C50 will do, in my opinion. Not that it can't be done (you can double someone on a moped), but you'll be searchin' for gears, overloading the springs, and overworking the brakes on any bike smaller than an 800.

#7 Unread post by **Sev** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 9:33 pm

bikemech wrote:I have a friend who has a Honda Shadow VLX that he wants to sell. I know there is nothing wrong with the bike and it is practically brand new. I have also found a really nice deal on a Yamaha VStar 1100 Classic.

No one said anything about a v-star 650...

A shadow can be amazingly comfortable if you're built for the cruiser styling.

rnr262 · #8 Unread post by **rnr262** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 1:11 am

A friend of mine uses her Shadow VLX for commuting daily to work and has no complaints. (almost all of it is interstate) She's bragged so much about the bike, I've considered selling my V Star and buying one.

Since your friend is selling it, would he let you take it out for a nice spin on the highway? I think dealing with someone you trust and who knows the bike almost always beats paying all those dealership fees.

#9 Unread post by **ZooTech** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 8:40 am

The Topic of this thread wrote:650 vs 1100

bikemech wrote:OK, here is my question. After talking with everyone I could find about starting out all I hear is if you get a 650 for daily commuting and 2 up riding on the weekends you will not be happy.

bikemech wrote:I have also found a really nice deal on a Yamaha VStar 1100 Classic.

bikemech wrote:I have a friend who has a Honda Shadow VLX that he wants to sell.

Honda's website, regarding the Shadow VLX wrote:A hardtail-style rear suspension. One of the lowest seat heights in our entire cruiser lineup. A powerful 583cc V-twin. The Shadow VLX is the definition of cool.

Sevulturus wrote:No one said anything about a v-star 650...

Yeah...gee...what was I thinking? Surely he was comparing the V-Star 1100 he mentioned with the Suzuki S40 or the SV650...

#10 Unread post by **Sev** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 8:53 am

Shadow VLX vs V-star 1100... you're RIGHT! Gosh, what a fool am I!

From a different thread:

ZooTech wrote:
If she's narrowed it down to two bikes, I would assume she's already visited and sat as you suggest. Let's work with what she's given us.

So lets stick with the bikes he's mentioned, eh?

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