For beginners who want the big bike look without the price.

[M109R]

My friend who has never been on a bike (up to a few months ago) just bought a 2006 Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic.

The bike is beautiful and very easy to handle and OTD in the mid$6k price range. From the front the forks and other styles make the big look much bigger than it is.

Be sure to check this out before making your final decision if considering a cruiser in the 600 cc range.

Anyone else have other bikes they know that have a bigger bike look like this that would be good for the newer rider?

And yes, we ALL know more than enough about the Ninja 250.

[Z (fka Sweet Tooth)]

Yes, the V Star 650 looks bigger than others in it's class. I thought it was the 1100 when I saw it. The Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic is the same. When I saw it I thought it was a 1600 or the 2000, however since it's a 900 it might be better off as a second bike for some not a first.

[ZooTech]

The Vulcan 900 Classic and LT are 1" longer than the Harley Road King. Makes for a pretty big looking mid-sized cruiser.

As for the V-Star 650, save a few more bucks and spring for the Suzuki C50. You get 150 more cc's plus fuel-injection and water-cooling for not a lot more money.

[M109R]

As for the V-Star 650, save a few more bucks and spring for the Suzuki C50. You get 150 more cc's plus fuel-injection and water-cooling for not a lot more money.

Good point.

Her bike in white was an awesome looking bike though. Check one out if you can.

[Bachstrad37]

I've noticed that big fenders tend to make the bike appear bigger.

[BAJACRUISER]

When I was looking for my bike, the Vstar Classic, was an option, but I preferred to paid 200 usd more and have a 800 cc, fuel injection and liquid cooled, for the Suzuki Boulevard M50......
In my opinion, it is a better choice for a little more bucks. I hope, I choosed well......

[blues2cruise]

I have a 650 V-Star and have no problems with it.
Why do people think that liquid cooled is better?

I have been stuck in border lineups on hot days and in bumper to bumper traffic on hot days and the engine has been fine.

Also can you tell me why you prefer the fuel injection to the carbuerator?

I need to know these things when I decide to upgrade.

[ZooTech]

I have a 650 V-Star and have no problems with it.

The V-Star 650 is a relatively problem-free bike.

Why do people think that liquid cooled is better?

It's easier on the engine in stop-and-go traffic during hot weather. They also tend to consume less oil.

I have been stuck in border lineups on hot days and in bumper to bumper traffic on hot days and the engine has been fine.

As it should be. The design is not a total fubar waiting to self-destruct, and that's not what anyone is implying. Fact of the matter is, Suzuki offers water-cooling along with fuel injection, 150 more cc's, and better ergos for only a few hundred more. The V-Star 650 just isn't much of a value.

Also can you tell me why you prefer the fuel injection to the carbuerator?

Where to begin?

- More power
- Better gas mileage
- No jets to clog up
- No cold start issues
- Easier to tune intake and pipe upgrades

That pretty much covers it. Compare the cost of the V-Star 650 to the C50 and you can see a few hundred bucks goes a long long way.

[sharpmagna]

with liquid cooled engines, you can get more horsepower out of them compared to air cooled. The reason being is that an air cooled engine has to have looser tolerances to allow the metals to expand contract because of the heat. The liquid cooled engine can control the heat expansion/contraction better so engineers can design tighter tolerances on the engine to attain more horsepower. That's why the VROD has a Porsche designed, liquid cooled "small" engine that can beat the pants off of the other "big block" Harley engines...

EFI is better than carbeurated because it handle the changes in the environment better than a carb bike. If you go to higher elevation, the air gets thinner and the bike starts to run very rich. If you stop for an extended period of time, you may have trouble starting the bike because the bike isn't getting enough air and too much fuel. Turning on the chock exasberates the problem because you are removing even less air to the engine. Also EFI bikes can attain more stricter emission than a carb bike (doesn't effect me directly as I don't need to get my bike emissions tested).

those are some things I can think of and others can probably add...

[dieziege]

Also can you tell me why you prefer the fuel injection to the carbuerator?

Depending on where you are, you can also add "runs well across wide altitude range" to the list... I live in a costal mountain range and regularly ride anywhere from sea level to 8000 feet -- fuel injection would handle the range of altitudes a little better because it constantly retunes itself.