Second motorcycle

[Drainrod]

So Im looking to upgrade. My first bike I went a little too safe and feel I've grown out of my little 250.

[Connie14]

Are you looking to stay with a cruiser or moving to something a little more sport oriented? There are many great bikes or there, and it is a good time to buy.

[Helmutt]

650 v-twins are a good, manageable, upgrade from small parallels. And they're powerful enough to keep you satisfied for quite a while.

Just depends on the platform you want to go to ( sport, cruiser, adventure ).

[2talltim]

So Im looking to upgrade. My first bike I went a little too safe and feel I've grown out of my little 250.

Yea my wife went with a vstar 250 for her first too, didn't have enough power get out of its own way. Think they are only rated for like 18 hp. She only rode it for half a season then she stepped up to a honda vlx shadow 600 for her second and rode it for s few year now she has a vstar 1100.

I know a guy that's selling a 600 shadow right now too.

Edited November 21, 2015 by 2talltim

[redkow97]

I can't see the "my bikes" section while using the mobile app. What do you have now?

[smccrory]

Another vote for the 650 class, and for the notion that you should play around with the idea of what class bike you want next.  Cruisers are great, but there are also fantastic sport bikes, standards/retros, adventure and dual sports...

 

Reflect on what you enjoyed the most about riding this past season.  Was it carving twisties?  Was it enjoying a particular style or seating position or going to specific events?  Was it riding similar bikes or routes with friends?  Did you find anything lacking other than power?  Would you like to go offroad more?  Would you like to travel longer highway distances?

 

The answer to those questions should help us to help you narrow down on some brilliant candidates for you to research.

[Drainrod]

I think I'm sticking with cruisera for now I have glanced at some of the naked sports bikes but haven't been to a dealership to test or even sit on one. But ideally I'd like something with enough power to be comfortable on a 2-4 hour day trip with a passenger and a bit of luggage.

[smccrory]

I think I'm sticking with cruisera for now I have glanced at some of the naked sports bikes but haven't been to a dealership to test or even sit on one. But ideally I'd like something with enough power to be comfortable on a 2-4 hour day trip with a passenger and a bit of luggage.

 

If you wanted to stay with the Star line, I owned a 2001 V-Star 1100 that I really enjoyed and two coworkers love their V-Star 650s.  I went from a Suzuki S40/Boulevard 650 to it, which may sound like a big jump from your V-Star 250 but believe me, it's not once you spend a week with a 650 or 1100 because their weight is carried so low.

 

On the plus side, the 1100 in particular has all the low-end grunt you'd ever need and it sounds pretty good too.  I put on a Mustang seat and passenger backrest, and the two of us were all-day comfortable.  I also had a touring windscreen and wind guard "lowers" that eliminated helmet buffeting and seemed to strike the perfect balance between airflow and chill protection.  I think I got about 37 mpg; a little higher on country roads.  Easy to work on, reliable engine and shaft drive.  I also put on a mustache bar with integrated highway pegs and a few other mods that made it cozy for long days.

 

On the minus side it is big and hot for city summer riding.  Those jugs are right between your legs and you'll bake if you get stuck in traffic in the peak of summer.  In the winter, it's free torso heat, but in the summer you may find yourself wanting a smaller, lighter and more maneuverable bike for shorter trips.  It's also a style more suited to bombing through country roads and highways, not tight-and-twisty corners and certainly not off-road conditions (though it'll handle gravel and flat dirt just fine as long as the short suspension doesn't bottom out).  If that suits your riding style, then perfect, but if you start wanting to take turns tighter and faster, it doesn't take much to scrape the pegs.

 

Something to consider anyway.  You can get a used V-Star 650 or 1100 in good condition, well-equipped for $3k-4k all day long.  They're so damned reliable, I don't think I'd buy a new one - let someone else take that initial depreciation.

[Josh1234]

I can't see the "my bikes" section while using the mobile app. What do you have now?

 

Drainrod

Newbie

• 
• Members
• 
• 2 posts
• Joined November 21, 2015

• Name: Fitz
• Location: Dayton
• Bike(s): 2013 Yamaha V-Star 250

[Ziggy]

If you're looking to take a step up from your VStar 250, I can't say enough good things about the VStar 650.  I've owned 3 of them, two classics (full fenders, fat front tire) and one Custom (19" front tire, ducktail rear fender.  They're dead simple to maintain, and with a couple of pretty simple, and relatively inexpensive mods, they can be pretty entertaining to ride.  Between the two, from the triple trees back, they're pretty indistinguishable from one another besides the rear fender.  I will tell you though, if you like riding twisty back roads, the Custom is the way to go.  The taller, skinny front tire communicates better, and the front end is much lighter than the Classic.  Neither one is going to keep up with sporty type riding 600s in the back roads, but they can be fun to twist the throttle and run through the gears.  Definitely buy used VStar 650s, never new.  Depending on your size, you may find the VStar 650 to be kinda small dimensionally.  I'm 5'11" and 230 give or take, and didn't find it cramped until I rode my Custom back to back with my Heritage Softail.  If your 2-up cruising tends to stick to rural routes and biways, you should find the 650 to be perfectly adequate.  If you think you'll find yourself on the slab, you'll likely find yourself looking for another gear and light on power. 

 

My dad had a Suzuki Intruder Volusia 800, the predecessor of the Boulevard c50, and he liked it okay.  I rode it several hundred miles over a couple of months, and found it to be more powerful than my VStars, but I couldn't say it was a better bike.  It was water cooled, which was nice, but you're much more limited as far as mods go.  There isn't a simple carb re-jetting procedure on the Volusia, if you need more fuel (to account for intake and exhaust upgrades) you'll have to pull the carbs and drill the orifices.  The Volusia 800 falls into the same lightweight cruiser class as the VStar 650, and they're really very similar bikes, but despite the additional power provided by the 800cc engine, I prefer the simplicity and modability of the VStar. 

Keep an eye on Craigslist, you should be able to find either of the VStar 650 variants or a Volusia/c50 Boulevard in nice shape in the $2000-$3000 range pretty readily through the winter.  Even in the spring though, the meaty range for those bikes only jumps up to about $2500-$3500.

[DJJackBurton]

I owned a Boulevard C50T prior to my current bike, and it was a great bike. The Boulevards are water cooled and fuel injected, and there are plenty of enhancements available. There is a shop that specializes in equipment for the whole Boulevard line. I sold it to my buddy's son, who loves it as well.

 

The two weeks before July 4th, I left Central Ohio, rode to Ricmond VA, spent some time there, then up to the Jersey shore and back. Wonderful ride on a wonderful bike. At around 50mpg on the freeway you had a good amount of time between stops.

 

If you want to go larger, the big brother is the C90T, and the great big brother is my current ride, the C109RT.

 

[Ron505]

If you're planning to stick with a cruiser, I'd suggest a larger CC than 650.  If you plan to ride two up, and possibly haul some luggage, you'll need/want more power.  The way most cruisers are tuned, and the weight of them, they won't get you into any unexpected trouble unless you want it to.

 

Check out the Yamaha Stryker.

Edited December 29, 2015 by Ron505

[Drainrod]

I've been looking into the vstar 1300 deluxe. The lockable hard bags, the red from the 2015 model and the price are the parts I'm most impressed about. The fairing and radio are nice but that's more for the ol' lady.