Yamaha Vstar 1100 custom for a new rider?

[idgie6]

I'm a 5'4" 110 lb female. Size has nothing to do with it. I've had the s40,s50, and owned two sport bikes. I'm getting rid of my gsx-r 600 now. Kills my neck. Some people don't realize the 800cc bikes get up and GO. I remember when 650s were something. As a woman I see men ridding 800s all the time and see them as MEN. People seem to have this huge need to be better and badder than the next guy--women too! Hell I beat guys in drag races all the time, but who cares. The c50 and m50 are a great weight and plenty of power!! Suzuki makes sure of that!!!!!

[diamond_jim]

A little note about "beginner" bikes and bike weight/power.

Twice in the last week I've heard from two different people that a V-Star 650 is better as a starter bike than a V-Star 1100. I say hogwash. Often, in the past, a bike with an almost doubled-in-size engine was often nearly doubled-in-size in many areas, including weight and power. Well, that's definitely not true of the V-stars. The two share the same wheelbase and the 1100 is about 90 pounds heavier than the V-Star 650, and only a tank-full-of-gas heavier than my M50. With the V-Stars, don't let then engine size scare you. The 1100's really aren't all that powerful.

[NCxM50]

Originally Posted by Vegas Dan

so is that the consensus then? that this bike is too big for a new rider? i am a big guy already... the 800c bikes look like something my daughter would ride.

I'm not sure if we're looking at the same 800cc bikes....


V-Star 1100 / M50

Overall Length:
94.7 / 93.3 1.4" difference

Overall Width:
35.2 / 33.9 1.3" difference

Overall Height:
43.3 / 44.5 -1.2" difference

Wheelbase:
64.6 / 65.2 -0.6" difference

Dry Weight:
578 / 540 38lb difference

Seat Height:
27.2 / 27.6 -0.4" difference


It's fairly obvious that the 1100cc Yamaha and the 800cc Suzuki are incredibly close in size. My uncle and cousin both ride V-Star 1100's, one rides a custom, one rides a classic, and side by side with my M50, there is no discernible difference in size between the three to the naked eye except maybe the custom looks a bit "fuller" because of the bigger fenders than both of the others. Don't let the displacement of a bike make your decision for you. But on the other hand, you can also see that if the M50 is an acceptable "starter" bike, then the 1100 wouldn't be a terrible starter either IMHO.

[omegajim]

It's fairly obvious that the 1100cc Yamaha and the 800cc Suzuki are incredibly close in size.

what's depressing is, as you go up in displacement, you tend to go down in compression.

The honda 750 runs like 10:1 and the 1100 runs something like 8:1, negating in part, some of the reason of going to a larger bike.

[DaveAlvarado]

Disclaimer: I'm a 6'0" 340lb guy. I ride an M50 (an 800cc bike)

First off, I'd say that a generalization like "800cc's is something my daughter would ride" is at best uninformed. Like others have said above, displacement has almost nothing to do with physical size in the cruiser world. There are 800cc Suzukis that are as big and heavy as larger displacement bikes, and there are 1200cc Harleys that are bitty.

Second, I don't think the 1100 is a good first bike. I also don't think the M50/C50 would be a good first bike--they're too big and heavy and can be challenging to control at slow speeds if you don't have practice with it. I also think the 250cc cruisers are a little too small, and unfortunately there's nothing in-between, so I don't really have a good solution for you. An ideal starter cruiser would be a 500-600cc that weighed about 400lbs, but with the physical size of the M50.

[omegajim]

the small v-star is a 650. But it's fairly hefty for a 650.

[diamond_jim]

I agree dave.

A lot of cars and trucks have 8 cylinder motors. Just because a car has a 6 cylinder motor doesn't mean that it's a great starter car, one for a 16 year-old to learn in.

[demingrickjames]

My wife is 5'8" 135lbs. I started her out on a 750 Shadow last September.

She upgraded to a V Star 1100 Classic last month.

Smaller bikes just don't get the job done on the highway.

The 1100 rides better and can keep pace with my Strat.

[waterbuff]

I returned to riding with a 30 year period in between. I bought the VStar 1100 Silverado (used). It was a terrific bike to begin again with, kept it for 11 months and 10K and moved up to a Stratoliner. I took it easy at first and had completed the MSF course.

[omegajim]

that strategy can work, but, as a rule, starting out with that big a bike usually leads to trouble.

usually.

[DaveAlvarado]

Originally Posted by waterbuff

I returned to riding with a 30 year period in between. I bought the VStar 1100 Silverado (used). It was a terrific bike to begin again with, kept it for 11 months and 10K and moved up to a Stratoliner. I took it easy at first and had completed the MSF course.

There's a big difference between "haven't ridden in 30 years" and "never ridden". It's kind of like riding a bicycle. Even though you were probably rusty as hell, you still had some skill that could come back to you. A new rider doesn't, at all. You spend a lot of time your first month or two stomping the bike back upright when you screw up turns or parking lot maneuvers. Better to do that with a lighter bike than a big massive heavy one. Plus you've got throttle control issues that are magnified by having a more powerful engine. At least he's looking at a cruiser and not a sportbike, so brakes shouldn't be that big an issue.

[GMIslander]

Vegas Dan, Get the VStar, it's not to much bike for a man your size, very easy to handle.

[omegajim]

why stop there?

get the V-MAX.