Is th V Star 1100 a good first bike??? (We found him one today)

[baclay9]

My 19 year old brother is wanting to get a bike so he can ride with me and my dad. He is looking to us for advice on what to get as a first bike and I thought the 1100 would be great. I have never ridden one but figured it would have enough power to keep him happy for a couple of years. Like I said he is 19, about 190 lbs, and has never ridden any kind of motorcycle before. I already told him he should go take a riding class. We are going to our dealer to look at them on Tues. I thought I would get opinions on them from some people who had actually been on one. Thanks.





Brandon

[afiredevildoc]

My old roommate had a 1100 custom. custom just means it had more crome. It was a good mellow bike. great for a beginner and can grow with your riding ability. The only thing I didnt like was it was carb'd instead of FI'd. I dont know if the newer ones are or not but thats the only thing I can think of off the top of my head.


Adam

[GNO]

Ioften hear an arguement of "too much power" for a first bike.On a sport bike when you can easily pull an unintentional wheelie, I understand.I don't really see that on cruiser class motorcycles with a mature rider. For a 19 year old, however, the maturity level of the rider becomes a concern. When I was that age, I'd do crazy stuff. Keeping me constrained to a 600 or so, would've been a good idea.


Manuverability is also a concern. I found the V-Star line up fairly easy to ride. They have alow center of gravity and the wheel base isn't awkwardly long.


If FI is preferred, and the power issue can be modulated, the V-Star 1300 would be good.

[royale5]

My brother was 20 when he started riding, he started on my old 650 v-star and it was a perfect fit. He would get rammy on it once and a while so thesmaller size bike (weight & power) was good for him.

[swany1214]

I had aV-Star 1100 classic. It was a great bike. The great thing about yamaha's is the look of them can be customized. I treated my vstar like the warrior and tried to make it as simple as possible. I thought it was a great bike and would be perfect for a first bike. My first bike was a '77 Honda 750 four supersport and man was that thing tall and heavy and i was 16. The v-star as mentioned about is low and lighter than it looks. It has good power, but nothing that will pop a wheelie or get you in trouble too much. They are great looking bikes and are reliable.

[jamieb]

I'll stray from the pack a little with my answer.


You say he's NEVER ridden any kind of cycle before... Then NO an 1100 cruiser is not a good starter. It's too heavy and powerful to learn the fundamentals on.


I would first get him into an MSF course (this really shouldn't be considered optional as it teaches fundamentals that are difficult to learn on the street). This gives you basically two days of riding on a 250, which is a great size to learn the fundamentals on. If at the end of that he's at the head of the class, then I'd got to a 650 v-star or 750 shadow and put 2000-3000 miles on it. Either buy a used one and sell if for $500 less when you are done, or rent one for $500 for two weeks (and get at least 1000 miles). If at the end of that he's got "it", then buy whatever he wants (even a warrior is probablyfine at this point). This is a fairly small investment to make if you consider the cost of buying a 1100 v-star and then...


1) He decideds cycling isn't for him (this does happen)


2) He learns more about what he really wants in a cycle and the v-star 1100 isn't it.


For all intents and purposes the 1100 v-star is no different than a warrior to somebody that doesn't understand how to ride, it's big & heavy and essentially goes just as fast. NOT a good cycle to learn to ride on.





Just my thoughts,


JamieB

[Judge2008]

Yep not a good first bike. make him take the course. Then buy a cheap used bike because he will drop/ scratch it. Get some miles on 5-10 K then get whatever he likes. My first bike was an old KAW 750 for $750 Ran for about a year and sold her for 400. I never dropped her while riding but did forget the kickstand a few times. Then got a GPZ1100 and started hauling some serious a$$ and milage. I believe cheap is the answer to all his needs right now.

[sfd353]

Well, I guess I blow the curve on this one. The warrior is my first bike. Well, the first bike I bought for myself. I rode friends of mine bikes, but never bought one. I went to a riding class and learned the fundamentals. To me that is key, go learn how to ride in a parking lot first with good instruction, then find what you like. I fell in love with the warrior and it has been a lot of fun to ride, I feel Im growing to become one with the bike. I respect it cause it is a very powerfull bike, but fun all the same. The 650 in my opinion is a great bike to learn on. But, im no expert either.


Just my .02

[baclay9]

The warrior was actually my first street bike also. I had been riding dirt bikes most of my life though. I will definatly get him into the course. I know he needs it and he wants to take it. I mean, he doesn't even really seem understand how to shift. I have tried to teach him a little but it is hard for him to learn while walking beside me and I am leary about letting him saddle up on mine or my dads warrior. Maybe my dad's. Thank you all. I think I will try to get him looking at maybe a v-star 650 or something

[Judge2008]

This should be clarified to a 650- 800 cc standard. NO rockets. I have seen too many newbs jump on a 600 sport bike just to have it rip out from under them when they pop the clutch. Why do you think so many squids get hurt. Not enough training/ too much power.