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Commentary
Is the
V-Star Big Enough?
By FastEddy
 One
of the most frequently asked questions that I get from visitors to
my web site is" Is the V-Star Big Enough?" That's a good
question, but I can't answer it without asking them a question or
two.
Big enough for what? What is your riding style? Who do you plan on
riding with? Are you planning on riding 2 up most of the time?
The overall length of the V-Star is
96.5 inches, this is longer than a Harley Road King. It looks "Big
Enough" . When seated on it, the tank appears big enough to
land an airplane on. (Ok, not quit that big, but it's very impressive}
The seat height is low, 28.0" on the Classic and 25.6"
on the Custom. (Great for short legs) I have never had anyone guess
the Bike at under 1000 cc. The first person who ask me how big it
was, thought it was a 1200 cc. Many of the unknowing and unsuspecting
think that it is a Harley of some kind. It feels big, looks big
and handles just right. Parked in the show room it was hard to distinguish
from the Royal Stars and Big Vulcan's on display.
I'm a big guy, 6'2" and my weight
is none of your business (grin), but it carries me down the road
without any problems. The horsepower rating is given at 40 hp. this
is only 3 hp less than the Harley 833 Sportster. The 200 yard top
gear acceleration from 50 mph was 69 mph, slightly quicker than
the Honda Shadow A.C.E 750, and only 2 mph less than the Vulcan
Classic and Harley 883 Sportster. The 1/4 mile time/mph was 15.24
/ 85.8 on the V-Star. A little slower than than the other bikes
in the middle weight cruiser class.
It isn't a rocket, but it is a lot
of fun to ride and has a lot of bottom end torque for getting around
town without any problems. Freeway speeds are not a problem, it
will cruise all day at 65 to 75 mph without the annoying vibration
found on some of the other cruiser bikes .
If everyone you ride with has middle
weight cruisers, you will feel right at home. If you are planing
a lot of 2 up riding when touring or extensive high speed cruising,
you would probably be happier with a bigger bike than this one.
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