Commentary

How Much for That V-Star in the Window?

By Earl Bennett, ISRA #15741

I have been in the computer field for over 20 years, and I am currently working as a computer programmer for a large food distributor here in West Michigan. For the past few years I had thought that I would like to get a bike, but I always said that my next bike would be a Harley. Well, my opinion has changed, and I want to tell the story of the opportunity that fell into my lap.

Fortuitous Beginnings

November 2nd, 2003 was the day, or actually night, when I took delivery of my 1999 V-Star 1100 Custom. I had been looking at bikes for a month or so and narrowed the bikes down to the Honda Shadow line and the Yamaha V-Star line. After further research, I decided that the Yamaha V-Star was the bike for me. I was initially looking at the 650cc because it was a little closer to what I might be able to afford, and the size of bike was closer to the 450cc Magna that I previously owned.

My wife and I decided to go out bike shopping the upcoming weekend, when I noticed an advertisement in our company’s newsletter. Someone was selling a 1999 V-Star 1100 with 2,600 miles for $3,900. Wow, what timing! I called the guy, and he sent me some pictures. The bike looked so sweet, so I offered him $3,500. I couldn’t believe it when he said ok.... The only problem was that he lived west of Chicago, and I lived north of Grand Rapids, Michigan. He happened to be in a position where he was able to take care of that little problem. He simply put the bike on one of our company's trailers, which are transported back to the warehouse, and shipped it over to me.

It was a Sunday night, and being November in Michigan, it was cold, dark, and raining when the trailer carrying my bike rode in. We unpacked the bike, and I walked it out of the trailer and onto the dock. There was a ramp going down to the ground, but it was way on the other side of the warehouse, so I started walking the bike in that direction. As I walked the bike through the warehouse, I started to draw a crowd and the bike was getting very favorable comments.

When I got to the ramp, I walked the bike down to the pavement. It has been over 10 years since I sold my Magna, and I was a bit apprehensive about driving it home. I turned the gas on, flipped the choke on, and fired her up. The bike was equipped with Cobra Slash cut pipes and sounded great! It also had a National Cycle "narrow" windshield. The pictures that I had received did not do the bike justice.

After about 10 minutes of letting the bike warm up, and giving myself some time to overcome my apprehensions, I put it in gear and started home. That bike fit me like a glove; it was like I had been riding it for years. I must have been some sight, though, going down the boulevard in the cold rain and all the lights reflecting off the chrome. People must have thought I was some real hard-core biker! Once I had gotten out on the open road, the windshield kept most of the rain off my body, and the 40-minute drive home was just too short. The only bad thing about the whole experience was that the bike was in a real need of a washing afterwards.

I did notice that while ridding home, I couldn't fully close the choke without the idle going too low. I think that the carbs just need a good cleaning, because the bike had been sitting in his garage for over a year since it was last ridden. Still, it's a great bike, and there's no way that I could get a Harley half this nice for twice the money.

It's November in Michigan, and I have a great bike! It's going to be a very long winter....