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| Yamaha V Star 1300 Tourer |
By Robert Shearon
If you are looking for something a little different in a touring cruiser,
you might want to check out the Yamaha V Star 1300 Tourer. Wes
Harris of Valley Powersports in Russellville, Ark., set me up with a
test ride of one for this month.
I had been assured by another dealer that if I liked the Honda VTX
1300 that I would really like the Yamaha.
And I did like the Yamaha, a lot, except for one thing. And the thing I
didn’t like would likely be a big drawing point for other riders.
Here’s the deal, unlike the other touring cruisers I’ve tested, on this
one, you actually have to lean forward to reach the controls. For
someone coming off a sport bike or one of the new standards, this
would probably seem like a pretty good thing.
I didn’t care for it. Well, that’s not entirely true. I didn’t care for it in
most circumstances. However, being right there on Arkansas 7, I
had to take it out for a romp along the sweepers and twisties, and
when you get going fast in the twisties (and I’m talking 70 mph here,
although, officer, I’m sure the speedometer was wrong), that leaned
over position gives you some amazing control. I felt more in control
of this bike in the twisty stuff than I do of my own stately Voyager.
Part of the reason for the speed was the engine on this bike. It has
a lot of torque and is mated with a gear box with tall gearing and a
belt final drive. It also revs up real fast. The tall gearing means you
won’t use 5th gear until the speedo tops 50 or 55. Below that it lugs
the engine.
On the Riding South secret test track, I got it up to 90 mph in third
on an on-ramp. Curious, I shifted in to fourth and saw the needle zip
past 100, with loads of throttle to spare. I suspect if can come awfully
close to the 130 mph top speed shown on the speedo. It was a fast
bike. Yes, I yelled “Yee haw” a time or two.
I was blasting around the curves on Arkansas 7 and having a lot of
fun when my party was halted by what appeared to be two Model T
Fords followed by two tractor-trailer rigs. So, I got to use the breaks,
which are fine. It’s a triple-disk set up. I read some reviews of the
bike on-line and saw some complaints about the brakes, but they
worked fine for me. I rarely used the rear brake, simply because I
don’t like the way they are set up on floorboard-equipped bikes.
One more word about the seating position. I visited with parts
manager Mike Long after my ride and he said there is a replacement
handlebar that has a bit more lift and pullback, which should
eliminate the forward lean for under $100.
I also read a lot of whining about the windshield. For a touring bike
it is on the thin side, but it is very tall. If I had one of these bikes,
when I switched out the handlebar I’d either put a shorter, wider
screen on, or just try to talk my friend Barry Bowman into cutting
about six inches off the top. There was some buffeting, but honestly,
any bike that doesn’t have lowers is going to have some buffeting. I
wasn’t that put off by the buffeting. It wouldn’t be a deal breaker for
me.
The speedo is mounted on the handlebar, which I liked. Most of the
touring cruisers have the speedo on the gas tank, which makes you
have to look down to see how fast you are going. Supposedly there
was a trip meter, too, but I couldn’t figure out how to make it work.
There’s no gas gauge or tach, either.
The bike is fuel injected and started and ran great. It has a nice
exhaust note and just a tiny bit of thumpa-thumpa vibration at idle,
which I read was engineered in.
It has by far the coolest saddlebags of any of the touring cruisers I’
ve ridden. The bags open a the top with a push button, and can be
locked. They had lots of room. Those, my friends, would be a deal-
maker in themselves. No fiddly straps, buckles or velcro. Yamaha
gets an A-plus on that score.
Here’s how it did in the various riding environments:
In town: Good manners in general. Very easy to do a pause and
go, easy to launch thanks to the low-end torque. If you never took it
out of town you could toss the last two or three gears from the
transmission and never miss them.
At first I didn’t like the twin protuberances on either side of the
engine. One, I’m sure is an air cleaner. Not sure what the other was.
You legs tend to rest against them. But, after a while I didn’t notice
them,.
Interstate: There’s some buffeting, but I didn’t find it troublesome. I
was wearing my Roadcrafter jacket and full-face helmet. I suppose if
I had been wearing a t-shirt and do-rag, it might have been an issue.
The bike was very stable on the Interstate, and as I noted, has lots
and lots of speed on tap, if you need it. Horsepower is reported at
about 76. Torque is around 82 foot lbs.
Twisty back roads (if you can call Arkansas 7 a back road): The
bike was amazing. It leans easily into turns, holds a line, and the
hard parts don’t touch down too easily. The only time I scraped a
floorboard I was deep into a corner when I hit a bump.
I performed one passing maneuver, and that was one of those yee-
haw moments. I downshifted from 5th to 3rd, pegged the throttle and
was by the car in a couple of seconds. That was fun.
The bike sits a little high for a cruiser, with a seat height of 28 inches.
The seat itself was pretty nice, and, unlike most cruiser seats, had a
little back-and-forth wiggle room. Very nice.
The mirrors are good, although I never got them adjusted quite
right. Set-up man Troy and I fooled with them for a while, and I
thought they were set right, but didn’t realize until after I got
underway that they were both aimed a little low. Still, I could see well
to the sides.
I did some checking and found out the bike’s tall gearing translates
into some high mpg numbers. I saw claims of 44 to 58 mpg on
various on-line owners groups.
The bike was drop-dead gorgeous, by the way.
So does this bike make the short list of potential replacements for
the Voyager?
Yes it does. The combination of handling, power, fuel economy and
luggage convenience make this one a top contender. As I said,
there’s aftermarket fixes for the stuff I didn’t like. For under $300 I
could have this bike rigged out and ready for a coast-to-cost tour in
no time. Yamaha also offers a luggage rack for about $150.
Here’s the specs, courtesy of the Yamaha web site:
MSRP* $11,190 (Black Cherry) Available from September 2007
$11,190 (Seashell) Available from September 2007
$11,390 (Cerulean Silver/Charcoal Silver) Available from September
2007
Engine: 80-cubic-inch (1304cc) liquid-cooled V-twin; SOHC, 4
valves/cylinder
Bore x Stroke: 100.0 mm x 83.0 mm
Compression Ratio: 9.5:1
Fuel Delivery: Fuel injection
Ignition: TCI
Transmission: 5-speed; multiplate wet clutch
Final Drive: Belt
Chassis: Frame Double Cradle
Suspension/Front: Telescopic fork; 5.3-in travel
Suspension/Rear: Single shock; 4.3-in travel
Brakes/Front: Dual hydraulic disc, 298mm
Brakes/Rear: Hydraulic disc, 298mm
Tires/Front: 130/90-16M/C 67H
Tires/Rear: 170/70B-16M/C 75H
Wheels: 7-spoke cast
Dimensions
Length: 98.0 in
Width: 38.6 in
Height: 43.9 in
Seat Height: 28.1 in
Wheelbase: 66.5 in
Dry Weight: 668 lb
Fuel Capacity: 4.9 gal
Warranty: 1 Year (Limited Factory Warranty)
If you are looking for something a little different in a touring cruiser,
you might want to check out the Yamaha V Star 1300 Tourer. Wes
Harris of Valley Powersports in Russellville, Ark., set me up with a
test ride of one for this month.
I had been assured by another dealer that if I liked the Honda VTX
1300 that I would really like the Yamaha.
And I did like the Yamaha, a lot, except for one thing. And the thing I
didn’t like would likely be a big drawing point for other riders.
Here’s the deal, unlike the other touring cruisers I’ve tested, on this
one, you actually have to lean forward to reach the controls. For
someone coming off a sport bike or one of the new standards, this
would probably seem like a pretty good thing.
I didn’t care for it. Well, that’s not entirely true. I didn’t care for it in
most circumstances. However, being right there on Arkansas 7, I
had to take it out for a romp along the sweepers and twisties, and
when you get going fast in the twisties (and I’m talking 70 mph here,
although, officer, I’m sure the speedometer was wrong), that leaned
over position gives you some amazing control. I felt more in control
of this bike in the twisty stuff than I do of my own stately Voyager.
Part of the reason for the speed was the engine on this bike. It has
a lot of torque and is mated with a gear box with tall gearing and a
belt final drive. It also revs up real fast. The tall gearing means you
won’t use 5th gear until the speedo tops 50 or 55. Below that it lugs
the engine.
On the Riding South secret test track, I got it up to 90 mph in third
on an on-ramp. Curious, I shifted in to fourth and saw the needle zip
past 100, with loads of throttle to spare. I suspect if can come awfully
close to the 130 mph top speed shown on the speedo. It was a fast
bike. Yes, I yelled “Yee haw” a time or two.
I was blasting around the curves on Arkansas 7 and having a lot of
fun when my party was halted by what appeared to be two Model T
Fords followed by two tractor-trailer rigs. So, I got to use the breaks,
which are fine. It’s a triple-disk set up. I read some reviews of the
bike on-line and saw some complaints about the brakes, but they
worked fine for me. I rarely used the rear brake, simply because I
don’t like the way they are set up on floorboard-equipped bikes.
One more word about the seating position. I visited with parts
manager Mike Long after my ride and he said there is a replacement
handlebar that has a bit more lift and pullback, which should
eliminate the forward lean for under $100.
I also read a lot of whining about the windshield. For a touring bike
it is on the thin side, but it is very tall. If I had one of these bikes,
when I switched out the handlebar I’d either put a shorter, wider
screen on, or just try to talk my friend Barry Bowman into cutting
about six inches off the top. There was some buffeting, but honestly,
any bike that doesn’t have lowers is going to have some buffeting. I
wasn’t that put off by the buffeting. It wouldn’t be a deal breaker for
me.
The speedo is mounted on the handlebar, which I liked. Most of the
touring cruisers have the speedo on the gas tank, which makes you
have to look down to see how fast you are going. Supposedly there
was a trip meter, too, but I couldn’t figure out how to make it work.
There’s no gas gauge or tach, either.
The bike is fuel injected and started and ran great. It has a nice
exhaust note and just a tiny bit of thumpa-thumpa vibration at idle,
which I read was engineered in.
It has by far the coolest saddlebags of any of the touring cruisers I’
ve ridden. The bags open a the top with a push button, and can be
locked. They had lots of room. Those, my friends, would be a deal-
maker in themselves. No fiddly straps, buckles or velcro. Yamaha
gets an A-plus on that score.
Here’s how it did in the various riding environments:
In town: Good manners in general. Very easy to do a pause and
go, easy to launch thanks to the low-end torque. If you never took it
out of town you could toss the last two or three gears from the
transmission and never miss them.
At first I didn’t like the twin protuberances on either side of the
engine. One, I’m sure is an air cleaner. Not sure what the other was.
You legs tend to rest against them. But, after a while I didn’t notice
them,.
Interstate: There’s some buffeting, but I didn’t find it troublesome. I
was wearing my Roadcrafter jacket and full-face helmet. I suppose if
I had been wearing a t-shirt and do-rag, it might have been an issue.
The bike was very stable on the Interstate, and as I noted, has lots
and lots of speed on tap, if you need it. Horsepower is reported at
about 76. Torque is around 82 foot lbs.
Twisty back roads (if you can call Arkansas 7 a back road): The
bike was amazing. It leans easily into turns, holds a line, and the
hard parts don’t touch down too easily. The only time I scraped a
floorboard I was deep into a corner when I hit a bump.
I performed one passing maneuver, and that was one of those yee-
haw moments. I downshifted from 5th to 3rd, pegged the throttle and
was by the car in a couple of seconds. That was fun.
The bike sits a little high for a cruiser, with a seat height of 28 inches.
The seat itself was pretty nice, and, unlike most cruiser seats, had a
little back-and-forth wiggle room. Very nice.
The mirrors are good, although I never got them adjusted quite
right. Set-up man Troy and I fooled with them for a while, and I
thought they were set right, but didn’t realize until after I got
underway that they were both aimed a little low. Still, I could see well
to the sides.
I did some checking and found out the bike’s tall gearing translates
into some high mpg numbers. I saw claims of 44 to 58 mpg on
various on-line owners groups.
The bike was drop-dead gorgeous, by the way.
So does this bike make the short list of potential replacements for
the Voyager?
Yes it does. The combination of handling, power, fuel economy and
luggage convenience make this one a top contender. As I said,
there’s aftermarket fixes for the stuff I didn’t like. For under $300 I
could have this bike rigged out and ready for a coast-to-cost tour in
no time. Yamaha also offers a luggage rack for about $150.
Here’s the specs, courtesy of the Yamaha web site:
MSRP* $11,190 (Black Cherry) Available from September 2007
$11,190 (Seashell) Available from September 2007
$11,390 (Cerulean Silver/Charcoal Silver) Available from September
2007
Engine: 80-cubic-inch (1304cc) liquid-cooled V-twin; SOHC, 4
valves/cylinder
Bore x Stroke: 100.0 mm x 83.0 mm
Compression Ratio: 9.5:1
Fuel Delivery: Fuel injection
Ignition: TCI
Transmission: 5-speed; multiplate wet clutch
Final Drive: Belt
Chassis: Frame Double Cradle
Suspension/Front: Telescopic fork; 5.3-in travel
Suspension/Rear: Single shock; 4.3-in travel
Brakes/Front: Dual hydraulic disc, 298mm
Brakes/Rear: Hydraulic disc, 298mm
Tires/Front: 130/90-16M/C 67H
Tires/Rear: 170/70B-16M/C 75H
Wheels: 7-spoke cast
Dimensions
Length: 98.0 in
Width: 38.6 in
Height: 43.9 in
Seat Height: 28.1 in
Wheelbase: 66.5 in
Dry Weight: 668 lb
Fuel Capacity: 4.9 gal
Warranty: 1 Year (Limited Factory Warranty)