2009 Yamaha V Star 1300 Tourer User Ratings

I have about 500 miles on this unit. It was bought new off of the showroom floor with about 7 miles on the Odometer. My other bike is a 650 VStar Custom. I purchased this one for the additional power, comfort and additional road stability. This bike does not dissappoint on the road. For a fairly heavy bike it feels nimble going through the turns and can be tossed around pretty well as long as you don't over-estimate your ability or under-estimate the size of it. I road several other bikes before purchasing this one and this bike fit me the best. Controls are all pretty easy to command by tactile input with the exception of the multifunction button that cycles through the trip odometers, clock and main odometer. I find this display a little hard to read while moving due to the font size of the display. Otherwise the controls are well thought out and easy to operate. Brakes bring the beast to a smooth, rapid stop with confidence and but I have seen some writers complain they are not aggressive enough. My two complaints about the bike are the stock handle bars which put the rider in an uncomfortable position leaning too far forward. This strains the back and neck into discomfort rather quicly. The other issue is not really as much of a problem as it was when I first started riding the bike but due to the excellant highway gearing it is a little sluggish in first and second gears. For around town riding it takes some getting used to and doesn't have the pep off the line that my 650 does. On the highway is where this bike thrives. It lopes along quietly at 65 mph and sometimes I have to goose the throttle to make sure it is still running. Comparitively my 650 was working pretty hard at 65 and uncomfortable at 75. The 1300 has torque and power to spare at speed. She has long legs and is happy to be downshifted at 65 if you want throw someone into your rearview quickly but equally happy with just thumping through the torque band by opening the throttle in 5th. I wish it had a little better gear split in first, second and third for city driving but overall I give it high marks for drivability in the environment it was made for on the highway. I replaced the bars with some Royal Star standard bars and that fixed the rider position issue but this should be fixed by Star it is just a bad design. Otherwise, I look forward to driving this bike for many years to come and covering the many scenic byways of the Northwest in comfort. Ride On!