2007 Yamaha Star V-Star 1300 Photo Gallery

Photos of the 2007 Yamaha Star V-Star 1300. 2007 Yamaha V-Star 1300 First Ride .

Duke got an opportunity to test the new machine on a recent jaunt around the Blue Ridge Parkway of North Carolina.

Understanding the high demand for customization from its customer base, Star made the new V13's 2-into-1 exhaust aftermarket friendly by positioning the oxygen sensor in front of the muffler.

The new V13 won't disappoint Star's base of custom riders looking for a good platform to build off.

As on all cruisers, the limiting factor is ground clearance, leaving enough of a margin for error to not over-tax the stock Bridgestone (or Dunlop) tires in 130/90-16 and 170/70-16 sizes, front and rear, mounted on seven-spoke cast-aluminum wheels.

The V-Star does its best to keep an air-cooled look with its discreet radiator mounted between the downtubes.

Compared to the older model, the V13's seat is 30mm rearward and the bars are 27mm lower, while the floorboards are in the same location.

Getting a healthy bump in performance over the V11's mill, the V-Star 1300 not only casts aside its air-cooled ways but also trades in the old shaft-drive for a new belt configuration.

Its instruments, framed by a chrome surround, are attractive and easy to read except when the sun hits the glass face at some angles.

The roads surrounding the press launch's home base in Asheville, NC, are mostly of the twisty kind that motorcyclists love, and here the V-Star proved to be quite capable.

The Touring version of the V13 gives it a definite touring feel.

The V-Star 1300 is one sweet machine that is going to make a lot of cruiser consumers very happy. To do it at only a tick over $10 grand makes the achievement especially impressive.

Decent wheel control is offered by a 41mm fork with a bump-soothing 5.3 inches of travel.

The V-Star 1300, shown here in its Tourer guise, is in its element when exploring the sublime backroads of North Carolina.

The V13's clutch is very easy to modulate and has a fairly light pull for a cable-actuated unit.

The Great Smokey Mountains provided some fantastic scenery to test the new Star.

The Blue Ridge Parkway outside of Asheville, NC, provided the perfect byway to test the refined and well-executed V-Star.

The V-Star 1300 is a full-featured cruiser that will make its owner proud, all for a relatively low $10,090 MSRP.

Not only is the V13's mill blessed with smooth throttle reapplication, the engine vibrations are superbly quelled by single-axis, double-crankshaft balancers mounted to the left and right of the crank.

The new V-Star's powerplant produces ample output on the top end, but its initial grunt down low doesn't match the oomph of its competition.

A more touring-oriented V-Star can be had for an extra $1100.

Taking 10% off Star's crankshaft power ratings yields about 70 horsepower and 74 lb-ft of torque at the belt-driven rear wheel.

The touring version of the V13 features a giant-sized windscreen.

The Tourer model features a protective windscreen, leather-covered hard-shell luggage and a passenger-friendly backrest.

The V13's power is strong but not impressively so at lower revs.

As with many of its competitors, the liquid-cooled V-Star does its best to keep an air-cooled look with its discreet radiator mounted between the downtubes.