Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

footpegs into a vibro frenzy. To give you an idea of whe re the power lies on the V-Star, th e roughly 100cc-smaller-di splacement Virago 535 is filled with two 34mm Miku ni carbs, while the V-Star gets a pair of 28mm Mikunis. No, this is not a bike for which red -line shifts were intended. Ridden in the bo tto m of the rev range, things suddenly make much more sense - as do the images in the rearview mirrors. Ease out the lightpull , cable-actuated clu tch to move away from a stop and the rider is greeted with an ample amo unt of bottom-end torque (par ticularly for the d isplacemen t> tha t really makes short-shifting the bike the way to go. The exhaust note from the staggered twointo-two pipes is abo ut in line wi th wha t this class of bike has to offe r stock - no t exactl y earth-shattering, Clicking thr ou gh the gears reveals light shiftin g action from the sa me five -speed gea rb ox (and shaft final drive) used on the Virago. At low speeds, the V-Star is a very easy bike to ha ndle, thanks in part to its wi de h an d leba rs . Your selected lean angle in corners is maintained with neu tra l pressure on the bars, and the V-Star exhibits no tend ency to tip to the insid e while turning at low speeds. A nd alt ho u g h th e bike weighs nearly 500 pounds dry, you just don't feel it. In these respects, the V-Star would defi ni tely score po ints as an entrylevel bike - as it would when it comes to seat heigh t a class-low 25.6 inches on the Custom, a more average 28 on the Classic. Also making it a bike good for so meo ne getting into the motorcycle mar ket is the sea ting positi on, one whi ch places the han dlebars and footpegs wi thin easy reach . Stability, too, trul y is a hallma rk of the VStar Classic, and one look at the spec sheet will tell you wh y: Rake is a kicked out 35 degrees and trail a long 145mm, whil e the wh eelbase is a full 64 inches. The single disc br ak e at th e fron t w or ks very well, needing only a light pull to haul in the big bike, while the rear drum brake is, well, a rear drum brake - a little dull-feeling, but it gets the job done. However, wh ile man y featu res of th e V-Star point to "en try level," qu ite a few others place it mu ch more in line with fullsized cruisers presently ava ilable. Foremost is the fact that it is ind eed full sized. As mentioned abo ve, the Classic L, claimed to be longer overa ll than a Fat Boy, measuring %.5 inches in length - just 1.3.inches (Lell) Like the Virago 535, the V-Star features rcw-malntenence shaft drive. Unlike the little Virago, the V-Sta r has a sing le rear shock. (Below) Just like the Royal Sta r, t he V-Sta r has big fork covers . The single disc brake did a fine job of hauling in the 50Q-p0und bike. sho rter than the Royal Sta r mod els. The 535 Virago, by co mpa rison, is ne arly 10 inches shorter. Being of the Star line also ensures that it shares much in comm on with its big-bike big-brother Royal Stars. The tank-mounted speedometer shares the same location and graphic trea tment as the Royal Stars' , and the fenders are made of steel, just like the big boys. Fuel capacity is the la rgest in its class at 4.3 gallons. Another hundred or so items that make it like th e Rov al Sta rs a re th e available accesso ries - yes, there will be more tha n 100 accessori es a vailable for the V-Sta rs, with so me d egree of inter chan geabil ity between the big bikes and the little ones, d epending on wh ich way you go. Of the more than 300 accessories available for the Royal Stars , 15 percent will fit on the VStar. Conversely, a full 40 percent of the VStar accessories Mil fit Royal Stars. While the styling treatment of the V-Star Classic is successful overall with its long and low appearance, spoked wheels, chrome en gine pieces, hard -tail look an d d eeply valanced fenders, the unfortu nate placement of the emissio ns-control carbon canister at the left front of the engine does rather leave it out the re in the open, in ter ru pting th e overall contin uity of the bike, despite the . blacked-out paint job of the piece. The V-Star Clas sic will be available in tw o co lo r sc hemes - b asi c bl ack and black /burgund y - and shou ld be in dea lerships by November. The Cus tom version due in Jan uary - Mil also be produced in black , with a si lve r / b lu e com bin a tion available as well. Both ma chines fealure a one-year warran ty. In the end, the smallest, most afforda ble member of the Star line offers easy handling and rida bility coupled with fine sty le and seems set to fulfill just abo ut any role you can throw at it. be it a commute r bike with style or a style bike you can commu te on. In either case, just keep her shaved and wave back to those Harley gu ys with confid ence tha t they'll never know the difference. .~ (Right) The cock pit is vaguel y reminiscent of the Roya t Star's , with s imilar speedomete r graphics and wide-set handtebars . (Below) Our tes t bikes were fitted with an accessory windscreen, one of 1 0 ~ planned accessories for the V-Star. 1998 V-Star Classic Specifica tions Air·cooled 70' SOHC Engine V·twi wi two valves percylinder n Displacement 649cc 8 1 x 63mm Bore x stroke Compre ssion rati o Carbu reti on Ignition Transmission Cluteh Frame Suspension Front Rear 9.0:1 (2) 28mm Mikuni : TCI digital Five-speed Multiplate wet Double cradle steel Non-adjustable telescopic fork wi 5.5 Inches travel Pre load-edarstable mono-cross single shockwI 3.9 inches travel Rake / trail Wheelbase Dry weight Fu e l capilcity 3So 145mm / 64 inches .496 lbs. .4.3 gallonsincluding .9-gallon reserve Brakes Front Rear Sing hydraulicdisc le Drum 130/90·16 675 wi tube on 3.00-inch·Nide spoked rim l R.ar 170/80 ·15m/c 77S wi tube on 3.5-inch-wide spoked rim COlors P ric ...... u) Wheels/ ti ...... Front r-, 0\ 0\ Bleck: block/burgundy $5899 .... OJ ..0 E OJ > o z 15

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