I was looking at a Harley Davidson Roadking and liked the bike until I came across a Star (Yamaha) VStar 1100 Silverado for half of the price loaded. The HD is 18k the Star is 9k.

My question is, does anyone here have any experience with these Yamahas? I have scoured the web with hardly a negative remark about them.

The HD guys might squirm at this but the price and options are hard to dismiss.

Road king


Silverado


Thanks

The Yamaha may trump it for value, for the money, but:

Well, you may know this already, but..

With the Harley, you will get plugged into a whole lifestyle, if you like to ride.
There are H.O.G. chapters nation and world wide, with plenty of events and rides. Plus, if you break down on the road, and you get your machine to a dealer, the policy is that people stranded "on the road" go to the front of the line for service and repairs, no matter who was signed up first... ( a policy other dealers could wisely follow)...whatever it takes to get you back on the road again.

You can meet Harley afficianados wherever you travel. They're good people from all walks of life.

You might get laughed at if you sport a Yamaha tatoo. Not so with a Harley.

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

I have never been one for "lifestyles" or group functions I just like the ride of a big, well built bike. Just me and my lady riding to places we've never been.

I appreciate the family image angle though.

If you are unsure either way, get the Yamaha (or any Japanese bike really). It's probably better made, will give you less problems and costs ALOT less. Unless you are looking to get into the "Harley crowd" and accessorise your bike and yourself that is. A true Harley guy may laugh at you, but a true motorcycle guy would care less if you have a Yamaha or a Harley. There is a big difference between the two. Like a lot of people though, I just wanted the rumble and 'feel' of a Harley engine. You can't really beat that, it used to make me drool. Oh, and if you're single... it's definitly worth getting the Harley .

If that's the case, I would get a Honda Goldwing. Probably the best bike ever made as far as handling, build quality and comfort. Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of the looks though.

WG

I almost bought a Road King back in 97, but got the lighter Dyna instead.
But the RK's are sweet.

You know, with HD increasing production every year, and with tech improvements coming along every year or two, (six speed tranny for instance now available,) the older bikes don't hold their values as well as they once did.

A used road king might be the way to go. Guys don't usually beat them up.
The twin cam 5 speed, or for that matter, the Evo motor bikes are darned good bikes. One with low miles and well cared for might be a bargain.

Woman told me once: "Well, you don't get laid on a Honda!!"

Hahaha, I gave up on possessions as attractants a long time ago. They usually get to keep it way after you have gone.

I have looked at used HDs and the general opinion about their dependability is usually less then stellar.

I was just wondering if the Stars have comparable issues

Forget about "lifestyle." Forget about tattoos. Forget about whether other riders wave to you and concentrate on riding.

The advantage of H-D doesn't show up as well on new machines, but is a reason that the resale values are still fairly good. You can get parts for them, and it doesn't matter how old they are.

I had a '74 Shovel, and anything I wanted could be had the next day (at the latest) for pickup at a local parts house. I mean anything; any tiny part of the entire machine. Most of it wasn't factory any more, but pretty much everything is US made, if you look for that.

that ain't going to happen with a '74 Honda.

The highest quality, in my opinion, is anything built by Honda BUT I purchased a Road King and would not take anything for it. Something about the sound/ride that is in a class of it's own.

I love to ride and don't look down on anybody riding any kind of m/c - I wave to em all.

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Jim

Been riding off and on for all of my adult life if you want two wheels and CHEAP $$$$ then go for the Jap bike. But if you want a bike that has character, best sound bar none, great quality (now), resale value, and like it or not women love them then get the Harley you wont go wrong. I had both jap and a couple of harleys and even with the problems of he old shovel Electra glide have never had a bike I appreciated or just flat liked riding better than my Harley's. my .02 worth!!

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Keith Schuster
2006 E350 98K miles
2013 Ford Explorer 15K miles

I’ve ridden both. Our ranch manager has the Yamaha, and my B.I.L. has two of the HDs. The one thing that sticks with me from trying them both out, is in slow maneuvering.
Not sure if it’s the rake angle of the forks, or just a CG thing. But slow speed turns on the Yamaha, and I fight like hell (and scared to death I‘m about to drop it) to keep the thing from falling over. I’m not a big upper body guy, mind you. But the Yamaha just seems to want to dive in and pull itself over.
The HD on the other hand, I can take down to near walking speed and make a U-Turn, feet up, no problem.

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1980 300D - Veggie Burner !

I don't care for the harley look alikes. If you want a harley, buy a harley.

A goldwing is a two-wheeled subaru. If you want a subaru, buy a subaru.

Weight is a factor often overlooked with bikes, check an air-cooled BMW.

Something like a DRZ400 would probably be the most fun for the buck.

Those Yamaha VStars are excellent bikes. You can't beat the shaft drive.
Their still in the stone age with the carburetors, Fuel injection is the way to go.

The Kawasaki Vulcan or Nomad might be a better choice. It has fuel injection and pushrod design for lower center of gravity.

I saw a lot of the Honda VTX's at bike week. They look like decent bikes.

There's a lot of good advice here. I ride a Harley but I could care less what the person next to me is riding.

The Harleys will definitely hold their value better than any Jap bike. A jap bike will depreciate just like a car, as soon as you take it out the door. And Harley quality is not an issue. They do not have any quality issues with any of their bikes.

Don't do anything without a test drive. You should have went to Bike Week, that would have been your golden opportunity to test all the bikes.
Either way you decide get out there and have fun!

Danny

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1984 300SD Turbo Diesel 150,000 miles

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Now that I've quit laughing... Nobody knows what quality issues are coming down the line as we speak, and this goes for H-D and all other makers.

H-D has had some pretty serious problems in recent years. The camshaft bearing failures rank high on this list. That one has been fixed, but if you had one of those early 88s, it could have left you stranded.

You gotta be kidding right? Recent years?? That was 7 years ago!!
Try naming some problems with the Vrod or later model Dynas.

The evolution was a huge improvement over the shovelhead but it still had it's problems.

The TC was a new design and it wasn't a small wonder it had problems.
Harley Davidson issued service bulletins and extended the warranty on these engines to correct the problems. It was never considered serious enough for a mandatory recall.
This TSB was sent to all registered owners of effected engines.

I never said Harley Davidson was perfect. Name anything that you can buy these days with a 100% guarantee of quality? The TC88B is a decent engine.

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1984 300SD Turbo Diesel 150,000 miles

OBK member #23

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