Topic: Thoughts on vstar

[2wheels]

My son is looking at a 2002 vstar 1100.  It has 80000 km,  50000 miles.
I expect it will need some bearings, the price is ok,
Any words of wisdom would be good.

[Yamahawk]

It's a good bike. The Star line of Yamaha are some of the finest bikes engineered. 50k miles isn't a lot, if the maintenance has been kept up, and the oil changed regularly. I have the ancestor of that bike, a 1981 XV920RH with 60k miles on it. It still runs, although I want to add the top end from a 1985 XV1000 Virago to it and freshen it up a little, but still pulls strong. The XV1000 top end only has about 4k miles on it, came from a garage fire, and the engine was a little hot on the outside, but great on the inside. It will bolt right on.
The crankshaft won't need bearings unless the PO didn't change oil and ran it low.
...unless you mean WHEEL bearings lol... and those might need replacement if they are loose.
Charlie

[2wheels]

Thanks
good information.

[Yamahawk]

Your welcome. The oil filter is the only poorly designed thing on the bike, if it doesn't have an oil filter relocation kit, I suggest buying one. It Does use the same filter that my 1981 still uses... and on the V-Star, the exhaust pipe is in the way of removing the filter cover.
Here is a listing for one.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Oil-Filter-Relocation-Kit-Yamaha-XVS1100A-XVS1100-Custom-XVS1100AT-V-Star-1100/131884864501?hash=item1eb4f353f5:g:gloAAOSwBLlVSUoP
Charlie

[Terry in Australia]

It's one of them "yammer-Harleys"......

[Yamahawk]

It's one of them "yammer-Harleys"......

YEPPER! It is a great bike... My Son who is an E9 in the Army has the 950 V-Star and he rides the wheels off it... traded his sportster on it and never looked back, its 3 times the bike the sporty was.
Yamaha makes their stuff with a certain philosophy called "condo" or something like that. It's a harmony of all the facets of the manufacturing process, and includes form, function, performance, and soul. Quite the company, actually. Their musical instruments are very well made, and sound excellent. And their motorcycles have mostly been very well thought out. I like the Star or Yamaha Warrior... That bike gets my blood up! 1600-1700cc V-Twin, belt drive, and the bike performs like a sport bike on turns! Just a really well executed style. The later Raider, and then the Stryker I didn't care for style wise, but some like it.
Charlie

[Terry in Australia]

Ha ha, I'm obviously not a fan of Japanese Harley knockoffs Charlie, but I own a Yamaha FJR1300 Sport Tourer, and it's a phenomenal bike! A mates got an old XV920 which I do like, Yamaha made them with an eye towards Vincent's, before they decided that they'd try for a slice of American pie......

[Yamahawk]

Ha ha, I'm obviously not a fan of Japanese Harley knockoffs Charlie, but I own a Yamaha FJR1300 Sport Tourer, and it's a phenomenal bike! A mates got an old XV920 which I do like, Yamaha made them with an eye towards Vincent's, before they decided that they'd try for a slice of American pie......

Mine is the original 1981 XV920RH, is your friend's a chain drive also? they did make a 1982-83 shaft drive  Virago... and it wasn't the same. The Vincent type is what I have, and what drew me to it was the Norton Commando styled Dunstall mufflers, and the exposed rocker feeds... Let alone the 19" front and the 18" rear, and fully enclosed chain drive. 8" headlight was a plus too, with a 100watt Hi beam, it lit up the road like an aircraft landing lol...
Your FJR1300 is a wicked fast, good handling bike brother, and has the style, and performance to boot. Yamaha just has the eye to get the flow of all the right stuff... on MOST of its bikes. The Fazer might have been an acquired taste... but it had a 5 valve engine that smoked!
Charlie

[Terry in Australia]

Yeah Charlie, Pete's XV920 is the chain drive sucker, it's his second one, it was given to him by a workmate a couple of years ago for free. He's sort of given up on a Cafe Racer build, I should see if he wants it, might be a fun bike. I've got my old 1994 XLH1200 Sportster, Honda VTR1000 and RC51, so plenty of V twins here already, but another one wouldn't hurt..........

[Yamahawk]

Yeah Charlie, Pete's XV920 is the chain drive sucker, it's his second one, it was given to him by a workmate a couple of years ago for free. He's sort of given up on a Cafe Racer build, I should see if he wants it, might be a fun bike. I've got my old 1994 XLH1200 Sportster, Honda VTR1000 and RC51, so plenty of V twins here already, but another one wouldn't hurt..........

They will take Chevy connecting rods and pistons, I met two fellows that flat tracked one! It pulled 105rwhp and kicked butt on everyone else...it qualified for vintage class as it was an 81... the other fellows #$%*ed as it was a mono shock though, so he went home , removed it, welded tabs on the frame and swing arm, and installed two shocks... then went back the next race and kicked butt again lol... They were bummed that they couldn't run it in the 750 class until I told them an XV750 top end would bolt right on!
In 1981-82, they actually road raced one in the BOTT and beat Ducati and Moto Guzzi back then. It is a great road bike too. I have a spare parts bike I picked up no title for $100 so I have an extra engine, and a XV1000 in the basement that I am going to swap the top end with to make it a 984cc (1000). Megacycle makes cams for it too, so really, with the larger bore, and some high compression pistons, cams, etc. It revs 10k rpm and runs like a beast! Of course, valve springs, retainers, etc all have to be upgraded. It would be a nice project for you. Mine did 13.04 at 104mph at the drag strip with a Rifle Sport fairing on it, when it had several thousand miles on it... at Milan, Mich, 1985.
Charlie

[Terry in Australia]

Bloody hell, I think I better go ask my mate if I can have his! I still don't like them Yammer-Harley's, but the XV920 sounds like lots of fun!

[Yamahawk]

In Europe, and perhaps your neighborhood, they called it the TR1, and made it 1000cc's (984 actually) it sold like hotcakes, and was well received. Here it didn't have a name, and when told "It's the XV920RH" , (or RJ for '82), they said, "yeah, but what IS it..." and went and bought the Virago, as it had a NAME lol...
The TR1 is essentially the same bike as the XV920, just 3mm larger bore. Everything was the same other than the side cover badges too. They are really nice on the road, if you add a set of bags and a sport fairing, that would do well. I thought about getting one of the XJ650 turbo or XJ900 Seca frame mount fairings for it, but never ran across one cheap enough. There's an idea....
Charlie