25th Apr 2008, 12:27

2007 Silverado classic 650. I bought it as a new leftover.

While I put my gear on it stalled at idle three times. The dealer cleaned the jets; it seemed to run good in neutral.

Finally I left the dealership stalling at every stop. I took it on the Mass. Turnpike & is still stalling at stops. The dealer is still working on it one week later, & yes I am an experienced rider. Oh, by the way it ran & rode awesome down the highway. Only 87 miles on it.

13th May 2008, 21:50

I do not understand this 60 mph thing. My 2007 650 custom stock from the showroom floor will cruise at 70mph in third; roll on the throttle & change up, and it will cruise at any speed up to 90mph. Have not been above this speed, so do not know when the bike will stop pulling.

1st Jun 2008, 22:54

I have the V-Star 650 with pipes, intake and a jetted carb, and it does over 90 MPH with both me and my girlfriend on it.

21st Jun 2008, 16:16

I have an 1100 V Star Custom bought in June of 07 brand new. Living in Ohio weather is a factor, so when it was warm enough in March I took it for a ride, got about a half mile from home and it started to run very rough, so I turned around and headed home. When I got home and shut down the bike, I noticed one exhaust was glowing red hot, and as it cooled it turn a goldish blue color. Under warranty I took it back to dealer and was told that I was choking the bike too long, and fouled one of the plugs, and since fuel was not burning in head, it had to burn somewhere, so it burned in the exhaust, and to correct the problem would just be a standard service at a cost of $400.00, and Yamaha replaced the pipe for free. I did not think I caused the problem, but since Yamaha replaced the pipe I was okay with it.

Now I have another problem, that sometimes while downshifting to stop at light, the bike will die; almost seems like I turned it of with the kill switch. I am beginning to really get frustrated with this bike, anyone else having these problems?

20th Aug 2008, 22:02

Curious. Were you truly choking too long? I bought a 2008 VStar 650 two weeks ago with 571 miles on it (used-the previous owner couldn't pay for it). After I rode it "a little bit" I took it in for its 600mi servicing. The maintenance department calls me to tell me that the motorcycle has a loss of power. (I couldn't tell the difference because new rider+new bike experience.) He told me that the warranty would cover a carb clean and that it would probably take care of the problem. He also said that it was the reason that the first foot of my pipe had blued. He said it would take an extra day, and I said "fine" and was very happy that someone recognized a problem and that the bike would probably run much better.

He called me the next day and said that the problem was a bit worse than he thought. He said that the technician couldn't not work out the timing and that it had probably left the factory with incorrect timing. As a result, Yamaha would cover replacing the carbs and the parts would be sent overnight. Now that you mention the fact that they replaced your pipe, I am wondering if I can get my pipe replaced as well.

Just thought I would add my two cents. Thanks for all of your previous comments.

29th Aug 2008, 21:20

I have not had any problems with my 2007 V-Star Custom (with Cobra Pipes). I have be able to cruise easily at 70mph with power to spare. I've had it up to 95 mph before backing off.

The stalling problem I had was cured by getting to know the clutch and working the friction zone.

The more I ride it, the more I love it.

The only thing that has bothered me is that it seems a little unsteady sometimes at high speed, but I found that problem was greatly reduced by zipping up my jacket.

I'll keep "Old Red" for putting around. It has a certain feel to it that calls to my soul. Someday I'll get another bike. I like the Vision Visor, but we'll see.

Great little bike for the price and fuel economy.

11th Sep 2008, 22:38

I have a 2005 V-Star 650 Classic that I bought two months ago with about 1400 miles on it. I've since put about 2,000 miles per month on it and love the bike.

About 500 miles into it I had the carbs jetted out... I was experiencing those common problems with stalling from start, sluggish engine performance, and reluctance to travel comfortably at speeds over 60 MPH. Jetting out the carbs fixed that problem completely.

I now have a bike that revs easily from any speed, never stalls from a stop, and LOVES to be shifted up or down thru the gears the way all motorcycles should.

I didn't want to put loud pipes on the bike -- I like the smooth, quiet performance of my machine -- and am very pleased that I didn't need to change the stock pipes to get better performance.

I can't honestly say that I've gotten more horsepower out of the engine -- all I can really say is that the engine is more responsive, more flexible, and more fun than it was before. I am much more comfortable in rush hour traffic; much more comfortable on tight corners; and much more comfortable on the open road than I was before. Opening up the carbs with new jets is the performance improvement I was hoping for.

Thanks --

Roger.

2nd Oct 2008, 13:55

Roger (or anyone else) - Can you tell me specifically what changes you made to the jets and/or needles? I'm in a similar situation, and would like to correct the problem without changing pipes unless I have to.

Thanks,

Jim.

11th May 2009, 20:03

Help!! I'm considering buying a 2009 Custom 650 and I'm hearing a lot about stalling and unsteady after 60 mph?? Should I be buying this bike??

Darla.

17th May 2009, 22:41

I've noticed that I'm starting to have a hard time getting my 2005 Yamaha 650 into neutral. When I started it today, it would go from 1st to 2nd - bypassing neutral. I asked a neighbor to try it also. After a couple of minutes, he was able to make it work, but said it was "binding up". It happened to me twice today.

Anyone had a similar problem?

Rita

13th Jun 2009, 08:56

I have a few comments to make on some of the problems that some of you are having.

1. Bike dying at stops and when taking off.. Check idle speed, set at 1150 to 1250 RPMS. Check carburetor syn.

2. Hard shifting and finding neutral. Too much oil. Check oil level, level needs to be between upper and lower marks. Most bikes will 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 quarts of oil not 3 quarts.

3. Metal ticking sound. This bike requires close attention to the valve clearances. Recommended adjustment intervals are first 600 miles, then every 4000 miles there after.

4. Bike jumps when put in gear. Check for proper clutch adjustment. When you put it in gear after cold start they will jump, that is normal. Try operating the clutch several times before putting in gear.

5. Bad gas. The new gas we have will give you problems unless you use a fuel stabilizer.

6. Plugged carburetors jets. Add Sea foam or B12 chemtool in the recommended amount to the gas, start bike and close off the fuel vale. After the fuel in the carburetors is used up, and the engine dies, reopen the valve and restart engine, let run for a minute or so then stop engine. For best results let the bike sit overnight.

7. High octane fuel. The 650 was designed to run on 87 octane fuel, using higher octane is only a waste of money and can cause the engine to run hotter. Good quality 87 octane will give the best results.

8. Vibrations between 60 and 65 MPH. Chech syn. of carburetors.

The Yamaha Vstar 650 is a very good, and dependable machine if maintained properly.