General Comments:

I bought a 2007 V-Star 650 Classic with 8857 miles on it about a month ago for $2000. It looked very clean and sharp in the Pearl white, so I gave them an offer, and they took it. Shocked me, but no complaints.

This is the 2nd V-Star 650 I have owned. I had a 2001 Custom I bought new and sold in 2008. Kinda regretted it after, but I'm back now.

The 650 V-Star is probably the best bike I have owned, and I've had a lot. My other 650 I had made a few 1000 mile or so road trips to the Smokies and back, and it never gave me any fits. I expect the same from this one.

A 650 is plenty big enough to go anywhere you want. Anyone who says otherwise needs a reality check. These bikes are VERY low maintenance, cheap to insure, and fun/easy to ride. It is not just a learner's bike as I've seen said before. Sure, you can learn on it, but that doesn't mean it's only a learner bike. Technically, you can learn on a R1... would you call that a learner's bike?

The V-Star 650 is an all around great bike. There are plenty of accessories. And they pretty much haven't changed the design since 1998, so plenty of new & used parts, and will be for a long time. Also, you can usually find a good used one for dang cheap. Get a 650 V-Star, ride it like it was meant to be ridden, and you won't be disappointed.

Faults:

It's the wife's bike, and we've had to give it a few baths.

General Comments:

The bike handles very well.

It has lots of power.

What I liked at time of purchase, was the sound of the "Vance & Hines pipes. It also came with a Silverado windshield, passing lights, engine guard (crash bar), saddle bags, and a passenger backrest.

All that stuff, and the bike for only $4,000.

Faults:

As many have complained before, after just a few hundred miles, I had an idle issue. The bike would not idle on its own, and I had to run it at at least half choke. The throttle would stick, and I could not get it to run right.

General Comments:

I took it to the dealer, and they kept it for 2 weeks, which really irritated me, and still had not looked at it. I finally got it back, and they told me it was sediment build up in the carbs. They cleaned the the carbs and everything ran fine after that. I went as far as posting a negative review on the website (which was deleted) and thought nothing more.

A few weeks later I got an email from a couple in AZ, saying they had the exact same problem and the dealer gave them the same diagnosis. I have no idea how these people were able to contact me, but I'm glad they did. After I got the bike back, I have had no problems in the last 6000 miles. Other than maintenance items being changed, the bike has been fine.

I have modified the bike, lowered the rear 4 inches, added 2 1/2 inch fork extensions, modified the seat, modified the exhaust, installed a Gonzo Air Kit, re-jetted the carbs, and a few other things.

I have taken the bike on road trips, long and short, and have never been let down. It has a very rough break in period from what I gather from other people and my past experience. However, I wouldn't trade it for anything else. You have to give it the get up and go, it takes a few mods to get it going strong.

What a lot of the owners don't realize upon purchase is that these are high revving bikes, they think it doesn't want to go over 60 - 65 mph on the highway. I have run mine through 60 mph in 3rd gear, the fastest I have ever pushed it was in the high 90's. It screams on the highway at about 6000 rpm, which is normal.