On paper, the 649 cc V Star appears to be the runt of the litter. But the Star was the leader in several important criteria for first-time or budget-conscious riders. The Star stickers at barely over $6000. So for the price of another bike in the test, you could get a new V Star and, say, a Shoei helmet and Dainese leather jacket and still have a few hundred left over for gas money. Smaller or less experienced riders will welcome the Star’s low weight, too. At 474 pounds, it was the most svelte in the test. That lack of heft and an amazingly light clutch effort combine to make the V Star easy to ride and maneuver in heavy traffic. But as small as the V Star is, it had, as they say, a big personality. Yep, the V Star has attitude. The bike rumbles and shakes at idle. And it has that classic cruiser profile reminiscent of a seven-eighths-scale Harley-Davidson Softail. Like the Harleys of the past, the V Star’s 649 cc V-twin is air-cooled, is fed by a pair of carburetors and has a manual choke. Remember those? At highway speeds, the handlebars fed through a bit more vibration than the other bikes. It wouldn’t be our first choice for a trip cross-country. And for larger riders, the close-coupled position was cramped. The Star was no star at the dragstrip, yet it was able to outgun the larger displacement Honda to 60 mph. More important, the Star had the second-best brakes of the bunch. Better still, our test rider proclaimed that the brake feel on the Star was the best in the test. On the open road, the Star returned nearly 52 mpg. And our test passenger found the rear pillion the most comfortable. In all, the V Star is a great deal for a new rider looking to save some petrol and get a head-turning bike for weekend rides.
This article was taken from: Popular Mechanics
