Wow...thanks for all the great and speedy feedback to everyone; obviously a great forum. Definitely sounds like a good one, so will definitely make it a priority to get out there this week and drive it. I appreciate all of this info., as you can only tell so much from a test drive and the long-term can't be told except by people that have experienced it.

From Ontario

These are great bikes and I would not hesitate in recommending you to get one.

There are a couple of issues that you may have to deal with in time.

Fuel sending unit - in the tank - they seem to give up after a few years
Check the nut that holds the front drive pully on - this may have been corrected, but keep an eye on it
Weak clutch spring - after a while they can start to slip in 4th/5th if you roll on it

There are a few other issues that I've seen mentioned here, but not as requently.

Most importantly, there are a number of members here with 150,000+ miles on them.

Well, if ya like wrenchin, plan to get bored for the most part. Yeah there are a few things to check, front pulley nut, tq'd properly and depending on which nut they used and or lock washer, make sure it is locked securely. Does have a weak clutch spring plate, got about 5 options for a fix, but friction plates are tuff as nails, checkin oil level can be a pain, quite specific to get a correct read. Lifters, yep, hydraulic, suppose to just check them at 16k, well at 143k I have yet to check. belt change at 60k, got the same miles as the stated. Like any bike, they all have their quirks.

luv mine..2000 1600 R*





from B.C.

I bought my 03' last October and wish I would of bought it sooner,took the wife out for a ride today...and she loved it.But the passenger seat sux.
The only thing I would do,is make sure if you buy it,that they throw in a wind shield and some saddle bags at no extra cost.
If it is from a Yamaha dealer,They are going to try to sell you the extended warranty,50/50 parts and labor?? That is your call.
Hop on and ride the cob webs out of it.

from Rancho Santa Margarita.

I love the bike too!
I have heard the fuel pump is something that most people get rid of, I have not done it yet, but probably will.

I was thinking about getting a VTX, really like the look of the Retro. Some of those bikes on the VTX Forum are awesome. But, I got a great deal on mine, so I couldn't pass it up.

Planning on doing the Road Glide fairing upgrade soon. Got the inner and outer fairings, just need the brackets and miscellaneous hardware.

07 here, no complaints yet, great bikes, mort

Retro Rich wrote:
Hello Everyone,

Hopefully I am placing this into the right section on your forum:

Appreciate the input you can give me re: Star bikes....currently have a 1300 VTX Retro that I have customed out and was looking at changing over to a Road Star. Found a pretty nice 2005 Road Star Midnight that I am very interested in locally. Haven't test driven it yet, but plan to this week. I have been a fairly active tech advisor on the 1300 VTX for another forum and do all my own wrenching. Some questions that I have about the Road Stars:

Tunability/Upgrades: relatively easy to work on if you know your way around a bike? Appears from looking through PhatPerformance that there are definitely some good tuning options out there for power upgrades, etc.
Maintenance: things like self-adjusting valves, or do you have to manually adjust yourself every so often? Belt-reliability good? Used to shaft or chain drives historically.
Design Flaws: any inherent design flaws by Yamaha/Star? Reason I ask...the VTX has quite a few that you end up having to correct on your own, since Honda won't stand behind some of their design issues (neck bearings, drive flange issues, etc.). Like I said, fixable and not terribly expensive but really
Air Cooled: really like the liquid-cooled design of a Honda for engine longevity, but obviously air-cooled is the more common type of bike out there overall in the cruiser market. Any overheating issues/problems? I have always had Honda's and am used to liquid-cooled engines.

I really like the bike's feel in the showroom....amazing how much better balanced it is than a VTX, not nearly as topheavy and looking forward to a test drive this week. I have ridden a couple of V-Stars that friends of mine had, and they are a very nice bike from what I remember. Actually am getting my wife started riding and am going to start her off on a V-Star 650.

Thanks again for any input you can provide...if I pull the trigger this week, based on some "real owner" feedback will definitely be involved here. Appears you have a great group here, and look forward to learning more about this bike and sharing my experiences with others.

Rich "aka Retro Rich"
Post a pic or link to your VTX, would like to see it.

Firstest From Bethel NY and secondest as the guys said these bikes are just about bulletproof. The few issues that there are are easily fixed, and can be done by yourself. I don't go to the dealer for anything and have had no trouble doing what I wanted to do.

I bought mine because they are easy for the home mechanic to work on and they are not loaded up with unecessary electronics that require a special computer for service.

Enjoy the ride



'>

Tunability/Upgrades - You can go crazy if you want. Carb swaps, exhaust options, airbox, timing, you name it and you can probably find a part or procedure to modify it.
Maintenance - For the most part, oil changes, tire pressure and belt tightness. There are other normal things on the schedule, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Design Flaws - The only thing I have heard of that I would truly call a design flaw is the shape of the interior of the heads which "may" lead to an excessive build up on the valves that in some instances caused something we've labeled "SVS"(sticky valve syndrome). However that is ONLY for a very few '04 models and was changed on '05 and later.
Air Cooled - Yes, it's more noisy and you will get your man parts roasted on hot days if you aren't moving air over the jugs. But on the upside there's no water level to keep checked or hoses to leak out coolant. Plus how cool is an old school air cooled big V-twin?

For a big cruiser I think when you consider reliability, maintenance, aftermarket parts and value the bike is the hands down top dog in the kennel (no offense to the American Iron folks out there).

-M7