For me it was

the looks (rode rigids before, don't like the look of shocks)
the handling
the ride (wow bumps don't hurt my back)
the power
the price

After nearly 30 years of not riding a buddy loaned me his Dyna Glide for a weekend. It was a little scary getting on after that many years but about 4 miles later it felt like home. Took me 45 minutes to get the 6 miles from his house back to mine, somehow turned into 60 miles. Man I could not get the grin off my face, being back on a bike just brought it home! My wife got one look at me when I got home from that first ride and all she said was "you had fun didn't you!". I put 250 miles on his bike in two days.

I started looking, rode a VTX 1300 and a V Star 1100, liked them both but the Yami seemed lighter on her feet, much more responsive than the Dyna or the VTX. Loved the seating position and the floorboards. Dyna put my feet too far under me, VTX was good but my feet just naturally fell on the Yami boards. Liked the power of the VTX, didn't care for the shaft drive, never had anything but chains before.

Then I saw my Roadie and fell for her hard...she was a '99, used and for sale...all that black and chrome...well cared for but not ridden enough...she just called to me. I sat down, fired her up, sweet...sweet..sweet...sound. That first ride was all it took, a little nervous (well maybe alot) about the size, but the first couple of blocks took that away. I could not believe how agile this big bike was, what great balance and power. Bought her on the spot, and the guys helmet and glasses, left my car at the guys house and rode her home. That was in Sept of last year and I have never had a single regret. Put 3000 miles on her so far (in Michigan thats a pretty good feat, lots of winter here).

One of these days I gotta go back and get my car....

These bikes quickly become an old friend!

Ride safe, David

I gradually came to the Road Star. I had owned and ridden many bikes in my earlier years, road bikes, combo bikes, dirt bikes and even one MX Bike. They were all great. My work took me to Florida and as a small town guy I was afraid to mix it up with all the gray haired cagers here. My scooter turned into a pile of junk in the salt air and I sold it for peanuts to clear out the garage. I thought my riding days were over. Then life happened and I wound up single again and the desire to ride was reborn. It took a couple of years to make the move, but it all started with the vision of a 1800 VTX, and then rental Dyna Wide Glide. I loved the big cruiser/bagger. My lady at the time said shop around make sure you get what you want. Price would not be the issue as the savings would long be forgotten after the scooter was mine. I looked at Honda, Kawasaki, Harley and Suzuki. Down here nobody lets you demo so it was read, web and sit on everyone. I liked the Heritage Softail Classic a lot. the VTX soon faded as just not the right look, Suzuki never really clicked for me and felt uncomfortable. The Nomad was in the running, then it happened. I was in a combo shop Yamaha/Honda/Kawasaki. I was sitting on a Nomad and there at the other end of the shop was this pearl white scooter with big white walls and it was calling my name. I sat on the Road Star and I was home. I did not buy it then I went back to the Harley dealer and talked about the Heritage. I sat on it again and it was good, but then I did look at price. I wanted a air cooled big twin with all the right stuff and the Road Star was it for almost $7,000 less. I take grief that it is not a Harley, but it has stopped people in their tracks and almost every time I ride it people compliment me on what a beautiful bike I have. Most have no idea what it is I am riding, but I do and I love it.

Just sitting on the Roadie it fit and felt right. Moving up from a
v-star was easy.Problem for me was choosing a color,Till I saw the midnight I was hooked.

Until I got the Road* I'd owned nothing but Kawasakis. I'm still a big fan of them and was leaning real hard towards the Nomad. Test rode one and loved it! But I've also loved the classic looks of the Road* ever since it came out in'99 but hadn't ridden one. Went to a dealership's open house two years ago where they were offering demo rides; rode 1 1/2 hours to get there and they didn't have a single Road* available for demo!! Bummer!!! Rode a Royal Star Tourer instead; nice bike but not my cup of tea. Although my mind was pretty much made up, the next 1 1/2 years remained a two-horse race; Nomad or Road Star. The deciding factor for me was looks....and belt drive. I like the "mechanical" look of the Road* motor much better than the "refined" look of the Kawi motor, or Honda and Suzuki too, although they were never on my short list. And Harleys were out of my price range!! (OVER PRICED!!) It may not make sense, but the one thing the motorcycle mag. reviewers always gigged the Road* on (too many exposed oil lines, etc..) is what I like about it. It just looks and sounds "mechanical".
Anyway, a year ago Feb. I saw an '05 Road* for sale in the Sunday paper. Looked at it on Monday, signed the papers at the bank on Wed. and it was in my driveway Friday. And I've loved every minute of it since!!!

[/i]In The Wind,
Aaron[i]

i had actually put a deposit down on a 1500 vulcan, but the stealer said that they were back ordered for the next month.

`have you seen one of these?´ he said pointing to a parralell import (from holland) roadie

`nope, but how about a test ride?

the keys were handed over, and out i went. i had never ridden a bike that felt so right for me within the first 2 miles.

i went back, got a good deal, said yes, and a week later was out on mine.

I have always loved the look, feel & sound of a big air cooled, pushrod twin. Well, if that's what you want, and you don't have $20,000+ to part with, you have to look in the Road Star's direction. When I looked into the specs, I was very impressed. Not only was the R* reasonably priced, it appeared to be mechanically superior to the higher priced bikes. Then I found the R* clinic and started reading what current owners thought. I was hooked. I had to have one. I haven't regreted my choice for 1 second and look forward to many, many miles on it.

BT

My Roadie is kinda like my wife. They both don't like the cold weather too much.. But oh, so many things I DO like about them both!
Actually my Roadie and my wife each have minor quirks that irritate me, but all in all, my Roadie and my wife a close enough to PERFECT for me.
I couldn't ask for a better motorcycle, or wife.
The RoadStar is my choice bike.

Hi folks. This is my first post, been lurking for a couple of weeks.

I bought a Vstar650 to refresh my riding on and for my wife to move up to from my 66'Dream.
Plan was to drive all summer for the learning curve, but that has gone quicker than expected, so my wife made the move to the 650VS and I needed a bike.
Found and 05' Silverado R* and bought it 3weeks ago. I was having buyers
remorse becuase the Harley "thing" was buggin me. Before I registerd the bike i rode a Dyna and a Road king, these bikes, as stated are smaller compared to the R*. being 6'3" I 'm glad I made the Roadstar choice.

Great site, Thanks!

Post edited by: MikeP, at: 2007/05/23 13:43<br><br>Post edited by: MikeP, at: 2007/05/23 13:48

Welcome Mike.

Glad you decided to come out of the closet.

Hope you enjoy the ride.

Doc

For me it was the stying of the Star line and the price. I started on a 650 ($ for my budget and first bike to learn on) but, always wanted a Road*. The classic style, handling were just too good to pass up. When I got the opportunity to get my current bike I could not pass it up. I fell in love with the black &amp; white 05. To me these are the best looking bikes on the road.