Thought you might like to take a look at the new V-Star 950:
http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/Article_Page.aspx?ArticleID=7044&Page=1
Air-cooled fuel-injected V-twin with belt final drive. Click on the photo in the article and you'll get a larger picture...looks like the frame is pretty substantial...might make a nice tug!! About $8K, depending on color and accoessories.
There's also a touring version with bags and windshield for about a thou more...
Here's the Yamaha page for the bike:
http://www.starmotorcycles.com/star/products/modelhome/618/0/home.aspx
And for the tourer:
http://www.starmotorcycles.com/star/products/modelhome/617/0/home.aspx
I like the naked bike, but the tourer would be nice for solo running...
Bob
For $700 more you can have the V Star 1100 with shaft drive. If I was buying new I'd go with the 1100 with its larger engine, proven reliability, shaft drive and dual front discs.
The 950 is nice but it advent probably means that one of the others is probably going to be dropped from the line. I'd bet it will be the 650 which is nominally gutless. The 650 and 1100 will be probably be phased out later if market share goes towards the belt drive models instead. The V Star 1300 is belt drive but you hardly ever see them because in the same category is the Road Star at about the same price.
The 950 appears to be a transition model with improved air cooled engine and belt drive but lacking some of the desirable features of the 1100 like the front dual discs. Considering the Star line as a whole the 950 is an odd duck. I'd guess that sooner than later the shaft drive models are slated for being dropped in the next few years depending on the success of the 950.
I hear you. I also think that the 1100 is a nice bike. The oil filter on the 1100 is very difficult to get to and requires partial removal of the exhaust system to access, causing many owners to invest in an adapter kit to move the location of the filter. Also, the 1100 Custom comes with wire wheels.
I like the 950, although it is a little bit of an "odd duck". I particularly like the styling, since it does not attempt to resemble the standard cruiser...by the way, I also like the styling of the 1300 for the same reason. I am also partial to belt drive and tubeless tires and I like that the 950's engine is air-cooled.
You may be right that Star is phasing out a model, but my guess is a little bit different from yours...regardless of how we feel about it, the 650 is a very popular motorcycle and Star sells piles of them to returning riders or riders who just want a basic, fairly light and comfortable bike for around town and maybe an occasional highway blast. I'm guessing that it might be the 1100 which gets sidelined...the engine design, although quite good, is pretty old, dating from the Virago days and it might be difficult to modify that engine so it continues to meet emissions standards. Also, I don't suspect that Star sells as many of of the 1100s.
Bob
