2006 Yamaha V-Star 1100 Reviews

No mechanical failures so far. Have owned for one year, purchased used.

It does shimmy more than my Honda did, apparently the difference between a V-4 and a V-2.

It does have a design fault that took some figuring out. When hot, the gas will boil out of the carbs, as they are located between the V pistons. Took some getting used to, and spoke to 3 different mechanics before one finally described the problem immediately. After sitting while hot, you need to roll the accelerator slightly to get some fuel in the carbs, being careful not to flood it out, which I did 3-4 times before getting it right.

I love the shaft drive and acceleration! This bike will really move.

Handling is excellent for a bike this size. I installed footboards on the front, just have to watch cornering, as they will drag in tight turns. It does sit lower than my Honda did, but rides much more like a cruiser, and surprisingly was closer to the handling of my Honda than I imagined it would be.

Very comfortable cruiser, especially for the passenger.

Starter went out at 12000 miles. Very expensive to replace, so watch out.

My first bike, so not much to compare it with. I like the ride and handling.

Have not found it to be free of problems, however. Now have an oil leak which I have yet to be looked at. Just had the 12000 mile maintenance, so it's a bit disappointing that something has gone wrong so soon.

Nothing.

Factory seat not so comfortable after about an hour's time.

Changing the oil filter requires the removal of the pipes, and makes for a lengthy process best performed when the bike is cold.

Great acceleration from 0 to 60.

Shifts extremely smoothly.

The 65 cubic inch motor moves me and my passenger with little effort at highway speeds, and gets excellent mileage.

This bike is extremely easy for even the novice like myself to adapt to, and pretty much drives itself at all speeds. Maintenance costs have been very minimal; this bike does not "shake itself apart". Adding the saddlebags and sissybar to it was relatively simple, and with the addition of a Cobra seat pack, this minimal maintenance well rounded bike keeps up on the highway quite nicely. This bike is the "Goldwing" of the "fatboy lookalikes", and I expect to have this bike for many years to come.

There is not much I don't like about this bike. I had 15 years of sport bikes, so this is my first cruiser.

One thing mentioned in some of the other comments. The oil filter and the oil sight glass.

I found a website where a guy was selling a custom made bracket with a plastic mirror attached. It uses one the the floorboard bolts on the left side. It allows you to sit on the bike and stand it upright. You then look between the bike and the floorboard and check the oil.

I also installed a oil filter relocator kit. It runs two braided lines to the front of the bike with a spin on filter. Increases oil capacity and cooling. You can change oil in 15 minutes.

Other than these two issues, I have really enjoyed this bike.