Vstar 120ish top speed?

blakeonline

blakeonline

Active member
Hello all!
I find my Vstar 1100 seems to top out about 120, after that it sounds like a jet engine and im scared to push it...I've had it up to 140 between two ramps on 401 but it seemed as though I was at the limits of the bike. Can anyone tell me if they find the same thing? Am I missing something?

I sort of feel like an 1100 @ $108 a month insurance should go better than my old ninja 250 @ $34 a month!

(Its a dream with my girl on it however)

I dont get it !?!
 
You are running a heavier bike . Also they usually charge by the CC - it normally goes up by 500 cc at a time . So your 250 is in the lower bracket for insurance. 500 to 1000 is another and so on. My 1300 v star is 1300 in change for a year so that is not a bad price. As to speed should be able to run 120 to 130 all day . My old 900 crusier - fuel injected was very close & would run at 120 all day long. Would do 130 ok but seemed to have rev's high so never ran it long at that speed. If you want something to run with wife on back and to do at least 130 or more and a cruiser style bike then you should have gone with at least the 1300 cc or higher.
 
NightShadow said:
If you want something to run with wife on back and to do at least 130 or more and a cruiser style bike then you should have gone with at least the 1300 cc or higher.
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It's been a long time but I've ridden 1100 & 1500 cruisers and have friends with cruisers and an 1100 should be able to do 180 with no problem at all.
 
VStar 1100 is the same motor and similar drive train to the 1100 Virago.
Red line is 7000 though I'm pretty sure you've never rev'd it that high :)
Peak Horsepower comes at 5600 rpm
Top speed should be around 180km/h or so depending on how big a sail you are...

At 120 you should be running around 4200 rpm
That engine was designed back in 1980 for the Virago 920 and has gone through
several variations, however the basic engineering is the same and the design philosophy
of the day was to have the engines rev higher to produce power.

Don't be afraid to rev it a bit, it's just the nature of that engine. The 1100 is capable of
over 300,000 kms of trouble free riding with regular maintenance.
 
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I have no tachometer so I cant tell you what it revs at, I dont even take my girl on the 401 so thats single rider... I guess 130 all day is likely im just not into that let alone 180!!! It just seems as though its not wanting to do more than 120... it may be the sound throwing me off and I dont know what its reving at so is there a cheap solution to a tach? They all seem quite expensive.
 
Agreed, without a Tach you have no idea what you're doing to the engine.
And if you shift at the points that Yamaha recommends in the owners manual
you are seriously lugging the poor engine.
 
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Seriously weird - my 650 Burgman pushes a lot of air and cruises at 120 effortlessly at 4200 RPM with an 8500 redline.
Have done 150-160 for longish periods and that's half your CC. ( stupid low gas mileage at that speed )
Put some earplugs in and relax.
 
Maybe was broken in softly? Not ridden like stolen. Does it sound angry? Maybe has hornets in airbox. You never know.
Also, that IS weird about the Burgman.
 
MacDoc said:
Why
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Because it's doing 4200rpm @ 120. Engine that size I would have expected higher rpm. I admit not caring too much, maybe I'm wrong.
 
Over drive on the ECVT - useful for decent gas mileage. You can't really compare it to a standard tranny bike.
 
Learn something everyday, thanx.
 
NightShadow said:
You are running a heavier bike . Also they usually charge by the CC - it normally goes up by 500 cc at a time . So your 250 is in the lower bracket for insurance. 500 to 1000 is another and so on. My 1300 v star is 1300 in change for a year so that is not a bad price. As to speed should be able to run 120 to 130 all day . My old 900 crusier - fuel injected was very close & would run at 120 all day long. Would do 130 ok but seemed to have rev's high so never ran it long at that speed. If you want something to run with wife on back and to do at least 130 or more and a cruiser style bike then you should have gone with at least the 1300 cc or higher.
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You might have all insurers lumped in with State Farm, who does charge by CC's. I have 1340cc's and pay $1000/yr (Allstate).
My 1340cc's has 1st gear top speed faster than the poor Yamaha's top end.
OP - Have you had the clutch (or what's left of it) inspected?
 
inreb said:
Learn something everyday, thanx.
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Yeah, it's a surprising bit of technology for a scooter, even a big one. The ECU must be an interesting beast, since I've never heard/felt the engine get angry as it nears top speeds. It's clear that it's working in the upper ranges but it's more of a "No worries, let's get this done!" and not screaming "Please kill me!" like many small engines tend to. Mileage does get lousy as MD mentioned.

It's a shame Yamaha killed the 1100. With FI, USD forks and an extra gear, it could have been a contender, without all the extra weight of it's bigger stable mates.
 
The big Aprilla scoot uses the same trannie but 7 "gears" and 3 different ranges but they require frequent belt changes - I guess the extra power - that beast can do 140 mph on an 840 cc engine.

••••

OP

Here is a link with a similar vein.

Looks like you simply have a bike that revs high at high speeds and is vibraty and noisy doing so but will do it all day.

70 mph at 3400 rpm is barely breaking a sweat and will go all day at 6k according to owners which make sense - low tuned 1100. Get ear plugs and relax.

http://www.starbikeforums.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-4380.html
 
I suspect it's just not a fun bike to run at highway speeds for a prolonged period of time. Might have a small wind shield to help but, like most cruisers, they just feel comfortable lumping along on two lane black top and 20 over the posted. You can run it up to 150 and beyond but, would you want to?


I doesn't harm the bike but, is it comfortable to do so? If not, how often are you touring on roads at 120? Might be time for a change?
 
As already stated, that bike should do well over 160. You mention that it sounds like a "jet engine", when you try to go over 120 - - - have your clutch checked. The extra wind load at higher speeds, may be enough to make the clutch slip, if it's on it's way out.
 
Doug Tait said:
As already stated, that bike should do well over 160. You mention that it sounds like a "jet engine", when you try to go over 120 - - - have your clutch checked. The extra wind load at higher speeds, may be enough to make the clutch slip, if it's on it's way out.
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+1
Hamilton Air Show, couple jet fighters on pass over sounded like aircooled cruiser with slipping clutch. Ya, I would look into that clutch.
 
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