2009 Star V Star 950 Review

Introduction

The V Star name itself says pretty much everything about a bike so Star wanted to change things for the better in that concern. They directed 950’s look towards a modern direction in such an outstanding manner that you can’t call it a classic cruiser neither a custom. Both motorcycle body types are expected to have a V-twin motor so V Star’s 942cc, air-cooled, four-stroke, V-twin; SOHC with four valves per cylinder isn’t of much help when trying to position this cruiser precisely in a certain category. The best thing about this unit is that it gets fuel injection which translates into 58.2 ft-lbs at 3500 rpm torque figures. Star didn’t release any information related to horsepower, but given the engine’s displacement and torque numbers, horsepower should be approximately 50 at the crank.

Despite the engine being fairly small compared to what Star got us used to (the Roadliner and Stratoliner models) there is still a five-speed gearbox and a cable actuated clutch. Like on a veritable Star motorcycle, power to that rear wheel is being transmitted through a belt drive that is not only quiet and smooth operating, but cool looking too.

2009 Star V Star 950

The pullback handlebars indicate we’re dealing with a cruiser while the custom wheels look like the appropriate thing to be fitted on any stripped down model so we’re still confused. Further spotting the bike’s advantages we get to the 26.5 inches low seat making the V Star 950 ideal for the average sized rider and even female riders. The only down point that the low seat might imply consists in a pair of harsh suspensions, but this Star works with 5.3 inches of travel up front and 4.3 inches of travel at the rear just to make us swallow our words.

Yet again in opposition with the class, the wheels are positioned 66.3 inches one from the other and with a 32-degree rake you get that long cruiser appearance that will make people think this is a much bigger and implicit powerful motorcycle. Fit and finish contributes at giving that expensive look to it even though the main reason why riders buy it is the low starting price.

With all the liquids in it, the V Star 950 weighs 612 lbs, mass (+ the rider’s) that gets stopped with a single 320mm disc so that the custom 18- inch front wheel would stand out properly and a 298mm rear disc.

There’s also a Touring model offered using the base model so we tend to have this last called a modern cruiser. The all-new 2009 Star V Star 950 Tourer adds a small windscreen, hard leather covered sidebags and passenger backrest for those long highway rides.

Competition

2009 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic

Knowing that Kawasaki offers the Vulcan 900 Classic/Classic LT/Custom we can hardly abstain ourselves from saying that the two Stars were especially created for this cruiser duel. But considering the fact that they’ve ended up developing as much as Kawi’s 903cc, liquid-cooled, four-stroke, V-twin; SOHC, four-valve per cylinder engine (58.2 lb.-ft. at 3,500 rpm) we might just say it.

2009 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic LT

Still, Kawasaki prices their bikes in a very tempting manner for riders: $7,499 MSRP and the Classic, $8,799 MSRP for the Touring. So these models will always stand as the solution for fulfilling the same riding needs, but the wave that Star generated with the V Star 950 will most likely have people buying it frenetically.

Exterior

2009 Star V Star 950

If there’s one chapter in which Star definitely makes the difference, that is style and the V Star 950 is the latest demonstration of power, if we can call it that way. With a teardrop tank eating 4.4 gallons of tank and a pair of fenders that gives a hard time identifying the bike’s category, the V Star 950 is unicity itself. This bike rolls on two custom 8-spoke cast wheels between which a jewel-like motor featuring a 60-degree angle between the cylinders with the V-shaped air-cleaner stands out as the source of that kitty cat purr. This also directs our closely inspecting eyes towards the two-into-one exhaust – another Star characteristic – which indicates that small displacement doesn’t necessarily cut into visual attractiveness.

In fact, with a 95.9 inches overall length and a maximum height of only 42.5 inches from the ground, the V Star 950 achieves that big bike look with the greatest ease, but the best of it is how designers create the nice and compact feel with every single possible element blending perfectly with the other and creating almost a sculpted overall appearance.

2009 Star V Star 950 Tourer

The headlight is pretty small, in correspondence with the front end geometry, but the pullback handlebars with the bolted on mirrors manage to achieve a width of 39.4 inches which is perfect for what the V Star stands for, comfort and functionality.

Star designed a brand new large-diameter meter for the V Star 950 and mounted it on the machine’s fuel tank in an attempt to enhance rider’s difficulties of considering it either classic or modern. Still, the meter includes speedometer, fuel level warning light, oil level warning light as well as odometer, fuel trip meter and clock display.

Colors available for this luxurious looking cruiser are Tommy Blue, Candy Red and Raven while the Tourer is available either Liquid Silver, Raven or Black Cherry painted.

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