Cruiser - Yamaha V Star 1300 Tourer
Posted by Team Motorcycle on Jul 30th 2016
| For years, the V Star has delivered a solid performance from the front to the rear. The 2015 1300 Tourer is no different. This is a ride for someone who likes to hit the open road and find a gas station after flipping the reserve switch. |
| What sets this ride apart from the competition is price. You can easily spend $3,000 or more dollars and get a comparable bike. Or, you could get this one and either not spend that extra or buy some new leathers and a helmet and still have plenty for the tank. |
| Hitting the road on this is, well, boring in a good way. There are no surprises. Nothing to make a rider say “WHOA!” and want to find a place to pull to the side to check things out. This is a bike for people who want to get out to ride and enjoy the trip. |
| It’s going to perform best on open roads with good curves and casual speeds. If you like powering through the turns, expect to throw some sparks as you scrape in the really tight spots. The high center of gravity and a wide handlebar means you have got to stay on top of things when hitting big roads with higher speeds. |
| The left grip has a hand controller to let the rider switch between iPod and a radio (satellite radio at that) as well as adjust volume. It’s not going to be concert-quality, but the sound is good for a bike. You can do better, but you’re going to be riding a luxury touring bike to do so. |
| What we really like are the hard saddlebags that hold 15.2 gallons, combined. That’s an impressive 5.2 gallons more than the V Star 1300. You do need to push the lid down securely, listen for the click, to make sure they close. |
| TECH SPEC |
| 1304 cc V-twin |
| Fuel injection |
| 5 speed |
| Belt drive |
| 27.2 seat height |
| Stock floorboards |
| 42 MPG |
| 4.9-gallon tank |
| Dual hydraulic disc from brake |
| Hydraulic disc rear brake |
| Front tire 130/90-16M/C 67H |
| Rear tire170/70B-16M/C 75H |
| 712 pounds |