Star Bolt C-spec 950 factory flave cafe?

[Witworth]

What's the verdict guys?

A good big city cafe cruiser, or too chi-chi for words?

It would be a nice smooth, torquey and well behaved bike on city streets. I could live with the riding position. I think young women would like the styling.



Danger, is my business."

[thechief86]

I actually test rode one of these yesterday. It feels too cruisery to me, but does seem to handle pretty well, and has pretty good power.
It's like a Jap copy of the modern xr1200 to ride, similar in many ways, with a little more top end power.
I think I'll pass, actually. I've been contemplating a modern thruxton myself. ..

[Geeto67]

I like the bolt, it's a Japanese sportster which means it does everything the stock sportster does but better. I wouldn't go so far as to compare it to an XR1200 but it fills the gap left by the fact HD doesn't really have a plain Jane sportster anymore - they are all nightsters, and forty eights, and seventy twos, etc....Racer anything? hardly.

[Witworth]

One bonus with this bike is the average Harley rider won't talk to you on one, and they will avert their eyes when you start it up.

One drawback is the guys who would never talk to a Harley rider, will talk to you on one.

A least the Ducati riders will talk to you, as most would be too timid to talk to a real Harley rider.

The politics of the biker world is much like that of a crowded fish tank.

Danger, is my business."

[thechief86]

Geeto, I guess that is more accurate. I just compared the two because they're the most recent v twin bikes I've ridden, and they were similar. That said, I like the xr1200 better, but I'm not likely to buy either.

[Farmer_John]

I wanted to like the Bolt, When it was released. Hung out on the specific forum for a while and found it to be the same old chopper mentality shit. Although they did lengthen the suspension so you can actually turn it, the "c spec" just got the silk purse process.

For similar money, I'd rather have a Bonnie, V7 Stone, FZ09, GSX-s750...hell, even the Scrambler Ducati.

For less money, RE GT, CB500f, FZ07 or even Yamaha's own SR400.

Any of those bikes would be superior to the Bolt.

JMO, YRMV...

[CaTacL1sm]

Wow, I didn't realize that Star was a subsidiary of Yamaha... weird.

Also, as an aside, I hate it when I'm talking to another motorcyclist and they say "you should get a harley." Seriously? cmon.

[Tanshanomi]

It's actually a great engine; my wife had a V-Star 950 that we both really liked (the engine, that is, not the chassis). My only complaint with the Bolt is that that's one Fatty Arbuckle of a motor. Trying to hide the overhead cams has resulted in cylinder heads that seem as wide as a V-four. Stuffing it under the Bolt's skinny little mid-section just highlights the engine's love handles.

[Witworth]

Take the big bulky fake covers off the heads maybe?



Danger, is my business."

[DesmoDog]

I have the same problem with this as I do with the Benz clone Lexus' and all the other copy-cat Japanese vehicles. If I want a Harley, I'll buy a real Harley.

P.S. When I'm on my '74 roundcase, more often than not (largely since I'm not the most social person) it's the Harley rider that starts a conversation with me. But then in the 25 years I've been riding Ducatis I've always gotten along pretty well with Harley riders. They always struck me as being quite tolerant of Italian bikes. Sure, there was that one exception, but his girlfriend seemed to like the Ducati quite a bit so I had that going for me. Now that I think about it, that may have been part of the reason for his less than warming reception...