Watch this BEFORE you buy a Yamaha V Star XVS 650

I go through some common issues / maintenance that should be taken into consideration before jumping the gun and buying a Yamaha V Star 650. In this video, I try to guide you to asking the right questions and make a better choice between a bad 650 vs a good one.
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MODS LIST:

Black Ops Bobber Kit
Vance & Hines short shots exhaust
Skull springer seat
Plasti-dipped Headlight
LED front headlight

Aftermarket Mirrors

Aftermarket Horn

Side-mount license plate

Aftermarket signal lights

Final drive shaft cover
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TAGS: #Yamaha #Vstar #Custom #XVS #650 #motorcycle

[kenwittlief]

Your comments on the oil drain and the shaft drive are way off the mark.

There is nothing wrong with the oil drain plug on this bike any more than any other motorcycle with an aluminum case. You MUST use a torque wrench on all bolts and spark plugs or you risk stripping the threads. If you see a bike that looks like someone did maintenance with vise grips and channel locks, walk away unless its FREE.

When this bike was in production Consumer Reports rated it as THE MOST reliable motorcycle on the market. Top of the list. NUMBER ONE! If you want to buy a motorcycle and ride ride ride, this is the bike you want.

If you can find a used one that is still factory original and has been properly maintained you got a 100, 000 mile motorcycle. If someone put after market exhaust, air intake pods, tried to rejet the carbs, then there is a good chance they screwed up and the bike has been running lean or rich. With everything stock you can get 60mpg at 55mph with this bike.

The shaft drive spines are lubed at the factory with 60% moly paste. It is the ONLY lube you can use on the splines. Axle grease will be thrown off and the spines will be destroyed in about 2000 miles.

There is no scheduled maintenance for lubing them in the owners manual or shop manual because that factory 60% moly paste will last 100, 000 miles. It will not dry out, its not axle grease its Molybdenum disulfide paste - GOOGLE IT!

BUT: IF you take your bike to a shop that does not know how to handle a shaft drive to get your rear tire changed, and they wipe off the 60% MOLY paste and put axle grease on it, your drive shaft is TOAST.

If someone watches this video and wipes off the factory 60% MOLY paste and puts on axle grease.... same deal.

I only know of one source for the correct lube: Loctite Moly Paste 51048. An 8oz bottle is about $35 online. DONT use anything else unless it clearly states it is 60% moly. The Vstar 650 is the most reliable motorcycle ever made (Consumer Reports), and a big part of that is the shaft drive requires NO maintenance and its bullet proof. But its not fool proof.

If you buy a used bike and pull the back wheel off the moly should look dark grey or black on the splines. If they look brown or caramel like axle grease, then dont ride the bike till you get the proper 60% Moly. If you are not sure dont risk it. The rear hubs sell used for hundreds of dollars, and again these bikes are highly reliable, so the only ones you normally find being parted out are wrecks.

[SoapHorizons]

I own a v star 650cc classic 2002, I bought myself one last year on my 19th birthday with 7, 000 miles, I absolutely love it, it has all the power you need and a great bike to drive to work or just to cruise around while having good gas mileage and reliability, I like your videos man, great job🙂

[geraldscott]

I have owned around 40 "metric" bikes since 1975. I have been riding Harleys since 2003, bought used. I ride Harleys because of the way they sound and the way they feel. I am not a fan of H-D. From my experience, "metric" bikes are generally more reliable than Harleys. They are just not nearly as much fun to ride. As for the shaft drive issue, pretty much all shaft drive bikes, with the exception of the Honda Goldwing, and the old Moto Guzzi bikes which use a completely different design, have shaft drive issues. I have owned THREE Kawasaki Vulcan 750s, two bought new, one used. It seems that every single Vulcan 750, from 1985 to 2006 did not have the final drive splines lubricated at the factory. And by the time they reached the first service interval where the splines were supposed to be lubricated, there would already be significant damage. This happened on my first one, a new 1993 model. Fortunately back then I was able to find a good final drive unit on eBay. I bought another new Vulcan 750 in 2002. That time I disassembled the final drive as soon as I got it home. It was completely dry, as expected. But I found it in time to save it. Those final drive splines need to be lubricated with Moly paste (not grease) every 10, 000 miles. I use Honda Moly 60, which is 60% moly. Properly maintained, they will last forever.

[mattcc]

Love your bobber! You make a good point about ensuring the final drive splines are properly greased and I would add to that by spending money on some quality molybdenum grease, not regular grease.

[allannirvana]

No. There's no way you need to change the shaft oil every oil change. The user's manual says you change it every 25000 KMs, and there's nobody out there saying if you follow yamaha's user instruction it will still break on you. They are reliable bikes.

[just-dl]

General recommendation: check the brake lines and fluid. If it’s a bike your familiar with, check the suspension adjustment. The ride should be consistent with the suspension settings. If not, you may have some work to do! Be wary of mods. Make sure any are done correctly. Check all bulbs, the horn and battery. Not major but might indicate care habits. Seat should be in good shape and reasonably comfortable. Take a checklist and toolkit.

[motorcop]

Another very helpful video! Thanks so much for taking the time and effort to making it and sharing it.

I love my Classic, but this is the sweetest 650 bobber I've ever seen! In All honesty it's probably the best bobber of any make that I've ever seen. I'm glad you kept the classic sock air cleaner. It looks so much better than the ones that stick out with pointy cones. This is a gorgeous bike!

[susana]

Your videos are really good. You give the facts with no fluff!

[maxiks]

it will be my first bike so thank you for your tips...

[andrew_trucker]

ok so just to let you know gear oil only gets changed like every 12000 miles .

[phil]

Alot of great tips.
I especially like the tip about shady owners.
You never know but if you get unlucky and they hide a burnt valve or a rod knock or a smoking motor with a already hot motor, you are screwed if you buy it.

[libertyforamericanow]

I just bought one of these from afemale customer for $600. 52000 miles.
I went thru carbs. Sounds great.
Seems like gear oil change every other oil change would be excessive

[josephdavis]

Thanks for the video it shows you what to look for before purchasing. Yes you can get caught on a bad buy.

[Nessolfte]

Thank you. I'm sure this will save a lot of headache for people like me.

[xtazmoto]

Really solid bikes ! Great clip for basic preventive maintenance stuff👍

[dylanblair]

That’s a sick bike, I love the rear fender on it😄

[radulacatusu]

Dude, you've got sweet ride. I'm riding a V STAR 250 right now and I love the 80mpg gas milage, but I feel like I need an extra gear and more weight on freeway. 650cc would make the cut and it is probably my next bike. I haven't decided yet between Vstar 650 or SV650 from Suzuki. Thanks for sharing this video!

[hardmiss]

He did already (explain how to grease the drive shaft ) one screw on the bottom to drain the old, one screw on top to add the new oil

[Tjs_powersports]

I got a 2000 vstar 650 for $50 bucks its my XL minibike to ride around the yard cus i have a 2000 goldwing and a 99 st1100 as my main bikes its a cool bike tho its really fun to ride around that bike looks sweet love the seat an fender

[whitley]

Awesome video! Very helpful and amazing looking v star!