My only real complaint about the '09 I had was it scraped the floorboards too easily in corners. I sold it and bought a Harley. I have the HD on craigslist and will go back to a 950 Tourer when it sells. The Tourer is the best all around bike I've ever owned. I miss it!

I bought a 09 950 V-Star 3 years ago and must say I am very happy with it. Ride it every day it’s not raining here in Binghamton, NY and a few trips to Canada every summer. The stock seat is comfortable enough for 70-80 miles but then I start feeling it. Might be my age (60) doing that. I bought it and have ridden sole as well as riding in groups and have had no problem keeping up and holding highway speeds even riding with someone on the back. Shifting was a bit louder than I was used to but my mechanic at the shop suggested using synthetic which has been smooth and quiet since. I read other comments about scrapping floor boards. I did once for the first time ever scaring the daylights out of me but have slowed down just a little bit on entrance & exit ramps and any other tight curves. I’m in my 43rd year of riding and really enjoying this bike. Have a nice and safe ride!

Am I the only person still alive who remembers when the Harley 74 (1200cc) was the ultimate highway touring bike? They put out about the same power as this V-Star 950 (and weighed 150 lb. more) and people thought nothing of riding coast to coast 2 up with tons of luggage, and nobody ever said it was too slow or underpowered to cruise on the highway. When did riders start living in a fantasy world and calling bikes like this "starter", "beginner" or "entry level" motorcycles? I like watching your videos because you have common sense, which seems to be in short supply with most reviewers these days.

I own a 2014 V Star 950. I cannot say enough good things about it. I've ridden on the freeway all day, and it wanted to go longer than I did. No problems on the freeway. I've passed cars going 85+, and it could've kept going. It's like a loyal dog, it'll do anything you want it to do. You'd never need any more power than this. I throw my girlfriend on the back, and I don't even know she's there. The best bike in its class, hands down!

The VStar 950 is an excellent motorcycle! My only complaint after 6yrs of ownership is I wish it had a 6th gear for cruising at 75mph with less vibration. The motor is phenomenal and sounds great with V&H slip-ons. The stock seats suck but that's normal for most OEM bikes. They're quick, nimble, and handle very well. The floor boards will touchdown with spirited riding but hey, it's a cruiser. They need to make these again!

I ride my Yamaha v-star 950 tourer to work (100 mile round trip) everyday that it's not raining from about mid April to early November. I live in Bills country (Western New York State). The Yamaha v-star 950 is a very stable and capable bike. Plan trips to Lake George, New York (Americade) about 315 miles one way and Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Harley Davidson 115 Birthday Party) about 700 miles one way. Should put about 12,000 - 15,000 miles on my 950 this year. Bottom line great bike for the money. Stable, capable and dependable.

I ran my 950 Tourer on an Iron Butt Saddle Sore 1000 mile ride in 18.5 hours. It did just fine typically running 80 mph. My '11 950 Tourer is a great bike. I'm way shorter than average (5'3") and the seat height and relative closeness of the forward controls suit me just fine. It is my 2nd one, I sold my '09 and regretted it almost instantly. They both drag the floorboards too easily, need a 6th gear and a gas gauge, but still they are great bikes; about as much bang you can get for the buck.

"It's not what your riding but where your going" Amen.......;o)

Thank you SO MUCH for this video! I've been considering a 950 to replace my Shadow 750 for a long 1000+ mile trip I want to do this summer! I think this might have convinced be the 950 is the bike I'm looking for!

Thanks for the video. I just bought a 2011 950 tourer and I can't wait to get it all set and inspected so I can ride.

I call mine "The couch", as it's way more comfortable than my Harley Bobber. It's not a powerhouse, but it moves well enough.

I have a 2013 V Star 950 tourer and have put on 10000 miles with no issues. Stock seat replaced with Mustang and my ass never gets sore on a long ride. Cobra slip on, crash bars, front light bar and passenger floor boards as accessories. Excellent bike and handles highway speeds of 75 to 80 mph with no problem. Love it!!

I just bought one yesterday. First drive was the one home which it was a two hour drive. Perfectly comfortable. Wonderful bike.

Brazilian biker here. I have a 2010 one and am happy with it. Our debut was a bit troublesome (I came from a Virago 535) but I am used to it now.

I My motorcycle riding began in the 70's when the Kawasaki Kz900 and BMW 900 along with the 1200 Harleys were the big bikes. I owned a 1977 Yamaha XS750 triple and it was plenty powerful enough for me. It took me from New Jersey to Key West Florida twice with no problem. To me, anything over 1000cc's is over kill.

I just bought one of these today I hadn’t rode for 14 years , and it is a good bike to get back into riding again …good midsize cruiser

I have a 2012 950T down here in Nicaragua (Central America). It's an amazing bike, I came from a 2007 Honda Shadow Spirit 1100 and I like the Yamaha way better. I got it up to just shy of 100mph on the Pan American Highway and couldn't believe how solid and stable it felt at that speed, my Honda didn't feel that smooth at 100mph for sure! I thought I might be disappointed by "downsizing" to a 950 from the 1100 but I can't even tell the difference. I was also concerned about having an air cooled bike here in Central America but I sat in stop and go hot as hell traffic in Managua (capital city of Nicaragua) for over two hours straight with no problems at all. I love the windshield, locking saddle bags, floor boards and I bought mine here in Nicaragua used and the previous owner had put an Ultimate saddle (driver and passenger) on it, score! I love this bike, I highly recommend it!

The scrape on the floorboards was awesome! Happens to me every time. Love this bike.

I am here watching this video just to see what other people think of the 950. I started on the bolt 950 and thought that it wasn't fast enough and vibrated too much. Then I went to the big Yamaha raider. That bike was fantastic, but in reality it was too big for me since I'm 5'3 and really didn't enjoy lugging around nearly 800 lb on my toes, and getting burned by the pipe since my leg was too short to go around it. Then I went to the Yamaha MT-07. I regret selling that bike. If I could do it again, I would just fix my issues with it and keep it as a weekend play bike and in town commute like. It's snatchy throttle and horribly soft suspension killed the ride for me on that bike. But it was damn reliable, amazing mileage, and extremely fun to ride as long as you didn't put too much faith in the suspension or brakes. That led me to my midlife crisis bike. The Suzuki GSXR 750. That bike gave me my come to Jesus moment. I know lots of people enjoy riding those bikes, but I will say that for me, that bike is not meant to be a town bike. It is way too much for anything other than the track. At my age, I have no need to be going super fast and dragging knees. It was a fun experience, and I really enjoyed being able to feel what a bike like that can do. But I am happy I sold it. That lands me on my current bike. A 2011 950 tourer. And this bike is my Goldilocks bike. It does everything I want and nothing more or less. I'm not hitting the corners at top speed for the turn, so I don't need all the lean that sportier bikes have. I'm not into racing and have no need to break posted speed limits, so I don't need all the extra horsepower and engine size. This bike gets great mileage and with their upgraded mustang seat, it's as comfortable as my lazy boy would be if I slapped wheels on it and rode it everywhere. I did upgrade the exhaust to the Cobra slip-on and just got the Cobra intake that will go on after I get my ECU back from Ivan with his tune on it. After that I'm on the only thing I plan on doing is fixing the buffeting I get on the freeway behind the windshield. Amazing bike that I wish Yamaha was still making. If this bike was still being sold today, Harley would have no choice but to rethink their business model.

Still loving my 950 almost 5 years later.

My neighbor has a 2013 950 Touring in that same red color as well. Loves the heck out of it. Takes it on long interstate trips all the time. Cruises at 70-75 mph with no problems at all. Very smooth and fuel efficient.

Took my 2012 V Star 950 with a windshield to Colorado from SC in 36 hours good Highway bike now I have the 1300 tour also a great Highway bike low Center gravity and handles good great on gas

I have a 2010 950 Tourer, and love the bike. I keep up with the cars just fine... I also keep up with the guys in my riding group who have a variety of larger displacement bikes and who like to go a little fast. 90 mph is not a problem for this bike. A lot of guys complain about the stock seat, but I think it's fine. You will have to get used to scraping the floorboards. The bike will turn, but it doesn't have much lean. I scrape a lot around curves. You may also want to think about lower wind deflectors. There's a little turbulence behind the shield starting at around 70mph. You can see the camera shake in the video.

I have a Vulcan 900 which has around the same weight and HP and Torque as the V Star 950. I do a 100 mile trip everyday for school and work. My bike does the job perfectly and in style.

This is absolutely the video I needed to see.

Just bought one. I love the touring model. Definitely has plenty of power for the hwy. Way better than the honda shadow 750 i had last year.

Looks like a great bike, along with the Vulcan 900. I like the size and shape of the windshield, and i see the Vulcan's is very similar. I think i like the Vulcan's exhaust note a bit better. But i tend to be partial to Yamaha because my first bike, 25.5 yrs ago, was a 1980 XS650 straight twin. Currently on my third, 1999 Shadow 1100, because i got into cruisers. Been thinking about getting a slightly more modern FI metric cruiser with the well balanced engines they seem to have. I like your videos a lot. They are very helpful. Thank you.

Thanks for the video!

Best Bike I have ridden. As I say on my rental ad. Enough grunt and gears to keep up with the big boys.

I own the 2012 model. I added the windshield lowers to stop the annoying helmet buffering at highway speeds, mustang seat with drivers backrest(huge improvement on comfort), cobra drag pipes, cobra fuel and air management system, cobra air intake. I've rode mine from western NC to Warner robins GA and it done great. I averaged 48 mpg. It also does great with my wife on the back

I take my v star 950 on freeway alot. It does awesome. It's a great around town bike and great on freeway. I'd take it anywhere. Mine is black but I love that color of yours.

Those Yamaha 950's look really nice and ride great.

My 2014 950 v star goes a little over 200 miles before the gas light comes on then I can fill up about 3.7-9 gallons so it roughly get 50-55mpg on the highway. Mine is air cooled, I live near a bunch of highway and interstate roads so I travel 30 minutes to work and 30 minutes back home (22 ish miles one way). This bike is amazing and it surprises me that no one talkes about it

Just caught this review. Thanks! I am at the mid-life crisis stage and have not ridden a bike since my teens. I am thinking about a 2014 (new) as my true first bike to get into riding again.

I owned a V Star 950 for 7 years and it would absolutely eat up the slabs and super slabs. Even took it on the Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway and it showed up the bigger bikes on the curves and inclines. Only time where she lacked for power was when I went through a mountain pass (steep incline) with a 70 mph headwind. Still even then she held speed with grace.

I just bought this bike and I absolutely love it. I also have a 2006 yamaha v star 1100 classic. I like the 950 better.

I got a 2011 950t a year ago and live the crap out of it. I have the same red color. I did the stage 2 mods and it's no slouch. K&N filter, fi2000 fuel manager, cobra pipe. I also added the red hard bags and a metzler me888 180 rear tire. She's a beautiful girl, and hauls my 6'6" 300lb body just fine. She'll do about 105 before it feels like it starts to rev out....but there's no need forthat speed normally.

I have had my Scrambler 950 for almost 1 year & is hands down amazing. Even better knowing it borrows the same engine from the VStar & more upright sportier position suits my 95mile commute. Looking into VStars since ive had a taste of it, do wish it had a six speed

Good that I watched this video. I'm thinking of getting one in a few weeks.

Have a 950 vstar love it upgrading to a dark horse Springfield next season

How well would the shadow phantom handle it? I love the look and sound much more than any other bike on the market but sucks the engine is so small. I'm willing to get it anyway tho

Love watching your video and learning diffrent things about bike. Like the bible verses too god bless

Hey you did a review on a 2007 Suzuki s83 a while back. I heard that you said you were 6"2. Did it feel cramped for you?

Nice vid man, going the extra mile for a customer.

A lot of people have the same misconception including myself initially with not only this bike but also the Bolt 950 with a 5 speed in it. They aren’t a big 1500 with a 6 speed so they aren’t gonna thump along at 1500rpm on the highway. More like 2500-3000. But a good rom for an engine that size with less torque

It's hilarious that some people think a 950 is somehow too small for highway use. I have a friend who rides her 300cc Honda Rebel 44 miles round trip to work everyday with no complaints. A bike 3 times that size will be OK.

I have a a 2012 950 I bought new in 2013. It now has 35k miles on it and I think it is a great bike. It has a nice low seat height and comfortable riding position. I have ridden this bike some distances. A trip from upstate NY down to Washington, DC, then skyline drive, some of the blue ridge parkway and back in the course of a week. For all of that you will want a highway bar and extra pegs to change your seat position once in a while. I do look for 6th gear on the highway. I would like fewer revs at higher speeds. One suggested solution is to change out the front sprocket one from a Yamaha Stryker (it as 31 teeth vs. the 30 teeth on the 950). I have not tried it yet, however the forums indicate that vibration ceases as the RPMs are lower at speed. The forums also say you keep the stock belt with the change. One final note - my speedometer is about 4 mph off. I am going slower than the speedometer displays. The forums indicate that this is "normal" for 950s. The forums indicate that when you change out the front sprocket to the one with 31 teeth, the speedometer tends to be accurate. I am thinking that my winter project in 2017-2018 might be to change the front sprocket. :-)

Thinking about getting this bike soon when I save up enough. How does it handle around 80mph? Some parts of Texas have a speed limit of 75, and I like going 80.

Thinking of buying one soon, Shawn.

Thank you looks like a decent ride I never heard of a 950 🤔

I just bought a 2009 v star 950t today my first bike and just went and put about 100 miles on it. Awesome bike and I'm already in love with it but my tail bone is numb from the seat fo sho! Saving for a mustang already.

nice looking bike much cheaper to own than a large capacity cruiser those heavier bikes eat tyres fuel are more costly for insurance ect ect ect I got a 650 vstrom it easily does well over legal speeds so I guess the vstar would to

Another awesome Vid, Shawn, Thanks. I was thinking that it might be more conducive to tell people your inseam measure than your height, as peoples inseam vary with height..... Just sayin' .... Stay Safe Bro ,... Ride on W

Is this bike really torquey cause ima be a beginner in 10ish years and I don’t want my hand to slip and me go from zero to 100 in two seconds I like this bike and the Yamaha r 3 thanks for the feed back

Does it make sense to upgrade from a VZ800? Will you notice the extra power?

Are those the stock handlebars? They look wider than the ones on my 950.

Would it be enough for two 200+ pound riders? Or should I look at bigger bikes?

I have a 09 950 tourer with a batwing and i love it. I get 60 mpg on longer trips,and cruising on the interstate at 70 plus, the bike does just fine.

Why do Yamaha cruisers have so much transmission whine?

wish they would make a 950 deluxe

This is going to be the next bike after I put back some cash. Letting you know you will be my source. You earned it when it is time.

Hey man quick question I haven’t ridden since 2012 and I’m in the market for another bike. I have 3 I am looking at, all different. I need a daily commuter. All have super low miles and around the same price. Watched all your reviews but still curious of opinions. 1. 2016 Vulcan s 2. Vstar 950 3. Stryker

I'm wondering how the power, handling and comfort of this 950 compares to the Suzuki M50?

Hi, how much do you weigh and how tall are you? Is this moto really so comfortable?

video is speed up ?

Is this bike is 2011 .950 cc

whats THE TOP SPEED OF THIS BIKE?

Hey srk I have this bike need help knock knock sound when coasting with clutch lever pulled in what might that be only when coasting with clutch lever in it knocks thanks

Nice bike. how does it compare to the Honda Shadow or the VTX 1300? Great video.

I just wish I could get a non-locking gas cap.

No fuzziness in the mirrors at all I noticed.

So how does this compare in size with the vstar 1100. frame wise which is a bigger bike? I am 5'11" 200lbs. which is a better fit?

I'm considering this bike. For anyone that has it --- is the tank mounted speedometer a problem? Seems like it's too far out of line of sight.

This bike seems like a winner.. Im 6ft1 330lbs. 40years old. Newbie rider, Would you suggest this bike? It just looks so comfortable and forgiving on the throttle, but has the torque to handle my size and weight.

In the late 80s I commuted on the highway on a Honda 500cc, never wondered if it was big enough. Seems like now you've gotta have an 1100, 1200, 1300 to get on the highway.

Great bike. Bottom line Yamaha makes a good bike! I have Yamaha 2015 v-Star 950 Tourer. I ride from late April to early November in upstate New York. I ride 100 miles round trip to work and 100 mile round trip to my cabin in (ski county) in the opposite direction. The 950 performs very well on the back-roads and the highway. Many times in the summer months I ride from my cabin to work 93 miles one way. Overall great bike. Very stable, easy handling and very comfortable. Power is good for two up riding. I am 5'6 190 lbs.

I would have to have cruise control for that ride

120 mile commute?! Holy man 😅

950cc not that big. LOL. When I was a whippersnapper the 750's were big . The ultimate. What happened?

My wife rides a Yamaha 650 and its fine on the highway.

Funny. My first car in Europe when I was 17 was a 650cc. A CAR. I drove it with my gf and luggage 1000 km each way to Rome. And this is 950cc motorcycle...

Now that is 2017 did they ever put a liquid cool on the 950?

This guy is really proud about being 6'2" haha.

speedometer about 8% off. At indicated 60 the actual is about 55.

My 1100 Sabre would be screaming at those speeds...

950 is big.

Well it is Thursday.

Not heavy at all? It's 650 lbs dude!

I tried to sit on cbr 650 the nijia 650 a Harley sportster 883 all bikes I would love to own I didn’t fit on any of them they had a 2009 v star 950 to be honest at 27 I didn’t want a cruiser like my dad I sat in it and I was like yeah this is the bike at 5 foot 5 my feet where flat on the ground and the bike was extremely light as of Monday it’s my first bike the I choose to ride in 8 years

wind at 80 mpg is not good w/out lowers

the 950 speedo is five miles fast .

This motorcycle scrapes too early IMO

Hey Sean I like watching your video but you have to stop smacking your lips!

You don't have enough respect for the machine. First thing long term riders know is NEVER TAKE YOU HANDS OFF THE BARS WHILE MOVING.

Daamn its overpriced bike boy again