Segment: Custom/Cruiser
Production years: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
3 Photos
The DragStar, also known as V-Star in North America, is a big motorcycle built by the Japanese company in two versions: the XV1100 and the XV1100A. The DragStar began as the XVS650 in 1998, and grew in 1999 to include the XVS1100 Custom. The 1100 used a reworked version of the venerable Virago 75-degree, air-cooled v-twin which had been in use since the early 1980s. The Star version offered better torque for the new mid-size cruiser bike. The Star carried over the shaft-drive layout from the Virago, but relied on a new suspension and frame, discarding the outboard dual shocks and stressed-member engine arrangement of the Virago in favor of a single-shock and twin downtubes. A single Keihin 37 mm carbuerator with throttle-position sensors is used to efficiently meter fuel to the 8.3:1, oversquare engine.
