So first off .. the touchy subject.

I am over-the-top scared when two-up with my wife. Let me explain. I currently only have the Vstar 1100 which my wife wanted me to buy so we could ride together. I sold the Savage to WD, to finish out paying for the Vstar and the new tires and new battery and new rectifier....

We have been going to our work (same campus) for two days now on the bike. It is kinda fun. it is also scary as hell for me. Between the bike ??? pounds ... and my wife over 200 pounds... I feel completely overwhelmed. Now on the open road, its no big deal ... give me interstate and any speed up to 100 and I am fine. But sharp right turns at busy intersections during morning rush hour!!!! OH HELL NO. Its like guiding a oil tanker down a ditch. And stopping???? add a few feet!

OK got that out of my system.

My wife wants her own bike. Something we can ride side by side on short trips  say up to 100 miles (one way). Or that she can ride to work. (She also loves the idea of not putting miles on her new Nissan.. which at just 2 years old is over mileage already).  I am currently NOT considering another Savage. While a very capable bike on its own, I think money would be better spent on a bike already set up to do what I feel it should do. And yes my wife rode and enjoyed the Savage.

The most common and most affordable bikes around here are:

1) (by far) Honda Shadow 750
2) Vstar 650
3) distant Suzuki C50

My question is the Vstar 650, a bike I have never seen in person. Can anyone tell me about this bike, specially how it compares to the Savage and to the Vstar 1100 classic (that I have now). My hope is that the Vstar 650 is lighter then the Vstar 1100 and heavier than the Savage.. and thus good enough for interstate use if called on. What I don't need of course is a bike as heavy as the 1100 and with no more umph than Savage... that would not work.  
Comparisons to the Honda are also appreciated... I figure they both should be about the same myself, with a nod to Honda reputation for quality of course.

The C50 is a long shot... there are few of them and prices seem a bit higher (it is a bigger CC at over 800).


and in the just for fun dept... theres a 1983 Honda Silverwing for sale with 14000 miles!! Of course it aint even low dollar. But with full fairing and matching bags... its a dern good looker.

V-Star 650... about 550lbs and 35hp...
Highway capable if kept under 70mph...
Slower acceleration than a Savage, but maybe 5mph higher top speed...
...(but, that's a maybe...

Honda Shadow 750... not much more of anything than a V-Star... (very low rev limiter)...

C-50... more power and more weight... (too fat for me)...
Highway capable, but not parking lot friendly... much like your 1100...

JMHO...

A Savage will out accelerate, out handle, out brake and out fuel economy a V-Star 650 AND most sub-1100cc Shadows.

The V-Star has a better suspension, superior seat quality, smoother engine and better highway manners. Lisa and I were set to buy one when on a whim we went over to Suzuki City in Biloxi MS and saw the orange Savage. Less cost, better fuel economy, looked British... done deal. Had two 1964 Triumph T120Cs rotting away in the yard at the time, and the orange bike was supposed to end up hers after I made one running rigid frame Triumph.

You know she can always come up here and borrow Sam on a ride once the other 2 are back in service.

I've Ridden both versions of the V-Star 1100 ... the Classic and the Custom ... the Custom has much better manners for slo-speed work IMHO. Haven't ridden the 650, but as already pointed out, it doesn't weigh a whole lot less than the 1100 ...

Haven't ridden the 'zuki C50, but once owned an S50 ... same motor in Custom Cruiser guise vs the C50's more "Classic" looks ... Suzuki's 800cc motor has a lot of pluck ... rather "high strung" compared the 650's of the V-Star or Savage and Honda's 750cc v-twin in the Shadow.

I've owned 2 versions of Honda's VT750 Shadow and while not a "monster" on the power, it is a perfectly capable highway machine ... it carries it's weight low, making it a very nimble Bike for it's bulk and it is very stable out on the open road ... less susceptable to cross-winds than the lighter weight LS650 ... I've come to really appreciate the Honda Shadow ...

BTW, for the record, I've owned 2 Suzuki LS650s in the past and still love those Bikes too!

I have a V Star 1100 Classic and an S40.  I also had a V Star 650 Custom that I taught my wife how to ride on.  She's petite and the V Star 650 was a bit intimidating for her.  For me, I found the V Star 650 Custom was much more nimble than my 1100 for around town riding.  With some simple carb tuning you can really improve its performance.  Highway cruising at 75 takes some getting used to due to the high revs in 5th, but once you get used to that it will run all day at highway speeds and it has enough heft to not get blown around too badly.  The ride on the V Star is better than the S40 but you can't beat the S40's fun factor!  I really prefer the lightweight S40 for daily commuting.  While the S40 does have better acceleration, I found the V Star 650 to be quick enough for my style of riding.  The quality and reliability of the V Stars are top notch.  Your best bet is to ride the bikes you're interested in and decide which one best meets your requirements.

Pine, I think you should get some learnin" on two-up riding. "Motorcycle Consumer News" May 2014 has a very good 3 page article in their "Proficient Motorcycling" column. A timid rider is dangerous. Since you've never expressed any concern riding solo, I would say you need some practice with two-up. The passenger has a good deal of responsibility in keeping your ride safe. Good luck. Boofer

Thanks All!!

Well the 2005 Vstar 650 is home next to the Vstar 1100. I think we did well with just over 6000 miles, we picked up the 650 for $2850.

I have some friends in Sunday school that are riders so we just made a complete "thing" of the deal. We left church early, my wife and I rode the 1100 and the friends on their spider.
First we rode on the interstate about 30 miles to the point to pay for the bike and get the title and keys. Since it was mothers day, the guy that owned the bike was not going to be home when we went to pick it up.
From there it was all back road and two lane highway, through some very pretty/lush/green country landscape. After about 55 miles, we stopped for lunch, at some little "country store restaurant.. this is what Cracker Barrel "wishes: it could be.  Ahhhh the south in 2014.. the place was just a converted OLD house, the silverware was stored in an old pie safe (you grabbed your own) .. food was plentiful and yes mostly fried...
Oh I ALMOST dropped the BIKE!!!! OH GAHHHH so scary. The parking lot was just "slag" gravel and when I put my boot down to let my wife hop off, it slipped and kept slipping... I kept yelling for her to "get off get off now" ... just as I was about to loose it, the friend came over and kept the bike from actually going over.  Didn't spoil anyone's appetite though! While we ate, a large downpour ensued lasting  about 5 minutes, after which the sun burst out and dried the seats completely, just had to wipe off the windshield. ( GOD IS GOOD).

Back on the road, we continued through even more lush greenery with giant white oaks completely covering the roads, past fields filled with lush winter rye and black Angus. We finally got back on the main ( still 2 lane) highway and I took back the lead going straight to where my wife's new bike was. About 1 mile away the bottom dropped out... it was miserable... and for me a little scary. I am a fair weather rider, this was not my normal stomping grounds and I had my wife on the back. No problem, just throttled back and took it slow. We arrived at the place. The bike was in the garage, fully gassed and ready to go. We did a check of the bike and our friend, the president of the local CMA, did a "blessing of the bike" just for her.

The rain stopped, and we got back on the road for the final trip home. We had gone about 110 miles so far. My wife had never ridden anything but the savage, and on that only on dry roads and mostly on the very low stress Natchez Trace. SHE DID GREAT. We used our new fangled SENA helmets and I talked her through all the take-offs, stops, and bumps. Our friend lead, wife in the "rocking chair" and me following up. After 30 miles we made a pit stop and filled up the bikes. The weather continued to harass us the entire time, but no downpours like before.. just drizzle followed by sun.. then more drizzle.

We hit the final road.. which I had not been on... talk about "trial by fire" for my wife! This was curvy with most curves being "switchbacks". Since we were dodging rain we really could not take it too slow, so I just tried to talk her through the curves. I kept building her confidence... but really she just did really well anyway. It was only about 70 miles that she had to ride to get home. No misadventures!

 Thus begins the "Pine's Motorcycle Gang". Though we may just join the CMA.