Micha's Dragstar

Overview

This is my pride and joy and is my first ever new vehicle. I bought her in the beautiful spring of 2003 to explore the British Isles with and have had some very nice trips with her so far with many more planned.

I eventually sold her to Abbas, my cousin's husband, in 2015 when I got the WildStar. He came over to England and we rode the bikes to Germany. It was sad to see her go, but I knew she'd be in good hands.

Fast-forward a couple of years, and Abbas decided to sell her on as he'd gotten a Harley. In a moment of madness I bought her back off him and she's now waiting for me in Germany for more adventures whenever I'm back there, which I aim to be every year now. Since then I've ridden her around Switzerland and in 2025 to Austria and Slovenia.. not bad for a 20-year-old bike with over 100,000km on the clock now.

Specifications

Modifications and Extras

Alarm System	Meta M357	2003.03	Rex Judd	£250
Saddlebags	Leatherlyke Cross Country Bags	2004.02	?	~US$480
Exhaust	Hard-Krome 2.75" Big Straights	2005.02	?	~ US$400
Sissy-bar/Luggage rack	Mapam-Restyling	2005.06	Bikercom Broke on a trip in 2013 (overloaded), replaced by a Cobra one.	US$256.03
AIS System	Complete removal of the AIS System	2005.07.23	n/a	n/a
Windscreen	Yamaha Windscreen	2005.08.31	Rex Judd	£
Oil Filter Relocation Kit	Barons	2006.08.11	Secondhand from Rob (robvstar1100) of the Great Bears - thanks mate!	£100
Barons Big Air Kit (BAK) Replaced by the SS Customcycle Chubby Air Kit	Barons	2007.03.25	Cruisercustomizing.com Notes: Re-jetted with 115F, 112.5R main jets.	US$269 + US$30 shipping
Pillion seat upgrade	Re-padded pillion seat	2007.xx.xx	Organised through Alchemy Bikes	£??
Passenger Floorboards	Baron Custom Adjustable Passenger Floorboard	2008.06	Cruisercustomising.com NB: Not very happy with this as the chrome started peeling from underneath the floorboards after a few months	~US$240 (incl. mounting brackets) + US$35 shipping
Handlebar Risers	Pro-One Handlebar Riser and Clamp Kit, Ball-Milled	2008.06	Cruisercustomising.com	~US$110 + US$35 shipping
Intercom System	StarCom1 Digital Intercom	2009.05	StarCom1.com	£260 + £7.50 shipping
Crash bars & Highway Pegs	Renegade Crash Bars and Highway Hawk "Sundance" footpegs	2011.06	Customcruisers.com	£210
Seats	Mustang Two-Piece Studded Wide Touring seat	2013.04	Secondhand from JC in the VStar1100 forum	USD280 + USD100 (shipping) + £40 (customs & duty)
Air filters	"Chubby" air kit	2013.08	SS Custom Cycle Re-jetted using #152.5 main jets (front and rear), #20 pilot jets, and stock needles (Slot 4 from top, plastic spacer, no shims), with 3.5 turns out on the PMS mixture screws. Update: 3.75 turns out on the PMS mixture screw.	USD135 + USD39.72 (shipping)
Sissybar / luggage rack	Cobra tall sissy bar / tubular luggage rack NB: Ok, but light rust spots after only a year	2013.08	From a mob which I can't currently recommend. Despite UK web address, it was actually a company in the US with poor customer service.	£157.73 + £86.45 (+pp?)
Towbar / hitch	Freewheeluk custom-built towbar	2013.08	Built by Alan from freewheeluk.	GBP280
Trailer	Trailer from eBay	2013.07	Got it off some chap on eBay.	GBP215
Original Air filter	n/a	2015.02	Rejet 17.5 pilot jets, 15.0F, 12.5R, 2 turns on PMS..	n/a

My bike is also on Cruisercustomizing.com here.

Insurance

Roadside Assistance

2006 onwards

I now get Breakdown Cover as part of my insurance policy, with only a small surcharge for European cover.

2004 onwards

Not having the luxury of friends and family with Ute's here in England I ended up getting RAC breakdown cover after they rescued me from a flat tyre in Brighton once.

Service History

Prior to 2006 I had annual bike services by various professional shops in London - including Yamaha certified Service centres.

But due to being dissatisfied with the work performed (the bike got some scratches from some shops, I never got a bill of work done, and various other issues) and the exceedingly high prices I started doing my own servicing on my beloved Draggie.

To this end I purchased a Clarke CML2 bike lift on recommendation from some of the Great Bears and went for it. I also built my own carburettor sync tool based on some instructions on the internet here.

Service History - UK

V-Star Info

Here are a few V-Star specific links

• Yamaha Parts Fiche
• V-Star 1100 . com
• V*Star 1100 Knowledge Base - great source of technical information for the Dragstar 1100.