20 Most Recent 2003 Yamaha V Star Classic - Page 4 Questions & Answers

Down is "on", forward is "off", up is "reserve". Mine will travel 170 miles on a tank and an additional 30 miles on reserve. Any more questions.... [email protected]

If you put your cycle in gear and the drive shaft spins, but the motorcycle does not move, you probably have stripped worm gears in the final drive housing. Take off the large fill cap on the side of the final drive housing and inspect the large gear visually. It is probably cheaper to buy a final drive assembly and replace the whole unit than to pay the labor and parts to rebuild it. ($700 for the 1100, $850 for the 650)

Humm, if this is a first of the year issue, you may have sludged clutch plates, they can rust and get gummy and then not release. Presuming adjustment is close, you need to perform clutch surgery to resolve the issue. It usually just takes cleaning and light sanding, often no parts, except gaskets for access.

those symptons could indicate its jetted a bit lean,
try running with the choke on if the hesitation is not there , its definately lean

yes. it sounds like you have a bad shift fork, and the dogs (little ears) on the first gear could be bad also...would have been nice if this happened at the end of the last season, instead of the beginning of a new season.

Have had the same problem, same bike. Dealer installed the additional running lights so they come on with the low beam headlight. Go off when the high beam is turned on. Mandatory for my state inspection procedure.
Possible solution to problem: open the headlight housing, should be a solid green wire going to the headlight bulb. Dealer spliced wire for running lights into this green wire.
Splice was just a crimp on splice. Vibration on a bike wipes out this type of splice quickly.
Got rid of the crimp on connector and did things the old fashioned way, used solder for the connection. Vibration does not bother the soldered connection.
Took care of the problem

There will be no power to the start button I expect. The ignition switch supplies more than just the pump.
Run a wire to the solenoid but you will need ignition voltage as well.

Normaly the carb slide needle is set in middle groove as default, if you mean float needle, the standard float level is 27mm, but may require fine tuneing to get the fuel level within the bowl correct, hope this helps, paul

Could be forword nuetral safety switch or factory installed safty for hotwire deturant

The final drive has a spline shaft. Raise the rear wheel off the ground , loosen the rear axle nut, take out the axle bolt, knock out the spacer , unbolt the rear brake caliper and hang it so you do not stress the brake hose , grab the wheel, and slide it sideways away from the final drive. The wheel should slide right off the spline of the final drive and roll out the back under the fender. If the wheel won't slide past the final drive let the air out of the tire. Be sure to coat the spline of the final drive with moly60 paste from your local Honda dealer when reassembling.

You either have a bad horn or a bad horn button. Unplug the wires to the horn and apply 12 volt current directly to the horn. If it works the button is bad. If it does not work try dropping it on the floor and test again. Next fiddle with the adjusting screw on the back with power applied. When you get frustrated enough with it you will break down and buy a new one (most cycle horns are junk and die from internal corrosion).
If you suspect the button turn the bike on and using a volt meter , test the two wires that plug into the horn to see if pushing the horn button makes the needle on the tester jump.
Sell the bike "as is" , tell the seller about the horn, and if they make a fuss knock $20 off the price of the bike. A new OEM horn would probably cost $50. A cheap aftermarket about$10.

It sounds like the "middle drive" is damaged. You should seek professional help with this problem as a number of special tools are need for disassembly and reassembly.

Unbolt the exhaust from the cylinder head to access the oil filter. For around $400 you can buy a kit that moves the filter to a better location. You may need to replace your exhaust gaskets if you experience popping in the exhaust after the filter change.

clean carb in gasoline-if doesnt help then put it in solvent sold at parts store--is ur batt fully charged

You can try driving the bike after the install. After you change the exhaust it will run lean. You may want to coat the inside of the mufflers with an anti blu-ing agent or your headers will discolor. If when test driving you notice the bike has developed a flat spot in the acceleration curve you will want to re-jet the carburetors. The easiest way is to buy a jet kit from Cobra, Dyna-jet,etc.($80-$100). Other wise you can just buy several sets of larger jets and change them out till you are happy with the way it runs. Most people that change the mufflers and put in a jet kit, also install a K&N air filter .
More air flow + fuel flow = more exhaust flow (more power)

Check for vacuum leaks.

If it's not vacuum leaks, then the only other option is cleaning the carbs, if you know it's not getting enough fuel to run properly.

Look at alternator and regulator.

Normally one bolt in the back and the pillion slides into the driver seat. Pulling back on the pillion after removal of the hold down bolt usually releases it

My friend, you have a very cool motorcycle. I'm sorry to tell you, you will not be able to repair this problem yourself. Repairing requires special training and special tools. You will have to have a shop disassemble, repair, reassemble and adjust your transmission. For the best results, have your Yamaha trained professional shop do this repair.

Thanks for your interest in FixYa.com

a knock could mean a bearing is starting to go...if the little knock you hear know starts getting louder the more you drive it, then its definitely a rod bearing.