I was in the same situation. Last new bike was in 1976 Honda CB750F. My friend still has my old Honda. I bought a 03 V-star classic. I spoke with a guy in PA who had one for 25000 miles then he bought a Kawasaki 1500 I think. He said he really liked the ride on the Yamaha and with 1 person it wasnt really any slower than his 1500 Kaw. With 2 people he can tell the difference. He also said that he had extra power left at 65 mph. Obviously at highway speeds the larger bikes take potholes or bumps better. With his opinion and a sure guarantee that this bike at 39 hp was not underpowered I bought one from a dealer used. I am 49 and not afraid to hit the road at any speed. But since I dont like tickets from the cops I keep it at speed limits. I think this is a fine bike and I bought a factory service manual for study. I hold a Master Motorcycle Mechanics License from the State of Michigan. I really like the mechanics of this bike. No fuel injection, no liquid cool, simple, straight forward and very dependable design of a softail. If your comparing this 650 Yamaha to the 750 Honda Shadow and the 800 Suzuki Boulevard I think you will find they are all in the same power catagory but this Yamaha Classic has the looks. Everybody I talk to who really dont know bikes think this is an original from the 50s. It is very much an attention getter. My daughters get bugged cause I keep getting all the looks from the girls. Too bad its the bike they are watching....or maybee..... Good Luck. Vic S. Kentucky