Description
The Yamaha Virago was Yamaha's first V-twin cruiser motorcycle, and one of the earliest mass-produced motorcycles with a mono-shock rear suspension. Originally sold with a 750cc (46 cu in) engine in 1981, Yamaha soon added 500cc (31 cu in) and 900cc (55 cu in) versions. The bike was redesigned in 1984, switching from a rear mono-shock to a dual-shock design, and adding a tear-drop shaped gas tank. That year, Harley-Davidson, fearful of the inroads in the US market made by the Virago and other new Japanese cruiser-style motorcycles, pushed for a tariff on imported bikes over 700cc. Yamaha replaced the 750 cc engine with a 699cc version to avoid the tariff, while the 920cc engine grew to 1000cc, and later 1100cc. In the late 1980s a 250cc Virago was added. A short production of 125cc was also manufactured. Yamaha made an XV125, XV250, XV400, XV500, XV535, XV700, XV750, XV920R, XV1000/ TR1, and an XV1100, with the XV400SCLX being the rarest. The larger-displacement Viragos were eventually phased out of production, replaced by the V-Star and Road Star series of motorbikes. The last motorcycle to bear the Virago name was the 2007 Virago 250. For 2008 it was renamed the V-Star 250. This Virago is finished in the classic colours of Ivory over Black, and with under 5, 000 miles recorded is a fine proposition for cruising the city and touring the country.
