Yamaha Virago

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 750 cc (46 cu in) engine in 1981, Yamaha soon added 500 cc (31 cu in) and 900 cc (55 cu in) versions.

Yamaha Virago
Virago 535
ManufacturerYamaha
Production1981-2007
SuccessorV-Star, Road Star
ClassCruiser
EngineV-twin

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 700 cc.[1][2] Yamaha replaced the 750 cc engine with a 699 cc version to avoid the tariff, while the 920 cc engine grew to 1000 cc, and later 1100 cc. In the late 1980s a 250 cc Virago was added. A short production of 125 cc 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.

According to Motorcyclist magazine, the early Virago has a design flaw in the starter system. This magazine states that the starter's defect exists in early Virago models made in year 1981, 1982 and 1983.[3]

Models

References
  1. Cycle Tariffs Predicted. The Milwaukee Journal. April 1, 1983
  2. Reagan Imposes Stiff Tariffs on Large Japanese Motorcycles. Associated Press. Bangor Daily News. April 2-3, 1983.
  3. Minton, Joe (January 1988), "Vitalizing the Virago", Motorcyclist: 68, retrieved 2013-06-08
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