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“XV1100 - Very Underated”

written by teriakiman on 30/12/2013

Best Points:- VERY Comfy on long trips, great looks - a head turner, best engine ever produced - torquey, ecmonomical when not fanged out to the max, simple and easy to maintain. A tinkerers delight - no fancy fuel injection to go wrong.

Bad points:- Needs an aftermarket cruise control on long trips. OEM fork seals do not last long. Ground clearance on corners can be a bit restricted (if you don't set up the shocks and forks properly)

I have owned 4 of these over the last 20 years, the latest being a 1997 XV1100 Virage Special. Once bitten.... anyway I have had a good run with them all mechanically, and are an absolute joy to ride. While not being the fastest bike out there, they more than make up for it in comfort and ride quality. The only negatives I have experienced are the starter motors on my early models and the fork seals on all of them, they do not seem to last long, however I did find equivalent aftermarket seals and these tend to last a long time. The lack of cruise control is not really a bad point as the clip on ones can be bought on evil bay for aroung US$30 plus postage, this makes a HUGE difference to RH wrist fatigue on those long hauls. All my Viragos were set up up for long trips by adding; a low 15" windscreen, a set of paniers, sheep skin seat cover, a pack rack and gearsack and highway pegs. They are so comfy that even after 10-12 hours in the saddle I felt like I've just travelled down to the local and back. These are the most underated bikes ever produced and like others I agree it is such a shame Yamaha do not make these anymore. The later XV's just did not cut it for me.