written by on 24/06/2011
After moving to Ireland I decided to purchase a motorcycle and found myself owning a 1987 gold edition (i.e. wheels, speedo, tach, etc...)700cc Yamaha Virago (American Import). In the few years that I owned the bike I covered the entire Republic of Ireland on several occasions. It never missed a beat and was perfectly reliable throughout its time with me. It always produced enough power and I can agree with many other of the reviewers on this site that her speed is equal to and possibly slightly "nippier" than an HD Sportser. It was great for long journeys and perfect for a daily commuter. It was also a very comfortable bike for my wife, then girlfriend to ride two up on.
The bad bits: It rains most of the year in Ireland and I found myself constantly polishing all of that chrome. Now that I am back in Canada, I am looking to buy a Virago again in 2012 but admit that I am also considering having the engine (chrome bits) painted mat-black. But that is just a personal thing. The starter is prone to problems on these early Virago's, but I had changed mine immediately after buying it as to avoid any possible problems in future.
This is a great bike for beginners as well as the experienced and it should never be underestimated! There are limitations to what you can do to 'bob' it unless you actually change the entire rear of the bike... which you can see via YouTube and range from really great to pretty shabby. Thus, unless you know what your doing, perhaps enjoy the bike for what it is and as it is.
Ablast's Comment
Written on: 15/10/2014
I've got a 1995 XV1100. Never had a problem other than wore out a set of spark plugs. Wax up your chrome or use rains on it and you won't need to be constantly polishing it.