Virago

 by Spin Cycle

Virago Cafe Racer test

Reciprocity Virago 750

Photography  by Adam Ewing.

Yamaha Virago XV920 Cafe Racer

Here's the second Yamaha Virago Cafe Racer from Doc's Chops and it's every bit as impressive as the last. His first Yamaha Virago Cafe Racer was based on the XV750 but this time round he's pulled out the big guns with a XV920.



The Yamaha features the same Benelli 360 tank and custom seat combo that Greg used on the last Virago, but this time he's opted for a more nostalgic paint scheme. The red stripes on a base of white are a throwback to Yamaha's of the 80's and it works a treat against the primarily black and silver componentry.

With this build Greg opted for a twin exhaust set up with classic looking upswept exhausts and  SuperTrapp mufflers. Weight has been reduced as much as possible (say goodbye to those unsightly fenders) and a few small tweaks such as a fork brace and upgraded mono shock tighten up the Viragos handling.

The bike was built for a Doc's Chops customer from Kansas who obviously asked for a bike similar to Greg's XV750 as almost everything else on the XV920 is identical, right down to the Bridgestone rubber. I have to say though, that's fine by me. Greg has created his own custom formula for Yamaha's Virago and it's a real winner.

via return of the cafe racer

Yamaha Virago Cafe Racer

When the Yamaha Virago was released back in my high school days it was commonly referred to as a "girls bike".  This was primarily due to the fact that the 250cc version was most common in my state and also because of it's cruiser styling. The combination of these two things resulted in a lack luster response, no guts (compared to the Harleys it was modeled on) and it's Japanese bike...a point I never had a problem with but many seemed to look down on. Because of the negative attitude towards the poor old Virago at a time in my life when peer group pressure was an issue, I would never have considered one for a custom build.