The Virago was introduced in 1981 with a 750cc motor as Yamaha’s first V-Twin cruiser. A year later, Yamaha introduced a 920cc option for $500 more ($3,700 total), though it also got you double disc brakes and a stiffer spring in the rear shock. Both displacements had a “Tour Deluxe” option, which provided a full-sized fairing, saddlebag, trunk, and “an optional stereo system for playing your favorite tunes.”
Yamaha advertised the package in a 1985 issue of Cycle World by saying “If ya wanna go touring, but you’re low on cash – who you gonna call? Price Busters!” Yikes.
This example has 36,560 miles and it’s said to “run like a top.” There are lots of replacement parts from other Yamaha models – the tank is a non-color matching XV920R unit. The front end is from a Yamaha XJ750J Maxim as that comes with dual discs versus the original single disc. The rebuilt front master cylinder is from a Venture Royale. The rear shock is an aftermarket Hagon M62062, so the front and rear ends are now both adjustable. The original cassette stereo stopped working so the seller replaced it with a hidden bluetooth amplifier, which “sounds great when standing still but is hard to hear when riding at freeway speeds.” I like most of the modifications, though the non-matching tank bums me out a bit. Still, this is a cheap vintage tourer, and that’s charming in its own way.
Find this touring Virago for sale in West Sacramento, California for $2,800 here on Bay Area Riders Forum.