Faults:

Just a rectifier and a regulator in 2015; other than that it is a great bike.

General Comments:

Yamaha has certainly made some great cruisers in the past, and this is one of the best bikes, along with the Vmax and Maxim, XS 1100 series (I owned one over twenty years ago) and an XS 650 special twin 1979 model.

Faults:

The rectifier-regulator blew one time and damaged the battery. Reason: the rectifier-regulator cables got damaged due to leaning the bike too much (the rectifier-regulator is located on the left side rear foot rest).

As a air-cooled bike, be mindful of traffic jams.

General Comments:

Great bike with a bullet proof engine. Simple and well rounded motorcycle. Dual front disk brakes provide plenty of stopping power, and the large rear drum brake works fine.

As a shaft driven motorcycle, it requires very little maintenance; if you change the oil in time you will have few issues with the bike.

Faults:

Front left fork seal failing.

Smoke on start up in colder weather with the choke on.

General Comments:

This is the first larger cruiser I ever rode on.

Most of my experience has been on 350-750 range.

Large cruisers handle differently (if you make the leap like I did)... and you need to use finesse, slow and easy... and LEAN into corners hard... even at low speed.

But this is a fabulous bike, comfortable, and you feel confident. However, there is a torque to the left on left hand corners, on acceleration, which I can only assume comes from the shaft drive. But I do like the shaft drive better than a chain.

I got very lucky with the purchase of this bike, as it was indeed in show room condition, and obviously very well maintained... and my buddy I brought for an unbiased opinion said "if you don't buy it, I will".

The only modifications at purchase were the exhaust and driving lights... both improvements, and I got the original exhaust in the deal.

Two last comments... I don't like the "odometer" reset... a "push" would be better than turning the knob 8 or more times.

And if you accidentally move the 4 way switch on... easy to do... because of its location, you end up with no signals.... be mindful..... always check your signals before starting out after a stop.

Overall, I am glad I bought it.

Faults:

I have encountered no problems with this Virago; it's a very reliable bike.

General Comments:

Beautiful bike, classic cruiser looks, in my opinion one of the best looking bikes made.

Has plenty of power, cruises well between 60mph to 75mph.

There is quite a bit of vibration above 70 mph; enough to make your hands tingle after 30 minutes of riding.

In my opinion, the seat/handlebar locations are not set up for a tall person; it's a perfect ride for the smaller person though.