These first Yamaha brand cycles sold in America were the YD1 and the MF-1. They were imported by an independent distributor called Cooper Motors. In 1958, Yamaha motorcycles came to the US. It was in 1955 that Yamaha manufactured its first motorized product in Japan, the YA-1 motorcycle. While these are still in production today, the company has vastly expanded its offerings since its beginnings. It was founded in 1887 and produced both pianos and reed organs. The Yamaha Corporation itself has been around for a very long time. Yamaha motorcycles are made, sold and loved around the world. They're best known, however, for their motorcycles. Improved electro-mechanical systems were applied as of 1986 on all 700, 750, 10 cc units.Yamaha Motor Company is a Japanese company that manufactures marine engines, large helicopter drones and other motorized products. XV700 models of the model years 19 also had the weaker, fully mechanical starter system. This magazine states that the starter's defect exists in early Virago models made in year 1981, 19. weak battery) it promoted wear on the starter engagement/disengagement system. Being fully mechanical, under less than ideal circumstances (eg. For 2008 it was renamed the V-Star 250.Īccording to Motorcyclist magazine, the early Virago has a design flaw in the starter system. The last motorcycle to bear the Virago name was the 2007 Virago 250. The facelifted version of the original XV750/1100 powerplant was used in the V-star 1100 models, the XV400/535 engine with slightly more bore and stroke was used in the V-star 650. The larger-displacement Viragos were eventually phased out of production, replaced by the V-Star and Road Star series of motorbikes.

XV125, XV250, XV920R and XV1000/TR1 were chain driven, other models were equipped with shaft drive. A short production (1997-2000) of 125 cc was also manufactured. Yamaha replaced the 750 cc engine with a 699 cc version to avoid the tariff, while the 920 cc engine grew to 981 cc (XV1000), and later 1063 cc (XV1100). That year, Harley-Davidson, fearful of the inroads in the US market made by the Virago and other new Japanese cruiser-style motorcycles, pushed for a tariff on imported bikes over 700 cc. The bike was redesigned in 1984, switching from a rear mono-shock to a dual-shock design, and adding a tear-drop shaped gas tank. Originally sold with a 750 cc (46 cu in) engine in 1981, Yamaha soon added 500 cc (31 cu in) and 920 cubic centimetres (56 cu in) versions. The Yamaha Virago was Yamaha's first V-twin cruiser motorcycle, and one of the earliest mass-produced motorcycles with a mono-shock rear suspension.

1995 yamaha virago 1100cc