The Yamaha Virago XV1100 is a motorcycle manufactured by

Yamaha Motor Corporation is a Japanese multinational manufacturer of motorcycles, marine products such as boats and outboard motors, and other motorized products. The company was established in 1955 upon separation from Yamaha Corporation (however, Yamaha Corporation ...

between 1986 and 1999. It was one of several in the

Virago A virago is a woman who demonstrates abundant masculine virtues. The word comes from the Latin word ''virāgō'' ( genitive virāginis) meaning vigorous' from ''vir'' meaning "man" or "man-like" (cf. virile and virtue) to which the suffix ''-ā ...

line and was positioned as a large-size

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...

with an

engine displacement Engine displacement is the measure of the cylinder volume swept by all of the pistons of a piston engine, excluding the combustion chambers. It is commonly used as an expression of an engine's size, and by extension as a loose indicator of the ...

of . It was one of the few cruiser-style motorcycles available with a

shaft drive A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft (Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power and torque and rotation, usually used to connect ...

instead of a chain or belt final drive system, as well as a

V-twin A V-twin engine, also called a V2 engine, is a two-cylinder piston engine where the cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. Although widely associated with motorcycles (installed either transversely or longit ...

engine of that size. Its heavily chromed body styling was also distinctive.

History

The Virago line was born in 1981 with the XV750. In 1982, the larger ''920'' was introduced alongside the ''750'', with several more deluxe features. The ''920'' was redesigned in 1984 and engine size increased to resulting in the renamed XV1000. In 1986, engine size was again increased to , resulting in the renamed XV1100. This model was discontinued in 2000 as the "Star" range of motorcycles took over as the cruiser line from Yamaha. The DragStar 1100 is often seen as the successor to the XV1100.

Starter problems

According to ''Motorcyclist'' magazine, the early Virago has a design flaw in the starter system. This magazine states that the starter's defect exists in early Virago models (1982 and 1983). However, the same flawed starter system was installed in the early (1984-85) XV700, which was produced until 1987, and the XV920. The XV1000 had an improved system since it began production in 1984, which doesn't present the flaws. Also the XV1100, XV700 and the XV750 (1986 and up) do not present the starter system flaws found in the earlier Viragos. ''Motorcyclist'' Magazine suggested welding the ring gear to its backing plate to solve the problem. Other solutions commonly used are the use of shims, which was Yamaha's proposed solution, then also the use of a newly designed idler gear. None of these solutions are considered or proved to be permanent, and applying only one of them will not address other existing flaws in the system; however, great improvements have been reported by Virago owners that have applied them.

References

{{Yamaha motorcycles timeline Virago 1100 Cruiser motorcycles Motorcycles introduced in 1986

History

Starter problems

See also

References