Yamaha Virago 535 reviews

I'm writing this review for my wife. The Virago 250 has been an excellent starter bike for her. She is only 5' 5" tall and the low seat height and overall weight of the bike (right at 300 lbs.) has given her all the confidence she needs. Earlier this year, we took a 10 day motorcycle trip with some friends to Key West. Although she hauled the bike in the back of a pickup at times, she still managed to put 1,200 miles on the bike during the trip. She had a one day high of 375 miles! The bike performed excellent and she said that it was very comfortable. The only drawback was that, due to it's light weight, she had to battle pretty strong crosswinds and when near big rigs on the interstate. All in all, we feel it's a great choice for a starter bike. Show less

I just want to tell you guys that there is no better starting and mid size bike than the Virago. In fact, I have always been a fan of Hondas, but I fell in love with this bike. 750cc is a great size, lots of power for the city and looks great. Mine still runs and looks like new with 14000 miles. I got married a few month ago, but for the last 4ys of single life, I can't tell you how many compliments I have received from this bike! In fact,it has so much chrome on it that I had many girls asked me if it is a Harley. The height is excellent, good ground clearence and the weight of it is perfect to manuver around traffic. The only thing negative about this bike would be for a long road trip. It will go 70 miles p/h on the highway for as long as you want, but due to the size of the engine you will feel the vibration and it will tire you some. If you plan to take a lot of trips more than 60 miles than get something bigger like a 1200cc. But if you are thinking about buying something on 750cc size, go ahead and get a Virago. I have been riding motorcycles for 24 ys, since I was 15ys old. I have owned 5 different cruisers and this has been the best one yet. Show less

I have been riding most of 40 years. I bought this bike for my wife. It fits, I don't know how it would work for someone over 5'8' but for her it is just right. The power is smooth and even, the shifting is light crisp, brakes are good and the fit and finish is tops. She had the Harley, too much bike, this is light comfortable and forgiving. Cons, drop a tooth on the front sprocket. The best deal I ever made. Show less

The Virago XV 750 is one of the best all around balanced street machine I have ridden in over 34 years. I have owned 18 street machines in 34 years. Why Yamaha discontinued this model is beyond me? The engine is bullet proof, mag wheels, shaft and well balanced on handling. Over all great machine. Its a jewel I'll never part with! Show less

18 years after selling my Honda Twinstar (185), I finally purchased the Virago 250 for quick trips around town and cruising PCH on weekends. This bike is great for both of those tasks. It is light and easy to handle, has excellent low end torque to minimize shifting, and has a reasonably comfortable seat. But this bike is clearly for the smaller rider. At 5'10, my legs feel a bit cramped on the pegs. The arm reach is just right. The chrome looks very nice (but keep it polished or it will rust very quickly). Yamaha sells a good selection of accessories for this bike, and they are very reasonably priced, especially when compared to what the competition (Honda) is charging (not to mention their very limited selection). I'm adding the chrome side covers to really make it shine, and they only set me back about $50. I also outfitted mine with a windshield and luggage rack for about $200 more. If you are looking for a small cruiser, don't even think about the Honda or Suzuki. This is the bike to buy. Show less

Like many of you I just finished my MSF class. At 57 I was one of the "older" individuals in the class. I started looking around and had already decided that I did NOT want a "monster" bike as my first motorcycle. Every dealer wanted to sell me something larger than 650 cc and up... I finally ran into a "teenie bopper" who listed to me and told me to "go for it" and get what you feel safe on... I wanted a 250 that would give me experience and riding time and also not scare the "crap" out of my wife who had to be really "talked into letting me get a motorcyle at my age - she thinks this bike look big... what would she have thought of a 1000 cc!"... I looked at many bikes... keep reading the reviews on this site and decided to go with the Yamaha 250. I have not been disappointed. I average about 20 miles per day to and from work - some open road, some city traffic and some freeway... I was apprehensive since I'm 6' 1" and my weight is "north" of 250... But the bike is GREAT!... I have not felt scared or intimidatedf and I can handle it... And I do get the thumbs up from the Harley people... One of my friends who just finished the MSF class got an 883 Harley... I find that he always wants to ride mine... "it's more fun"... Two of my fellow employees at the office also ride their bikes to work... the guy with the 1000 Sportster likes to take mine to run out at lunch "it just gets around better"... Thanks to all of you who take the time to write these reviews... I would never have known anything about what bike to get without reading these... Show less

I never owned a road bike before this thing. When I decided to get into bikes again, I went to the shop to buy a dirt bike. The sales bloke offered me a ride on the 250 virago and I took on the offer. I decided to buy it because I reckoned that it would be a fun bike for me and it was suitable for my son to learn on. I've owned the bike for 6 weeks and I only ride it to work and back home 5 days a week. Why do you think the bike has now travelled 3000kms? I like riding this thing so much, I reckon it is one of the most fun machines I have ridden. It goes fast enough, it is economical and it is a cool looking machine. I promise that I will never abandon my compusive desire to finding ways to increase my trip to and from work. Damned good thing that my warrantee has unlimited kms. I reckon this bike is going to have travelled incredable distances by the time I'm finished with it Show less

I'm a recent MSF grad, and think getting this "beginner bike" was one of the smartest decisions I've ever made. This bike has great fit-and-finish, considering it's "entry-level" position in the Yamaha line, and the styling is in a class by itself comared to the other 250's I looked at. The biggest plus is the V-Twin engine -- very torquey for it's size, and the sound is much like the bigger H-D cruisers, just quieter. The engine does get a little buzzy over 60 mph, but it is very solid on the freeway considering its weight -- you can feel the breeze from oncoming semis as they pass less than 5 feet away, but they don't blow you out of your lane. Love this bike. Show less

I had been looking for a medium size cycle to start out on. After looking at some other used cycles that were not in good shape, I came across this XV 500 in a local add. It was in good shape and after test riding it once I bought it right away. I am having a lot of fun on this bike. It is really a nice little cruiser, but if you are over 5' 8", it may be a bit cramped. All in all, I am having a lot of fun riding this bike, and like it a lot. I feel like I can get enough power out of it. Maybe in a couple of years I will think of moving up to a bigger bike, but for now this will do just fine. Before buying a bike, I enjoyed reading the reviews of others, so I hope this helps. Show less

The Virago is the perfect bike for the newbie. I took the motorcycle training class back in early May, then purchased the bike in mid-May and have had a blast ever since. This bike is very confidence inspiring, and often brings out the kid in me as I roll on the trottle from time to time. This bike is deceptively "fast", nimble, and has way good looks. I get stares "all" the time. There is a nice big bike grunt below as well. The Suzuki 250cc is pure ugly and slow, while the Honda Rebel is just plain slower. I have rode them all, so trust me. The Virago has plenty of torque in first gear, so you have to work to find that sweet spot on the trottle while in that gear. For a light weight bike, she will haul butt on the interstate, although it will scare you if it is windy, so you learn fast how to lean into the wind to make it through. I average about 50 to 52 miles a tank. All in all, it rides and looks like a bigger bike. It also does not hurt the overall looks with that v-twin sitting in there. People ask me if it is a 500cc or 600cc all the time. People and bikers on bigger bikes (although they won't admit it), are always checking this bike out. Yea, I will upgrade to a bigger bike someday, but my experience on this beginner bike has helped me in more ways than I thought it could have, I have a clearer picture of what kind of bigger bike I would enjoy and ultimately want and appreciate thanks to my time on the Virago. When I do make that next purchase, I will make a much wiser and overall satisfying decision. And that up-grade is where I prefer to make my investment. That way I am not wasting my money buying bigger bikes that I eventually grow to dislike and/or not ride for one reason or another. Show less