YAMAHA XV250 VIRAGO (1995 - 2001) Review

Year: 2001

6

Version: Actually a 2020 version

Year: 2001

Annual servicing cost: £200

After 30 years of street riding, I downsized from my previous 650 to a smaller, lighter bike that is still capable of highway travel.

Year: 1995

Annual servicing cost: £150

Not the best for motorway riding as it tends to struggle over 60mph

Buying experience: Got mine from a dealer 12 months mot full service and free delivery 1595 ,not a mark on it dry stored all it's life , Yes I could have got younger for less but not in show room condition

Year: 2000

Annual servicing cost: £30

i show here an extract from my ad. for sale on gumtree............ i've had bikes since the 1950's. this is the best one i've ever had. it's the safest and most fun bike as well. you can ride it 'enthusiastically' at non lethal speeds........ that we've all done on jap rocketships. comfortable economical and amazingly zippy for a 250 ( see MCN review) i can no longer get my leg over to get on/off (sciatica) otherwise i'd never sell it. hence need to sell outright or exchange for step thro' big wheel scooter - cash either way. richard.

I bought this bike the day after i passed my test and i love it! Rode an sr125 for a year up to my test and the step up to the virago is amazing! A real confidence inspiring bike and with after market exhausts sounds like a lion purring in tick over and roaring when you give it a fist full. I love the looks of this thing and it's so comfortable and easy to ride. Would fully recommend this bike to everyone!!

My review might be a bit tainted, they say top speed is 70+ I found at 55 to 65 it needed me to run alongside and push it. It did best at about 45 and lower. Very nimble, easy to ride, fun at lower speeds, handles well in parking lots and town driving. I was the 3rd owner, and it will not have a 4th as I blew the engine. I put 1500 miles on it and it had 3 yes count them 3 oil changes during that time. I changed the oil as soon as I bought it, I had an oil leak and they had to replace a seal so it got an oil change, and it needed a new starter so it got its 3rd oil change. I was using it as my daily driver and going 55MPH-45MPH I live 10 miles from work. My mechanic said that was too much high speed for it and the engine could not handle it. Could be the other owners were rougher on it then I was. It had 7500 miles on the clock, I replaced the starter and clutch cable.This was my first bike and I probably should have gone bigger. Very limited on after market add on, ride was comfortable, lots of plastic parts If I had to do it all over again I would not have bought a 250. I did all the research and thought starting at a 250 was a good Idea but not so much now as I wanted something that I could ride for years to come. So looking for something in the 750-1200 range.

Only borrowed one from a friend for a week whilst my 750 Kawasaki was off the road, so not really a proper review. Suprisingly I enjoyed riding this just for the fun factor, build quality looks really good and the engine felt very torquey for a 250.