85 1000 Virago

Is this Yamaha an OK starter bike, good price on it locally.

I know it's heavy but is it comfortable and a good learner bike?

Viragos have a near-terminal starter clutch problem. I've worked on one that was bad enough to make me swear them off for good. But, they're getting to be popular platforms for modification, so it's entirely possible that there's a fix out there now.

And 85 is the last bad year.

to say nothing of the things being homely as all hell....

Homely is subjective, I think they're cool looking.

My first bike I actually got to run and ride was a Virago 535. Unfortunately they have ridiculously finicky carbs and I never got it to run right. It was constantly fouling plugs and losing power. I cleaned the carbs and adjusted them, no dice. A local ship rebuilt them, it was worse. A friend rebuilt them, it was better but still bad. I finally gave up and sold it as is.

I am sure the 1000 does not have that issue, but my memory of the 535 was painful enough that I can't think Virago and not have mixed feelings - pretty but finicky. I do not give up easily, but that thing beat me.

dculberson wrote: Homely is subjective, I think they're cool looking. My first bike I actually got to run and ride was a Virago 535. Unfortunately they have ridiculously finicky carbs and I never got it to run right. It was constantly fouling plugs and losing power. I cleaned the carbs and adjusted them, no dice. A local ship rebuilt them, it was worse. A friend rebuilt them, it was better but still bad. I finally gave up and sold it as is. I am sure the 1000 does not have that issue, but my memory of the 535 was painful enough that I can't think Virago and not have mixed feelings - pretty but finicky. I do not give up easily, but that thing beat me.

One of my best friends owned a 535 and rode it for years with no problems that I'm aware of. I was researching XV920R for a long, long time thinking of building a poor man's Ducati and everything I've read online verifies what Alex said.

I should add that the Virago I bought sat for 2 years prior to my purchase. That was the source of the problems, but then nobody could get it running right after that. I'm sure if it has been ridden consistently it would have been better.