The Yamaha Virago, introduced in 1981, was the company’s first V-twin cruiser. While the XV750 version is the most common, the bikes were offered in a vast range of sizes over the years, including the Virago XV250, XV500, XV535, XV1000, XV1100, and the XV920R. It was Classified Moto of Richmond, Virginia, who popularized the Virago as a custom platform, discovering that the monoshock design of the pre-’84 bikes lends itself readily to building a cafe racer. Below, we have a selection of Virago cafe racers
“Bell” Yamaha Virago 750 Café Racer - Handbuilt at Skidmark Garage: Brandon Jackson’s XV750 Cafe… In recent years, we’ve seen a rise in the number of community DIY motorcycle garages across the nation and world. These garages are not only a great […]
Big Bore Virago: 1050cc Yamaha XV750 Custom Fighter - Yamaha “XV1050” Virago from Purpose Built Moto… There are certain donor bikes that turn up again and again in the custom world, and the Yamaha Virago (XV) is one such platform. Many years ago, builders […]
Steampunk Virago: Yamaha XV1000 Rat Rod - Black Cycles Australia builds a “Steampunk Rat Bike”… The rat bike has a long and storied tradition in the motorcycle world. Rat bikes are generally hard-ridden, uncleaned machines with plenty of rust, patina, road grime, […]
Turbofan V-Twin: Yamaha XV1000 “TR1-R” - Ortolani Customs builds a race-inspired TR1… Introduced in 1981, the Yamaha XV1000 TR1 was the biggest V-twin to roll out of Japan at the time, sporting a 980cc / 69-hp 75° V-twin. With the motor […]
Know Thyself: Yamaha XV750 Cafe Racer - Polish engineer builds one unique Virago 750… In Latin, the phrase nosce te ipsum means to “know thyself.” This maxim was inscribed on the ancient Temple of Apollo, and writers, philosophers, poets, and luminaries over […]
Mean Green: Yamaha Virago 750 Café Racer - Jerem Motorcycles builds a mean, green XV750… In the early 1980s, Yamaha introduced the XV750 Virago, their first V-twin “custom”-style cruiser. Though the air-cooled V-twin seemed like a completely novel design, it was actually well-rooted […]
Green V: Yamaha XV1000 TR1 Cafe Racer - Lys Motorcycles builds a sporty V-twin Yamaha… In 1981, the Yamaha XV1000 TR1 appeared in European showrooms. Though it bore close semblance to the shaft-drive Virago series, the 980cc V-twin TR1 featured a fully enclosed […]
“Iron Man” Virago 1100 Cafe Racer by LV Custom - The Virago was Yamaha’s first series of V-twin machines, and the XV1100 was the king cruiser of the line, featuring a 62-hp engine and some of the best handling and brakes in all of cruiser […]
Virago 920 “YamaDuci” by Augment Motorworks - A Japanese-Italian love story… The Virago series was Yamaha’s first entrée into world of V-twin cruisers, and one of the first motorcycle mass-produced with a monoshock rear suspension. It was a bold move for Yamaha […]
WKND Virago: Yamaha XV750 by De Stijl Moto - A JDM-inspired Virago from Portland… Introduced in 1981, the Yamaha XV750 Virago was the company’s first foray into the market for V-twin cruisers, featuring mono-shock rear suspension, shaft-drive, and an air-cooled 75° V-twin producing 55 […]
Art of the Possible: Virago XV920 “Alpha” by ASE Custom Motorcycles - The Yamaha Virago was the company’s first series of V-twin cruisers, featuring 75° air-cooled engines with shaft drive and mono-shock chassis. From 1981-1983, the Virago XV920 was the top of the line, offering a 920cc, […]
Handbuilt in Texas: Jackson 5AM V2.0 - “We don’t build custom Yamahas, Hondas, etc. We build Jacksons.” The XV750 Virago, launched in 1981, was Yamaha’s first entry into the V-twin cruiser arena. It was a slightly funky machine, with an air-cooled 75° […]
Yamaha Virago 750 “GTS” by 074 Customs - When Yamaha engineers were designing the XV750 — aka the Virago 750 — they surely didn’t realize that this funky V-twin cruiser — Yamaha’s first! — would be resurrected as a cafe racer some forty […]
Yamaha XV750 Virago Custom by De Stijl Moto - The Yamaha XV750 — aka the Virago 750 — was a V-twin cruiser with an air-cooled, 55-hp engine and shaft drive. Introduced in 1981, the middleweight Virago would remain in production until 1998 — one […]
Yamaha TR1 Cafe Racer by Moto Adonis - Daan Borsje and the crew at Moto Adonis keep turning out some of the classiest custom bikes in the world. Recently, they were tasked by a client to build a cafe racer inspired by Coco […]
Yamaha XV750 Cafe Racer - Today we’re thrilled to showcase a Yamaha XV750SE cafe racer by one of our favorite builders, Moto Adonis of The Netherlands. Daan and crew consistently turn out some of the most innovative and well-proportioned bikes […]
Yamaha Virago 250 Cafe Racer - Some of our favorite builders started as racers, and Matt Fuller of Land O’ Lakes, Florida, is such a one. A supermoto and flat-track veteran, he brings a purpose-driven focus to this ’97 Yamaha XV250 […]
Yamaha Virago Tracker by Chavazs Machmoedov - Chavazs Machmoedov of The Netherlands is like a lot of us. He has a full-time job, and building custom bikes is a way to escape the stresses of daily life and give shape to his […]
Virago XV750 by Down and Out Cafe Racers - Down and Out Cafe Racers builds some of the sweetest custom builds to come out of the UK. This Virago is no exception. It sports R1 forks with billet yokes, a MotoLanna seat unit, and […]
1981 Yamaha TR1 by Fast Sally Customs - In 1981, Yamaha introduced the 920cc Virago XV920R, marketed in Europe with slightly larger displacement (980cc) as the TR1 and also the XV1000. It had the mono-shock suspension that has made the Virago series so […]
