Today, factory customs are mainstream staples in the motorcycling world, but that wasn’t always the case. Customizing bikes – at least in the manner we know today – was largely unheard of before the 1970’s. Custom choppers did exist, and people would modify bikes for track and racing purposes, but custom street bikes couldn’t have been less embraced by magazines and manufacturers. After cultural events like the release of Easy Rider, it become commonplace to see riders toss a set of ape hangers and a sissy bar on their respective machines. Before long the custom scene started to grow and OEM’s took notice (not just because of Easy Rider, but the film did its part).
Harley would be the first to act on this, with William G. Davidson – who headed H-D’s design and styling department at the time – putting together a model using existing off-the-shelf parts and creating the FX Super Glide which would be introduced in the fall of 1970. Other custom-esque bikes were released, including models from the big four in Japan. Kawasaki would be the first on the island to debut a factory custom in 1976 with its Z-1/KZ 900-based KZ900LTD. After Yamaha’s XS650 saw a drop in sales, dealers began customizing them and gussying them up a bit. This strategy was surprisingly successful and Yamaha’s higher-ups took notice of this, eventually being inspired to debut the XS650 Heritage Special. This would be the first of an array of “Special” models.
By 1979, Honda had joined in on the factory custom market with its unconventional CX500, while Suzuki pulled the cover off its L-models – also known as “Low Slingers”. By now Triumph had gotten in on the action and delivered its T140D Special which was more or less a jazzed-up Bonnie with a single-pipe exhaust and mag wheels. By the time the 1980’s rolled around, Harley had introduced a handful of additional factory custom variants like its Super Glide and XLS Sportster Roadster. While the vast majority of these bikes sold pretty well, a lot of people viewed these offerings as standard bikes with a couple extra bits bolted on. Harley did a better job of getting away with this than the others as its bikes were V-twins, but the rest of the marques were essentially producing cruiser-inspired standards and UJM’s. Yamaha would change that in 1981.
While many people know Yamaha’s Virago as the first Japanese V-twin cruiser, it was more than that. The Virago was the first factory custom to be designed from the ground up, instead of being a reworked special factory custom variant of an existing model. The 1981 XV750 Virago would be the first in a long-line of V-twin powered sleds from the tuning-fork marque. Over the years the Virago would be offered in displacements ranging from 125 cc all the way up to 1,100 cc. The Virago was an important bike – though it definitely ruffled some feathers – and helped to break down barriers as it was the first time a Japanese manufacturer would release a blatantly American-style factory custom V-twin. A few years later Yamaha would double-down and debut its now iconic V-Max which is considered by many to be the first “Power Cruiser”. But back to the Virago…
The XV750 was powered by an air-cooled, 748cc, 75-degree V-twin with chain-driven overhead cam with two-valves per cylinder. The Japanese three-quarter-liter V-twin reportedly made 55 hp at 7,000 rpm and 47.74 ft-lbs of torque at 6,000 rpm. Married to the power-plant was a five-speed transmission with shaft final drive. The Virago’s frame is a pressed-steel backbone style unit that uses the engine as a stressed member. Up front the bike had 38mm telescopic forks, while in back the Virago had a monoshock, making it one of the first mass-produced bikes to feature a rear mono unit. The single shock in back would only stay on the Virago for its first couple years of production and after 1983 Yamaha would opt to use traditional dual-rear-suspension setups on its V-twin. 1984 would also see the introduction of a tear-drop style tank on the Virago.
As Yamaha began to sell V-twins, it not only pissed off Harley-Davidson, but it also inspired the other Japanese OEM’s to do introduce V-twins of their own, which further angered the Milwaukee-based moco. Harley struck back, using its influence and power to lobby for the introduction of tariffs on imported motorcycles larger than 700cc’s. In a move that Harley must have been just thrilled about, Yamaha would then produce a version of the Virago in response to the new tariffs with a very specific displacement of exactly 699cc’s. Around a dozen Virago models would continue to be introduced over the years until Yamaha would eventually phase-out the Virago moniker – replacing it with the V-Star and Road Star lineups with the 2007 Virago 250 being the last to go when it was reclassified as the V-Star 250 in 2008.
While researching the “K” designation in this example’s name, I came across some info about the letter designation of the Virago, and Yamaha’s in general, at least at one point in time. Supposedly back around the 1970’s Yamaha used certain letter destinations on its bikes such as “X” – which represented larger street models (like the XS650, 750, and 1100), SR meant single-cylinder, RD was for two-strokes, and it’s assumed the “V” in the XV500K meant V-twin. Yamaha also opted to use a weird letter system to represent the production-year of models though not in alphabetical-order. 1981 was H, ’82 J, ’83 K, ’84 L, ’85 N, ’86 S. It continues pretty randomly, then the H-J-K-L sequence repeats again starting in ’96. The letter rule changes with special or limited-edition models though.
What makes this particular XV500K Virago example special, is the fact it only has roughly five miles(!) on the odometer. It was purchased new in 1983, ridden home (a distance of, you guessed it, five miles), and that’s where its story pretty much ends. After a few decades in a climate controlled storage room it eventually ended up for sale which is how it came into the possession of the current owner. The bike is reportedly 100-percent bone stock and in perfect working order. All of the electrical components and lights still work too. This example also still has its original factory oil, factory paint, and even factory tires, though they have a few minor surface cracks for obvious reasons. A new battery was recently installed, and the bike has been fired up and the owner has run through the gears, all of which are said to work perfectly.
As you probably guessed, this Yamaha has been registered Non-op for a long while, but there aren’t any back-fees. The sale of this bike also includes the original tool kit that came with the bike (which has never been used or even opened). The current owner will also toss in a free luggage rack with passenger backrest. The only potential downside to be aware of is – at least according to Motorcyclist (the magazine): The first three model years (’81, ’82, & ’83) had a flaw in their starter systems. Having said that, the first three years are also the only Viragos that came with factory mono shocks and were also shaft drive bikes. While this is obviously a lot to pay for a Virago 500, time-capsule bikes like this are rare finds. They don’t come much cleaner than this.
You can find this bone-stock 1983 Yamaha XV500K Virago with only 5 original miles for sale here on Craigslist in Los Angeles, California with a price of $8,500.