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| EazyDuz |
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EazyDuz
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 Posted: 10:32 - 09 Mar 2019  Post subject: |
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| Bhud wrote: | Viragos are an interesting choice of bike (in the UK)...
It's easy to coin an explanation for why someone might buy a Harley. Not so easy for a Virago.
I wouldn't mind one, just to chop it down into a sort of stripped down Frankenstein of a cafe/street tracker. But it seems most people buy these to keep them in stock form, and they don't ride them.
If you check them out on Ebay, they all tend to have very low mileages for their age. 1990s bikes with something like just 12000 miles on them aren't uncommon. Most haven't been modified beyond sticking a different set of bars on them. They're not in the bargain basement category of street bikes either. So, for some reason, there's a stronger market for used Viragos (going by their used prices) than for things like used SV1000s and Fazers in some cases, and that market is set on buying them, keeping them original, putting something like 1000 miles on them then selling them on a few years later. How would you explain that one? Eh?
E.g.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/yamaha-virago-xv1100/132971369037
1991 Virago XV1100.
Asking price: £2300.
Mileage: 23781 (averages out at just 849 miles a year). |
I can explain since I had a Virago 535 for a year as my second bike after a 125cc to pass tests on. (Its still my avatar pic cba to change it)
Wanted a cheap cruiser on restricted A2 licence.
Found a Virago nearby with said very low mileage and asking price of £850, looked mint so I bought it.
Rode it for a year before I couldnt take the low power anymore so I sold it for double what I paid, making a tidy £800 profit. I have a video on Youtube of that bike, all it is is an 'exhaust video' as it had some aftermarket pipes on it, to date that vid has over 400,000 views. Why? I have no idea, its a very popular bike and the forum community is still very active for it. I guess people like its retro looks and I have a feeling it will become a modern classic in the not too distant future, hence my ability to sell at double what I paid. Wish I kept it because it was a minter and easy to work on, did the valve clearances with nothing but a handful of basic tools.
| Nobby the Bastard wrote: | So a virago...
None of the cachet of a hardly (ha!), same stupid seating position and shit for commuting because you're lower down than most cars, limiting your vision. |
Talking out your arse. Used it for commuting all the time. As for how it handled, it was very nimble since it was so light weight with a fairly skinny front tyre. Easy to filter with, unless you're a 5ft 6 manlet it was in no way 'too low'. All it lacked was a refined ride at motorway speeds. 65+ and the thing shook its mirrors so much they were useless and had no passing power. But it was never meant to be a touring cruiser, its basically a universal starter bike and still very popular among newish riders.
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| ThatDippyTwat |
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ThatDippyTwat
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| EazyDuz |
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EazyDuz
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| Posted: 11:08 - 09 Mar 2019 Post subject: |
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| ThatDippyTwat wrote: | | EazyDuz wrote: | ... desperate ramblings to defend choice of bikes... |
You really are desperate to defend your beloved cruisers. I suspect you need to just accept that all styles of bike get the piss ripped. Here, it's cruisers and Hipster shite. If I went over to a sports bike forum, I'd have my viffer ripped on as an "Old mans" bike. "Dual sports" would no doubt get ripped on somewhere, and there is always going to be that hates the "Retro" looking things which seem to be largely welcomed on here. Just accept you like what you like, and stop getting defensive and presenting daft arguments.
My Viffer and ratted cruiser do me for what I need. With the Rat, It's 4 miles to work, viffer doesn't even get warmed up. The Viffer was something cheap to do some miles on, without being light enough to goad me into silly things. I don't need any more bans, passing my test again was a very different affair to the first time round in the 90's. They're my bikes. I paid for them. I maintain them. I don't give a fuck what people think if they want to take it past banter and having a laugh. Just go ride the damn things and enjoy it. |
Huh? Bhud wondered why the Virago in particular was so popular, I just explained why, since I had one.
As for Nobby's comments, they're just not accurate and obviously from someone who's never ridden a bike of that style. Are there better bikes for commuting? Sure, lots, are there worse bikes for commuting? Absolutely. Another reason for their remaining popularity might be insurance costs, its seen as an old mans bike, and i recall paying less than £200 annually TPFT on that thing with zero years no claims. Plus no ones gonna steal a Virago parked next to a Fazer
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| Ste |
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Ste
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ThatDippyTwat
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| MarJay |
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MarJay
But it's British!
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| Posted: 12:51 - 09 Mar 2019 Post subject: |
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To get philosophical for a moment...
Bikes are a pain in the backside. They are uncomfortable after a while, you get wet if it rains, you get cold. They contort your body into odd positions which are fine at first but after a while become like a torture position. You have to wear a lid, and clothes which are a right pain to put on.
So, we must do it for a reason, right? That reason has to be related to sensation, as it's not related to convenience or comfort. I've never got the looks thing at all, because you can't see yourself when you're riding, and who else cares what you do on a bike? If you want to look a certain way for other people, you can be fairly sure that 99% of people don't give a toss.
So, in which case why compromise on the riding experience for looks? I can even understand a nice looking bike that rides well, but for me the quality of the ride has to come above the looks because the looks are such a secondary thing. So This means I can totally understand Sportsbikes, I can understand modern retros, I can even understand 'adventure' bikes as tourers (although the tyre/wheel situation is a nonsense on the road IMO). But cruisers? They are measurably worse bikes than the equivalent nice retro, Sportsbike etc.
I have and probably will never understand the attraction of a cruiser really. Or 'Customs' or 'Bobbers' Or 'Choppers' or any of the bikes where the geometry is set up to look like something out of Easy Rider.
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Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another. |
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Bhud
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| Posted: 13:56 - 09 Mar 2019 Post subject: |
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I appreciate the explanation for why someone might want a Virago, but I can't fully accept the reasons given, as so many of these old bikes still have incredibly low mileages.
I think the real motivation behind these bikes might be connected with the perception of the wider non-biker public. For some reason, those members of the public who have never ridden, if they appreciate bikes at all, mostly adore cruisers. The Keeway guy mentioned this, and it may have come across as a joke, but I don't think it was. The public goes nuts over cruisers. Even Ste's video of that Virago 535 starting up - look at the comments, e.g. "had to Switch to pornhub when mom went into my room, because its less of Erotic there", and 485,055 views! And it's just a video showing a bike with shiny bits on it like in the old movies starting... That's pretty amazing.
Once got given a gift, by a non-biker, of a scaled-down motorbike model. Guess what sort of bike it was? Yep...
So what I'm guessing is, there is some sort of positively reinforcing psychological feedback loop you get from being seen around town on a cruiser. Sort of like being someone else for 10 minutes. And because that's the motive, and not the act of riding, you wouldn't want to ride it in the rain or in any sort of humdrum circumstances, which means it basically lives in the garage after the first summer or so, and you forget you own it until the tax/MOT notice comes through the door. Then, after a few years of paying tax, you ask yourself why you're paying tax on something that takes up space and doesn't get used, and you post the ad on Ebay for a very low mileage stock Virago. All this is just a theory, but if I'm right then it would seem cruisers are done, as the general cruiser-admiring public is getting older, and the younger lot don't admire them at all.
Also, if I'm right and it is all about the MILF attention, then that explains the 'brat'/Bikeshed thing too. After all, if they think you're Keanu Reeves the admiration might be kindled once more. Doubt it works like that, though... Most likely, "unfinished project" of a butchered GS550 gets posted on the bay... |
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Ste
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| Posted: 14:23 - 09 Mar 2019 Post subject: |
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Unfinished project brat bike barn find, 99% complete, will pass mot no problems, blah blah blah, £2500
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| Nobby the Bastard |
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Nobby the Bastard
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| EazyDuz |
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EazyDuz
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| Posted: 16:59 - 09 Mar 2019 Post subject: |
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| MarJay wrote: | To get philosophical for a moment...
Bikes are a pain in the backside. They are uncomfortable after a while, you get wet if it rains, you get cold. They contort your body into odd positions which are fine at first but after a while become like a torture position. You have to wear a lid, and clothes which are a right pain to put on.
So, we must do it for a reason, right? That reason has to be related to sensation, as it's not related to convenience or comfort. I've never got the looks thing at all, because you can't see yourself when you're riding, and who else cares what you do on a bike? If you want to look a certain way for other people, you can be fairly sure that 99% of people don't give a toss.
So, in which case why compromise on the riding experience for looks? I can even understand a nice looking bike that rides well, but for me the quality of the ride has to come above the looks because the looks are such a secondary thing. So This means I can totally understand Sportsbikes, I can understand modern retros, I can even understand 'adventure' bikes as tourers (although the tyre/wheel situation is a nonsense on the road IMO). But cruisers? They are measurably worse bikes than the equivalent nice retro, Sportsbike etc.
I have and probably will never understand the attraction of a cruiser really. Or 'Customs' or 'Bobbers' Or 'Choppers' or any of the bikes where the geometry is set up to look like something out of Easy Rider. |
Thats where I DONT understand sports bikes. If im doing 1+ hours on the motorway, I dont want to be doing it hunched forward, legs bent unnaturally with an arch in my back and all weight on my wrists. It's called a cruiser for a reason. You're sat back more akin to a sofa, in a seat which feels the same, with absolutely zero stress in any of your joints. Worst case is ass ache from sitting too long. Add to that usually a very plush suspension, massive tyres so you get none of that tram lining, a lazy unstressed v twin and you can eat up miles and miles with no discomfort.
I still think a lot of it comes back to what you learned to ride on. After a while feet forward and a normal posture is going to feel completely alien and almost unsafe.
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| linuxyeti |
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linuxyeti
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| Posted: 17:31 - 09 Mar 2019 Post subject: |
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| Bhud wrote: | I appreciate the explanation for why someone might want a Virago, but I can't fully accept the reasons given, as so many of these old bikes still have incredibly low mileages.
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There are many many old bikes,of all styles, with very low mileage, alot of the fair weather, weekend warriors bikes, or, there are those that have been garage queens, whilst their less cared for stablemates have been used for the daily commute in the shitty weather. However, cruisers are more susceptible to this, simply due to the amount of chrome on them.
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| stevo as b4 |
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stevo as b4
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Posted: 17:54 - 09 Mar 2019  Post subject: |
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| MarJay wrote: |
I have and probably will never understand the attraction of a cruiser really. Or 'Customs' or 'Bobbers' Or 'Choppers' or any of the bikes where the geometry is set up to look like something out of Easy Rider. |
There's more you'd have to add to that though.
1, Drag bikes (very long low, relaxed geometry and excessive wheel Base for road use).
2, sports bikes or sports tourers with long extended Swingarms or locked up rear suspension and lowered forks etc.
3, sports bikes that still have their full fairings but some fool has converted the top yoke to take flat or low rise MX bars while keeping the rear sets in the std position.
4, Supermoto bikes. (I like em) but what a crap compromised type of bike they are for virtually any practical transport or use. You have the tallness and poor aerodynamics of a trail/enduro bike, and the thin tall plank seat thats never comfortable, along with nasty vibes, big gaps between gears and hard pumped up road tyres that unlike soft knobblies off road will jar your spine on a bumpy road at speed.
5, Scooters on small diameter wheels with big 400-500cc engines that are big wide things and heavier than a decent road bike, and no more agile at best.
Basically there's many more bikes for A-B road use that don't make any sense than there are ones that do. |
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MarJay
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| Posted: 18:31 - 09 Mar 2019 Post subject: |
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| stevo as b4 wrote: |
There's more you'd have to add to that though.
1, Drag bikes (very long low, relaxed geometry and excessive wheel Base for road use). |
100% agreed.
| stevo as b4 wrote: |
2, sports bikes or sports tourers with long extended Swingarms or locked up rear suspension and lowered forks etc. |
Again no disagreement from me.
| stevo as b4 wrote: |
3, sports bikes that still have their full fairings but some fool has converted the top yoke to take flat or low rise MX bars while keeping the rear sets in the std position. |
Not with you on this one. I wouldn't do it personally, but I can see why people do. Factories even caught on and started doing it themselves! Just look at the current Aprilia Tuono V4. It's basically got a full fairing and flat bars.
| stevo as b4 wrote: |
4, Supermoto bikes. (I like em) but what a crap compromised type of bike they are for virtually any practical transport or use. You have the tallness and poor aerodynamics of a trail/enduro bike, and the thin tall plank seat thats never comfortable, along with nasty vibes, big gaps between gears and hard pumped up road tyres that unlike soft knobblies off road will jar your spine on a bumpy road at speed. |
No, I get these. On a bumpy B road they are WAY better than a superbike.
| stevo as b4 wrote: |
5, Scooters on small diameter wheels with big 400-500cc engines that are big wide things and heavier than a decent road bike, and no more agile at best. |
Whilst I agree its not my taste, at least they have practicality and load carrying, and weather protection as advantages. And for City Businessman, you don't need to learn/worry about gears. For me it might be good because my left wrist has a piece of bone missing, so holding the clutch for long periods can be painful. I won't, because taste, but I can see why.
| stevo as b4 wrote: |
Basically there's many more bikes for A-B road use that don't make any sense than there are ones that do. |
no, disagree there.
For EazyDuz... If you're using a motorway for anything other than getting to a twisty road, then you might as well use a car instead. So if you own a sportsbike really you should spend minimal time on a motorway. If you buy a bike and then spend tons of time on a motorway by choice, you're a bit of a fool. They are boring as hell.
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Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another. |
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Nobby the Bastard
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| thx1138 |
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thx1138
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| Posted: 18:38 - 09 Mar 2019 Post subject: |
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I tried riding a V-rod muscle once, got a mini-roundabout where I'd planned to do a u-turn, had to turn left, go up the road, do a three point turn shuffling with my feet head back down to the roundabout and turn right.  |
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Bhud
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Nobby the Bastard
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Posted: 19:43 - 09 Mar 2019  Post subject: |
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| Bhud wrote: | Sometimes you end up on a motorway because you're following signs to places with interesting names, find that you're doing circles and everything looks much the same and it's getting dark or cold/wet, and you need to make your way back home. Motorways are usually signposted with distant locations that are vaguely familiar. Lost in Bristol on your first visit there, and need to make your way back home to, say, the village of Kings Langley? Well, better follow that motorway sign to Oxford or Watford.
In that situation, you ride whatever you've got. But, ideally, I would want to be riding a (faired) big Bandit or (faired) Yamaha FJ. Can't underestimate how nice it is to have a fairing that keeps the wind resistance off your shoulders and the rain from your whole body. |
A bit like the strumpet then? That's why i ride one as a commuter tool. A virgo would do everything wrong.
I'd ride a race rep as a commuter tool like a shot if I was 10 years younger. Commuting on the big fzr was a giggle.
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ThatDippyTwat
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| EazyDuz |
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EazyDuz
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| Posted: 21:43 - 09 Mar 2019 Post subject: |
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| ThatDippyTwat wrote: | | EazyDuz wrote: | Thats where I DONT understand sports bikes. If im doing 1+ hours on the motorway, I dont want to be doing it hunched forward, legs bent unnaturally with an arch in my back and all weight on my wrists. |
I switch back and forth between the two types. I don't find an issue. I can travel for far longer on the Viffer than the cruiser. My back/kidneys hate the cruiser after 15-20 miles. Granted, the Viffer is Sports-Tourer, and not full on sports, but it's not horribly far away.
You use your body to support yourself. If you're putting your weight through your wrists, you're doing it wrong. The fatter you are, the harder this is. |
All I can say is im perfectly comfortable (all 11 stone of me) for long distance miles on my bike. I never was on the Virago granted, the seat was firm, it rattled and blew around in the wind. Current bike, Suzuki C800, better in every way. Screen and lowers eliminate buffeting entirely, floor boards to relax feet or highway pegs to stretch my legs after a while and a throttle lock and im all set.
I dont generally stick to the motorway but if im going somewhere in particular ill use it. I.e. this year I'm going to do the NC500, and since I live in the Midlands I'd rather blast up the M1 at least some of the way otherwise a 4 hour ride turns into a 7 hour ride.
If I upgrade and one day I will, the Triumph Thunderbird will be a serious contender.
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EazyDuz
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| Motorhate |
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Motorhate
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bhinso
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| Posted: 14:43 - 12 Mar 2019 Post subject: |
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Cruiser motorcycles aren't dying.
But this forum is  |
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EazyDuz
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Ste
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Old Thread Alert!
The last post was made 5 years, 40 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful? |
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