81vx750 virago

DIRTY DOG

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ok had a buddy drop off a virago 750 for me to get running,any one out there know anything about them, it has no carbs or exhaust with it, not sure what ignition system it has anyone know anything about them? any info would help. if it runs he want me to cut it up and bobb it,
 
I think Joe Wiseguy was gearing up to make a run of single carb intakes for Viragos.... but he is in the middle of moving his home and shop to the desert....
 
Yes, the motors may be sweet, but the starters, oh my God. You think the 650 starter has problems? Wait 'til you deal with one of these, lol. Ever hear of Hitachi? They make electronic stuff, right? Well, they also make the Virago carbs, lol. The results are as you'd expect, kinda like if G.E. or Westinghouse made carbs.
 
Hahah. Reminds me of getting on a ferry on one of our bike trips. My versys lights right away. I hear a ton of grinding ahead up ahead. It's a virago trying to get going.

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I tried to talk him out of doing it but the bike was very cheep,almost free,going with a single carb,is there a fix for the starter? the bike is fugly as hell but hell I do it
 
Google it. There's a ton of info and so-called fixes. Some work on some bikes, some don't work. It will probably take some trial and error to find one. Hopefully the starter motor isn't burned out. They grind and spin/slip so much that they over heat and burn out.
 
I tried to talk him out of doing it ...
not nearly hard enoyugh ...
...but the bike was very cheep,almost free,
anything free is worth what you paid fo it . In this case significntly less
...going with a single carb
good it will be the waste of only one carb that could be doing something useful other than accessorizing yard art
is there a fix for the starter?
replace ring gear , starter gear , starter gear shaft with later model , starter gear spring , starter gear and idler gear "brakes" , ground frame , starter , battery with excessive ground straps , stuff the largest battery possible in the bike and your near $1000 dollar investment in parts and labor will get you a season or two . I'm not providing ventors , part numbers or a how-to as its an excersise in futioity akin to assisted suicide .


the bike is fugly as hell but hell

the one part you got right ...

~kop
 
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...that I'm kidding . My motorcycle service experience covers the entire manufacturing span of the Virago . I have seen good ones , few and far between . I have seen about all variations of the "starter fix" two brush and four brush . I have used Yamaha and aftermarket fixes .

I refuse to change so much as a light bulb on one after . "it started and ran fine when I dropped it off" ended up in court . That "replace front tire" ended up costing me not only fixing the starter problem with a new engine but having to give warantee on that used engine , from a 15 year old motorcycle , akin to the original warantee from yamaha which resulted in two more starters , a hand full of parts and no compinsation for my labor for three years . I quit counting at $15K ....

I'll walk on the opposite side of the street to steer clear of one .
I won't park next to one , it may be contagious .
I'll hang up the phone at the mention of XV or Virago .
I'll close the door , hang out the closed sign and leave rather than talk to a Virago Victim , erm owner .
I'll all but stick my fingers in my ears and "LA LA LA LA LA LA LA , in public to avoid all discussion about "Virago"

I'm only taking the time to reinterate these views on the Virago because I haven't in a while , you seem like a decent sort that doesn't deserve this kind of pain and I was sitting on the shitter doing nothing else important .

~kop
 
Wow! I like some of the mono shock virago cafe's I've seen, thought it would be a fun build. Now I'm having second thoughts.:yikes:
 
Virago was the first bike I rebuilt and chopped up. Once I fixed the starter it was a fun ride. The starter issues were specifically bad '81-'83. Pull the oil nut you should see all the metal shavings from the starter gears on the magnet.

TeHZNz2.jpg
 
I did and it's clean but he was told the eng was just repuilt, I'm going to talk to him again today and try to sell him on a difrrent bike to build.Hay justzx what did you do to fix the starter not sure it has the problem yet but I'll know later on today.
 
Yeah done a couple in the day. It has a CDI ignition that was poor and some had starter drive problems. The funny thing is they run. If you have spark and no carbs shoot some gas down the manifolds and if motor is good it will fire up for a min. I did do one with a single carb using PVC for mockup of manifold and fired right up. But never got and further. Good thing is tons of parts online for them was a good seller back then and plenty of parts bikes. Shaft bike so making a bobber out of it is a little tough. Good luck
Rich
 
Yeah done a couple in the day. It has a CDI ignition that was poor and some had starter drive problems. The funny thing is they run. If you have spark and no carbs shoot some gas down the manifolds and if motor is good it will fire up for a min. I did do one with a single carb using PVC for mockup of manifold and fired right up. But never got and further. Good thing is tons of parts online for them was a good seller back then and plenty of parts bikes. Shaft bike so making a bobber out of it is a little tough. Good luck
Rich

thanks Rich it's the mono shock style and is fugley but he's ok with that,it's already lowered,and 1/2 ass cut up I just don't want to wast his money on a pile of crap,I'm goind out now to see if it'll hit or not wish me luck lol
 
ok so the build is off I pulled the side cover and there is no starter drive there at all it gone,so does anyone want a parts bike cheep,or trade I'll prob build him an xs650 bobber
 
I've owned a '94 XV1100 for over 10 years and ridden it probably 14,000 miles or so, trouble-free. It's the only other bike I have besides my '82 XS650. Like any other bike, it has its pros and cons - for instance, just like our beloved 650's, the charging system is marginal at best and must be kept in top shape for it to start reliably. Some parts have to be removed before you can change the oil filter. The carbs can be very difficult to remove if you don't know the proper sequence to follow, but it's easily accessible information on the web, and they're no more difficult to service than BS38's or 34's. Front suspension needs help, just like our 650's. Beauty is said to be in the eye of the beholder, but in the Virago's case, probably a "bridge too far" for most anyone, but the shaft drive is nice, and even at 6 feet tall, I like the low seating position. I swapped the OEM cast rims for spoked ones off mid-80's Vgo's, which to my eye, improved its looks somewhat. Rode it 2000 miles around the north shore of Lake Superior a couple years ago, and it never missed a beat - believe I'll keep it until wife takes the keys to both bikes away from my doddering old self.
 
Wow! I never knew the cv 750/1100 had such a bad reputation. I have seen some pictures of worked over ones and thought if I came across one I might make a project out of it - not now! Thank you for the headsup...
 
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