Virago

If you have access to a milling machine or good quality bench drill you should be able to remove the bulk of the broken screw then remove the remaining bits of thread with a metal scribe or other pointy object.
 
A couple of hours, some carb cleaner, a helicoil, yadda, yadda, I think we're back in business. The sight "glass" in this MC is actually a gummy rubber type of affair.


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Amazing what laying up since 1992 will do to a master cylinder. I had to get this out with a hammer and punch. The MC bore looks remarkably clean.

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Progress...:hump:Looks like mine after some work except my sight glass was melted from a fire so had to cut a new one from polycarbonate (Lexan). You may want to consider putting helicoil in the mirror mount and possibly repainting. I am not sure of the recommended paint to be brake fluid proof but need to repaint mine soon.

The ratio of the master cylinder to slave cylinder on the Virago seems to be nice compared to that on an 81 XS Special - no wooden feeling.
 
Thought i would throw this in here. An article from a Motortrader mag a few years old..............Its a 700 Virago made to look like a Ducati

Pics are from the magazine using my phone camera, hence the quality


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Yep; the XV920R Seca had enclosed chain drive rather than shaft. '81-'82 with later production to Europe (maybe '86).

I've been trying to keep an eye for one. Decent enough for restoration or (if not) a resto-mod cafe style.

Ya'll please give me a shout if you see one!

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Friend of mine has the Aussie XV1000. We only got them for 2 years and they also have the covered chain drive. He was offered it from a guy who had it for years with no idea how many klm's on the clock as it wasn't working and the PO said it had most probably been around at least once.

He loves it and prefered it to an 89 Harly softtail he won in a raffle, Woud look at the 2 bikes and choose the XV so sold the harley, (think the money was also ta considderation)................Took the XV1000 for a small round the block, of 10klm's last weekend, and they are real nice to ride
 
Well, looks like this is going nowhere. I went to the registry with a handful of documents going back to 1991, but the lady told me I would need to contact the British Columbia vehicle registry to find the last owner of the bike, then get an affidavit from a lawyer, etc. before I could register it in my name. This bike has gone through several owners in its 41 years, few of whom were likely able to be reached, so it looks like I'm out the $100 plus the few gubbins I 've purchased so far. Too bad, I had it started and running, but this is way too many hoops to jump through.

Lesson learned, no papers, no sale.
 
Can't say it will work, but I'd plead my case to someone several steps up the chain-of-command.
I used to have issues with previously untitled (or skipped-title) dirt bikes & ATV's. Clerks would refuse them out-of-hand, as would their direct supervisor. The Chief registration guy had a different philosophy: "We'd rather get them into the system than have them remain on the outside" - title issued, taxes paid.
 
I'll have to call this bike "Meat", since it's back on the menu.

I went to a notary with my papers, he looked them over, and was satisfied enough to stamp a printed out Government of Ontario General Affidavit, in it I stated I did the relevant title searches, stolen vehicle searches, and had a bill of sale with the date, identity of the seller and the address of himself and myself. I had printed out forms for the VIN searches purchased online from the MTO, and a screenshot of the stolen vehicles registry search (free online). I stated I was the current and legal owner on the affidavit. I also had numerous photos of the condition of the bike, as well as shots of the VIN on the motor and headstock, and a shot of the odometer.

Then I stood in line at the MTO only to overhear that any vehicle over 20 years old needed to be appraised so the government could get the proper tax cut. So $100 later at the local Kawasaki dealer, I finally had all the relevant documents and went to the MTO, and paid the $13 tax plus the $32 paper registration fee and it was a done deal. Still, the guy behind the desk made it harder than it needed to be when he realized it was originally from BC, but another staffer said it was not a problem. So I am now the proud owner of a 41 year old s#itheap. I will be buying a 1999 1100 within the next 2 days and will begin the heart transplant. I have an old XS rim out in the shed to hopefully get rid of the swirly front rim. The back is much less noticeable. This 1100 has spoked rims, which seem to be in some demand, so I might be able to start recouping some of the cost right off the bat. The 1100 carbs might be toast though, so that's a bridge to cross when I get to it.

Anybody know where I can source some 3/16 leg fine wire staples to attach the new seat cover, and a manual stapler for them?
 
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The XV1100 probably has the Mikuni carbs. These can be repaired and the parts are still available. I believe the Mikuni carbs will interchange directly with the Hitachis since they have the same intake boots. Also, the Mikunis sell for a good price if you want to make some money back.

The Viragos run quite smoothly. They have slightly more hp than the XS650. They are a lazy and relaxing engine and the 1st gear is very nice compared to the XS650 i.e. fewer revs gives a higher take off speed. At 50 mph the gearing is similar to the XS650 e.g. 5th gear at 3000rpm give approximately 50mph.

Maybe you can get an upholsterer to fit the seat cover since it is stapling into heavy plastic like modern bike seats? It would be nice to use stainless steel staples if available. Do the local hardware shops sell the air powered staple guns?
 
I bought an XV250 a few years ago, hadn't sat on a bike for 20 years, so didn't want to push it. Clutch was too heavy for my arthritic hands so I bought a multiplier thingy, ditched the air cleaner pods and made a single, then found I couldn't ride it: couldn't get my feet up in the stirrups and couldn't hold it up, so sold it and bought the XS650.
I really like the look of the 250s, not so much the bigger versions.
 

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This project has officially hit the what the hell was I thinking stage:

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Unfortunately, the XS front wheel will not work with the 2nd gen forks. 2nd gen axle is too thin for the wheel, and the XS 750 Special discs are too small. The XS650/Virago 1st gen discs are a bit too big, and I don't have access to a lathe to bring them down to size. If there is anything I hate more than the swirly original wheels, it's spokes, although these are tubeless spoked wheels. I will install this one for now and see if I can score a proper mag. I could put both spokes on I guess, but the rear would be offset to the right by I think about an inch. I also don't want a 15" rear wheel. Some of the XJ guys like spoked wheel for their bikes, so maybe I can sell these on after a while.

Everything on this 1100 got the murdered out treatment though, so I have been scraping paint for hours. Luckily, the guy wasn't much of a painter (or mechanic), and painted directly over the chromed covers, so it's coming off pretty easily.

I had a spare set of All Balls steering head bearings, so I switched out the old ones. The 2nd gen stem is not identical to the old one, and for awhile I though the bottom triple was binding on the frame, but after tightening up the whole assembly until the forks were stiff, I found I could still fit a .0015" feeler gauge in there. That's some amazing clearance. The 2nd gen triples do not have the proper bosses to mount up the headlight and fusebox, so I was toying with the idea of having the original triples reamed out to take the 38mm stanchions. There's plenty of meat on the old triples. Probably easier to mount up some adapter bracketry.

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Like sausage, it's better to not see how project bikes are made. I am trying to keep subassemblies together as much as possible, hence the hanging light and dash/fusebox combo. I think I'll snag a pressure washer from work and see if I can blast off the remining paint from the engine covers.

I was trying to mount the original footpegs with the new engine since they are a few inches further aft. The left one and gearshift lever can be made to fit by removing the center bulging cover and replacing it with some flat plate. Unfortunately, the right side is not so easy. I could pull the cover, install the 750 clutch and put the original 750 cover on, but it it nowhere near as shiny as the 1100 case, and would look out of place from one side to the other. I also don't want to tempt the clutch slip demons.

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Ebay seat cover turned out pretty good. It was harder to install thank you think. I originally took it to an upholsterer to have a pro do it since I couldn't source a stapler or the fine wire staples, but he wanted $150 to do it! Eff that. I sucked it up and did it with a T50 and some 1/4" staples. They worked awful, so a lot of hammering was required to get a decent result. Not a fun evening.

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The murdered one has just about given it's all. I'm hoping the center stand will swap, since the 1st gen's is quite rusty. The 2nd gen sidestand had to be swapped in to get everything to fit right with the rounder cases. Still a few niggling issues to take care of with the rear engine mount bolt. The 1100 one is way too long. We'll get there.

One thing's for sure, I have to take a break and round up all the tools and bits and bobs strewn all over the place. I get so single minded taking stuff apart, when I stop to look around I realize 3/4 of my tool box is strewn throughout the garage and miscellaneous parts are everywhere!
 
Ol' sooty is coming along. I should have sprung a few hundred more dollars out of the bank to get an 1100 withouth the blackened treatment though, it's taking a long time to get it halfway cleaned up. I reluctantly admit this bike will probably not be an aesthetic tour de force.
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Well, looks like this is going nowhere. I went to the registry with a handful of documents going back to 1991, but the lady told me I would need to contact the British Columbia vehicle registry to find the last owner of the bike, then get an affidavit from a lawyer, etc. before I could register it in my name. This bike has gone through several owners in its 41 years, few of whom were likely able to be reached, so it looks like I'm out the $100 plus the few gubbins I 've purchased so far. Too bad, I had it started and running, but this is way too many hoops to jump through.

Lesson learned, no papers, no sale.
Move to Georgia! You can register anything here!
 
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