Faults:

Starter will get hung up on engagement; I just put it in 2nd gear, give it a push, and it slips back in place and starts.

General Comments:

Very good all around bike for short rides.

The OEM seat was a butt killer; couldn't ride it far. I bought a Mustang seat for it - it was worth every cent...

Also put a drag handlebar on it; the stock ones were terrible.

Faults:

The stator quit and had to be replaced. I did that myself.

The voltage regulator quit. I fixed that myself.

The ignition module started failing and I fixed that myself.

General Comments:

OK, let's get it straight, from seeing the things I had to fix and the marks I gave this motorcycle, you would think it was a bad motorcycle. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I loved the XV750, and it was one of the best motorcycles I have ever owned, period. It's really a toss up between the XV750 and the Suzuki 1400 Intruder as to my favorite motorcycle, so far.

During this time I was riding a whole bunch. That may have something to do with why I loved the Virago so much. I rode it everywhere I went. I even took a week off and hit the road alone on the Virago. It was an awesome time.

I had Cobra drag pipes, a Yamaha line small windshield, engine guards, highway pegs, saddle bags and saddle bag guards.

The Virago delivered good power for a 750 V-twin and sounded really good. The stock seat was comfortable for a while. Near the end of a long day, it became quite painful. I once pulled a 13 hour day in the saddle on that bike. It was pretty brutal.

The suspension was soft. You wouldn't want to try and run down a sport bike on the XV750 unless you have a death wish. But, for normal riding and touring it was great.

I really enjoyed the 750 Virago. I traded it for a 1200 Harley Sportster, and looking back can't say it was a good idea. Many times I wondered what I was thinking when I got rid of the Virago.

Faults:

Nothing -- only replaced battery, tires and spark plugs for routine maintenance.

General Comments:

Best riding motorcycle I've found. Great low center of gravity, quick acceleration and all day comfort.

Faults:

At 25000 miles I had to put on brake pads.

Batteries seems to last quite long; only 1 replacement in 5 years.

Otherwise no issues.

General Comments:

The stock seat is very uncomfortable, sore numb butt after 20-30 minutes, replaced with Mustang seats and made a world of difference, can now ride for hours without problems.

Faults:

Had trouble missing, running on one cylinder, fouling rear plug. After cleaning the carburetor twice, testing the coils, changing spark plugs dozens of times, it was the Plug Cap (yes the end of the rear spark plug wire). It wasn't allowing enough juice to the plug - a $4.50 item. No other problems.

General Comments:

The Virago handles beautifully. In the saddle after two hours, butt is hurting. Bought an Air hawk cushion - fits great and feels fine for many hour trip.

Faults:

Wheels have some corrosion issues.

General Comments:

Handling is a bit truck like, but fine for cruising.

After market seat solved the comfort problem.

Original seat tends to push you into the tank.

Highway speeds are comfortably maintained.

Bulletproof.

Reliability is never a concern.

Faults:

The only thing that ever went wrong with my XV750 was the stator, which I diagnosed and repaired myself. Other than that it was a trouble free motorcycle. I should point out that the stator started showing symptoms before it ever left me stranded, cool.

The Virago seat was awful. On a short hop it was fine. For all day riding it was torture, pure torture.

General Comments:

Other than my current bike, this might have been the best bike I ever owned. I loved the XV750 Virago. My bike had the Cobra drag pipes and I thought it was awesome. Perhaps the longest trip I ever took (in terms of consecutive days on the road) was on the Virago. I have nothing but fond memories. Yes, the stock seat caused some moments of pain, but the experience was so good it far outweighed the sore butt.

If I had it to do over I would have preferred the XV1100 for interstate driving. The 750 seems like it's screaming at the higher ranges of interstate speed. However, both the 750 and the 1100 are exactly the same physical size. The power of the 750 is however, adequate for touring.

As part of my long trip I rode the entire Blue Ridge Parkway. The XV750 was the perfect mount for that trip. It was in it's element climbing and carving the curvy mountain roads. The Yamaha V-twin has a great power band and a nice exhaust note.