Faults:

Nothing at all.

General Comments:

I have owned dozens of motorcycles over the past 40 years. I currently own three - A Harley Nightster 1200, Honda 750 Shadow, and this Yamaha 250 Virago.

I LOVE this small bike. In fact, I enjoy riding it almost as much as the bigger bikes - especially for short trips to the store. It's a blast to ride, as long as you keep it in the 55-65 mph range. If you don't need to cruise faster than 65, this bike is perfect.

The best thing about this bike is the gas mileage. Over the past 3,000 miles, my REAL WORLD gas mileage computed by me is 78 MPG! Yes, the bike gets 78 MPG! As comparison, my Nightster averages 47 mpg and my Honda gets 56, so this rocks.

Great bike if you want something that is fun, easy to ride, and gets incredible gas mileage. The only negative on the bike is having a chain drive, which for me means I adjust and oil it every 300 miles. Nice not to have to do that on my Honda or Harley. Otherwise, awesome bike. And for those of you thinking of getting a moped, consider this bike because you will get close to the same mpg, but have the ability to go 70 mph, if needed. And FYI, the fastest I have had this bike up to is 79 mph BTW.

Love this bike!

Faults:

For the first 1000kms the rear brake squealed. The dealer said that it was glazing on the brake pad, and sanded it off, curing the problem.

General Comments:

This is a beginner's bike. And an excellent one at that. It is cheap to buy, lightweight, cheap to insure, easy to handle and best of all, it's fun enough to make you want to keep riding. You may outgrow it soon, like I did, but it holds its value well, so you can sell it for what you paid for it and be happy that you made a smart starting choice. On the other hand, you may want to keep enjoying the ridiculously good fuel mileage and easy riding that this bike provides.

I don't recommend bringing this bike on the freeway; it may keep up with traffic, but will have nothing left to get out of a dangerous situation. Also it is very light and can get blown around a bit. I think that the best use for it would be getting around in the city or countryside.

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong that was not already bad when I purchased it.

General Comments:

The bike was pretty rough when I purchased it for $350. It had been sitting in someone's backyard for about a year or two. The chrome was rusted, two turn signals were broken, the chain had rusted very badly, the seat was dry rotted and torn, and there was no key or battery.

However, when I got it home and pirated an ignition switch and a battery from my friend's 1982 Yamaha Maxim, it fired on the third turn over. I didn't even have the gas tank connected! A few hours worth of work and discovering numerous problems due to utter neglect later, I had her purring like a kitten in idle, and growling like a lion when you revved her up. I have a lot more work to do, but she's well on her way.

The handling of this little Virago 250 is amazing! Compared to my friend's Maxim, this baby can dance all over the place and hug the turns like she was part of the road itself.

Acceleration is terribly slow due to a bad clutch, so I can't really comment on how it should be.

The bike is relatively comfortable to ride. Compared to another friend's 650 Suzuki Savage, it's like sitting on a big comfy pile o' cotton.

You feel like you could be sitting on a big Harley.

I love my little Virago, and for what I paid, this is the best road bike I've ever known.

Faults:

Flat battery after not starting it for a couple of months.

General Comments:

A lovely little bike, am very glad I purchased her. Not the fastest on the block, but am more than happy with her performance, after all she is only a 250 cc.

General Comments:

This is a great motorcycle for the beginner -- not only cheap to purchase, but very economical to operate. It is loads of fun to ride for those just starting out, yet still boasts that "big bike" appearance as seen with the seasoned riders. Extremely easy to ride, and very stable at low speeds due to the low seating arrangement.

The major drawbacks:

-- Sometimes hard to find neutral -- even after gaining experience.

-- Extremely sensitive throttle at low speeds. Takes a bit of getting used to.

-- Not really designed for long trips. The seat and foot rests feel fine for the short runs, but you feel the need for a better design after driving an hour or more.

-- The lack of accessories available from the manufacturer. Especially saddle bags -- an essential, in my books (I found I needed to carry a pack sack for every run into town -- a total pain in the butt).