every rider has an Uncle Al, a big brother or an old friend of Dad's who gave them their first motorcycle ride. When they think back to that first ride, it's likely they remember a motorcycle that looked very much like this. The cruiser style (like that of Yamaha's Virago) has endured because, to many people, cruisers look like a motorcycle ought to look.
    Nineteen-ninety-five represents the 15th consecutive model year of the Virago, the first all-out V-twin cruiser from Japan. That's significant because heritage has always been important to the cruiser rider. So come along with us on a ride that will reveal how cruisers, including Yamaha's Viragos, have become an American institution.

The V-Twin

That narrow, muscular look of the air-cooled V-twin engine virtually defines a cruiser. V-twins appeared around the turn of the century when the arrangement was recognized as a quick, easy way to add a second cylinder to the simple, underpowered singles of the day. With the cylinders mounted front to back the V-twin could be