Yamaha's XV1000 Virago sports more plating than the grille of a '59 Caddy.And people love it. They love to look at themselves in the fun house-mirror reflections of the instruments. They love to watch the sun set in the clutch cover. They may even love to laugh at it. but they keep coming back for another look. Then they come back for a ride, and then to sign the registration papers.

  Why? America is the land of individualists, the land of Horatio Alger: every child can grow up to be president, every racer who works hard has a shot at a factory ride. Such undeniable, contagious individualism spills even (or especially) into our physical surroundings. We like to put our mark on things. to alter our possessions so everyone knows they belong to me. The country youth passes a sprawling beech tree, pulls a jackknife from a pocket in his bib overalls and