|
YAMAHA XV500 VIRAGO |
| Looking for the Boulevard Special of the 500 class? The smallest Virago offers a street-wise appearance in a pint-sized package. |
Although the concept is now familiar, the 500 Virago is a new bike
in every sense. While using the same engine and frame configuration
as the larger Viragos, the 500 is unique mechanically. And the 500
Virago is the only air-cooled Japanese V-twin 500 built. The engine
architecture lends itself nicely to the cruiser mold, and this
engine is as mild-mannered as a Clark Kent 450—the Virago has
neither telephone-booth pretensions nor a Superman suit; it can't
begin to generate the power of the 500-600cc musclebikes, be they
Visions or GPz-types. Nevertheless, the quality of the XV500's power
is impressive in its own way. From idle to redline the 500 Virago
pulls evenly. It never feels "cammy," revving with electric-motor
predictability and linearness. The Virago's forte is around-town
bopping, boulevard cruising and short-hopping on freeways. The
Virago is light (418 pounds), has a low seat height (29.7 inches),
pulls easily off-idle, and produces non-threatening power.
The smallest Virago shares technology with both Yamaha's air- and
water-cooled V-twin engines. Unlike the larger Viragos, but like the
Vision, the XV500 uses a plain-bearing crank. Also unlike other
air-cooled Yamaha V-twins, the 500's 70-degree engine spins
"forward" (same direction as the wheels).
The 500 Virago has a much simpler cam-drive assembly without
zero-lash
gears and their spring-loaded offset
teeth, and without intermediate gearsets in the engine case. The
500's camshafts, like the larger Viragos', therefore still rotate in
a forward direction
The 500 engine, with two-valve heads, uses smaller, lighter valves
(37mm intake, 32mm exhaust) than the 750 (43mm and 37mm,
respectively). These lighter valves bang open and shut quicker and
with greater lift. The 500 has alloy rocker arms with cast-in steel
inserts that bear against the cam lobes, whereas the 750 Virago has
heavier, all-steel arms The XV500's valve adjustments are made via
conventional steel Allen screw and locknut adjusters.
The Mikuni downdraft carburetors fitted to the 500 differ from the
750's Hitachi sidedraft carbs. Similar to the new Venture's carbs,
these oval-venturi Mikunis have horizontal vacuum slides. Visions,
likewise, have downdraft carburetors, but these butterfly units are
automotive in concept (a la Weber).
Like the Vision, the Virago uses a
fuel pump that circulates fuel through the float bowls and pumps the
surplus back into the tank. Sandwiching the carburetors between two
air-cooled cylinders and under a gas tank creates a very warm carb
environment, a perfect climate to boil the gasoline in the float
bowls. This is a potential problem only at idle, but hot fuel can
play havoc then. Yamaha's pump-through system is an expedient method
to keep the fuel 50-degrees Fahrenheit cooler than in a
non-circulating system.
While the Vision has a clever coun-terbalancer system, the 500
Virago has no additional compensator. The XV's speed range is about
85 percent of the Vision's, and the Virago probably has less
reciprocating mass than the Vision; consequently, basic flywheel
balancing can reasonably control the Virago's shakes. The 500 is
smooth, smoother, in fact, than the larger Honda VT750 with its
offset-crankpin system to control vibration. The VT500 Ascot,
however, and the Virago about tie for vibration—though the Ascot is
a higher-performance, higher-revving bike. The long rod
length-to-stroke figures (130mm rod and 59mm stroke) also account
for the XV's smoothness. Yamaha engineers have insulated the rider
from engine vibration by incorporating rubber-mounted bars and pegs.
Again, Yamaha has done well; the bar has a solid feel, not always
characteristic of soft-mounts.
The Virago's seat won no friends among Cycle staffers. With test
riders ranging from five-eight to six-one, all found the seating
position too cramped—the deep bucket gives the rider one place to
sit and keeps him there. Shorter riders may find the arrangement
fine, and the low seat height lets almost anyone who has a
