Virago 250

**sunhuntin** · 20th October 2006, 12:03

cheers crashe...im seriously thinking about it! get a sissy bar and saddle bags. maybe brackets for the top box which will only be used when im going to need it for carrying stuff.

she handled like a dream. i did find the indicator switch very touchy... cancelling too hard meant the other side started up! other than that, just finding where my feet need to go was the trickiest part...which is why i went around town, where id be moving my feet alot.

**Waylander** · 20th October 2006, 15:40

Originally Posted by MSTRS

Uh WL? A GN is a single. Low torque, low HP, low state of tune.

Ah ok, never having owned one or even ridden one my experiance with GN's is very limited. I've gone as far as sitting on one and that's about it.

**crashe** · 20th October 2006, 16:03

Originally Posted by sunhuntin

cheers crashe...im seriously thinking about it! get a sissy bar and saddle bags. maybe brackets for the top box which will only be used when im going to need it for carrying stuff.

she handled like a dream. i did find the indicator switch very touchy... cancelling too hard meant the other side started up! other than that, just finding where my feet need to go was the trickiest part...which is why i went around town, where id be moving my feet alot.

Indicator:
Flick it to the right to go right...
Flick it to the left to go left...

PUSH it in to stop it.

When you have pushed/flicked it to let people know which way you are going it automatically goes back to the centre position, all ready for you to PUSH it in to stop it.

Feet positioning:
I tend to have my feet in like 'charlie chaplin style' when having my feet up.
so that the right toe is just on the outside of the brake lever all ready to put my toe on it.
After a day or so you will get the feel of what is most comfortable for where you place your feet.

**sunhuntin** · 20th October 2006, 16:45

Originally Posted by crashe

Indicator:
Flick it to the right to go right...
Flick it to the left to go left...

PUSH it in to stop it.

When you have pushed/flicked it to let people know which way you are going it automatically goes back to the centre position, all ready for you to PUSH it in to stop it.

Feet positioning:
I tend to have my feet in like 'charlie chaplin style' when having my feet up.
so that the right toe is just on the outside of the brake lever all ready to put my toe on it.
After a day or so you will get the feel of what is most comfortable for where you place your feet.

ahhh, ok. thanks for that! i was told nothing about the bike [how the indicators work, headlight etc] so was learn as i ride. lol. thats why i stayed around town, so id be forced to learn as fast as i could.
the feet, i keep my right toe under the brake, and my left under the gear shift...i liked not having to move my foot to change up a gear...

im seriously getting tempted by it crashe....lol. if i wasnt going to hawera with mum tomorrow i think id be in there!

**crashe** · 20th October 2006, 17:32

Just remember to not accidently knock on the hazard lights...... yep they have them... on the left side of the handlebars.

RESERVE: Turn the switch to UP.
Leave it DOWN for all other riding... I never turn mine to off.

Kill switch: on the right hand side - its that RED button.

Hazard lights: On right hand side below the Kill switch.

Start button: the bottom button under the RED button.

Headlight: Blue light comes on when on FULL

Horn: Red button on the left hand side below the indicators.

I have both feet out in charlie chaplin style and always ready to move in to either change gears or brake.

**Virago** · 20th October 2006, 19:36

Hi Sunhuntin,

Just to add my voice to the chorus.

Mrs V is on her learner's, and we got her a Virago 250 to learn on. Her's is a 2003 model, only had 2000k on the clock when we bought her, now 5000k.

With regard to the idea of pack-rack, we got a Ventura pack-rack a few weeks ago, bought it off a fellow KB'er (thanks TerminalAddict). It does rather spoil the lines of the bike (see photo), but it is superbly functional. I've also posted a photo with our RJays Explorer pack fitted. Mrs V used this set-up to do a solo trip to Central Otago last week, a round trip of about 1000km.

You'll find the Virago to be a very comfortable laid-back ride, but still able to keep up on the open road. It will cruise comfortably at 100k, and will do 130k if pushed.

Handlebars - the standard Virago bars are a narrow buck-horn style, very comfortable for shorter riders. Some imported Viragos have flat T-bars fitted, which give more elbow room for taller riders, but are a stretch for shorter people. We looked at one with T-bars fitted, but Mrs V found them very uncomfortable. However, the buck-horn style fits her perfectly.

As mentioned, finding neutral can sometimes be tricky, but don't let that worry you - you'll soon get used to it.

250 Viragos hold their value too, as they're very popular learner bikes.

If you get hooked on the cruiser experience, the Virago will be the perfect stepping-stone to the bigger cruisers. You'll find yourself trying out other cruisers for size, like the Honda Shadow 750......

Good luck!

**sunhuntin** · 20th October 2006, 20:20

Originally Posted by Virago

Hi Sunhuntin,

Just to add my voice to the chorus.

Mrs V is on her learner's, and we got her a Virago 250 to learn on. Her's is a 2003 model, only had 2000k on the clock when we bought her, now 5000k.

With regard to the idea of pack-rack, we got a Ventura pack-rack a few weeks ago, bought it off a fellow KB'er (thanks TerminalAddict). It does rather spoil the lines of the bike (see photo), but it is superbly functional. I've also posted a photo with our RJays Explorer pack fitted. Mrs V used this set-up to do a solo trip to Central Otago last week, a round trip of about 1000km.

You'll find the Virago to be a very comfortable laid-back ride, but still able to keep up on the open road. It will cruise comfortably at 100k, and will do 130k if pushed.

Handlebars - the standard Virago bars are a narrow buck-horn style, very comfortable for shorter riders. Some imported Viragos have flat T-bars fitted, which give more elbow room for taller riders, but are a stretch for shorter people. We looked at one with T-bars fitted, but Mrs V found them very uncomfortable. However, the buck-horn style fits her perfectly.

As mentioned, finding neutral can sometimes be tricky, but don't let that worry you - you'll soon get used to it.

250 Viragos hold their value too, as they're very popular learner bikes.

If you get hooked on the cruiser experience, the Virago will be the perfect stepping-stone to the bigger cruisers. You'll find yourself trying out other cruisers for size, like the Honda Shadow 750......

Good luck!

hi virago...thanks for the pics!! how easy are the brackets to fit? am thinking of only using the top box when im anticipating a heavy load. will likely get a sissy bar and brackets for saddle bags too. or...i could leave the box brackets on, but leave the box off unless needed...get a bit of padding for the short "backrest" thingy.

the bike im eyeing up is a 98 and she is mint. not a speck of rust that i saw [and i looked!] whereas my gn is about 11 months and rusting already on the bolts and some specks on the pipes. one major patch on the support under the end of the exhaust.

**Virago** · 20th October 2006, 21:31

Originally Posted by sunhuntin

.......how easy are the brackets to fit?........

The Ventura brackets fit in place of the chrome grab rail, so changing from one to the other just takes a few minutes - you just need some metric allen keys.

But........if your rear indicators are mounted on the chrome grab rail, they need to be relocated to the sides of the rear fender. Not a hard job.

**sunhuntin** · 20th October 2006, 22:11

Originally Posted by Virago

The Ventura brackets fit in place of the chrome grab rail, so changing from one to the other just takes a few minutes - you just need some metric allen keys.

But........if your rear indicators are mounted on the chrome grab rail, they need to be relocated to the sides of the rear fender. Not a hard job.

awesome...i knew i could count on KB for some decent, trustworthy advice.

**sunhuntin** · 24th October 2006, 10:31

I DID IT!!!

my gn is now theirs, and the virago is now mine!! dropped the bars down, altered the mirrors, wrote a few words and done!

have asked for the l plate back, and also the brackets from the top box [i took in the original grab rail for them]

going to pick her up tomorrow...though im not looking forward to riding an unfamiliar bike in this shit weather.

**Virago** · 24th October 2006, 10:38

Yeehaa!!!

Another convert......

Well done on the purchase, I'm sure you'll be really happy with it.

Looking forward to some photos.

**sunhuntin** · 24th October 2006, 10:55

cheers virago. ive ordered chrome ventura racks for the top box and also leather saddlebags. so she should look pretty good!

*must spread rep around*

**Waylander** · 24th October 2006, 12:10

CONGRATS!!!

Get the pics up soon aye? lol and prey for better weather so you can cruise!.

**Scorpygirl** · 24th October 2006, 17:36

Originally Posted by sunhuntin

I DID IT!!!

my gn is now theirs, and the virago is now mine!! dropped the bars down, altered the mirrors, wrote a few words and done!

have asked for the l plate back, and also the brackets from the top box [i took in the original grab rail for them]

going to pick her up tomorrow...though im not looking forward to riding an unfamiliar bike in this shit weather.

Well done Girl!!!

Welcome to the Virago club!!