Yamaha Virago 1100

YAMAHA VIRAGO 1100

CRUISER COMPARISON

Cruiser style, allaround ride

HERE'S A CRUISER WITH A SPLIT personality. A twin Twin, you might call it. But neither side of this bike is an evil twin, so call those personalities Dr. Jekyll and, well, Dr. Jekyll. The Virago loves to be ridden briskly. Though not the largest of the four maxi-cruisers, its motor revs quickly and pulls strongly. Its steering is light, direct, precise and moderately quick. The bike has an agile feel and is able to corner at reasonable lean angles before it begins beveling its forwardmounted footpegs on the riding surface. Not a bad deal.

The Virago’s suspension is wellsorted, front and rear, providing the right damping and spring rates for a nicely controlled ride without harshness and without bottoming. This is not easy with shaft-drive bikes, because of the notoriously limited suspension travel allowed by most driveshaft designs. But with this bike, at least, Yamaha has it figured out.

What’s figured out less well is the

rear suspension’s reaction to the input of throttle. As with most shafties, the suspension lifts as power is applied and compresses as the throttle is closed. It’s a bit of weirdness a rider gets used to, but it means that when you close the throttle entering a comer, you’re given less ground clearance than you have with the power on.

The bike’s brakes are not our favorite of this bunch. On our test bike, the lever was very firm, a wide handspan away from the handlebar.

Brake feel lacked sensitivity, and made braking power difficult to modulate.

Still, the big Virago shines. It’s got its own special look, a high-quality finish, a terrific engine and wonderfully nimble handling. As an all-rounder for an average-sized rider, both its personalities are hard to beat.

$7099