Yamaha xv250 Virago.

It's been 18 years since I swung a leg over a bike, age and PsA have intervened since an I thought it wise to stick with a tiddler for a while. Last week I picked up an XV250 from 1992, lots of klms but it was cheap at $2k so I thought it ideal. Not being the type that can buy something and leave it be, the moment I saw this thing I started thinking of what I could do to it to make it different. Of course the tadpole trike will suffer, mbikes are my roots so time will always go into this first. Things I have in mind are to despoke and polish the hubs then respoke with stainless spokes, then polish the master cylinder, fuel pump cover, remove the dummy rocker covers and polish the real ones and polisg the side covers and a few other bits and pieces. Being a solo I'll also remove the pillion pegs, chrome the front pegs and levers and make up an ally seat guard rail and re-paint in gloss black. This could all take some time, something I have plenty of - I hope.

First mod was to remove those chrome, tear shaped air filters and make up new ones. I did that then discovered the left one is a dummy, the bike only has one air filter. Oh well, I now have a spare. Not being able to use a hammer anymore, I cut the blanks to shape, sgaped a couple of wooden moulds and pressed the Babe into service, hammer in hand. She went through something like 12 fingernails on this. What that you say 'she only has 10, absolutely correct I only have eight fingers. I joke, she did a bang up job, I smoothed them up, drill some holes and cleaned them up with a scotch brite wheel. In time, I'll paint them gloss black. I use crim safe for the foam retainers but I'll replace that with perforated sheet when I get around to it.

Beauty may well be in the eyes of the beholder, but I think even a beholder would say it looks 100% better than the original behemoth monstrosities..