1993  XV-750 Feature Bike Owner : Lonny Dooley

        

My bike is a 1993, 750cc and was purchased from an insurance company as salvage. It still has a salvage license plate. The bike was a stolen recovery and they had already paid the previous owner for the bike before it was recovered. When I looked at her I did not see a bike that was damaged but saw all the possibilities of what she could become with a little work. Most of the damage was cosmetic and after a custom paint job, called Red Pearl she began to take shape. I decided that I would try to make her as different from other Virago's as I could. That when I started looking for parts that no other Virago had or at least very few. One of the first parts was a set of Highway Hawk, upsweep pipes. Most Virago owners don't own these because of the draw backs. Like the saddle bags have to be specially built and the passenger have to be very careful of being burned. Since I almost never rode two up this was not a problem and having special bags made! for her fit the image of one of a kind that I wanted. The way they sounded made them perfect for me. Do to the fact that I can not bend my right leg this made getting highway bars a necessary expense. So I bought the Yamaha case guards and added the pegs for my leg. I am going to add forward controls when I have the money save for them. I have added small bits of chrome like the brake reservoir cap and Arlen Ness mirrors to start rounding her out towards the bike I want. Just for fun I purchased some flames from Cycle Graphics and added them until she get her new custom paint job. She is still very much a work in progress and along the way I have had my set backs. Like a month ago I hit a road full of newly laid gravel a little to fast and dumped her in a field next to the road. I broke my collar bone and the damage to my bike was all cosmetic, a trash air filter cover, chewed up grips and a bent front brake handle. I have replaced most of this damag! e parts and have the others ready to go on. The custom bags are being made and I should have them before the middle of next month. I have a desperado seat which has been discontinued and a Mustang tank bib the two of them look like a matched pair and these were purchased from Tim at Vintage Cycle Restoration( a fellow Virago rider). As I said she is still very much a work in progress but I thought you might enjoy seeing her now. Sort of a before and after thing. Thanks for looking at my bike and Ride Safe.