Yamaha took the leap into the chopperesque V-twin market in 1981 with the release of the Virago XV750. After a few years and Virago generations passed, the XV1000 was released in 1984: becoming an instant classic among North Americans. It featured a 981cc V-Twin motor and sported lots of new gold-colored components. The air-adjustable mono-shocks were converted back to the more traditional style dual rear shocks.
Mike XS customer Ken Saumure (Alberta, Canada) just finished the restoration of his 1984 Yamaha Virago XV1000 and, man, is it stunning! The restoration began in April 2022 and was completed a year later.
Yamaha used a lot of common parts between the XS and XV/XVS models back in the late 70s to mid-80s. Ken ended up sourcing something from Mike’s XS he thought he’d never find – a reproduction seat cover. Although the 1984 & 1985 Virago 1000 seat cover had a single row of buttons and the subsequent seats had a double row of buttons, he thought that since it wasn’t a full “concourse” restoration, it would be fine to use the XV1100 seat cover.
Saumure ended up ordering both the main seat cover and the cover for the backrest, as well as some hard-to-find rubber parts. 
“I have had a lot of bikes over the years, most of them Yamaha since cutting my teeth on a 1974 DT100 back in 1978”, Saumure shares. “Since then I’ve owned many including the infamous RZ500 (yay for Canada). In 1984, my friend Tom and I bought two bikes at Triple E Yamaha in Halifax, Nova Scotia; his was the Virago 1000 and mine was the FJ1100. We traded bikes often and I really enjoyed the Virago. Over thirty years later, I came across an ad for a “vintage” 1984 Virago 1000 and decided it was time for another restoration. Although the bike was neglected, it wasn’t abused, had a clean title, and was mostly all original.”
“When it comes to sourcing parts for bikes that are pushing 40 years old, it’s not easy. Mike’s XS was a good source for Yamaha parts for my Virago restoration.”
The entire build has been documented on YouTube.
Impeccable work, Ken, and thanks for choosing Mikes XS!
Mikes XS Parts List
Replica Virago Seat Cover (various XV models)
Replica Virago Back Rest Seat Cover (various Virago models)
