82 Yamaha XV920 Street Tracker

twerth

Active Member
I’ve been working on this project for a few months, but I just recently found this forum so I’ve got some catching up to do.

I bought a pair 920 Viragos (an ‘82 and an ‘83) at the beginning of the year. The ‘82 was actually intended to be a parts bike since it came with a bad title. I was able to purchase a frame with a good title so I decided to go ahead and put it back on the road. It was missing several parts and I cannibalized some others to use on the ‘83. It had also been crashed at some point so there were a lot of scraped and broken pieces as well. This made it a prime candidate for something custom. I’ve always liked the look of flat trackers, so that’s the style I decided to go with.

I got the ‘82 running a few months ago and took its first test ride. It ran well and shifted fine (brakes suck though), so I started deconstruction as soon as I got it back to the shop.

The early Viragos have a huge backbone frame, so it’s hard to find a tank that fits. First I tried an XS850 tank (too long), then an XS650 tank (too narrow), but neither worked well. BTW, I still have these two tanks and would like to sell them if anyone is interested. I ended up with an ’89 Vulcan 750 tank and flat track seat pan/pad I found on eBay. The tank’s a little big, but overall the proportions are ok and I like the look. I should also mention that I swapped the 16” rear wheel for an 18” off a SECA 750.

After a couple of months of messing with the rear sub frame, rear sets, wiring, etc., I got it back together and on the road. I rode it to work for a couple of weeks, and it’s a real blast. It’s pretty ugly, and it gets a lot of stares. I think it scares other drivers 

So, after I had put a couple hundred miles on it and had the bugs worked out, I tore it back down for paint. I got the engine done over the weekend, and I’ll be working on the frame and suspension this week. Hopefully I can start final assembly over the weekend. I’ll post more pics as I go.
 

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Cool man, welcome aboard! Looks nice! I'm amazed what people (especially on this forum) are doing with those old ugly ducklings.
 
I've made a little more progress on reassembly over the last week. Unless I run into problems, I should be ready for paint by the weekend (fingers crossed).
 

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cosworth said:
Did you change anything suspension wise front or rear?
No, just cleaned stuff up and painted it. If I keep the bike for the long term, I might consider swapping the front for some upside down forks. The existing ones have some pitting in the chrome.

I did change the fork oil and replaced the seals though. I've never seen forks in worse shape. There was only a couple of ounces of oil in each leg, and half of that was sludge. It was like riding a pogo stick.
 
I've got a choice to make on my front fender, so I'd like to get some input from the forum members. I had originally intended to paint the front fender black so it would blend in and disappear, but lately I've been considering painting it blue to match the tank and seat pan. I could also leave it chrome since it's in great shape. What do you think?
 
I really like the look that is emerging and I think that the fender should be the same color as the rest of the bodywork - so blue in your case. Give it a try in MS Paint first to see.

I think I'd also paint the frame/airbox the same color since there is so much of it exposed now around the tank.
 
I'm leaning toward the blue fender too. The right answer for this style is probably no fender at all, but I've ridden bikes like that before. Not good in the real world.
 
If the chrome fender is in great shape I wouldn't paint it, hard to find old parts like that with the chrome still good. Probably find another fender to paint.
 
twerth said:
I'm leaning toward the blue fender too. The right answer for this style is probably no fender at all, but I've ridden bikes like that before. Not good in the real world.

Maybe use the oe fender and make a mold and make a glass fender to paint.
 
As a frame of reference, here's a shot of another Virago I did last year. Different wheel, but similar forks and fender. I like how the black fender almost disappears. Since the tracker style doesn't want a front fender, this was my first inclination.
 

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twerth said:
As a frame of reference, here's a shot of another Virago I did last year. Different wheel, but similar forks and fender. I like how the black fender almost disappears. Since the tracker style doesn't want a front fender, this was my first inclination.
Yes, but you still had a fair amount of black on the rest of the bodywork so it looks very coordinated. I'd try mocking up the colors all 3 ways (chrome, black, blue) using a good side-shot photo in MS Paint. Also "paint" the tank/seat blue - then you will see what I meant about all the black frame/engine hangers/airbox being visible.
 
A little more progress. All that's left is to paint the tins and bolt 'em on. I might be back on the road next week if all goes well.
 

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I got the blue sprayed this morning, and now I have a little time to kill before I can tape off the stripes. So far, so good. I'll post a few more shots this afternoon once the stripes are on and everything is cleared.
 

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The paint is done except for buffing and applying some tuning fork decals. Almost there ;D
 

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I assume the vintage Yamaha block stripes are painted vs decal? Looks real good! Looking forward to bodywork-on-frame photos.
 
zap2504 said:
I assume the vintage Yamaha block stripes are painted vs decal? Looks real good! Looking forward to bodywork-on-frame photos.
Yes, they're painted. If I could do it over, I'd try to find some decals. Decals would have crisper edges and "perfect" straight lines. I also had some problems with the tape pulling paint off in a couple of spots on the seat pan. I touched it up well enough that it doesn't show in the photos, but you can see it in person. Really bugs me. It was hot and humid in my shed, and I think that had something to do with it.
 
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