Nasty Little Ripper

All chromey and glittering in the sun.
Better get your sunglasses.



I live next door to my Uncle.
He recently picked up a 2004 Yamaha XV-250S, also known as a Virago 250.
It's a small V-Twin cruiser-styled bike that he got in case the urge to get out there and cruise came over him, and he wanted me to give it a once-over and take it for a spin to see what I thought of it.



Drain out that ol' crude, Jed.



The bike has about 1,200 miles on it.
That ain't much for a 6-year-old bike, so that means it's been sittin' around more than anything else.
It's in excellent condition and nothing had to be repaired or tweaked back into proper shape - just the basics since it was sitting around for a few years.
The engine oil was drained and replaced with some fresh Yamalube 10/40 along with a new oil filter.
I also lubed the clutch cable with some Bel-Ray 6-in-1, my all-time favorite clutch cable lube.
I have a thing for well-lubed clutch cables on my own bikes, and this little Virago was gonna' get the same treatment.



Clean Air Act.



The air filter is one thing that you can't neglect, lest you want an engine that wears out before it's time.
I wasn't expecting to see a ton of dirt stuck to it, being a little street bike with low miles, but there's always the chance of a little rodent making a nest in the airbox and chewing on the air filter.
No pesky little critters were freeloading in there, so I just cleaned and oiled the foam filter.
Maxima FFT filter oil for me. :)



Ready to cruise Main Street, USA looking for chicks.



I took a spin on the bike for about 5 miles.
It's very light and quiet and runs like a little gem.
I had it up to 65 mph and it was purring like a kitten.
There's a slight hesitation when you first crack the throttle open and the idle is a bit uneven, so i suspect the carburetor's pilot jet is a bit plugged-up from sitting around.
Everything else worked as it should, so I headed for home in the twilight and parked it in my uncle's driveway.
I told him about the pilot jet, and we agreed that next Saturday I'll clean his Virago 250 carburetor, so look for Part ll.
He was very happy that his Nasty Little Ripper is in otherwise good health.
I'll have to wait and see if he slicks his hair back, puts on a leather jacket, and goes bar-hopping. :)

-John