Photo: Manny Tamayo
Yamaha's Virago 750 is a bike with a long history and it represents the first model from Iwata to tap seriously into the American-look market. Reliable and significantly more affordable than the almost ubiquitous Harleys, the XV750 sold quite well, even though it failed to pose a real threat to the MoCo.
Still, with so many Virago 750 machines left in the market, in various degrees of decomposition, this bike quickly became one of the favorite donors for customizers. A dead Virago in South Africa inspired Aussie builder Jacques Peters of Open Road Customs to create a new machine. And because most of the Viragos usually became cafe-racers, he wanted to build something else.
With "dirty" as the main idea for the new bike, Jacques Peters went on to replace the Virago's wheels with different ones that hark back to the old CX500, shod with beefy off-road tires. This Virago can now definitely tackle muddy trails and rough rocky roads and still provide tons of grip.
The XV750 received new off-road bars, different grips and bar-end low-swung mirrors, custom turn signals, a different, retro-ish headlight and new bodywork.
Sideshow Cycles fabricated custom, sculpted fenders while Peters went on to design and build a custom fuel tank to match the Dirty Mexican moniker that became a second nature to the reborn Virago.
And because Peters also envisaged a scrambler life for the Mexican, custom collectors replaced Virago's classic exhaust line. They are now telling the scrambler story from afar, as they have the iconic horizontal end section. Not exactly sure about how cool the missing heat shields are, but we guess this can be easily mended.
Open Road Customs' Dirty Mexican can be yours now, as Jacques Peters listed it on eBay. The starting price is 9,500 Australian dollars, but you can have it for a Buy Now price of AUD 13,500 ($7,700-11,00 or €6,750-9,600).
A tracker-scrambler machine with a luxurious livery
Peters knew that the bike needed so much more than a simple engine overhaul, which was, anyway, mandatory for the non-running machine. So he asked for some guidance from Greg Hageman, THE Greg about whose extensive knowledge and skills in working with Yamaha we reported on multiple occasions.With "dirty" as the main idea for the new bike, Jacques Peters went on to replace the Virago's wheels with different ones that hark back to the old CX500, shod with beefy off-road tires. This Virago can now definitely tackle muddy trails and rough rocky roads and still provide tons of grip.
The XV750 received new off-road bars, different grips and bar-end low-swung mirrors, custom turn signals, a different, retro-ish headlight and new bodywork.
Sideshow Cycles fabricated custom, sculpted fenders while Peters went on to design and build a custom fuel tank to match the Dirty Mexican moniker that became a second nature to the reborn Virago.
Classic Mexican artwork
The svelte tail section was finished with a seat covered in a special, unmistakable Mexican material. Los Muertes, tequila bottles, skulls and roses and multiple other symbols now adorn the seat of the Dirty Mexican.And because Peters also envisaged a scrambler life for the Mexican, custom collectors replaced Virago's classic exhaust line. They are now telling the scrambler story from afar, as they have the iconic horizontal end section. Not exactly sure about how cool the missing heat shields are, but we guess this can be easily mended.
Open Road Customs' Dirty Mexican can be yours now, as Jacques Peters listed it on eBay. The starting price is 9,500 Australian dollars, but you can have it for a Buy Now price of AUD 13,500 ($7,700-11,00 or €6,750-9,600).
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