Yamaha Virago and Yamaha India

A bike aficianado in India could easily mistake this as a twin-cylinder Yamaha Enticer, isn't it? For all practical purposes that's what these pictures suggest. This bike is Yamaha Virago. It's a 250cc bike sold in the US for about $3499 which translates into about Rs145000 in Indian currency. If it costs so much in the US, definitely it would cost at least 25-30% lesser in India which would mean a price of Rs110000. I don't know if the prices could be driven further down since the cost of resources is really really low out here as compared to many other industrialized countries of the world. Would it work in India at that price point? Seeing the equity of Yamaha in India and its expertise in performance bikes and leadership in biking technology, I can claim that people would lap this bike up if launched in India.

When I see this bike, I really wonder what was Yamaha thinking when it launched a pauper cruiser bike like Enticer. After all, the success of Avenger 180 and the eager anticipation of Avenger 200 clearly proves that India has a market for a higher capacity cruiser bikes.

I can't believe that Yamaha believes its future in this country depends on bikes like Yamaha Alba 106. God save Yamaha. Anyway... for all bikers and Yamaha fans, am listing the specifications of this bike with a couple of pictures below. Let's only hope that Yamaha listens to bikers like us.

MSRP*	$3,499 (Black Cherry)
Engine
Type	249cc, air-cooled, SOHC, 60-degree V-twin
Bore x Stroke	49mm x 66mm
Compression Ratio	10:1
Carburetion	26mm Mikuni
Ignition	Digital TCI
Transmission	5-speed
Final Drive	Chain
Chassis
Suspension/Front	33mm telescopic fork; 5.5" travel
Suspension/Rear	Twin shocks w/adjustable spring preload; 3.9" travel
Brakes/Front	282mm disc
Brakes/Rear	130mm drum
Tires/Front	3.00-18
Tires/Rear	130/90-15
Dimensions
Length	86.2"
Width	32.1"
Height	44.9"
Seat Height	27"
Wheelbase	58.7"
Ground Clearance	5.7"
Dry Weight	302 lb.
Fuel Capacity	2.5 gal.