The Safe Bet would be the classic ME-33/ME-88 combination from Metzeler, sticking to the stock size (in this case the front is an equivalent sizing).  There are good reasons why this is a classic -- good dry traction, excellent water dispersal, and good even wear combine with a rounded linear profile that inspires confidence.  You can't go wrong with these tyres.  They're an all-around combination that does well in any sort of riding.

There's no question that the best value for money on the rear is the Kenda K657 Sport Challenger.  It's so much cheaper than other brands, and yet performs quite well, with decent traction and tread life, and even wear.  You'll be able to slide it around more easily than a premium tyre, but for a savings of $60 you can maybe manage to take it easy on the throttle.

On the front, though, I tend not to recommend the Kenda.  Concerns about wet traction and highway stability influence me towards a more well-known front.  Of those, the classic Dunlop K491  Elite II Touring is an excellent inexpensive choice.

A pair of decent tyres for around $120 is a real bargain for such a large motorcycle.

Now that the prices for the classic Dunlop Elite II Touring have come down so much, it blows away the competition for a touring choice on this bike. Good wet and dry traction, excellent life, and a very good profile for a cruiser: these features have always kept the tyre in consideration.  For the price, it's a clear-cut winner for general-purpose use as well as touring.

With these prices, the Dunlop could even beat out the new Metzeler ME-880 Marathon for most other purposes on this bike.  While the ME-880 looks like it's an absolutely superb tyre, I find it hard to recommend spending an extra $75 when the K491 is such a good cruiser tyre to start with.  Now you may find that you can slide the rear around in the twisties if you whack the throttle, but at lean angles and cornering forces that most cruisers -- even the Virago -- can generate, it'll stick well enough to go seriously quickly.

The best sport tyre in sizes to fit the big Virago is the Avon Super Venom.  It combines the good stability of the Roadrunner with a sport tread compound which gives superb traction, and enough resistance to heat build-up to overcome the Roadrunner's drawbacks under hard high lean cornering.  You simply can't get a stickier tyre for this bike.

Of course you pay for the traction with decreased tread life.  Particularly on a high torque cruiser like the Virago, the rear also tends to square off rapidly in regular riding.

Another caution I would add here is to be careful of fitting tyres that are too sticky.  Often, cruisers handle better with less sticky tyres that slide earlier, rather than sport tyres that transfer hard cornering forces into the fork and frame -- which means that you'll have to deal with chassis flex.  It's a hard call to make, and depends on your riding style and whether you feel more comfortable with the bike sliding or flexing.

This is a tough choice.  While I'd like to go with Metzeler's ME-880 Marathon, and while I would really like to put the Avon Roadrunner AM20 on the front, neither of those are so much better as to justify the price difference.  I do like the Dunlop K491 as a cruiser tyre; I've used it very successfully as such.  The Dunlop wins.

Avon

Bridgestone

Continental

Dunlop

Firestone

IRC

Kenda

Metzeler

Michelin

Pirelli

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