--- a/koan/virtinstall.py	2018-11-12 05:32:23.803251480 -0500
+++ b/koan/virtinstall.py	2018-11-12 06:40:17.454546012 -0500
@@ -70,12 +70,13 @@ except:
             supported_variants.add(variant.split()[0])
     except:
         try:
-            # maybe on newer os using osinfo-query?
-            rc, response = utils.subprocess_get_response(
-                    shlex.split('osinfo-query os'))
+            rc, response = subprocess_get_response(
+                    shlex.split('osinfo-query -f short-id os'))
             variants = response.decode('utf-8').split('\n')
             for variant in variants:
-                supported_variants.add(variant.split()[0])
+                supported_variants.add(variant.strip())
+            # osinfo-query does not list virtio26, add it here for fallback
+            supported_variants.add('virtio26')
         except:
             # okay, probably on old os and we'll just use generic26
             pass
@@ -367,19 +368,24 @@ def build_commandline(uri,
                 if suse_version_re.match(os_version):
                     os_version = suse_version_re.match(os_version).groups()[0]
             # make sure virt-install knows about our os_version,
-            # otherwise default it to generic26
-            found = False
+            # otherwise default it to virtio26 or generic26
+            # found = False
             if os_version in supported_variants:
-                cmd += "--os-variant %s " % os_version
+                pass  # os_version is correct
             elif os_version + ".0" in supported_variants:
                 # osinfo based virt-install only knows about major.minor
                 # variants, not just major variants like it used to. Default
                 # to major.0 variant in that case. Lack of backwards
                 # compatibility in virt-install grumble grumble.
-                cmd += "--os-variant %s" % os_version + ".0 "
+                os_version = os_version + ".0"
             else:
-                print(("- warning: virt-install doesn't know this os_version, defaulting to generic26"))
-                cmd += "--os-variant generic26 "
+                if "virtio26" in supported_variants:
+                    os_version = "virtio26"
+                else:
+                    os_version = "generic26"
+                print("- warning: virt-install doesn't know this os_version, "
+                      "defaulting to %s" % os_version)
+            cmd += "--os-variant %s " % os_version
         else:
             distro = "unix"
             if breed in [ "debian", "suse", "redhat" ]: