Discussion
Not ridden one, had a good look around one as it was on the list in the past.
At launch the VMax was very expensive, £19k ish, but they dropped the price a few grand over the years. They are still expensive, albeit seem to hold value well perhaps as they didn't sell in large numbers.
They are in a bit of a niche of their own. Not really a "cruiser" if you are looking for a feet forward relaxed riding position, but neither do they handle like a big naked because they are cruiser heavy, 315kg wet. They are long e.g. 9" longer than a Hyabusa so you can imagine how flickable they feel, the length helps at the drag strip of course
I think Ducati do the feet forward power cruiser thing the best with the xDiavel. A couple of mates ride those and they are great bikes, handle and go like a big naked. They are about 40bhp down on a Vmax but also 50-70kg lighter depending on whose weight figures you believe.
If you really like the look of a VMAX, and it is a style of bike that suits your riding then Im sure if bought well you could own one for a couple of years and not lose much money on it.
At launch the VMax was very expensive, £19k ish, but they dropped the price a few grand over the years. They are still expensive, albeit seem to hold value well perhaps as they didn't sell in large numbers.
They are in a bit of a niche of their own. Not really a "cruiser" if you are looking for a feet forward relaxed riding position, but neither do they handle like a big naked because they are cruiser heavy, 315kg wet. They are long e.g. 9" longer than a Hyabusa so you can imagine how flickable they feel, the length helps at the drag strip of course
I think Ducati do the feet forward power cruiser thing the best with the xDiavel. A couple of mates ride those and they are great bikes, handle and go like a big naked. They are about 40bhp down on a Vmax but also 50-70kg lighter depending on whose weight figures you believe.
If you really like the look of a VMAX, and it is a style of bike that suits your riding then Im sure if bought well you could own one for a couple of years and not lose much money on it.
I think it’s the kind of bike that if you want one you’ll buy it no matter what other people / road tests say.
It’s not my kind of bike but if I had enough spare cash to have a stable of bikes then a V-max would be in there.
Not because it’s the fastest, best handling or best looking...just because.
The classic case of heart over head.
bogie said:
I think Ducati do the feet forward power cruiser thing the best with the xDiavel. A couple of mates ride those and they are great bikes, handle and go like a big naked. They are about 40bhp down on a Vmax but also 50-70kg lighter depending on whose weight figures you believe.
I agree with bogie that the Xdiavel is a winner because of its cornering ability, significantly lighter weight and "the quickest 0–60 mph time of any production motorcycle Cycle World has ever tested".Cycle World also commented that it has an appearance of "a Mad Max-inspired retro-futuristic theme." With the OP's user name, could there be a better bike?
Harsh, brutal truth?
Overpriced new and used, only the rarity value keeps them silly money.
Way too heavy to have any real fun on, hard work to cover any sort of distance on and only really any good for cruising up and down the sea front or to and from the local bike meet.
In reality a B King would be better if you want silly power and grunt in an easier to handle package.
Or spend just a quarter of the money and get a full power Gen 1. Fast enough, look great, they are the original Mad Max after all.
Overpriced new and used, only the rarity value keeps them silly money.
Way too heavy to have any real fun on, hard work to cover any sort of distance on and only really any good for cruising up and down the sea front or to and from the local bike meet.
In reality a B King would be better if you want silly power and grunt in an easier to handle package.
Or spend just a quarter of the money and get a full power Gen 1. Fast enough, look great, they are the original Mad Max after all.
BroadsRS6 said:
Harsh, brutal truth?
Overpriced new and used, only the rarity value keeps them silly money.
Way too heavy to have any real fun on, hard work to cover any sort of distance on and only really any good for cruising up and down the sea front or to and from the local bike meet.
In reality a B King would be better if you want silly power and grunt in an easier to handle package.
Or spend just a quarter of the money and get a full power Gen 1. Fast enough, look great, they are the original Mad Max after all.
Apart from the obvious skinny forks/tyres, I reckon that from a styling/concept point of view the early V Max has stood the test of time incredibly well: if you're unblinkered, V Max could be launched today and would still be a good looking bike (for a cruiser/muscle bike kinda thing). It has definitely aged rather better than, say, VF750 (& the abhorrent 'Magna' thingies).Overpriced new and used, only the rarity value keeps them silly money.
Way too heavy to have any real fun on, hard work to cover any sort of distance on and only really any good for cruising up and down the sea front or to and from the local bike meet.
In reality a B King would be better if you want silly power and grunt in an easier to handle package.
Or spend just a quarter of the money and get a full power Gen 1. Fast enough, look great, they are the original Mad Max after all.
I know some guys that race Maxes in the "ET Bike Series" on the quartermiles of the continent,
they are hard to modify properly but it can be done, see the diet Cafe Racer here :
https://www.dragtimes.com/Yamaha-V-Max-Timeslip-29...
Scroll down for impressive dyno graph, no boosters used.
Knocking on the 8s, with unopened block and trans, just injection & ignition mods and tuning.
Longer swingarm was hard to make, with arm extensions made of CNC alu,
and shaft lengthened by friction welding.
They are certainly no tools for the twisties, but the chassis can be beefed up to make a comfortable & safe ride.
they are hard to modify properly but it can be done, see the diet Cafe Racer here :
https://www.dragtimes.com/Yamaha-V-Max-Timeslip-29...
Scroll down for impressive dyno graph, no boosters used.
Knocking on the 8s, with unopened block and trans, just injection & ignition mods and tuning.
Longer swingarm was hard to make, with arm extensions made of CNC alu,
and shaft lengthened by friction welding.
They are certainly no tools for the twisties, but the chassis can be beefed up to make a comfortable & safe ride.
BroadsRS6 said:
Harsh, brutal truth?
Overpriced new and used, only the rarity value keeps them silly money.
Way too heavy to have any real fun on, hard work to cover any sort of distance on and only really any good for cruising up and down the sea front or to and from the local bike meet.
In reality a B King would be better if you want silly power and grunt in an easier to handle package.
Or spend just a quarter of the money and get a full power Gen 1. Fast enough, look great, they are the original Mad Max after all.
I'm inclined to agree. Pretty much all of the 22 V-Max's currently for sale on Bike Trader have a tiny mileage for their age ... they just seem to come out in the summer to pose around on at a bike meet (nothing wrong with that btw), go very fast from a standing start and slowly round a roundabout. Overpriced new and used, only the rarity value keeps them silly money.
Way too heavy to have any real fun on, hard work to cover any sort of distance on and only really any good for cruising up and down the sea front or to and from the local bike meet.
In reality a B King would be better if you want silly power and grunt in an easier to handle package.
Or spend just a quarter of the money and get a full power Gen 1. Fast enough, look great, they are the original Mad Max after all.
If I was into all that I would be inclined to go for something like a Suzuki M1800R just because of its monster engine.
But the V-Max is a cult bike and I dare say you could enjoy one and lose very little money on it.
In fairness if someone loves the look of the Gen 2 and fancies a 197 bhp, 1670cc, V4 then go for it. You will get a massive engine-d hot rod of a motorcycle, a rare thing that won't turn up at a bike meet beside you very often and low and mid range ooomph to blow your socks off. I didn't mean to verbally trash the bike. If you're happy handling a monster and want to enjoy a mega engine, it will reward! I was in Provence last year and there was a guy from Lyon with a 300+ bhp turbo Gen 2. He'd spent over 10,000 Euros on work alone.
It looked mad and i'm sure it was more than mad to ride.
It looked mad and i'm sure it was more than mad to ride.
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