No love for the new VMax?

[vulcanbill]

The sport cruiser thread makes me wonder...  Does anyone have one?  Do people even like it?  I love it and were it not for the almighty dollar and my utter lack of them, I'd love to have a bike with that kind of power and ergos.  

Thoughts?

[kendenton]

$18 large.  'nuff said for me.

[DNA]

That is a great deal.

Only $200/lb  

[UFO]

That is a great deal.

Only $200/lb  

The new Vmax only weighs 90 lbs!?

[Phenix_Rider]

Looks cool, sounds good.  Rode it, hated it.  CANNOT move on the seat, and the throttle is all or nothing.

[Blunder]

$27.35/lb or thereabouts. Cheaper than Kobe beef, but then again it is a Star.

[skater69]

$18 large.  'nuff said for me.

Me too.  Sat on it at the dealer.....cool looking....definitely different but Yamaha priced this bike waaaaay too high.  It should be around 10-12K.  I think they have a huge failure with the new V-MAX simply b/c 17-18K is too much for a niche bike....especially a Japanese one.

[DNA]

The new Vmax only weighs 90 lbs!?

 

$20/lb - That makes it an even better deal.  

[Dave the slave]

Me too.  Sat on it at the dealer.....cool looking....definitely different but Yamaha priced this bike waaaaay too high.  It should be around 10-12K.  I think they have a huge failure with the new V-MAX simply b/c 17-18K is too much for a niche bike....especially a Japanese one.

I'm not sure it's waaaaay to high.  I would think it's too high by $2500 (which IS quite a lot) But at $14999.00 I bet they would have sold a LOT more.

[X1rider]

The 18K entry fee probably has a 4K liability charge attached to it. Stinking litigation industry.

[GoneRacin]

I demo rode one. Power is awesome, but the seat is so wide it feels like I am being pulled apart in the hip sockets. I dont care for them.

[CBRXXBLACKBIRD]

$18 large.  'nuff said for me.

As a ex-Vmax owner here that price is way too much for my blood. I still prefer the older models.

[spitfiremk21]

A lot of the new bikes are way over priced. I can't wait to see the crazy tag on the upcoming BMW six. All we keep hearing is how the world economy is in the pooper and yet the bike companies are throwing these expensive bikes out there like we are all Bill Gates or something and then they sit and wonder why no one is buying thier new machines....go figure.  

[UFO]

Looks like a cool bike, but completely impractical.  Then again supersports (IMO) are completely impractical and I see them all the time.  Never seen a new Vmax.  So maybe it's a combination of price and impracticality.

[JReazor]

I saw one for the first time at a local stealership yesterday. It has a certain cartoony aesthetic to it. Much of the stuff on the bike looks unnecessary and out of proportion.

Not my cuppa.

[chornbe]

At least this rev can take a turn without trying to kill you and hinge in the middle.

The price will kill this bike, flat out.

$18k is a LOT to spend on a one-trick pony.

[deagle10]

Too much money to even consider.

And the ergo's for me it would be a second bike as I couldn't ride it all day.  Would LOVE to have it as a second bike but at that price it's too much for even a primary bike.  

[falconati]

At least this rev can take a turn without trying to kill you and hinge in the middle.

The price will kill this bike, flat out.

$18k is a LOT to spend on a one-trick pony.

[chornbe]

If there's gonna be discussion on a bike, we should at least post (without having to go looking, or externally clicking) some basic bike metrics and a picture:

MSRP*   $17,990 (Intense Black) Available from November 2008

Engine
Type   1679cc liquid-cooled 65° V-4, DOHC, 4 valves/cylinder
Bore x Stroke   90.0mm x 66.0mm
Compression Ratio   11.3:1
Fuel Delivery   Fuel Injection with YCC-T and YCC-I
Ignition   TCI
Transmission   5-speed, multiplate slipper clutch
Final Drive   Shaft

Chassis
Suspension/Front   52mm telescopic cartridge fork w/oxidized titanium coating. Fully adjustable preload, compression and rebound; 4.7 in travel
Suspension/Rear   Single shock w/remote reservoir and remote adjustable for preload, compression and rebound
Brakes/Front   Dual 320mm wave-type discs; radial mount 6-piston calipers, Brembo® radial pump master cylinder
Brakes/Rear   298mm wave-type disc, single-piston caliper and Brembo® master cylinder
Tires/Front   Bridgestone® Radial 120/70-R18 59V
Tires/Rear   Bridgestone® Radial 200/50-R18 76V
Dimensions
Length   94.3 in
Width   32.3 in
Height   46.8 in
Seat Height   30.5 in
Wheelbase   66.9 in
Rake (Caster Angle)   31.0 in
Fuel Capacity   4.0 gal
Wet Weight   683 lb / 685 lb (CA model)

[2DFlyer]

Even if I had the money I would pony up for this thing.  The nicest thing I can say about it is at least it isn't as fugly as the B King.

[chornbe]

Taking "nice" or "fugly" out of the equation, to me the B-King looks more... I dunno, thought out and complete, and more of a "whole package" kind of appearance. There's something just "off" on the V-Max - like the body doesn't match the wheels or something. It's a proportional thing. And the tail - such that it is - on the V-Max just looks incomplete.

[garry]

If I wanted a bike with brutal acceleration, I'd get a ZX14 and put hard bags on it. And still have a bunch of money in my wallet.

[billo]

Except for big power, there is nothing left of the old V-Max rebel cruiser to cash in on.  It's a big, heavy, over priced sport bike.  Could be.  Anyway.  I think.

Bill

[chornbe]

Except for big power, there is nothing left of the old V-Max rebel cruiser to cash in on.  It's a big, heavy, over priced sport bike.  Could be.  Anyway.  I think.

Bill

This is true - the old one would attempt, in every turn, to kill you by either folding up on you, or laying its gas tank on the ground at a 10* lean. What a blast on an open road, though. Wow.

[scramblerracer123]

If I was looking for a cruiser type bike it would be between a Vmax and a Rocket III.  I just can't afford to have a bike like that.  Ridden the Rocket III, only sat on the Vmax.  Liked both, unnatural seating position for me but I haven't had a not sport bike for 10 years.  

[Paulie]

Vmax looks like a toad
B-king looks like a transformer

Both prolly styled by Geico's ad agency.  

[st ryder]

If I had the money, I'd be all over the new V-Max. I love it: I love the way it looks, I love the statement it makes, I love the power, sure, it's a one trick pony, but that's like saying Megan Fox is a one trick pony, "Ya, so?" I thought I preferred the old Max better, but once I saw a new one in person, I was a convert, though I'd love a 20 year anniversary V-max too. The '89 I had was the only bike that I literally had to force myself to stop riding, I couldn't get enough of that V-boost fun. And you could pound on it all day long, and do it again the next day and the bike never missed a beat. Anybody been on a naked bike doing 135+mph? Woo hoo, hang the F on for dear life.    

[chornbe]

That's the thing, though... I don't think it's a one-trick pony at all. The old max was a soul-stealing death trap of a machine if you veered off upright and straight ahead. This one one is built from the ground up to be a much better handling machine and by all reports, they got it right in that regard.

[2006FJR]

If you cannot sports tour on it with a focus on the touring side I am not interested. Knowing the bikes you like to ride make it much easier. If I had the money for a second bike I would have a BMW GS1200.   This VMax does nothing for me.

[2RR2NV]

IF i had the money, the Vmax would be my 4th or 5th bike in the garage, otherwise, no point for me to have it as a primary or even a secondary. i gotta get the most different capabilities out of my lowly lil money hill.

[bungie4]

I know 3 guys that pony'd up for the new Max. 2 of them are for sale right now, so that should tell you something. Stupid fast bike and witnessed with my own eyes, handles pretty decently for what it is.

Its an in town hooligan bike. I went on a day ride with a one. We ended up stopping at no less than 4 different gas stations before we found some hi-test for it (and this was after putting a splash of regular in it to keep it running). Range of about 130km (about 70 miles).

[bogthing]

If I wanted a bike with brutal acceleration, I'd get a ZX14 and put hard bags on it. And still have a bunch of money in my wallet.

Yeah, exactly!,

I remember riding one of the older models, and being wowed by the wacky power, but that was it, up and down the boulevard in a straight line. The handling was bulky and uninspiring. I always thought, now if they took that motor...

For 18K I'd have a few "new" bikes

[Mrndt]

I would like to say that I would probably buy a V-Max, but the price has put me off completely.  Instead I went the other way and spent 9400 dollars for the Burger King special with the Two Brothers exhaust instead. Maybe it is ugly, but is nice to ride.

[maddjack]

$18 large.  'nuff said for me.

I agree,tooo much green for its target market,and unlike the original,it isn't anything special

[AutoXer]

I can't take the fugly out of the equation - I simply refuse to ride or drive an ugly vehicle.  And the new one is (in my eyes) decidedly ugly (worse than the original, which wasn't a looker either).  If I could ignore the fugly the fact its $4-6K overpriced makes it a bike that would never even be a blip on the radar screen for me.  Its one thing for a bike to be a little more expensive, its quite another when the price is so ridiculous that my reaction is "$18K? WTF is Yamaha smoking??"  

jZ

[nanbil]

Nope, no love for either the new or the old VMax.

[skater69]

I'm not sure it's waaaaay to high.  I would think it's too high by $2500 (which IS quite a lot) But at $14999.00 I bet they would have sold a LOT more.

Well 14999 is $3K (not 2500) less than the approx $18K MSRP.  And even for $15K, I think it would be a flop.  You can get bikes just as fast for that kind of money and for much less.  So once again it's spending a substantial premium on a Jap niche bike......a few will.....the majority won't.  I think the VMAX will come down to $15K sooner than later if dealers made the mistake of ordering too many.
And they still won't sell.

[Will_Munny]

I would own one in a second if it held 20 or so litres of fuel. I think it's a bargain for the money TBH but with a range of 70 miles it isn't of much use to me.

[Gohot229]

It seems that there are some die-hard V-Max entheusiasts out there, and they are pasionate about them, but for me, the fake scoops have always been a turnoff. The bike has also always suffered from the most god-awfull styling of any Yamaha, except for mabe the Viragos of about mid 90's They scream to be sure, but...... I just can't wrap my mind around the asthetics. If I were going for something of this nature it would be a Vrod more than likely, and I don't even like harleys.

[BlueRidgeKat]

The sport cruiser thread makes me wonder...  Does anyone have one?  Do people even like it?  I love it and were it not for the almighty dollar and my utter lack of them, I'd love to have a bike with that kind of power and ergos.  

Thoughts?

I seen it at the Greenville SC International Motorcycle Show. Liked it, just dont know what the hell you do with it.

[motrhead]

I can't take the fugly out of the equation - I simply refuse to ride or drive an ugly vehicle.  And the new one is (in my eyes) decidedly ugly (worse than the original, which wasn't a looker either).  
jZ

 My sentiments exactly regarding the new one. You just can't get past the fugly.  I did like the old one though -still do. It had a compact "carved-from-a-billet" style to it that somehow worked. The new one looks like an ugly pile of parts.

[Flightar]

If I was to get a cruiser the V Max would be the ONLY game in town for me. No other cruiser has the bad assed looks and NONE but the max have the power. I'm not in the market for a 600+ pond bike to put around town on so any cruiser for me would have to be fast when you test the right grip.

The Triumph is simply too big physically and not to mention ugly...

[Phenix_Rider]

If I was to get a cruiser the V Max would be the ONLY game in town for me. No other cruiser has the bad assed looks and NONE but the max have the power. I'm not in the market for a 600+ pond bike to put around town on so any cruiser for me would have to be fast when you test the right grip.

The Triumph is simply too big physically and not to mention ugly...

There's the new Confederate... thing.   The P120 Fighter.  Nearly a two liter engine.
http://www.mototype.com/pages/4253/confederate_p120_fighter__2009