After speaking to various people within the Yamaha organisation we know a little bit more about what we can expect of the mighty Vmax.
Words: Tor Sagen
Good news is that Yamaha's questionnaire shows that there is no doubt what the public wants. Anything below 200 horsepower will not cut it with buyers. France was one of the great markets for the original Vmax and it was a commercial success. The new Vmax is most likely to become a 2009 model now. In France everyone still have to settle for a pitiful 100 horsepower version. Can you imagine this? Yamaha will launch its most powerful production model ever, and the French motorcyclists have to settle with less than half of that power.
Claudine Maffiolo at Yamaha France told me that they have no information regarding the timing or the reason for delay. But they have big expectations still for the Vmax in France despite the cap on power. At the Paris exhibition in 2007 everyone asked about the Vmax, Maffiolo said. I asked Maffiolo whether French motorcyclists would complain about being robbed of all that V4 power. "Nobody will complain because in France these are the rules. The previous Vmax was big in France, but in France there are big safety issues regarding powerful motorcycles." Whilst we feel sorry for the French biker, we move over to the UK where motorcyclists will get the full spec version.
At the recent NEC international motorcycle show in Birmingham, Yamaha UK got 400 answers to their new Q & A form about the Vmax. Yamaha UK's Marketing Manager Simon Belton said that there was no two ways about it after listening to the public in the UK. "Commercially, the Vmax has to feature more than 200 horsepower." Belton also said that the information about timing and final specs is sketchy at the moment.
I then asked for reasons for the delay. Insiders have told me that there are some political and possibly "green" issues with such a monstrous prospect the new Vmax concept is. In Japan itself there seem to be certain elements of resistance to a 200BHP+ monster motorcycle. I have also been told that someone high ranking working on the Vmax project have been furious with certain communication regarding the Vmax. Following all this, Japan has put a cap on all details related to the coming Vmax. What we do know now is that Yamaha could easily have launched a production ready model in 2008. However, due to these issues that even involve speculation regarding how well a 2 litre V4 with 200 horsepower would do in the emission tests, the Max is delayed at least another year whilst Japan sort things out.
Belton said: "If we were talking about a supersport bike (Ed: think Hayabusa and ZZR1400) then there could have been an "green" issue. The Vmax is not about top speed so horsepower is therefore not an issue. The Vmax will do 0-100km/h in the blink of an eye."
If you think that the new Vmax will be a motorcycle for everyone, then think twice. The Vmax will be a very expensive flagship model produced in limited numbers. Still Belton said; "We'll sell 100 bikes. No problem."
Yamaha Scandinavia is also of the same opinion as Yamaha UK. Less than 200 horsepower for the Vmax is pointless at this stage.
All the European Yamaha branches feed their info and expectations into Yamaha Motors Europe. Renzo Moscau from YME told me that he did not wish to comment on a product and/or its features before its launch. I can only refer to the concept model as displayed in Paris and Milan.
One man that probably wants the Vmax under the US Star brand more than any other person is Kevin Foley. It is pretty much certain that Star will get the first bikes and that we will see the first tests of the Vmax under the Star brand.
Kevin Foley, the Media relations Manager in Yamaha USA simply stated: "We have no comment."
At the Long Beach CW show in 2006 I spoke to Derek Brooks, the Motorcycle product planning Manager, who has been involved on the tech side. Read what he had to say further down on this page.
We have followed the Vmax concept model all over the world, from Tokyo in 2005, California in 2006 and Paris, Milan and Birmingham in 2007. There is no doubt that the new Vmax will be a big boost (literally) to the US Star brand. Where will the Vmax lead us to in 2008? Perhaps we will get to ride it, perhaps we will get to tell you the exact final spec details or perhaps we will still know nothing more than today. In boost we trust!
Reliable sources tell us that the Vmax now have changed fairly considerably since we first saw the concept bike in Tokyo 2005. There has been several changes and Yamaha/Star have decided to develop it further for another year, hence a 2009 model. Yamaha will still continue to show us the old 2005 concept even in Europe this year. We follow Vmax, in boost we trust!
2008 Yamaha news-T-minus 4 days!
Here at Raptors & Rockets you will get the worlds first glimpses of the 2008 Yamaha motorcycle line-up on the 10th of September. Even more specific than that, at 15:00 GMT we will unleash what looks to be a very exciting Yamaha year..." With our strong model line-up in 2008, we fully expect to capitalise on this success, bringing the Yamaha brand values of quality, performance and innovation to a greater number of motorcycle riders." Simon Belton at Yamaha UK said. On September 28th we will see all the new models in the flesh for the first time and photograph them in Paris. As usual, you can expect Raptors & Rockets to be first to publish quality shots. All Yamaha 2008 news will be published here.
2009 Yamaha Vmax confirmed for production and launch!
Yamaha have now confirmed that the Vmax will become reality shortly. The new Max will be a 2009 model and the launch will take place next year. The Vmax will be offered to US and European riders first and the production will be split 50/50 from what we have been told. In the US the bike will be named Star Vmax and in Europe Yamaha Vmax. Apparently the final specs will not disappoint anyone... Read more and see more pictures of the Vmax here.
Yamaha Vmax ready for a new era-Vmaximus or Mighty Max
Since Yamaha launched the new Vmax concept in Tokyo in 2005 they have kept everyone waiting in excitement. Rarely do we see a concept model that gets us as excited as the new Vmax.
Words: Tor Sagen/Photography: Yamaha, David, Luc1 & Tor Sagen
It did not help that Yamaha asked in their online survey whether we would prefer a big displacement, big horsepower muscle bike. One of the questions was whether we would want it to be 200hp+. Yes we do! The displacement is not ready yet either, but as we know that this bike will not be purely about horsepower, we expect a bigger than usual displacement too. The current engine in the concept looks like a big boy already, but there has been speculation from 1400cc to 1800cc in the new V4.
Whatever Yamaha decides in the end, the Vmax is about muscle, pure muscle and nothing else. In the US the concept has already been branded under the Star motorcycles cruiser division. So in essence the Vmax is looked upon by Yamaha as a muscle or power cruiser. And if that continues through to the end it will be more powerful than any other muscle cruiser currently on the market. We know that it will be powerful, just look at the six pot radial brakes that also graces the 2007 R1 created to stop the beast. Then look at the double radiator/oil-cooler unit and the serious looking swingarm and frame. The double cone shaped mufflers look menacing too.
The Vmax concept was recently showcased for the very first time outside of Japan to the US public. Long Beach and the Cycle World International motorcycle show was the venue chosen. For a long time we thought we would also get to see it at the EICMA show in Milan, but internal European Yamaha-motors politics stopped that from happening. One country in Europe did not wish to see the Vmax on the floor yet. This was due to beliefs in that country that the new Vmax would compete with the existing air-cooled MT-01 model. We think they screwed up and imported too many MT-01’s. However nice the MT-01 is, it is far away from the Vmax concept. The Vmax stands for true muscle and power-A performance cruiser that actually has been made to destroy anything else on two wheels in a straight line. The ruling country for such a bike is without doubt the US. So whilst we were in the US we spoke to Derek Brooks, the Motorcycle Product Planning Manager in Yamaha Motor USA.
What can you tell us about the concept now compared to last year?
“Nothing different. It is still kind of the American muscle car, typical American muscle car type image. To clarify, it was built in Japan but based on the US concept, US project.”
Did the Japanese engineers contact you to finalise the design?
“Oh sure, yes.”
Still a big bad V4?
“At this point it is still purely a concept. The benefit of doing this, of course we did it in Japan originally, but having the bike on display here in the US we can listen to feedback and get comments on style, expectations for power and handling. This is a good chance to get feedback for us.”
Why Star for the Vmax and not Yamaha as the original is well known as a Yamaha?
“The original Vmax concept was really before the huge explosion of American cruisers. But its concept was very much cruiser original. So that was back in the days you know Virago and then Vmax-Very much a Hot Rod, cruiser type bike. And Star being our Cruiser brand, it actually makes sense. Even with Star though, even all of our Star bikes have Yamaha casings, on the back fender and on the engine. So we are not trying to mislead anyone by saying this is not a Yamaha but a Star. We liken it more to kind of the Toyota/Scion brands style in the US, it's the sister brand, brother brand of Yamaha. It's a Star Vmax. By separating the brands it allows us to position an image that is more focused and more appealing to the usual American cruiser rider as opposed to a very sporty offroad and supersport type image. But certainly, we don't want to loose our brand affiliation with Yamaha, the quality and performance is so strong.”
There is no schedule at all for the Vmax?
“No, it's still purely a concept. It has not been in the US in this sort of setting before. So before we make that final stand, ok let's do it, we want to make sure we get all the feedback first.”
In the UK Miles Taylor, the Marketing, Press and PR Manager had this to say:
Expectations for the UK market on the Vmax? Compared to the MT-01?
“It is clear that the VMax still has a large following and it would be great if we/Yamaha could produce a bike which carried on the mantle of the original. The MT-01 was never intended to be a Vmax replacement so I don't feel that any new bike would necessarily compete with the customer base for attention.”
“We received a lot of questions at the recent NEC show regarding the Vmax and this interest has been relayed to the factory for their consideration and as and when any information relating to new models for 2008 and beyond becomes available we will of course keep everyone informed.”
We did our own survey, we asked readers how many CC’s they thought the new Vmax would get.
Jboost69 said: “1500cc, but they'll inevitably neuter the piss out of it - going for a torque monster rather than an R-1'esque screamer, when they could easily have both with today’s engine technology. Think about it: that's 2 1/2 times the displacement of an R6, and you KNOW how much power modern 600's is making! Even slightly restricted it could still be candidates for bike of the millennium if it were done right - except the corporate lawyers will certainly have their say in that, so don’t hold your breath. The styling is also FAR too reliant upon the past (safe that way), rather than a futuristic, quantum leap forward. Oh well, guess I'll just wait for the next redesign in year 2028.”
Brad Hustead said: “1500 cc 200 bhp@10,000 rpm”
Vmxjak said: ”I think max will have 1800ccs I have had 3 of these bikes, an 85 93 and the current 99. I also believe it will be tuned down just like the 85 was until we let the beast breath, my guess it will be a chip..... Any way in boost we trust my brother later.”
Steve in Washington State, US said: “Please e-mail the dummies at Yamaha for me and tell them many of us cannot even answer the v-max questionnaire because of the ridiculous flash presentation page that pops up. All I get is the flashing "QuickTime" Q and a page that will not load. They need an option for an HTML only page if they want feedback from folks like me that cannot view QT
As to the Max, I own a 2000 and the very first thing I did was have a custom leather and gel seat hand crafted for it. The stock seat is HORRIBLE. It's like sitting on a giant radial motorcycle tire, and in 30 minutes your butt will be in serious pain. Tell them to redesign it, please!
I would like to see greatly improved handling, radial tires (duh!) modern electrical system and a 200 RWHP engine, maybe 1600-1800 CCs
I am putting my Mad Max project on hold ( www.madmax.com ) in the hopes Yamaha will produce the beast!”
Clay Walley optimistically said: “2500cc”
Andrew Black from Knoxville, TN USA said: “Needs to crank-out enough low-end grunt to effect the earth's rotation when you grab a handful, but small enough to rev to 8k (or so). Me thinks 1300-1400cc with variable valve timing should just about do it!. Also keep the rear tire small enough to make it corner proper like.”
“We had one of the early Maxes back in the day (1986). It was pure adrenaline. It could also be sheer terror in a curve.”
“This is a very important bike for Yamaha. I can understand why they're taking their time. I hope they get it right. If they do my local lender with be happy, because this puppy's gonna cost some long green. (I.e. Honda's Rune).”
Graham Davidson, Malaysia: “Probably 1750 cc. Though hopefully weight can be kept below 220kg”
We also commissioned a designer to do whatever he pleased to Yamaha’s original Vmax concept. We added headlights and mirrors and seat. But we also created a fully faired sports bike and a half faired sportsbike. We called our project the VMN and VMR. This is what people had to say about those:
Todor Ilic from Australia said: “I love it”
Mijaless said: “I think it's an awesome concept question is when will they be on the market. I was considering on buying a 07 V MAX, but if this one will be out soon I can wait. Is that a safe bet?” Comment: No, they are our concepts, not Yamaha.
Glen O’Driscoll from Australia said: “Awesome”
Philip Queen from the USA said: “SWEET!!! BUILD IT BUILD IT BUILD IT AND WE WILL COME!!! I want a 1400, who do I send my deposit to? I currently own two Vmax's '99-'03 an FZ1 '03 and FZ6 '04 We are LOYAL Yamaha fans-owners and luv to have one of these sitting with the others!!!”
NseanR said: “Love the design of the Yamaha superbike with the V-max engine. Don't know how practical that would be for Yamaha to produce but if they put some comfy ergos on it and keep the hot look It could replace the FZ1 and I would buy one.”
Jason said: “If you make that bike it will out sell the R1 that thing is baddass. The v4 is simply awesome looking”
Kiwirambob said: “Sorry but i owned a 1992 V-max Eattin by a gsx-r1000”
Jesse said: “Very cool especially the VMN street fighter coolest looking bike around.”
Vmax history:
The original Vmax, motorcyclings equivalent of a V8 Hot Rod muscle car, was suitably launched in Las Vegas in 1984 to the public. In 1985 it went on sale in the US.
Yamaha made the Vmax purely for the states, but demand quickly convinced Yamaha to homologate the Max for Europe too.
The Vmax engine started out as a 90hp V4 in the Venture cruiser model. By inventing V-boost the 1200cc V4 suddenly produced 145hp, in 1985! The engineers in Japan even considered using a Turbo, but could not find enough space for it! Another first for the Vmax was the biggest production rear tyre of its time, a 150/90-15.
This is V-boost as explained in the original 1985 press release:
“V-Boost: A unique V-Boost System gives a Turbo-like power boost to the V-MAX motor. Four downdraft carburettors feed the cylinders through individual inlet tracts. However, the tracts between cylinders one and two and cylinders three and four are separated by butterfly valves. The valves are controlled by servo motors that measure engine rpm. At approximately 6000 rpm the servos start to open the butterfly valves until they are completely open at 8000 rpm. With the butterfly valves open each cylinder on an intake stroke is fed by two carburettors, rather than a more conventional single unit. Horsepower is considerably increased especially in the mid-and high-rpm range.”
Yamaha V4 sportsbike concepts based on the new V-max engine
We all speculate a bit now and then. These two V-max based V4's are dream bikes and Luc1 had free hands to create whatever he liked based around Yamaha's new V4 engine. The VMR 1000 sportsbike and the VMN 1400 naked streetfighter was the result. We have literally created a new model series for Yamaha as we thought it would be a shame if the V-max was the only model to benefit from a very powerful V4. We reckon the new V-max could feature a 1400cc engine or larger and the VMN concept reflects this. Notice how the frame has been designed to allow full view of that gorgeous V4 engine. R1 swing arm and six-pot radial callipers from V-max. Also notice our designers impression of how future Yamaha exhausts could look like based on the new FZ1. The VMR 1000 is a scaled down version of the powerful V4 and reflects a vision that these engines might be part of WSB future. Aprilia will build one for 2008 and if this shows to be the way to go there is no reason why Yamaha could not build one too having the V-max technology. On Yamaha's internet V-max survey, as we have mentioned several times before, one of the questions was whether you wanted a 200bhp+ engine in the new V-max. There is no lacking in power from a V4, that is for sure. By Tor Sagen/CG's: Luc1 Let us know what you think of the VMR and VMN concepts.
Yamaha V-Max-Shockingly powerful V4!
Yamaha has been doing loads of research ahead of a launch of a completely new V-max. The firm states that it has never before launched a concept bike so early and never before asked what you think in such a scale either. The engine is unbelievably beautiful and the whole concept oozes of masculine testosterone turbo mach 3 muscle appeal. Whilst the last decade has been dedicated to the softly-softly slightly pathetic man, Yamaha thinks men will finally be men again. If that's the case for you too you better go and fill in that questionnaire and make sure you tick that box next to 200PS! We have been generous and added seat, headlight, blinkers and mirrors for you. The question is: How easily will the standard V-max destroy Harley Destroyer? I want a V-max! TS
