March '09 Bike of the Month

2009 Yamaha Vmax
Well, it took Yamaha a couple of decades, but they finally gave us an all new Vmax. The people at Yamaha knew that they had a pretty good thing going with the old Vmax, and they also were aware that their customers knew the same thing. The new one would have to display improvements in every aspect--power, braking, handling and looks, while maintaining a reasonable cruiser comfort level. Above all, the look and feel of "riding an engine" had to be carried over.

I am happy to declare that the new Vmax delivers the goods on every front. Why should I be so happy, even though I can not afford one on my meager income? I delight in the basic principle fulfilled here. Despite the attempts of enviro-weinies, lawyers and insurance companies to curb noise, risk and fun, the buying public showed demand for such a motorcycle. Then Yamaha produced it. That makes me happy. If current legal and economic trends continue, this motorcycle could stand as the zenith of sport cruising for a long time. It's that good.

Here are some indicators to go by:

- criticisms against its outstanding performance numbers are mainly voiced by those who compare it to the upper echelon of "superbikes," (Suzuki Hayabusa, Kawasaki ZX-14, etc.). For those unfamiliar with the names, those are bikes that are built specifically for sport and/or racing, with comfort being sacrificed for peak performance.

- The 2009 Mini Cooper S (a small, four passenger sporty car) has 172 horsepower/177 lb-ft. of torque, and a top speed of 139 mph. The Vmax has 200 hp and 122 lb-ft. of torque.

- A vein popped out of Al Gore's forehead when he discovered such a bike could still be produced.*

Yamaha is not shy about letting the pubilc know just what this bike is about. Check out the video of the grand unveiling:



Wondering what it may sound like on the street? Well, I wondered. So here:



And that brings up my favorite part--the sound. Ah yes, the sound. If this bike (and the original 1985 version) had been constructed around a high-horsepower inline 4 cylinder, it would have been lost to the sands of time after a few years like most of the bikes it debuted with. Luckily, the R&D guys at Yamaha saw fit to endow it with an engine that overflows with character, and a sound that bridges the gap between the thump of a V-twin and the scream of a race tuned V8.

If I had to choose a motorcycle to ride every single day, this would be the one. It has something for every situation, and more than something for most.
Like Chevy's latest Corvette Z06, it seems that Yamaha set out to create a machine "that does more things well" than any other in its class. 'nough said.

*This may or may not have happened