I have had a bike since 1967 until 2004 when I bought my Z06 Corvette. After driving the Corvette I decided it filled my need for speed and I sold my last 2 bikes. In 2009 I was surfing the net and I stumbled on the Gen 2 VMAX. I was really not interested in owning another bike at that time, but when I read the specs and saw what it looked like I decided within an hour that I had to have one.

That is when I found out that you could not just buy one, you had to order it. By the time I found out about the VMAX it was spring and all the bikes for 2009 had been sold. So, I went surfing the net again and found a brand new 2009 in Madison, Wisconsin that someone had ordered and then could not pay for it. I made the deal with the dealer over the phone and picked it up about one week later. The 2.5 hour ride home was miserable because it was cold and rainy and I began having second thoughts about having spent so much money on this bike. The next day was beautiful and after I rode it on that day, all my reservations went away.

This is the best bike, and probably the last bike, that I will own.

I still have the Corvette but it is a totally different experience than the VMAX.

Back in the early 90s, I had a 77 Kaw.KZ 1000 Jet kit and 4into1 Vance@Hines pipe. It was fast, but when a guy on a V-Max dusted it off, I was impressed.

Fast forward several years later, i was riding with a group from LaGrange,Ga. One of the group showed up on a 93 Max. It looked awsome to me, and i told the guy, if he ever thought of selling it, call me first. I watched him drop 3 gears from about 50mph and pull a wheelie when he nailed it. WOW! A couple of months later, he calls, and sells it to me. He just did't tell me it had a "hot starting" problem. I mean, once it was warmed up, and then shut off, it would spin over but not fire. Untill it cooled. Then it would start right up. Took me a whole weekend to find the problem and fix it. (igniton pulse sensor going bad). Anyway, still got it, and it's a keeper!

Started wanting the Gen 2 as soon as i started seeing pics of it. Saw my first one in person at a bike rally in Holt, Fla., at a dragstrip. The dude let me throw a leg over it and size it up. Fits me alot better than the Gen 1. I've always been a bit big for it at 6'5'' tall , but did'nt care because it;s so much fun to ride. Started saving my dough for one, and this year, i got busy and found an 09 Gen 2, and GOT IT.

In 1984 I had a new Honda 1000 Interceptor when I saw the new Vmax pictures in a Bike magazine that I still have. I thought that looks like a mean bike so I ordered it. I traded in my Honda and never looked back. I bought a 2005 Vmax new in the fall of 2004 thinking it would be my last Vmax. When I saw the Gen2 I just had to have one of the first year as I had the first year Gen1.

After working in the Motorcycle industry as a mechanic for over 15 years i was basically burnt out and turned to hotrods and drag racing. I was so tired of it actually i took a risk and had an opportunity to take a bottom of the ladder grunt job in the Alaska Arctic oil fields, when i first got there i was like WTF am i doing here! Anyway fast forward 7 years and now have fully changed careers with a cushy oil field job and only wrench on stuff for fun. I started to miss riding again a couple years back and as a former tech i have road just about any kind of bike you can think of, nothing really excited me much but had my eye on a Ducati Hyper Motard as there pretty damn fun to ride. Another bike i really had a fun time riding was butt ugly imo but really a nice ride was the Triumph Tiger but just couldnt get over the looks. At one point i even found myself sitting on a V-rod but was still not what i was looking for. I them remembered a buddy a work showed me some online photos of this new generation muscle bike with like 200hp (this was like 2008 before it came out) and i was like what was that thing. I finally remembered, oh yhea it was a Yamaha Vmax. I started to research it and found a new left over to look at, I was sold at first glance!

The hype over the "real scoops", "200 HP", "frame badges" and "production is extremely limited" ploy which all ended up being exaggerated once I had the bike in hand. However the base bike is workable but expensive to make it your own. Never did get over the fake scoops "again" but overall it is a bike worth owning! I give it an EQUAL rating with my Gen 1 for having fun but a huge difference in handling improvement!

Ken

My business was going broke, my wife B@#$H left me holding the ailing business with a wild sixteen year old kid in high school, plus 2 old dogs and 2 F@#KING CATS and lost my dream house (and garage)
I read A road test on the MAX (never even knew a VMAX existed). Something clicked in my mind and said buy that bike and F@#K everyone as I can`t afford it.
I paid a deposit $2000 sight unseen and it has been the best decision over the last 20 years of my life.
VMAXD
P.S.
I now don`t get angry, my kid works for me, the 2 dogs and 2 cats think I am god and the business is recovering (slowly). Also MAX is part of the family and has fitted in perfectly.

I used the race MX 80 cc bikes from 85 to 89. I went to university and then jobs passed. At 37 I decided that I wanted to have a bike. So in spring 2010, took the course and bought my first street bike, a brand new 2010 Blue Raider S.

I rode it for 1 year, but each time that I was stepping foot in the dealer that 2010 Red beast was looking at me. I was kind of mezmerized by the bike. I imagined having that engine between the legs at a stop sign.

When I bought the Raider, I actually wanted the max. But the high price and my fear of having too much bike for my street experience drove me away from it. I bought the Raider S. Shouln't have done it. Because I lost one year of payment in the trade for the VMX17. But I had to have that bike. It define's me as an individual

My first ride with the max was priceless. Now I was able the understand the crush those F1 racer can have on acceleration. I'm hooked to the HP and I think that I am spoil too. What other bike could tickle me like that ?

Mush

I was never interested in bikes till I had 2 teenage daughters. John had visited the TT races a few times, but I couldn't care less.

Than I had to go to a volleyball tournament and had no transportation. A colleague of mine offered her backseat of her Honda chopper. It took me 14 days to make a positive decision and get over my fear.

All my family stood at the sidewalk waving me away. After 500 meters I was hooked! I wanted to do this, real bad!

That fall I started motorcycle lesson for my A driver's license. It was very hard, flunked it the first time. I'd been saving all my money to buy a bike, and finally Feb.1995 I bought a new Yamaha Virago 750 on the motorshow at Utrecht.
Boy was I proud of the bike. And the best part... John had to ride on the backseat, haha!

Pretty soon he got his license as well.

Two years later I saw a used Vmax with only 600 miles on it. The salesman suggested a test ride. I was scared half to death. Me? Going to ride that?

And as before I put my fear aside and followed the guy with the Max out the door. Being stared at by all the clientele in the shop (about 40-50 bikers). Trembling in my boots I pulled in the clutch and carefully rode off. Once out of sight of the dealer's I relaxed. Hey, this isn't half bad. Great bike, easy to ride. Then I opened it up a bit. Wow! This is what I want.

While returning to the dealer's I was dreaming up 1000 excuses to buy this bike. Eventually we both traded in our bikes for a Vmax.

In 2004 no more imports were available. Until a specialized dealer had 2 2004 matt black ones with the silver stripes. We were in love and bought them. We were the only ones in the Netherlands with this colorscheme.

But rumours of a new Vmax circled the web. We stumbled on this site and waited to hear more.
Finally we saw the prototype live at the Utrecht motorshow in Feb. 2008.
We visited the Nurnburgring racetrack because parked on one of the parking fields we could finally see the real thing, displayed on a big Mac truck with Dutch license plates. Touring through Europe to interest buyers.

We took the day off on July 1st, because at 11.00 in the morning the Vmax order website would come on line. The last month was spent haggling with our dealer for a fair price. At that time the new Max costed 23.000 euro. That times 2 = 46.000 euro. Boy oh boy, we slept on that one for a fortnight before deciding to give it a go. I can tell you that.

But after some hiccups of the site and some desperate telephone calls to and fro we had our order mail in the pocket.

Guys we never lost a moment's sleep again. The day both Vmaxes arrived in the crates: Dec 10th, 2008, we will never forget. The day we got to ride it home: Dec 19th, 2008 is a memory that won't fade at all.

It was all worth it, this is the ultimate fun bike, travelling companion, easy cruiser, dragrace monster, whatever you want it to be.

End of story !

With you & John, I hardly think it's the "End of story" Babe More like the beginning of many stories to come

My story will be a little diff


Growing up on a farm, here in southwest Iowa, only toy I had, was several tractors. Either was in school, or working. Dad kept us 2 boyz real busy. I never even owned a dirt bike. We lived rear the Missouri river, so water became my passion. My first toy, was in 82, and it was a Kawasaki js 400 stand-up jetski. I'd even take her out, in the middle of the night, ride by the moonlight, and night's when half moon, had a flashlight taped to the handle-bars. When I was a freshman in college, father said, "NO CAR"!! I ended up talking him into letting me take my KAW 440. Behind school, was a good size creek, so that was my playing field! I lived on the 4th floor of the dorm, so at that time, it was a real pain to carry it up the stairs, and a pain to hide it under my bed, but I got-r-done. After first 2 months of hiding my ski, I was snitched on, so I called a local Yamaha dealer, asked if I could store it. They let me, as long as I would buy the new super jet. I had no money, dad said, -ell-NO, so, the dealer offered me a p/t job. I worked a butt-load hrs for them, between foot-ball and school, I was at the dealer.

My first time seeing a Vmax, in person, was in 87. Owner of the Yamaha shop, bought it for him-self. I never asked to sit on it, nor did he ever offer me. I only asked him, if I could clean it for him, after his rides. I found myself, just dreaming what I would do with that bike! I would be in back of the shop, and when he would walk in the front door, with his dew-rag on, just smiling, I knew that had to be a BAD-AZZ bike. I worked for him for 4 yrs, during that time, the owner bought me 4 new Super Jet's. I never once, had a pay check from him, didn't care, my love was ski's! But that Vmax, was never close behind in my thought's!!

Everytime I saw a Vmax come in, which was "RARE", I would offer to spit-shine it. I went on a few Yamaha support shows with him, so I was able to see several Vmax's!! My attention towards the MAX, was getting more and more, that I wanted one!

The 4 yrs I spent at his dealership, was the best job I've had so far. He ended up closing his store, 3 yrs after I left. I still went up on the weekends, to help out, slept in a tent.

He spoiled me, by buying me a new ski every yr, and that is something I did, even when I didnt have the funds to do so. Everytime I would go to a bigger dealer, to order a new ski, I would see a Vmax. Id find myself staring, and just telling myself, it's time. I never did go through with it. 6'2 250#, weightlifter, loved football, loved to get smacked, Mr. Tuff guy, was a little scared in the back of his mind. I always told myself- safer to hit water than concrete.

I have always followed the Vmax. Buying posters, hats, but never even sat one one. When I heard about the 09, I told myself, Im getting one. But, this time, wife was real MAD about the idea. SO, after several months of not getting anywhere with her, it was too late. Few months later, when I seen the 2010 was going to be RED, I ordered one. Drove 4 hrs, and it was the longest 4 hrs of my life! Even worse, waiting for it to show up. Again, never even rode a motorcycle before, but did not care!!

When MAX came to the dock, wife told me, that the past 15 yrs of being together, she has never seen me smile so big!! Still smiling!!! The first person who I let ride it, ever before me, was my boss who bought me my first new jetski. I dragged him with me, he was also,nothing but smiles!!

At one point, before MAX came home, I had 6 jetski's, and a jet boat. Now I'm down to 1 jetski, and MAX.

Now, in my mind, I ask myself, Why didn't I get a Vmax, yr's ago!!