Bad_Max wrote:
I have no disagreement with Vincent collectors. It could very well fetch $80K. A Vincent Black Lightning held undisputed bragging rights for 20 years or so. For folks interested in reliving that era, it's worth every penny. My only comment is that if he and his lead engineer were around today I have no doubt that he could do it again with modern technology, but they wouldn't stop with the '09 V-Max product and let PR types christen it the worlds best muscle bike, I believe he'd actually deliver the goods.

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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

The most beautiful things in existence are pretty useless; the Mona Lisa just sits at a gallery, you can't use it for anything but for looking, a extremely beautiful woman is pretty useless around the house except for the bedroom, a big beautiful diamond ring also useless, so is a beautifully designed dress, it's useless for any chores compared to a fishing vest or a tool belt.

The ultimate efficient aero dynamic shape is very ugly compared to a beautifully shaped Corvette.

The point, you have to give up some usefulness for beauty of design.

The less aero dynamic design of the Vmax is a factor in it's performance time. But it would not be a Vmax if it was to be plastered with fairings to improve it's performance.


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Not to let Yamaha off the hook,


Yamaha created a marketing program that had customers make a 1K deposit before any performance and capability of the bike was ever documented and verified by an UNBIASED, independent authority.

Articles of the new Vmax were by magazines who had a big incentive not to bite the hand that fed it.

Normally, it is prudent that one should not buy anything without first seeing what you are buying. But clever marketing and creating a frenzied environment for a product with the help of the industry's magazines is now the norm before releasing a new product to the public. Apple is very good at this.

Yamaha counted on the fact that most of it's potential customers of the new Vmax were going to be former Vmax owners.

In other words, the purchase would be based on faith and expectation. Faith that the new Vmax would have the same impact that the old Vmax had in the cycle world. The expectation is going to be a hard act to follow considering that Yamaha did not make consistent incremental improvement on which to learn on. Yami would have benifitted greatly if they strived to find ways to improve the Vmax year in and year out. Instead Yami sat on their butt on the Vmax for over 20 years and then did like a student cramming for a test the next day. While they sat on their hands regarding the Vmax, they were making progress on other bikes and subsequently tried to marry and apply lesson learned to the creation of the new Vmax.

I like the new Max. Could Yamaha delivered a better bike? Yes.
Could Yamaha made a better bike if they consistently tried and introduced new technology throughout the years instead of the course they took, definitely yes. Yami did little to the Vmax througout the years because there was no competing bike to spring them to do so. Hence, Yami is a victim of their own success. They rested too long on their laurels.

Once again, I like the new Vmax, but I think Yami could have done better.


Just my own personal opinion.





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Very true. But the fact that Yamaha left the original Vmax alone rather than change it every year is what most people love about it. That is what is so frustrating about this industry, its like computers, they are out dated before they come out. I personally hope that Yamaha does not make change after change to the new max even if technology passes it up.

mkoskey wrote:
I should grab that domain just for shits and giggles....

I'm not sure if it was mentioned but the reason for the delay is because an EPA 100,000 mile test still needs to be conducted. I heard this from Tim Robinson.

Mark
#1098

DarthVmax wrote:
I completely agree with your aesthetics assessment, although I don't think a bunch of frontal plastic is needed to dominate 0 - 60 times. I'd just add that Honda/Yamaha did it to themselves by dropping continued development of perfectly viable V-4s and chasing after the American V-twin market. They spent way too long doing that. For '09 our only choice is to buy the thing and put it on a high-fiber and titanium diet of wheels, scoops, exhaust & perhaps drive shaft. We shouldn't have to take it to a fat farm. It's as if they didn't learn any lessons from the Rocket III other than to total-up its weight and decide that saddle bags were in order.

I don't agree at all & I've ridden the beast. Yamaha (and other manufacturers) are under the watchful eye of many regulatory agencies. They can't give us what they're capable of producing.

Bad_Max wrote:
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That's where the rub is. Every company is governed by the same rules and regulation. But each company at one time or another somehow does find a way to release a better bike than their competition; then a few years later a different company takes over the helm.

It's a game of one upsmanship. Their success is measured by the bottom line. The best selling bike is not always the best bike. Kawasaki's biggest selling bike is the Ninja 250.

So the companies has to balance quality, price, and profit.

The wrong balance between these three can make for a disaster, and the right balance will have a best seller.




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The 05-06 CVO V-RODS M.S.R.P ed in the 25k range. I also rented a Rod, a Night Rod actually for 8 days. If you lay it out, it will go. A 125 hp is not a sled in my opinion. The bike was fun and the Porsche designed V-Twin was impressive I thought. I think they are all 1250 cc now. Not sure but I think it is possible that they have the same internals as the CVO's which were also 1250 cc versus 1130 cc. Those bikes have a huge following in Europe. Kind of cult like following like the 1st Gen VMAX. Some people have done some amazing custom work to them just like the legacy Max.

I went for a spin on the vrod muscle this year.the outriders were good to me lets sy it was a quick run.The bike is a pussy cat.It wasnt mean enough for me.Im not saying i didnt enjoy it.i liked the forward controls and the feeling that i had something there when i hit it but it just wasnt rip your face off power like Im expecting in the mail......Know whut uh meen?
P.S i took a buell 1125 cr for a spin same engine as v rod.now that put a smile on my face:) i pulled it up in second gear and then hit 90-150km in a split second.at that point i got "the wave"But......just another sportbike soon to be classed as just another speed freak with a back pack and a spot in his jeans.LOL:woohoo:not that i wouldnt go riding with any guy on a sport bike.....nothing against all you guys you know who you are. This is the VMAX forum right?
I mean sportbikes have their place dont get me wrong.Just too fast for the street.maybe thats why they have the highest fatality rate.theres no happy medium with those bikes.Dangerous for a guy like me.