Mr. Max is back, and he's bigger, badder and, oh yes, ballsier than ever. It's been 23 years since the first V-Max musclebike slackened jaws and widened eyes, especially with hired gun Jay "Pee Wee" Gleason in the saddle, smoking the rear tire down to the cords.
Business end of V-Max, showing quad pipes, shaft drive's rear gearcase and wide, 200mm rear tire. ABS braking is standard front and rear.
By design, the new version looks a lot like the original, in silhouette at least, but every component has been touched. The motor is still a V-Four—what else could it be?—but it's all-new and grows from 1198cc to a healthy-sounding 1679cc, working through a 90 x 66mm bore and stroke. And how's this for heart-pounding? The claim is 197 horsepower at the crankshaft, accompanied by a massive 123 foot-pounds of torque at 6500 rpm! That, friends, is stout and makes the V-Max the most powerful series-production motorcycle ever.
New Max is fully vested in the electronics revolution, too. He runs a ride-by-wire throttle, connected to four 48mm EFI throttle bodies that reside in the faux fuel tank. These have YCC-I variable intake tracts, just like the YZF-R1 sportbike. Above 6650 rpm, a servo moto reduces runner length from 5.9 inches to 2.1 for better, quicker cylinder packing. That's akin to the old bike's V-Boost system—where a butterfly valve opened at 5700 rpm allowing two carbs to feed each cylinder—but is way more sophisticated.
The '09 model has one more electro-trick. While outright top speed is governed to 137 mph, the black boxes have been programmed to recognize a dragstrip-style blast through the gears and in that case allow an extra 6 mph—but only for a quarter-mile. Taking that 143 mph as the bike's terminal speed at the strip, then, we can hazard a guess at the E.T. Heavy at a claimed 658 pounds and with a long, 66.9-inch wheelbase, hammering the V-Max off the line won't be a problem, assuming the 200mm rear tire maintains traction. Low 10-second passes should be cake; it'll be interesting to see if those 197 horses (figure 175 at the rear wheel) can overcome the bike's weight to break into the 9s.
For more Max facts and figures, check out our captioned photo gallery and a slideshow of Star's tech presentation, plus video of the 2009 V-Max being unveiled. Meanwhile, here are a few more pertinent numbers, especially if right now you're making like one of Pavlov's panting pooches:
Suggested retail price of the new bike is $17,990, but you have to pre-order. Starting today, June 4, and until October 31, Yamaha/Star dealers will be accepting $1000 deposits. That secures a V-Max when deliveries begin in late October or early November of this year. However, just 2500 units will be brought into the U.S. for the 2009 model year. After that number is reached, the order books close until next year.
