Yamaha Vmax Review

Before the Night-rod, Rocket 3 and Diavel, there was a monster, a beast, a formidable foe. It was so impressive that The Ghost Rider Spirit of Himself rode this bike. It is the Vmax by Yamaha. The Yamaha Vmax came out in 1985. What we see today is the 2009 iteration to it with mods done at every interval to keep it updated with the current electronics and specifications. Know for its 70 degree V4 engine that shoots like a rocket is what the Vmax is all about. Honestly this is one of the best looking cruisers too. For the year 2017, let’s have a look at what Yamaha have bundled into the new models.

Yamaha Vmax Price

The Yamaha Vmax indeed has a very steep price. You could get some luxury cars or you need to be Ghost rider to just go grab one.

Yamaha Vmax Top Speed

Yamaha claims a top speed of 220 km/l. That is fast and it is even faster how it gets there. As mentioned above, this is a stylish Rocket. These kind of speeds are quite fast for a cruiser.

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Yamaha Vmax Dimensions

Being one of the first sports cruisers the, dimensions states so rather easily. The low seat height of 775 mm is typical cruiser like but the high ground clearance of 140mm is not and neither is the width of just 820 mm. What is vintage cruiser like is the 310 kgs weight and when two Vmax’s are put together, would make a Renault Kwid. Even the 1700 mm is one of the longest wheelbases I have seen.

Yamaha Vmax Design

As usual this Yamaha has style all over it. I have not found a person YET who has not liked the design of the Vmax. The teardrop headlamp has a chrome ring around it with a LED right at the top-centre. The is not like the fake steel ring you find on the R.E.  And just above that is the Instrument cluster which is a mixture of analogue and digital display. Exhibiting the premium feel that too has chrome along with more of chrome on the mirrors. The mudguard is dual tone consisting of black and chrome. This is for me the first time I have seen two radiator grills on a bike.

That is how much heat the V4 engines create. They too have chrome case on each side. The long chrome exhaust flows on either side. No wonder this bike was used for as the Ghost Rider bike, the exhaust spitting flames on each side. Now that is a whole new level of sexy. There are similar scoops on the tank that are again chrome and look like air intakes, those too were used as flame throwers. The rider’s seat has a nice raise towards the back and can work like a small back support. Unfortunately the pillion seat is not too big but has decent cushion. But have you heard of Mrs Ghost rider?

The answer is no. Below the rider’s seat is a panel which is chrome yet again and has the Vmax badging on it. The tail piece has a nice curve and the LED tail lamp is indicators are rather simple. The rear look is all because of the twin pod dual exhaust. This is one of the rare shaft driven bike. It does not have a chain.

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Yamaha Vmax Colours

Well there are no colour options here. The Vmax comes in Black. This is the colour that best suits this bike.

Yamaha Vmax Specifications

True to its name everythings here is max. Figures like 197bhp and 166 Nm torque is what you would find on high end cars now a days. I would find it freaky to utilize all the power from this bike. A 0-100 under 3 sec is mind numbing. I would be in a haze after that run. It is surprising that despite the performance figures this bike is only a 5-speed gearbox. So Now I can say it is not always about gear but how the company engineers to deliver it. Yamaha, you never fail to amaze me. The V4 engine itself rare and the only other two bikes to have it as what I know is the Aprilia RSV4 and its naked sibling.

Yamaha Vmax Mileage

Well if you felt the Vmax runs on the Spirit of Vengeance you are wrong. This bike does need fuel. Yamaha claims an efficiency of 14 km/l. With the kind of specs we saw I am surprised that the bike even manages 14km/l. Considering the 14 litre tank this bike can do an easy 200 km run before thirsting for fuel.

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Yamaha Ride and Handling

Well this ain’t your typical cruiser. As I mentioned at the start this is a power cruiser or a performance cruiser, however you would like to put it. It is a monster on straight roads and considering the good 140 mm ground clearance can even take corners to some extent (some extent). Its 310 kg weight is not easy to throw around but Yamaha have balanced the bike so well that you don’t feel you are riding a heavy cruiser. It feels more like street bike.

The seat is soft and so is the suspension. If I were to say the ride is super plush it would be an understatement of an understatement. Unfortunately the brakes do not match the bike. Not that they are bad, they are actually quite good but the bike is way more too powerful. In U.S or U.K may be they would be ideal but in India our traffic sense is far from being close to civilized, panic situations can give you a near death experience.

The bike is excellent but not for amateurs who cannot handle power. Though I would love to be seens on this bike but it is not my cup of tea or coffee or even hot chocolate. All said and done excellent engineering by Yamaha. 

Verdict

The bike is outstanding beyond limit and I could only dream of owning one. I mean come on, who wouldn’t like to be the Ghost Rider. The bike ticks all the boxes except for the price as let’s say one of the bikes it competes with the Ducati Diavel is at half the cost of the Vmax and similar performance. No Doubt the Yamaha Vmax is a piece of engineered art and that is shown in every aspect of the bike. Yamaha please make it ckd, for poor folks like me to own one.