2009 Yamaha V-Max may get more than 200bhp

I have a 2004 vmax with a stage 7 jet kit and 4 mikunas and Kerker pipes.A very fast bike I may say.I am waiting to see the new Vmax so I can buy one.When will they be in Ct.???

Not very impressed with the 2009 V-max. Yamaha has missed the mark and is selling in the same bracket as the V-Rod and Victory Hammer SS.

Nice that they have an 18 inch tire set up, kind of like catching up with the times and the V-rod as well.

Yamaha also did not listen or really look at what the general V-maxers have done to their bikes and try to incorporate these changes into this new bike.

Where is the variable V-boost controller, the auxillary fuel system or larger fuel tank, better driving light system, multi-stage rear suspension to list a few.

Those are good points Lucas. I'd like to seen them reinterpret the VMax into a more functional design, one capable of tackling corners or long trips as well as it'll handle stoplight-to-stoplight.

I guess they saw retro car designs made on the cheap — the Mustang, Camaro and Challenger — and decided to cash in on the style over function thing.

Make sure you check out our post on the 2009 VMax unveiling, it's got all the official specs and whatnot.

Wes

No matter what Yamaha does as far as power, it will not be a V max unless you get off it feeling like you just took a dare and alllllllllllmost regret it!

The new 2009 Yamaha v-max is a bit of a let down.
Just 1679cc, they could have upped the stroke and made it into a 2 ltre.
Calling the bike The V-Max 2.(The figure 2 being the size of a 'squared' 2)
As in the second V-max AND 2 ltres.
As it is Yamaha have whimped out with only it's styling and this claimed 0-60 figure that is so wonderfull.
With just under 200hp and the power sapping of a shaft drive,(great though that it still has one)it may not be much faster than the current crop of tire burners.
Not even 1800cc let alone 2 ltre what a let down.
I don't believe Claims that it made 290hp in tests.
Nice bike though,especially the LOOKS of the engine, real nice that, but after all that wait, could have been better in the cc area.

Wow,Fantastic if you want a motorcyle and not a mouse.Get this.Yamaha wanted to show muscle and they sure did.If you dont want a beast and if you cant handle it please stop by your other local bike shops.Thanks great job Yamaha.

How does it compair to the suzuki GSR1300

A buck fifty buys ya a fresh cup of coffee so take this for what it's worth but I must confess, I don't get any of this "they didn't" stuff. They raised the engine by a "mere" 500cc and 50 horsepower. Shoot I remember when the 750 four first came out and I thought that was massive,then the original Max came out and it was better than Viagra! Now a complaint because it's not 2000 ccs? It's got combustion chambers that change length so basically the vboost is always on. The rear is mono shock. The lighting system has been completely redone. Everything is chip controlled for high performance. The Vrod is barely over 1/2 the horsepower and not even in the same league as this bike, they had to add a cheater bottle to get even close to this. Comparing it or the Victory to a 1700 V4 is crazy. The basic styling (exposed frame with under seat tank) and name of the VRod are blatent cops of the Max. Yamaha isn't joining anything in my book. They invented the look! My 1985 PCW1260 with stage 7 kit will eat either of those 2 bikes and I've done it. I've spent thousands over the years building a custom Max that this new one will shred. Get some one who knows how to tweak the chip set in this and It will torch pavement to cinder. Pro stock drag cars that do 4 and 5 sec 1/4 mile times all use a drive shaft and seem to do fine with the power sucking. Maybe I'm easily impressed but I think this is one awesome production machine worth every penny of the price. Would I have done a few thing different? Sure, but it says STAR in the title not Lovett. (the whole idea of making it a STAR instead of a Yamaha is my biggest beef to be honest.) It looks awesome and hopefully they make it for more than one production run so I can scrounge the coin. MY thanks to Yamaha for keeping the coolest bike ever made alive and kicking. Please don't make us wait another 20+ years for version 3!

I am a thirty year rider who mainly rides Harleys these days. But although I am an "old school" Harley rider and not one of the new crop of yuppies, I never was into the "if it ain't a Harley..." stuff if you know what I mean. I love motorcycles! And I've owned many different makes. My current bike is a 2001 FXSTS (Softail Springer). Even though it is ridden all the time, it is like a show bike. It gets CRAZY attention wherever I go. It's not your yuppie midlife crisis bike with $10,000 worth of genuine Harley accessories bolted on by the dealer before it ever hit the street. Nope, not this one. I'll have to post a picture so you can get the idea. It's beautiful and unique. I'm not rich or wealthy or even comfortable -I just spend all my money on bikes! I know this yuppied doctor guy with seven Harleys - one for every day of the week he says. He just went out and bought some new cookie cutter chopper (as I call them) with 20" ape hangers for something like $35,000. He went riding with us once and everything was falling off of the bike and the bars would not stay put. The idiots put 20" ANYWAY my reason for posting is because I've been thinking of selling it to buy a new V-Max. You see I'm just not excited by my Hog's limited horsepower. I need some speed! And considering that the Harley biker brotherhood has devolved into everything that we started riding Harleys as the antithesis for in the first place

Hey, I have been riding 30 years and mainly ride Harleys these days. However I am an "old school" Harley rider and not one of the new crop of yuppies, and I was never into the "if it ain't a Harley..." stuff. I love all motorcycles and have owned many different makes. My current is a 2001 FXSTS (Softail Springer). Even though it is ridden all the time, it's like a show bike. It gets CRAZY attention wherever I go. It's not a "yuppie midlife crisis bike" with $10,000 worth of genuine Harley accessories bolted on by the dealer. I'll have to post a picture so you can get the idea. It's 1 of a kind. Now I'm not rich or even comfortable -I just spend all my money on bikes! I wish that I could afford more than one bike but I cannot. ANYWAY my reason for posting is because I've been thinking of selling it to buy a new VMax. I'm just not excited by my Hog's limited horsepower. And I like hi-tech, which a Hog certainly isn't. Also, the Harley biker brotherhood has devolved into everything that we started riding Harleys in opposition of in the first place, so that aspect of it is slipping away fast. And I made the bike so nice that I ride less now. I made it TOO nice for the street. But I'm wondering about the street price of the VMax. $18,000 is too much. I'd like to pay about $13,000 for it. What do you think? I'm not impressed by the styling either. I was hoping for some really high tech or wild stuff (like the Honda Rune, another bike I'm considering - I'm also waiting to see Kaw and Suz responses to the new VMax) but the new VMax looks a lot like the old one. That may be good on Harleys but not VMax's! Finally, I read that the HP may be restricted from around 195 to perhaps 150. Now 150 is certainly a lot, but if I'm paying for it I decide, not them. I want all of the HP. I read that the original ones were restricted too, but that could be disabled. If the new bike has a restriction will I be able to un-restrict it? Heck I was thinking of putting a supercharger on it, not restricting HP!!! Thanks!

oops sorry for the double post there, the first one was rejected for too many characters but it seems to have posted part of it anyway. I used up my characters trying to describe that doctor's $35,000 chopper with the parts falling of everywhere and the slipping bars - what I was about to say when I got cut off was that the supposed custom bike builder who built, or more accurately assembled, the bike put 20" ape hangers on it that were not knurled. It's lucky the guy didn't get killed. You can't put 12" apes on unmodified billet risers without some slippage, much less 20". I run 13" bars but I modify my risers so that they never slip. However knurled bars are a necessity with tall bars regardless. And 20" non-knurled bars on billet risers? That's a recipe for disaster!

Sorry too for getting off-topic but I had left that message hanging and I could not delete it.

But since I am here I did forget to ask you all a question, and that is what the touring capabilities of the new VMax would be. I've customized my bike so much that I cannot even get bags on anymore (upswept fishtails on the right, old Cadillac taillight/license mount on the left). I travel light, but that makes it very light! Everything is tied either to the bars or a small sissy bar. I manage, but for travelling long distances a couple of hard shell bags with touring pack sound very appealing to me these days as I get older and seem to need to carry more stuff. Aging blows, I remember when I carried NOTHING - I slept where I fell!