2009 Star V-Max Review/Test

[longride]

If the cruiser market really allowed for that price, they would be making a hell of a lot more than 2500 bikes! Obviously something is amiss here.

[BrowningBAR]

Originally Posted by longride

Hey Duke, is that a misprint, or is this bike really electronically speed limited to 136.7 mph?

I don't think it is considering the paragraph it is in:

"Electronic intervention comes into play once 220 kph (136.7 mph) is reached, as this is the Max's top-speed limiter. However, to not handcuff dragstrip performance, the limiter is lifted to a 230-kph (142.9 mph) threshold when a quarter-mile acceleration run is sensed! For what it's worth, I saw 145 mph on the speedo before I ran out of open road."

[seruzawa]

Originally Posted by BrowningBAR

I don't think it is considering the paragraph it is in:

"Electronic intervention comes into play once 220 kph (136.7 mph) is reached, as this is the Max's top-speed limiter. However, to not handcuff dragstrip performance, the limiter is lifted to a 230-kph (142.9 mph) threshold when a quarter-mile acceleration run is sensed! For what it's worth, I saw 145 mph on the speedo before I ran out of open road."

136.7mph huh? That's great. I can ride one back and forth on I-80 now thumbing my nose at the UHP without worrying about exceeding the 150mph impoundment speed. I better get me one of them!

[Kevin_Duke]

Originally Posted by longride

Hey Duke, is that a misprint, or is this bike really electronically speed limited to 136.7 mph?

No misprint, LR. Of course, since I saw 145 on the speedo, the implication is that it's a bit optimistic at high speeds.

[acecycleins]

Kev- My cousin owned a 93 Max that could routinely turn 220ft burn outs coming out of 3rd gear. How far did you light up the tires? I know you had to know for yourself.

[Kenneth_Moore]

Some thoughts about the price:

The original VMax ran some 20 years. That means that the cost of production (tooling, engineering, etc.) was paid off many years ago. Incremental cost increases should be expected in this scenario, and it's not surprising that a completely re-engineered model is going to cost substantially more than the previous version. The V-Rod did not compete on price with Harley's previous performance bike, the Sportster.

The bike is being produced in limited numbers. Apparently, they are going to only build to order. That's a drastically different pricing model versus producing thousands and thousands of R1s and R6s. The VMax cult guys are going to sell their moms to buy this bike.

Yamaha is probably going to open a whole new market with this bike, just like they did with the original. There are a lot of motorcycle buyers who consider $18k chump change; especially for a limited production bike (with special badging and stuff)! I wish I was in that catagory...

Building on the theme of appealing to a high-end buyer, did you notice the $1000 carbon fiber intake trim? I can easily see $50-100K custom versions of this bike in the near future. People would not buy this bike because it's cheaper than a B-King.

Is the price "fair?" A lot of people think $18k for a Harley is an utter outrage; I used to talk to them daily when I was selling bikes. But HD sold a lot of bikes at that price, and there were a lot of repeat buyers. What is the value of an iconic (an appropriate title in this case, as opposed to the last time it was used here), limited-edition, paradigm-shifting market-defining hyphen-hyphened motorcycle? Apparently about $18k.

[Kevin_Duke]

Originally Posted by acecycleins

Kev- My cousin owned a 93 Max that could routinely turn 220ft burn outs coming out of 3rd gear. How far did you light up the tires? I know you had to know for yourself.

I never measured the dark lines I so enjoyed painting on the roads, but rest assured, anything the old VMax could do, the new one can do it at least 40% better! Getting third-gear rubber is not a problem.

[Kevin_Duke]

Originally Posted by Kenneth_Moore

Yamaha is probably going to open a whole new market with this bike, just like they did with the original. There are a lot of motorcycle buyers who consider $18k chump change; especially for a limited production bike (with special badging and stuff)! I wish I was in that catagory...

Good points, all, KM. My fave is above. Note that Star invited reps from Two Wheel Tuner and Super Streetbike magazines to the launch. The new VMax is sure to get attention from the guys who are tired of turning out yet another custom 'Busa.

[BrowningBAR]

The 1985 version cost $5800 out-the-door at MSRP. The 2007 VMax (last year of production) MSRP was $11,199.

[acecycleins]

This bike at $18k is nothing for the tourbike set. 2500 first run is a teaser. They are marketing them like they did the FJR. The good is that you never have overstock. The bad is demand will keep the prices high- even for used models. If your average B-King is $12k and your average MV F41078 is $24k then selling a land rocket for $18k should be a piece of cake.