2009 Star V-Max Review/Test

[longride]

So who is actually buying one? Anyone?

[seruzawa]

Originally Posted by longride

So who is actually buying one? Anyone?

They will as soon as they finish buying those Rotax/Buells.

[12er]

I'll get a 1125 and a vmax just as soon as I refi my house. Oh wait, Ive lost 200k in equity in 6 months. Nevermind...

[rmsvmax]

There are more questions than answers with this new MAX, and somebody is out there feeding us BS and fluff...

(The scoops were NEVER plastic...and neither were the side covers...where did THAT ridiculous BS come from???)

Here's some HARD questions:

WHY is the bike over 50 lbs. heavier then the old one, when it has a 'new' AL frame with no downtubes, (trickle-down tech from the Warrior-NOT new...)
lightweight wheels and radial tires, instead of the heavy cast wheels/large sidewal bias ply tires...WHY?

WHY is there a speed limiter on the bike, that will allow the kid down the street on his new 600 sportbike to wave at you as he breezes by on the top end...WHY?

WHY is it priced ridiculously, when the B-King,

(which WILL give it more than a run for it's money,)

(MARK MY WORDS on this one, and it pains me greatly to say it...I am a VMAX 'junkie' from WAAAY back...)

IS 2/3 THE PRICE!!! WHY???

Don't try & feed me the "technology costs money" CRAP that Yamaha has been doling out either...
The B-King has a TON of tech in that 08 'Busa motor,
to keep it at the top of the speed hill,
AND OVER 100 lbs. LIGHTER

(can U say power to weight ADVANTAGE to the 'King'...)

and they aren't trying to GOUGE THEIR customers...

When I can get a B-King, and have enough left over for a clean used 'Busa, the choice is CLEAR.

Words cannot describe how this all PAINS me...I am a V4 fan to the end, and the MAX is at the top of that 'food chain'...
Business has been GREAT here at RMSportMax,

(a BIG THANX to the folks at YAM for that...)

as a host of customers are now voting with their wallet,
and spending the money on their 'Classic MAX', instead of spending STUPID money for the 'New MAX'...

(Remember what happened with Coca-Cola...Hmmm...)

The Emperor does NOT have new clothes...

He is FATTER, he is SLOWER, and he is just TOO rich...

Long live the King!

(or at least until Yamaha gets a clue...and prices this where it belongs...until they do, this is simply the second coming of the Rune...GREAT bike, PRICED STUPID.)

(Don't these folks across the pond, or their employees over here, pay any attention to the MISTAKES their compatriots make...??? THEY SHOULD. Sure would save ALOT of egg Foo Yung on face...LOL)

I don't know how many of these actually HAVE been pre-sold,

(and to believe the 'rumor mill' that Yamaha feeds from its' 'backdoor' is just plain FOOLISH...)

but each and every buyer who puts a deposit down, is only convincing YAM they were RIGHT, and, in the long run, doing a grave disservice to their fellow MAXers, who have waited MUCH TOO LONG for a viable successor, and now get this SLAP IN THE FACE for their time, trouble and long-standing patience...

MAXers, SAVE YOUR HARD-EARNED $$$, and when YAM WAKES UP and realizes their mistake, THEN GO BUY ONE,...AT WHAT IT SHOULD HAVE PRICED AT IN THE 1ST PLACE!!!

John
RMSportMax

[rmsvmax]

PS. I sat in the dinner meeting with YAM, at Mad Max's in CT more than 5 years ago, and FOUGHT for a belt-drive on the 'New MAX'... I came prepared, with a 'laundry list' of reasons why it should be...and NO ONE ELSE said a word.

Those of you who didn't fight for that change, can only thank yourselves that it's not lighter/handles better...

REMEMBER the price discussion...???

It was a long discussion, rather HEATED, and THAT was when they were throwing out the 13-15K price #s!!!

It's pretty clear now what Yamaha/Star really thinks of MAXers,
and it is an AFFRONT and an INSULT.

OH WELL...Time to VOTE, folks...with your pocketbook.

[Kevin_Duke]

Wow, somebody's Cheerios got peed in today! A V-Four costs more money to build and is heavier than an inline-Four. Check out the VF800 for reference. A B-King also doesn't have shaft drive, which adds more weight.

When you build a motor 40% bigger than the older one, the bike it's in is going to get heavier.

Technology does, in fact, cost money. An aluminum frame costs more than a steel frame, and a CF-cast subframe costs more than a typical cast-aluminum frame. YCC-I costs more than a standard intake. Fully adjustable suspension costs more than non-adjustable. Anti-lock brakes cost more and weigh more.

That said, I think the Max's MSRP is a bit too high. However, Yamaha's method of selling them should ensure decent resale prices.

Finally, thanks for the fact check on the material of the old Max's faux intake scoops. My bad. The new ones look so much better I assumed the old non-functional ones were just plastic covers. I stand corrected, and the text will soon be,too!

[laidbak]

Well I suspect in the growing world of motorcycles 2500 units doesnt sound like that much to sell, there are enough moneyed folk out there that will add one on these to their stable for no other reason than they love bikes, like the specs, and can afford it.

I personally wouldnt mind someting akin to this to complement my repli-racer but frankly that price buys me another 2 streetbikes. I dunno, I'm sold on the powerplant but not sold on the looks overall. I suspect I need to see one in person and hopefully have a sit, I do appreciate that it's a big bike as I'm a big guy and all the fun sport bikes seem to be getting smaller...Hmm...where to find a money tree??

I tell ya what I did like the sound of..the 26K miles between valve check service, as someone that puts decent mileage on a bike every year a longer service interval sounds great. What are the service intervals generally?

Ahh, knew not going to college and becoming a surgeon would be something I'd regret, ahh for the money to feed my motorcyle lust..

[anrajala]

I see your point. However, if you look from the other angle, the manufacturer's one, the picture looks different. If you are going to make all-new kick-ass bike and planning to sell only 2,500 units how is the price going to look like? Its got to be expensive.

- cruiz-euro

[Techmaven]

The old bike had Aluminum scoops also...NOT plastic! (Although they were fake

[Kevin_Duke]

Originally Posted by Techmaven

The old bike had Aluminum scoops also...NOT plastic! (Although they were fake

Please see my previous post. Thanks for reading!