2009 Star V-Max Review/Test

[Administrator]

Original Article:
2009 Star V-Max Review/Test

Please discuss the Motorcycle.com article 2009 Star V-Max Review/Test in our Motorcycle Forums below. Use the reply button to let others know your comments or feedback on the article. Constructive criticism is always appreciated, along with your thoughts and personal opinions on the bikes and products we have tested.

[giganto]

As a little kid who fell in love with Yam dirt bikes, then owned a 500cc 2 stroke 2 shock Dirt Beast of the aforementioned flavor at 13 yrs old(as a first bike that i actually owned), and perhaps no taller/stronger than a breadbox- ive got lots of silly irrational love for Giant Heavy Turn-The-Earth-Powerful Yamahoohas. Love all the worlds various motos, but Yamaha is the sentimental Japanese favorite, so:
..when i first heard the new Max would really cast a shadow, my kneejerk thoughts were that-
It would not beat the B King. Period.
Consider the liter bike arms race.
How delicious to see the Bumblebee go well over the top.
As already noted, points for the 2.oh version of what was Yamaha's own weirdness to begin with.
I dont love the whole design, never have, but now i lust for the Big Drag Thing because of the power...
Still cant wait for an Earth Pounding Comparo.
Nice review Mr D., and now back to the drawing board for promoting $20,000 to sprout from the ground in my new backyard.

[giganto]

..erm, where is everyone?
C'mon, a 1 ton, distinctive, polarizing 180 hp..um, motorcycle?
Did certain other MO employees snapping photos and shooting video get to throw a leg over the thing?
When the 2 wheeled going gets weird(and reviewed), the weirder consumers want the pros. always going.
Again, thanks for the write-up on the New Godzilla.
How long before this kind of machine is verboten?

[fonzie]

Originally Posted by giganto

... my kneejerk thoughts were that-
It would not beat the B King. Period..

Such a sentimental Yamaha fan should never doubt the VMAX!

Having swung my leg over the beast for a very quick 15 miles, I have to worry about riders with such wavering loyalty.. It'll rip your arms off!

Honestly, I'm happy there's ABS brakes on the new VMAX!

[longride]

This is still a pretty cool bike, but one that is certainly limited by the price and layout. 4 gallon gas tank still? Didn't they learn from the first Max? Even Harley added gas capacity to the V-Rod. I have one question for anyone that can answer it. Why is it that the Japanese can totally redesign a sport bike and it will be 200 bucks more than the previous model, yet the redesign of the Max is a whopping 7 grand more than the original? Anyone? This bike should retail for about 12 to 14 grand tops.

[BrowningBAR]

I think the reason no one is responding is because all of the images are broken links and the video doesn't load.

And I've tried it on Explorer, FireFox, and Safari.

[BrowningBAR]

Originally Posted by longride

This is still a pretty cool bike, but one that is certainly limited by the price and layout. 4 gallon gas tank still? Didn't they learn from the first Max? Even Harley added gas capacity to the V-Rod. I have one question for anyone that can answer it. Why is it that the Japanese can totally redesign a sport bike and it will be 200 bucks more than the previous model, yet the redesign of the Max is a whopping 7 grand more than the original? Anyone? This bike should retail for about 12 to 14 grand tops.

Because the cruiser market allows for it. Well, at least it appears to allow for it. We have gotten to the point where 18 grand for a cruiser is not eye-popping. Do I think it's justified? No. And two things will happen; 1, they will drop the price when they stop the limited quantity run or 2, they will drop the bike from their line-up and blame poor market interest in the bike (which seems to be the quick escape for all poorly priced models).

If I recall correctly, wasn't the first V-Rods MSRPed at about 18 grand also. Now the "basic" model starts at about $14.5.

[anrajala]

Rear wheel spinning corner exits? That's for pussies. I've had couple of dramatic front and rear wheel spinning corner exits.

- cruiz-euro

[anrajala]

>Still cant wait for an Earth Pounding Comparo.

This is what I am waiting for too. V-Max, B-King and what else? I think the aptly named Vrod Muscle would complement nicely. Should there be any performance tests it could be used as the camera stand.

- cruiz-euro

[longride]

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