Return of the V Max

Here it is, the long awaited next gen. V Max. Fans of the bike have been waiting decades for a new Max and after 23 long years of the first generation the second has finally arrived. And from the looks of things it's the same only more. Now I'm a fan of the original V Max. As a general rule I don't much care for Japanese cruisers (cruisers in general aren't exactly my bag) especially early examples. The V Max, on the other hand, is an entirely different animal. It definitely wasn't a pretty bike, even in it's day when most bikes were usually ugly. With it's strange bulges and tacky "V boost" intake the bike was like a cartoon. What the bike did do though, was perform. The original V Max was one of the fastest bikes in it's day. Not only was it fast but it was fast and a cruiser. You'd assume anything that goes this fast would be covered in plastic and the rider would have to curl up into the fetal position to ride, but not the V Max. The V Max was like a knock off Harley, that would knock off a Honda on the twisty back roads. This is why I like the bike despite it's over the top looks. Apparently many others like the bike (presumably for the same reason) because it has been around so long.

Yesterday we finally got to see what Yamaha has been working on all these years. Now following up a smash hit is never easy. Change it too much and the loyal fans will complain, too little and people will loose interest. From the pictures Yamaha released it looks as though they've kept the original recipe for the V Max, and amplified it by about 25%. Everything looks bigger and more bulky. The overall shape of the bike is strange with a low seat and a high tank. The bike retains it's goofy rear fender/seat combo, as well as the cheesy fuel tank cover, and now features a funky new muffler.

Personally I was hoping for a restyle that would clean up the V Max. Make it look more modern and tasteful. Yes this may have resulted in a more bland looking motorcycle. And in a world full of cookie cutter motorcycles the V Max stands out like "special" brownie. But the strange looks have alway made me forget about the Max. Sure it has a sorts of power and a bad ass stance, but what kind of bad ass has a swooshy silver intake? It looks like Yamaha is doing what Kawasaki is doing with their 20 year old models (KLR, Concours, Ninja 250) taking one different looking design and update it to another different looking design.