V-Max

[jkgrubbs]

Thinking about a V-Max, it has been in production for a loooonnnng time, spares should be plentiful, any opinions/experiences out there? MadMax has been around and supported by the factory for a while.....

[buffalo]

Mr MAX has been my dream bike for a long time... I just never came up with the right deal when I could afford it.
I test rode one of the early ones back in the 80's, rear tire broke loose in 3rd gear when the V-boost kicked in, 90 mph wheelies, what a rush! The dealer I was at at the time was a performance oriented shop, he was pretty down on the V-Max saying that the braking and handling were not up to the power. He tried to steer me more toward a big bore sport bike, better handling and brakes almost the same power output. I wound up going that route.
To make a long story short(er), the V-Max is much better than an XS11 in handling and brakes, even the early ones, so if you are comfortable with an XS you shouldn't have any problems. You just need to learn the bike, what it likes and doesn't, what it will do and won't. I'm sure the later ones are even much better in that department. I have never had the pleasure of riding a later one, the dealers around here don't stock them, and used ones are few.
There is a good site at http://vmaxoutlaw.com/main.html ,they have a lot of tech info and a good chronology of the changes over the years.
The only down side I am aware of is that you NEED a big, soft, sticky tire on the rear, they aren't cheap, and they don't last long, depending on driving habits ( why would you have a bike like that if you aren't going to yank on it once in a while?), cruising mileage isn't that great either, (keep the XS for trips).
Good luck in your search.

[Mike Hart]

speaking of good luck on a search...

searched this forum (other bike disc) for posts containing VMax V-Max Vmax and got 33 hits

http://www.xs11.com/forum/search.php...der=descending

[strom]

V-max.... good looking, but too small gas tank (12 or so l), guzzles up too much gas, goes thru tires, pads etc. too fast etc...

Take the kawa ZZR 1100 for example... bout the same HP, drinks bout 5l/100km (bout 50mpg) on longer distances, regardless of speed... and you cant cruise on a Vmax at 280 kmh (180mph). OK, 150mph is still comfy, not to mention the 24 (or is it 26) l gas tank and a nice fairing to hinde behind.
ZZR 1200 has more torque in lower revs but top speed is a bit lower and the price higher. Not a V engine tho
I like the 80s yammie ventures tho.
OK, back to the muscle looking thingies.... vmax... the frame is too weak... but it can be modded.

LP

[jkgrubbs]

Thanks for the input guys, but it all comes down to the deal, if the deal wortks out. I like the Kawa, Strom, one one my wants (of many) is shaft drive. I guess I'll shop some more...