You are correct that it takes $$$ to bring a Gen 1 up to the standard of the Gen 2, but it can be done for $18k counting purchase of a 90's vintage. My take is that I have upgraded my Gen 1 to do what I want and to have a Max that is unlike the one next door so to speak. I would bet that 90% of those who, like myself, have put a lot of time, money, and effort into our bikes have no intent to sell regardless of price.
I agree with the never selling, I have $20,000 in a bike I only paid $5200 for.
Stupid? maybe, but to me it aint any different than dumping money on vacations and holidays except I get a continual return out of it in pleasure.
As for bringing a gen 1 up to gen 2 standards?
Can't be done, I've ridden the the new one (see my demo rides post) and you will never get an old max to handle, stop, or corner like the new one no matter how much money you spend because of the frame the old one is wrapped in.
My bike is the best handling old vmax I have ever ridden, except for upside down front I've done everything that can be done to make it right that I know to do, I love the shit out of it in the twisties.....
But in all honesty the 20 mile test ride on the new Vmax showed me that it'd be about the same challenge as making an old vmax handle as well as a Busa........
As for making an old one as fast as the new one?
...thats not going to happen either on a streetable, reliable bike without forced induction........and we all know how expensive and unreliable that has proven to be... ....
I've ridden a couple of Vmaxes here locally that ran the PCW 1500 engines with Flatslides on which I personally saw the dyno sheet where they were putting 170-172RWHP down,.......
My perception, having ridden both, is that they won't even come close to holding a candle to this new bike........especially not when reliability is taken into consideration......
I too am dissapointed at the weight of the thing, but once you throw a leg over it you'd never know it weighs what it does, it's light years lighter "feeling" than the old one.......The torque this thing has is just unbelievable......
I'm all for modding the hell out of the Max, but after riding the new one, I do not think the asking price is too much for a new bike with what it offers...
And like it or not, there IS a premium being charged for the "Vmax Mystique"....
otherwise they could have wrapped it in a Busa like clothing, called it a R17, and charged $13500.00 for it.....
But no one would look twice at it, gather around, or talk about how effin cool it was, and there is a premium for that, especially when it's packaged with this kind of performance...
Crap; H-D charges a premium just for the image alone and doesn't even bother to throw in any performance, so who's the bigger sucker out there........
And while were on the subject, I can't believe these hotshit vendors, and I mean ALL the usual suspects, didn't order one immediately, because like it not, it's coming and they are going to have to service this segment, or suck hind tit when a brand new vendor comes along for the Gen 2 market alone.
Nor can I believe the vendor dissed it in "the over the top" degree before over throwing a leg over it........
In terms of pure performance of course it's not the best bang for the buck, measured by those terms of shear performance versus the dollor the Busa and ZX14 or the ONLY two candidates in that category....
My geuss is that those that think the Max isn't worth the money are those who are more hooked on performance than they are the Vmax name, and willing to go elsewhere to get that performance if it can be had cheaper,,,
Those (like me) that think it's worth every penny are more probably more hooked on the fact that it a Vmax and simply glad it didn't embarras us with the performance numbers...
....and trust me, it won't, with the torque it has, stoplight to stoplight it's going to be a monster, I wasn't kidding when I said it'll light up the rear tire even at 50mph if you really ask it too...
