Brand new 2009 VMax

[mattness]

i didnt plan on buying a gen 2 at all!!!, i had my mind made up on a yamaha venture but the guy already sold it

but one day i got on ebay and was looking up vmax rear tires or something stupid and saw an 09 an hour and a half away from me. like 2 days later it was in my garage LOL.


i was just gonna go tire kick the guy(lol)

the whole thing was kinda surreal to me and im still kinda shell shocked. every time i see it i get a weak adrenaline rush and i have to take a deep breath to keep up with myself. its the same feeling i get when my girlfriend wakes me up in the morning when i dont expect her..

edit: my sister drew a picture of me and my girlfrayne for my birthday, ill go ahead and post it.

as you can see theres not much room on the gen 1. the gen 2 is a lot more spacious

 

[jester 42]

Mattness,

Thanks for your efforts on my behalf. Great information to assist me in my decision.

I'm not a rich man, but have done a couple of years of "prep work" for purchasing my next bike, whatever bike that may be. I could pay for the 09 in cash.
My 750 Katana would be used as a trade in; that would knock at least 25 hundred off the 09 Max price. I don't want the responsibility (license fees/insurance/maintenance/storage) associated with having 3 bikes.
The Katana would have to go; my 05 Max is NOT even a consideration as a trade in option.

My plans: After the holiday weekend is over; I wait for a nice bike ride day. Make the 50 mile run to the shop on the Katana. Have a long talk with "the man in charge". Get bottom line on what he'll offer for the Katana, and see how firm he is on his first quote on the 09. Then, take it from there.

Questions:

Opinions regarding buying extended warranty?

What "recalls" did the 09 Max have, that should be taken care of "before" I agree to a
deal?

Jester 42

P.S. The fuel issue is NOT a concern for me. I rarely do trips in excess of 300 miles.

An issue of "much concern" to me is whether the Yamaha dealership mechanics are "up to snuff", dealing with issues which may occur, "beyond routine maintenance" on a VMax??? The dealership where I'm looking has only had one VMax; the one I'm considering. What experience/training could their mechanics possibly have had dealing with a VMax ???
Their bread & butter is selling & maintaining Yamaha 4 wheelers, and dirt bikes...........

 

[Jayhawk]

Jester, FWIW, my Gen2 is still completely stock. I have yet to take a long trip on it, or even to just see how far I could go (riding like a sane person). However, based on the fuel economy I have seen on short highway runs here in the Dallas area, I'm pretty sure with a cautious right wrist you could get 120 miles out of a tank.

When my Gen2 was brand new, I don't think I got 20 mpg, though. Break in really made a difference. And, to get the best mpg, it seems like you really need to lug it around, upshifting quickly.

Anyway, good luck on your decision. unk:

 

[mattness]

the recall only affected models up to 650 or so, but they extended it into the 800s, as far as i know...

mine is 792 and it does have the ECU issue. it doesnt return to idle in certain gears. most noticeable in 2nd and fourth. some times ill be sitting at a a stop light and itll rev up to 1.3k... some days its fine

when i decelerate in 4th gear it gurgles down as it drops rpm... but when it hits 4k or so it stops gurgling and the bike accelerates!!! wtf yamaha

maybe this contributes to my terrible fuel economy /shrug

i did hear from someone that the YES warranty had a small deductible : /

really the only thing id take it in for is catastrophic engine/tranny failure.

id do everything else myself because i know id take the time to do it right.

 

[yankee in texas]

I still get a woody just thinking about my road test on that beautiful red Gen 2. It's not a matter of if but when...

 

[SpecOps13]

My test ride was on Bad Max's Gen II. I got pulled over by our Sheriff's Department while I was doing 15 miles per hour. I never got it above 35. A very good thing. The Deputy had a real Hard On for Bad Max. He really wanted to impound the bike. Good for me too, cause I don't have the Gen II fever too bad right now. But, I agree with this part of what yankee in texas mentioned, It's not a matter of if but when...

 

[Rollie]

Used '09 on the VMOA site for $ 13 K with 4 K miles on it.

 

[Bad_Max]

There's no deductible with YES, but they don't cover certain things, like plugs, oil changes etc.. Matt, you need to get your recall done. It's free and only takes a little over an hr.

 

[PATMAX]

C'mon Jester what's the hold up! Just a side note; $2,500 for a used 750 Katana? Good luck with that. Unless it has like 500 or less miles or something like that. Next post from you better include pictures of a new Gen II bike.

 

[jester 42]

$2.500.00 for the Katana may be wishful thinking?
Blue book: $2.475.00 trade/ $3,620.00 retail?
Boss at dealership offered $2,000.00 in trade, sight unseen.
A well cared for bike; new tires (Pirelli Diablos), recent tunep, less than 6,000 miles, never dropped, always garaged, no mechanical issues.
What's it worth?

I still want more information on cost of extended warranty, and am still concerned about the recall issues (ECU), and whether dealership can/will take care of that? Hopefully all questions can be answered at dealership in the coming week.
If I dropped a huge chunk-o-change on a new bike & it had issues like mattness described; I would not be a happy guy.

Jester 42

 

[gleno]

Current price for latest (red) GEN II in OZ is $32,000.00

The Oz dollar is on parity with the U.S. dollar and we are still being screwed on the RRP which hasn't changed since the GEN II was released.

You guys are VERY LUCKY.

 

[Bad_Max]

The extended warranty usually cost between $400 and $600 depending where you get it.. I paid full retail for the bike (17,900) but made them include the 5 years YES. I had it in a few times under warranty and was only ever charged for spark plugs.

The bikes that were recalled had a difference between the Throttle Position Sensor and the APS (Accel Position sensor) that was due to a poor connection. The repair is a safety issue, so it's madatory & free. They replace the harness in this area with one that has better connections and check/calibrate the associated voltages. Yamaha provides the part with a detailed set of instructions and procedures to follow. Typical time it takes varies between shops/dealers, but is usually around 2 hrs.

Reading through the tech bulletin on page 9 it instructs the yamaha techs to set the TPS 1&2 values and APS 1&2 values to something different than what is in the current service manual. It than states that the that the Service manual will be updated in the future to show the values in this bulletin.

Safety recall Tech bulletin settings.

With throttle fully closed:
a. Check the TPS signal 1 with diagnostic mode D:01. Confirm closed position value is 14-16.

B. Check the TPS signal 2 with diagnostic mode D:13. Confirm closed position value is 12-18.

c. Check APS signal 1 with diagnostic mode D:14. Confirm closed position value is 15-18.

d. Check APS signal 2 with diagnostic mode D:14. Confirm closed position value is 14-19.

If the bike is one of the specified VINs, this needs to be done to prevent erratic idle & occasional failure to decelerate properly with throttle closed.

 

[jester 42]

What I get in trade for a 5 year old Katana is not a major issue; it's not even a minor issue really.

When I read that the bike may accelerate in 4 gear when I want to decelerate; that is a "real" issue to me.

Not knowing what the bike's number is; I'll have to find out if it is one of those that was recalled. I don't know the guys at the shop where the bike is. Maybe they know about the recall, maybe they don't; maybe they've already fixed it, maybe they haven't?
I don't want to gear down from 135 mph(sooner or later it would have too), and all of a sudden the bike decides to accelerate again on it's own.

Just trying to get all my ducks in a row..............

Jester 42

 

[Jayhawk]

Jester, the failure to idle down issue was a huge deal for some guys when it started showing up. Not so much from a safety standpoint (though it does seem pretty scary hearing about it), but more from a WTF is the problem, perspective. Early on, dealers had no fricking clue what the problem was, and some of those bikes sat for weeks (or months) in service departments with techs scratching their *****.

But, once the fix was finally determined, I have yet to read about anyone having a repeat issue, nor have I read about anyone struggling to find another fix (meaning Yamaha didn't nail it down right).

Personally, I wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger on an '09 because of that issue. Lots of new bike designs have some gremlin at first, and this one was Yamaha's. It's known and fixable. Could be a lot worse, like the problem the Aprilia RSV4s had, initially, requiring a full engine replacement. :bang head:

 

[jester 42]

That is the type of information that I need to know, to decide if I am going to"pull the trigger" on the 09, or not.

My knowledge of the Gen II VMax is limited to what I've read on the internet, read on a specs sheet, and sitting on one a couple of times.
I'm not mechanically inclined; with a new bike I am basically dependent on those who are if problems occur. I'd at least like to know some of the "possible" problem areas I might encounter "up front". Obviously, Gen II owners/riders have the answers. That's why I'm here!

With my 05, I've ridden it enough to know if there are problems. If I have problems; it goes into the shop, and I go with it. It's an independent shop. Luckily, the owner has given me access to the work area. The mechanic who works on it is competent, patient, answers my questions & gives detailed explanations on the solution to the problem. So, I learn "some" by watching & listening. But the 05 is not a Gen II, so I'm starting from scratch.

If there are Gen II riders close to me; I've never seen them.
I know one Gen II was sold at a local Yamaha dealer, but according to people at the dealership it was purchased by what they describe as a "collector". It won't be ridden, but will be "on display" in his fancy garage. Even if I make the effort to find out who he is, and attempt to contact him........what's the point? The guy bought the bike as a "trophy" to display, with no intention of riding it. He polishes it & looks at it. No helpl there.

If I didn't have my 05, I wouldn't even consider purchasing a Gen II.
Anyone who buys a Gen II with no experience on a VMax is (in my opinion) either a hell of a lot better rider than me, has vast riding experience, or has a bigger pair than I do. Or maybe all 3. I look at the information I receive on this site as "Introduction to Gen II".

Finances are not my concern.
I may be wrong; but I don't think the Gen II I'm looking at is going anywhere, anytime soon.
If it does? There are others.
I'd prefer to have the information I'm seeking up front; as opposed to throwing my leg over a Gen II, with no concept of what I'm getting myself into.
Example: I knew "nothing" about the differences in clutch/throttle control on Gen II vs Gen I until I read it here.


Jester 42

 

[mattness]

There's no deductible with YES, but they don't cover certain things, like plugs, oil changes etc.. Matt, you need to get your recall done. It's free and only takes a little over an hr.

i just bought the bike so i dont have the letter to show my dealer. i need to get ahold of yammerhammer and see about getting approved

 

[mattness]

tell ya what man. ill go out to the shop with my 10mp camera and take pictures of everything you wanna see. and upload em here

 

[mattness]

first pic is showing the gen 1 useable seat width.
2nd pic is the gen 2s useable seat width - notice the red stiching - there is also red in the paint that is ONLY visible in the sun, in person.
pic 3 is clutch lever, it is adjustable
4th is heads up display
5th is tach when you turn the key with the shift light going off
6th is width of grip
7th is sideview of rear wheel
8th is right side passenger peg with a compression dampener. note how small the passenger pegs are.
9th is the front wheel (duh) note how the fender and guards are all attached, anyone who does their own tire changes will appreciate this!!
10th is a fork tube - almost all suspension setting are hand adjustable
11th is your fuel cell, its designed so that if you overfill, it falls back in.
12th compare to 13 for size of bike
13th compare to 12 for size of bike

 

[mattness]

i measured the distance from the seat to the pegs and the gen 1 is actually around 2 inches longer... BUT the seat isnt as wide, so you actually have LESS leg room. whereas the gen 2 seat is so much wider you have MORE leg room. the gen 1 seat is poorly formed and rounds off too soon, all of your wait is on like a 5 inch patch. whereas the gen 2 seat is flat and it is made out of memory foam or something. it is 1 googlebillion times more comfortable.

the passenger has a lot more leg room on the gen 1 and the pegs are more comfortable on the gen 1 also... kind of... they have more room on the gen 2 to scoot around.. so i bet its close.


i was kinda sad to see parts bin pegs on this 20k dollar bike
but oh well.