Yesterday I decided to pull-out an old magazine I haven't read in probably close to 25 years. It is a 'special' publication to me because it has two of my current bukes in it. It's "bike," a U.K. publication from Feb. 1987. The feature article is about the recently-released 1987 FZR 1000 w/several sidebars and mentions throughout the magazine about the FZR 750 and FZR 1000. They like the bike-a lot. Me too.
Now, the cool thing is they also have an article on open-class big-bore streetbikes. Who is mentioned? Well would you think the VMax falls into that class? It does, and it is in the article, along w/the main competition of the day for the new FZR 1000, the GSXR 1000. Kawasaki is represented by a GPZ1000RX. The article is entitled, "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." From the article: "our plan was simple: find the world's quickest-accelerating production motorcycle."
Results?
They did a 1/4 mi dragstrip test. All bikes were stone stock. The GSXR broke into the 10's 10.87/127.3 mph. It was the only bike to break into the 10's.
The VMax did 11.5/123.3 mph & backed that up w/an identical e.t. The Kawi did 11.31/124.9 mph. So, this round went to the Suzuki GSXR 1100.
The second speed test was a 1/4 mi acceleration test, hit the start lights at exactly 50 mph and wack the throttle open in top gear. No drag racing skill, just 'who's got the midrange?' At the end of a 1/4 mi., record e.t. and terminal speed. The GPZ1000RX was hampered in that it has a 6 speed tranny. Its performance: 12.11/103.9 mph. Next was the GSXR1000 which did 10.85/114.7 mph which was quickest they had ever achieved on a stock production bike in their annals of running this measure. The GSXR's performance was so-superior, it beat the GPZ1000RX when the Kawi was run in fifth gear!
And that's it. The Suzuki is the King of Acceleration.
What, What's that? "We left out one of the competitors?" Well send that tester back to the strip and get that missing bike done!
The VMax was up. This was an import from the USA so it was a 143 hp version, not some 'watered-down' U.K. version. The first lights were passed at 50 mph, and wack that throttle open! What does she have, mates?
What she had was 10.57/115.1 mph, better than the GSXR1100, which had just set a magazine record for all stock bikes tested to that point. The VBoost cranked-out a quarter-second advantage over the shortlived King of the Roll-Ons! It just edged-out the GSXR1100 in terminal speed too.
So, there you have it. "bike" magazine, testing three of the highest-performing beasts on the road, as far as stock bikes went in 1987, found the VMax beat all-comers, and emerged as the champion. In the words of the author, "...despite a 150 lb. weight disadvantage (compared to the GSXR1100) the VMax had shown that sometimes there is no replacement for brute muscle."
Yamaha VMax: King of the Muscle Bikes, fastest accelerating stock bike available in 1987.
Now, the cool thing is they also have an article on open-class big-bore streetbikes. Who is mentioned? Well would you think the VMax falls into that class? It does, and it is in the article, along w/the main competition of the day for the new FZR 1000, the GSXR 1000. Kawasaki is represented by a GPZ1000RX. The article is entitled, "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." From the article: "our plan was simple: find the world's quickest-accelerating production motorcycle."
Results?
They did a 1/4 mi dragstrip test. All bikes were stone stock. The GSXR broke into the 10's 10.87/127.3 mph. It was the only bike to break into the 10's.
The VMax did 11.5/123.3 mph & backed that up w/an identical e.t. The Kawi did 11.31/124.9 mph. So, this round went to the Suzuki GSXR 1100.
The second speed test was a 1/4 mi acceleration test, hit the start lights at exactly 50 mph and wack the throttle open in top gear. No drag racing skill, just 'who's got the midrange?' At the end of a 1/4 mi., record e.t. and terminal speed. The GPZ1000RX was hampered in that it has a 6 speed tranny. Its performance: 12.11/103.9 mph. Next was the GSXR1000 which did 10.85/114.7 mph which was quickest they had ever achieved on a stock production bike in their annals of running this measure. The GSXR's performance was so-superior, it beat the GPZ1000RX when the Kawi was run in fifth gear!
And that's it. The Suzuki is the King of Acceleration.
What, What's that? "We left out one of the competitors?" Well send that tester back to the strip and get that missing bike done!
The VMax was up. This was an import from the USA so it was a 143 hp version, not some 'watered-down' U.K. version. The first lights were passed at 50 mph, and wack that throttle open! What does she have, mates?
What she had was 10.57/115.1 mph, better than the GSXR1100, which had just set a magazine record for all stock bikes tested to that point. The VBoost cranked-out a quarter-second advantage over the shortlived King of the Roll-Ons! It just edged-out the GSXR1100 in terminal speed too.
So, there you have it. "bike" magazine, testing three of the highest-performing beasts on the road, as far as stock bikes went in 1987, found the VMax beat all-comers, and emerged as the champion. In the words of the author, "...despite a 150 lb. weight disadvantage (compared to the GSXR1100) the VMax had shown that sometimes there is no replacement for brute muscle."
Yamaha VMax: King of the Muscle Bikes, fastest accelerating stock bike available in 1987.
