Gen 2 .....Short Interesting Read

[Itgoes]

http://www.yamahapart.com/page/thenewvmax

Touches a little bit on the development of the Gen 2. A lot of thought and trial an error went into producing the bike.

For instance: I've heard people say before "Why didn't they put upside down forks on the bike"? It's actually mentioned in this short piece....tried them and didn't like the feel.

 

[KosRider]

Thanks for posting this Mark. Hadn't seen this before... excellent read. :clapping:

 

[dannymax]

That's a great read! Makes me want to throw some leather on and go for a spin!unk:

 

[one2dmax]

Nice overall article. I still see the words all over the page about power, explosive power, more power, ect... then the excuse for not being peak power tossed in the middle. They used that word no less then 32 times in the article.

With what I see the gen 2 riders doing with all the mods I think they would have been just fine with 250 rwhp (which would have been possible with the testing it sounded like they did). You'd still probably as much mid and low end power as you have now but the "feel" might have been different.

The feel is one of the things I commented on when I first rode one. It was instant power but not a climbing power. Meaning it didn't feel like it was getting stronger as the R's went up. Not that I was disappointed in the ride at all but it just didn't "feel" like the old gen 1. The old gen 1 has that feeling that the bike just wants you off it's back. Like a pissed off bull. The gen 2 was (and is) a lot faster but just doesn't feel like it.

I don't have to ride one daily to know how much fun it is to ride. All I mention is we could have had more! I would give up the feeling of a little of that smooth instant power for another 25% increase in HP and the actual ability to claim it was the fastest thing on 2 wheels (which it would have been and sadly is and was not).

 

[KJShover]

Good article.
I'm still trying to find what exactly they did to de-tune the original 300hp engine. I think that secret has been buried under one of the pyramids for safe keeping.

Being a production bike, I always thought it would be pretty cool to see Yamaha toss it into the pro stock bike ranks. If the big v-twins screw up the rule with the big in-lines, just think what a big v-4 would do to the rulebook.

 

[customizedcreationz]

The engineer I talked to about the usd forks said the discussion group wanted to keep the original look and usd would not fill that look.

 

[paulibiker]

THANKS...............I now want one even more.:biglaugh:

Too bad I probably will never own one..........:damn angry:

 

[fltinstructor]

Nice overall article. I still see the words all over the page about power, explosive power, more power, ect... then the excuse for not being peak power tossed in the middle. They used that word no less then 32 times in the article.

With what I see the gen 2 riders doing with all the mods I think they would have been just fine with 250 rwhp (which would have been possible with the testing it sounded like they did). You'd still probably as much mid and low end power as you have now but the "feel" might have been different.

The feel is one of the things I commented on when I first rode one. It was instant power but not a climbing power. Meaning it didn't feel like it was getting stronger as the R's went up. Not that I was disappointed in the ride at all but it just didn't "feel" like the old gen 1. The old gen 1 has that feeling that the bike just wants you off it's back. Like a pissed off bull. The gen 2 was (and is) a lot faster but just doesn't feel like it.

I don't have to ride one daily to know how much fun it is to ride. All I mention is we could have had more! I would give up the feeling of a little of that smooth instant power for another 25% increase in HP and the actual ability to claim it was the fastest thing on 2 wheels (which it would have been and sadly is and was not).

I feel the same way. It is quick and fast but doesn't get your nuts tingling with the V-Boost feel of that extra pull.

But I love the way it handles for an all around street bike. unk:

 

[one2dmax]

Many people misconstrue that I don't like the Gen 2. Far from that. I think it's a great bike. But, I think Yamaha missed the boat for what the guys wanted. We wanted all out power (most of us did anyway) and would have sacrificed that mid range and bottom end a little to get it. Especially if it would have meant another 75hp! We wanted the fastest bike on the road - PERIOD.

 

[you2low]

To compare the Gen1 to the gen2 is like comparing these cars....all the cars here are great and fun to drive but you have to decide whats best for you.:eusa_dance: after having many gen1 over the years they will always have a spot in my heart for them but after a 30 minute ride on the gen2 I knew thats what I wanted.. Most the gen1 I owned I put the stage 7 jet kit on them cause I like the instant feel of the power and to be honest the vboost was never any big feel for me.. I have found many things that are better for me on the gen2 Im 6/3 250lbs and after all day ride of around 200 miles on the gen1 I really felt It.. I was done I was ready to be home and rest and didnt want to ride for a day or so... On the gen 2 I have rode almost 500 miles in a day and ready to jump back on it the next day and ride some more.:biglaugh: I for one Love this bike ..:worthy: with a 240 tire I can lite the tire up pull wheelies and put a big grin on my face :biglaugh:every time I ride it :worthy:

 

[Itgoes]

Many people misconstrue that I don't like the Gen 2. Far from that. I think it's a great bike. But, I think Yamaha missed the boat for what the guys wanted. We wanted all out power (most of us did anyway) and would have sacrificed that mid range and bottom end a little to get it. Especially if it would have meant another 75hp! We wanted the fastest bike on the road - PERIOD.

Yamaha was never interested in getting into the fastest bike race......the leader in that race changes almost every year. The Gen 2 is a mid 9 second bike with about $1200 worth of bolt on's. It doesn't need to be stretched, slammed, or geared to run those numbers. And it does it with a very low strung motor that makes 100 LBS of TQ at 3000 rpm. Extremely fun to ride......twiist the throttle at 2000 rpm in any gear and enjoy the big pull. Try that on a Hayabusa, it will feel like a Vespa in comparison. Handles great for it's size and can definitely out run all of those stretched and slammed bikes through the twisties......I do it on a regular basis.


The Gen 1 owners wanted a V4 with shaft-drive, that was comfortable, and that's what they got. That's not the most efficient method to build the fastest bike. The engine is heavy and the shaft drive components are very heavy. Could they have done all of that and come up with the fastest bike? Yeah probably......for 1 year or so. Then what? It's not a bike they are going to update regular basis.....no surprises there, it's just like the last one.

There's more to a motorcycle than going fast in a straight line. And as far as being the fastest......well there is only 1 of those out of hundreds of different bikes, and every year last years fastest ends up as the runner up.

 

[jbretthorton]

Gen 1 V-Boost.... I also never thought it was that big of a difference either.... I owned a new 98 and a slightly used 07
Mark you are correct sir... IMO

 

[johnblaid]

The horror...the money...the horror...the money.

 

[Caddymax]

Good write-up Mark and oh so true. As far as the V-boost goes, has anyone ever seen a dyno sheet on a Gen I? There is no jump in power or torque at 6-7K revs. Yamaha used smaller venturi carbs to give it better mileage. Up to 6-7K revs, these carbs are sufficient. At higher revs the engine needed more mixture so they invented the V-boost which lets a second carb add mixture at the higher revs.

I got 45mpg on my 2004 and only 30mpg on my 2009. So all those that thought the V-boost was some kind of extra boost, it just kept the powerband constant on the dyno. They could have achieved the same thing with bigger carbs but miles per gallon would have suffered while running below 6-7K rpm's while cruising. I don't mind the 30mpg for the fun it offers.

Mike

 

[jagco1]

Nice write up, If my wife would let me keep the 1st gen, I would buy a 2nd gen.

I thought you guy's would like this info.


Jay Gleason 9.51 @ 143mph - VMax History

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May 4|15:30
Jay Gleason 9.51 - VMax History
Jay Gleason does it again! As reported in great details on our forums, Jay Gleason managed to put the hammer down yet again. Last week he rode a mild custom 2009 Vmax to a breathtaking 9.51 @ 143 mph in the quarter mile.

With the help of Bob Ward (aka Bad_Bob) and Tim Nash (aka VMaxGuru) the racing community witnessed an historic event and what is most likely the start of an even wilder journey.

Within only a few months the new VMax has already attained cult status amongst many racing and muscle bike fans around the world. Now that the legend - Jay Gleason - has shown us once again what racing is all about, we are sure to see a lot more attention from tuners and enthusiasts alike for the all new Next Generation VMax.

Without further due, here is a first hand summary of the events that unfolded by Bob Ward:

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[Itgoes]

Someone just posted this photo on another forum. As I've said numerous times everything on the Gen 2 is "overbuilt". It was designed not to break. That's where a lot of the additional weight and cost comes from. The comparison of the Gen 1 and Gen 2 swingarms is striking when you see them side by side! Yikes!

 

[jfeagins]

Which one's the gen 1? lol

 

[one2dmax]

You should see the driveshaft and coupling setup! HUGE! After reviewing the way Yamaha did the gen 2 I do think it may be possible to setup something similar for the Gen 1 to allow for the mucho bigger tire. I still want to leave the driveshaft as a weak link though as too large will only break engine cases.

 

[LumMax]

Sean the ? is can you turn the Gen 2 into a chaindrive and is it hard to do, and would it be reliable.

 

[one2dmax]

yes, enough money and it can be done. similar mod required as the gen 1