Magazine Article comparing the Vmax,Busa,B-king,,etc

[you2low]

took this from the starvmax site being trying to find the article online or the magazine ..

So I recently bought an issue of RAPID magazine and found an article featuring the VMAX, BMW K1300, Honda VFR 1200, Suzuki B-King, Hayabusa, and FJR 1300. The idea was to go on a 666km journey and back just for the hell of it, and interchange bikes along the way, thereby getting a balanced feel for each bike. The terrain included mountainous areas, industrial and agricultural areas, outback and desert sands.
I listed some observations of the bikes on the trip just in case the 27MB upload is unsuccessful:
- VMAX: fuel range an obvious issue here. The touring party stopped plenty of times just for the max. Astounding power and torque delivery, surprisingly nimble and capable on winding roads. 147.2kW, 167Nm
- K1300: Higher pegs, lower bars. Light steering, good suspension package, firm seat. 129kW, 140Nm,
- VFR 1200: Narrow seat, compact layout, silky smooth power, impressive suspension. 127kW, 129Nm,
- B-King: Upright position, light steering, suspension did not soak up bumps well, . 132kW, 146Nm,
- Hayabusa: Loved the open fast sweepers, tighter radius bends, undulating tarmac. Delivers power and punch as if from a bottomless pit. Sticks to the road like glue146kW, 154Nm,
- FJR 1300: Lacking the punch of the other bikes, limousine comfort, 107.5kW, 138Nm

Conclusion was something like this: At the end of the day, two bikes kept sticking to mind, the VMAX and the BMW. The VMAX’s power and torque in a straight line is immense and never seems to quit, comfort levels are excellent but where it really surprises is the brilliant way it handles. It is no ‘busa but is supremely competent and can make long boring trips feel like extremely short adrenaline fuelled fun ones. The sooner Yamaha can squeeze more fuel into the VMAX the better. It is the BMW that takes top spot for me though…comfortable, well engineered, extremely well equipped and on this trip on these roads handled brilliantly and the engine pours on the torque and power from way down…

Later on when they ask all riders to assess the best bike, the results are:
Rider 1: BMW K1300
Rider 2: VMAX
Rider 3: VMAX
Rider 4: BMW K1300
Rider 5: VMAX

WINNER: YAMAHA VMAX

Some comments from these riders:

Rider 2:…And then there was the vmax. It was the one that got me all giggly and ever so delirious. Its quirky and funky bits aside, once you’ve given it a fistful of throttle, everything changes. Any speed, any gear the almighty surge forward is simply astounding. Its massive torque even surpassing that of the colossal ‘Busa or B-King. Booyah!

Rider 3: …VMAX mounted I am concerned about its meagre fuel range but channelling mad max, the heaving Yamaha knows only one tune. It is raucous and insane. It is a V8 soundtrack with a Mack Truck’s impact and a rear tyre to match. Nothing comes close to the 1700cc monster in tyre destroying kilometre-reducing numbers. The fuel range is a disaster movie in the making and way out west you will need a decent screen to enjoy its prodigious high speed touring ability.
All I know is the menacing VMAX and I have cemented a lifelong relationship. I promise you VMAX, that if given the choice and the money to own just one motorcycle for the rest of my life it would be you MAX. There is no bike that comes close to the mighty max for sound, feel, looks or excitement. There is nothing like turning twisty and straight black lines on a map into a Mad Max experience.

Rider 5: …That leaves the VMAX. Wooohooo! The most crazy, insane, mental, nuts motorcycle on earth. The VMAX is so so fast it leaves all of these bikes in its exhaust wake. No competition. Not even the might Hayabusa comes close until the speeds are heading towards the $2.50 mark (another guess). The VMAX is wild and stupid and makes no sense and I want one more than any other bike on the planet right now!

My conclusion: The max's only real problem is the small fuel tank/high consumption pattern. Everyone seems to agree that the build quality is exceptional, the handling is surprisngly nimble, the speed (even though it is electronically limited) is freakin crazy, and all in all a really desirable and special machine.

 

[VMax-Mike]

If i could get a 2011 vmax with 5000 mile's on it for $8000 i would buy one.

 

[texas-ss-tornado]

If i could get a 2011 vmax with 5000 mile's on it for $8000 i would buy one.

Me too! I love everything about the new VMAX, except the price. Just ain't worth it to me.

 

[eggohead]

I haven't rode all these bikes, but I did get to do a Yamaha demo ride last year. The first bike I rode was the Vmax, it was my lunch hour. It went way too fast. I have and love my Gen 1, but the Gen 2 seemed to have as much if not more than the R1 I also rode. If it had twice the sized tank, it would be great, but then again, I never really wanted to ride in one position much over an hour anyhow...LONG LIVE THE KING.....

 

[you2low]

( I promise you VMAX, that if given the choice and the money to own just one motorcycle for the rest of my life it would be you MAX. )

This is how I feel about my Gen2 Vmax ...

people spend $15,000 ..$20,000 ...$25,000 and up on Harleys , Road kings, street glides and never blink a eye..

 

[Chopcor]

^ This- I got an excellent deal on my 2010- only put about 100 miles on it since I got it, but Holy Shit Batman!!!!:biglaugh: I think this one is a keeper!:eusa_dance:

 

[Itgoes]

Yeah my 2009 was a bargain at $16500 when I special ordered it in 2009.......now after almost 5 years I still sometimes see people saying, "Well as soon as they come down below X dollars I'm going to pick one up".

Thing is the prices did not drop real fast on these bikes, they are holding their value. And in the meantime for the past 5 years, they've missed out on riding the most awesome bike on the road. It genuinely gives me pleasure and makes me smile every time I ride it.

If you've looked at the prices of bikes lately there are plenty that are as expensive or more expensive now, and I wouldn't take any of them over my VMax.

 

[VMax-Mike]

I feel you are missing the point itgoes. The 2011 Hayabusa is a $14000 bike and is also a great bike. Just as great of a bike in all ways that a gen 2 vmax is. And with a good rider riding both bike's the gen 2 hayabusa will out run the gen 2 vmax in the 1/4 mile and top end. And the motor is only 1340cc. The motor is a proven bulletproof motor and alot of the gen 2 vmax's had a recall on the oil pump. And if you ask me thats a fatal wound that i would not have any part of . I wouldent even buy a gen 2 vmax that has that recall. That being said i do like the gen 2 vmax but the gen2 2011 hayabusa retails for $11000 with 10000 miles on it and you can buy them in stock form or with goodies for $9000. If look hard enough you can find them with 5000 miles on them for $8000 knowone is saying that you shouldent buy a gen2 vmax and nobody is saying you shouldent buy a bike that cost more than $15000 or even $25000 All people are saying is for the money and to be practical for most house holds spending more than $8000 on a used bike wont happen and in alot of house holds spending more than $5000 wont happen. Thats why the gen 1 vmax is such a great bike. dollar for dollar speed for speed looks for looks at $3000 to $6000 you couldent get a better deal. Same goes for zx14 and zxr1200 I and im sure we are happy for you that your happy with your gen 2 vmax but call it what it is. A bad ass mother fucker that cost alot of money. There's nothing wrong with that if you can afford it.......Mike

 

[Itgoes]

I feel you are missing the point itgoes. The 2011 Hayabusa is a $14000 bike and is also a great bike. Just as great of a bike in all ways that a gen 2 vmax is. And with a good rider riding both bike's the gen 2 hayabusa will out run the gen 2 vmax in the 1/4 mile and top end. And the motor is only 1340cc. The motor is a proven bulletproof motor and alot of the gen 2 vmax's had a recall on the oil pump. And if you ask me thats a fatal wound that i would not have any part of . I wouldent even buy a gen 2 vmax that has that recall. That being said i do like the gen 2 vmax but the gen2 2011 hayabusa retails for $11000 with 10000 miles on it and you can buy them in stock form or with goodies for $9000. If look hard enough you can find them with 5000 miles on them for $8000 knowone is saying that you shouldent buy a gen2 vmax and nobody is saying you shouldent buy a bike that cost more than $15000 or even $25000 All people are saying is for the money and to be practical for most house holds spending more than $8000 on a used bike wont happen and in alot of house holds spending more than $5000 wont happen. Thats why the gen 1 vmax is such a great bike. dollar for dollar speed for speed looks for looks at $3000 to $6000 you couldent get a better deal. Same goes for zx14 and zxr1200 I and im sure we are happy for you that your happy with your gen 2 vmax but call it what it is. A bad ass mother fucker that cost alot of money. There's nothing wrong with that if you can afford it.......Mike

OK, so some people can't afford it, I understand that. But when I hear people go on and on about how it's not worth it is BS, because the bike is worth every penny and than some. Like I said in an earlier post there is a big difference between expensive and overpriced. The bike came out at the same price as the VRod, which was the market Yamaha was targeting. It's a far superior bike in every way when compared to the VRod, although the VRod is nice to look at. The Busa and 14 have amazing performance.......but they are not VMax's and don't appeal to me. If they did I would have had one a long time ago instead of the 4 Vmax's I've owned.

There are many people I know personally that have spent much more than I have on my Gen 2, on their Gen 1's, and still did not end up with a bike nearly as good as the Gen 2 is. In fact many of them gave up those bikes and bought Gen 2's. Those guys are like me......we want to ride VMax's, that's what floats our boats.

 

[texas-ss-tornado]

I am not bragging, but I have the money to pretty much own any bike I want. I REALLY wanted a new VMAX, I even test rode one at the dealership back in 2009 when they came out. As much as I enjoyed it, I still couldn't see spending 18K on one. I shortly thereafter bought a used B-King for $7500 and have never looked back, until you actually RIDE ONE, you have no idea what you are missing. It will out perform a new VMAX in almost every performance category, it sounds great, is comfortable enough for long rides, it does EVERYTHING I could want out of a modern musclebike. So it really wasn't a hard decision. So do I buy ONE new VMAX, or a B-King and 3 other classic musclebikes? Case closed. Now eventually, I will find a new VMAX for 10K or less and I WILL own one, but the value is not there. I suspect many people who are defending it's high price have never ridden a B-King, Busa or ZX14 to know the difference. It's just not WORTH what they priced it at, at least not to ME!

 

[Itgoes]

I am not bragging, but I have the money to pretty much own any bike I want. I REALLY wanted a new VMAX, I even test rode one at the dealership back in 2009 when they came out. As much as I enjoyed it, I still couldn't see spending 18K on one. I shortly thereafter bought a used B-King for $7500 and have never looked back, until you actually RIDE ONE, you have no idea what you are missing. It will out perform a new VMAX in almost every performance category, it sounds great, is comfortable enough for long rides, it does EVERYTHING I could want out of a modern musclebike. So it really wasn't a hard decision. So do I buy ONE new VMAX, or a B-King and 3 other classic musclebikes? Case closed. Now eventually, I will find a new VMAX for 10K or less and I WILL own one, but the value is not there. I suspect many people who are defending it's high price have never ridden a B-King, Busa or ZX14 to know the difference. It's just not WORTH what they priced it at, at least not to ME!

Blah, Blah, Blah.....you never stop. Almost every single Gen 2 post you drop in like clockwork and say the same thing. I've ridden many many bikes including several Busa's.....if I could find a BKing I might ride one of those, but they couldn't give them away so they stopped selling them.

 

[texas-ss-tornado]

I'm glad they were unpopular to the buying public, that's how they became so inexpensive, yea for me. More VALUE!

 

[VMax-Mike]

now that we cant find a b-king it will cost you top dollar for one with low miles texas. $8500 for a nice b-king. You2slow posted vmax busa b-king and i will say it again itgoes i dont think you get the point. pound for pound dollar for dollar speed for speed money for speed dollar for speed pound for speed the busa and the b-king walk all over a gen2 vmax. If we where talking a gen1 vmax i would have to say it comes out on top. the only thing the gen2 vmax has over a gen2 busa or b-king or gen1 vmax is a bigger price tag even dollar for pound the gen2 cant win. face the facts and get over it. You like the gen2 alot we see that but as posted comparing the vmax busa b-king. its not blau blah blah on texas he is posting up where he should. Like i said i like the gen2 alot but not that much. Be happy you got what you want but dont try and make it what its not. I would never try and say a 2011 gen2 stock busa with 5000 miles on it for $8000 is a better deal than a stock 2002 gen1 vmax with 8000 miles on it for $3950 But for me i would rather have a gen2 busa. Its hard to beat out a gen1 vmax or a zrx1200 or a gen1 busa. You have a great bike and so do i but not the best deal on the planet.

 

[Itgoes]

now that we cant find a b-king it will cost you top dollar for one with low miles texas. $8500 for a nice b-king. You2slow posted vmax busa b-king and i will say it again itgoes i dont think you get the point. pound for pound dollar for dollar speed for speed money for speed dollar for speed pound for speed the busa and the b-king walk all over a gen2 vmax. If we where talking a gen1 vmax i would have to say it comes out on top. the only thing the gen2 vmax has over a gen2 busa or b-king or gen1 vmax is a bigger price tag even dollar for pound the gen2 cant win. face the facts and get over it. You like the gen2 alot we see that but as posted comparing the vmax busa b-king. its not blau blah blah on texas he is posting up where he should. Like i said i like the gen2 alot but not that much. Be happy you got what you want but dont try and make it what its not. I would never try and say a 2011 gen2 stock busa with 5000 miles on it for $8000 is a better deal than a stock 2002 gen1 vmax with 8000 miles on it for $3950 But for me i would rather have a gen2 busa. Its hard to beat out a gen1 vmax or a zrx1200 or a gen1 busa. You have a great bike and so do i but not the best deal on the planet.

OK....you win. :biglaugh:

 

[Kronx]

I want to test ride a Gen2... and then again I don't. I know I really don't have enough impulse control to walk away from it even though I know damn well right now I can't afford it.

 

[broncsrule]

I want to test ride a Gen2... and then again I don't. I know I really don't have enough impulse control to walk away from it even though I know damn well right now I can't afford it.

I know the feeling, there is a Gen2(13) at the local stealership. The sales guy keeps bugging me to take it for a ride. But at 15K I would have to trade in both my rides and still leave with a hefty bike payment. I have no payment now, and I like that. If I ride it, I might like it too much. I'm gonna wait.

 

[Itgoes]

And besides.....if I bought a Suzuki what would I do about my office? :confused2:

 

[texas-ss-tornado]

And besides.....if I bought a Suzuki what would I do about my office? :confused2:

View attachment 41877

Redecorate! unk:

 

[VMax-Mike]

Itgoes stuff is only worth what you can sell it for. Its not about winning. Now if you want to show up at thunder we will see who will win.:biglaugh:

 

[marsmax85]

I bleed vmax but if someone had a b king or busi and needed money (sell cheap) I would buy one but it would be a turn around bike for me of course after riding season that is.. But really nothing turns my head like a vmax. Kinda like a beautiful blonde wearing a bikini.. they will always get my attention..