Ohio mile

[srk468]

The stock speedometers and tachs aren't even close, the most I could ever get balls out and tucked was 145mph (GPS checked and my bike is no slouch) but the motor doesn't have the balls to push 5'th gear all the way out. If you could run 5'th to 9500 or so you'd hit a little over 150 I'd imagine. On nitrous I'm coming through at about 9800rpm in 4'th and that get me a little over 132mph.

sent from my HTC Rezound using tapatalk

 

[cgswss]

OK, i just went back and looked up some old road tests from Cycle World. They had a chart for max speed in each gear. At 9500 rpm the max speed is 144 mph Now if my remember how to do the math, that would be like 9895 rpm to do 150. Has anyone pulled 9900 rpm in say 3r gear on a max? I'd want at least heavy valve springs at that speed (to keep the engine together) I'll leave it up to the guys that build the bottom ends to comment on weather a max is going to live long at 10,000 rpm.

 

[VMax-Mike]

I can tell you this much at thunder I pulled away from tom and I know he dont back out of it until 125 mph and I walked on him big time after that all the way to 149 mph . I also had my bike in stock form at 132mph and still a lot to go . I also took it to 150 mph with tom lee and jeremy after bike week. And I hit 130 at mis. If lee and tom got a good jump on me I dident get the lead so my bike wasent that much faster it just had better bottom end. I would have to gess you never took vmax to top end. After 132mph the vmax takes along time to wind out but if you have enough stright away and the balls to stay in it the bike will keep pulling.

 

[[email protected]]

The stock speedometers and tachs aren't even close, the most I could ever get balls out and tucked was 145mph (GPS checked and my bike is no slouch) but the motor doesn't have the balls to push 5'th gear all the way out. If you could run 5'th to 9500 or so you'd hit a little over 150 I'd imagine. On nitrous I'm coming through at about 9800rpm in 4'th and that get me a little over 132mph.

sent from my HTC Rezound using tapatalk

I'm curious to hear your tacho findings. I'm running an aftermarket tach. I'm pulling signal off the gray wire on the stock gauge cluster. Its been awhile since I last rode but, i'd guess my stock tach reads close to 3-400 rpm higher than my aftermarket one when I'm in th 6K range.

 

[srk468]

OK, i just went back and looked up some old road tests from Cycle World. They had a chart for max speed in each gear. At 9500 rpm the max speed is 144 mph Now if my remember how to do the math, that would be like 9895 rpm to do 150. Has anyone pulled 9900 rpm in say 3r gear on a max? I'd want at least heavy valve springs at that speed (to keep the engine together) I'll leave it up to the guys that build the bottom ends to comment on weather a max is going to live long at 10,000 rpm.

When I was doing 145mph my shift light wasn't on and its set for 9300rpm. Another thing a lot of us are forgetting is that most all of us have a beefed up clutch so the stocker could be slipping up there.

sent from my HTC Rezound using tapatalk

 

[srk468]

I'm curious to hear your tacho findings. I'm running an aftermarket tach. I'm pulling signal off the gray wire on the stock gauge cluster. Its been awhile since I last rode but, i'd guess my stock tach reads close to 3-400 rpm higher than my aftermarket one when I'm in th 6K range.

Mine was very similar at that rpm and got worse the higher you went, 10,000rpm on the stock tach was only about 9000rpm on my shiftlight, it has the digital readout on the face of it.

sent from my HTC Rezound using tapatalk

 

[cgswss]

Not that it matters, but when I have the 9200 chip in my shift light, I get between 9300 and 9400 on the oem tack.

The numbers from the Cycle World road test were calculated. so they assume no slip. I agree that a stock clutch would have a good chance of slipping at very high speed, which means you would need even higher RPMs to hit 150. I just don't think you can hit 150 on a vmax with the stock dif.

Of course thoxe number are with a stock rear tire. I guess that if you have a taller rear tire, 150 is possible

 

[VMax-Mike]

all i know craig is the numbers i gave you are speedo readings of my bike. I dont think my speedo was of by more than 2-3 mph. so that would be around 147-148 mph and it was still pulling not hard at all but still pulling. I have had others tell me about speeds of 140 mph but front end was shaking so had to back down.

 

[VMax-Mike]

DetailValueUsed price rangeView Yamaha V-MAX bikes for sale to see current asking pricesEngine size1198 ccPower140 bhpTop speed160 mphInsurance group15 of 17

MCN ratingsOwners' ratingsOverall

Engine

Ride & Handling

Equipment

Quality & Reliability

Value

MCN overall verdict

Mad Max. There, that tells you everything you need to know about the Yamaha VMX1200 V-Max, an ill-handling, raw powered Rottweiller of a motorcycle. The full power 140bhp model is the only one worth having, so skip the early 90s UK spec models with a feeble 95bhp.

Engine

MCN rating

Owners' rating

The Yamaha VMX1200 V-Max has a beautiful, almost liquid power delivery from just above tickover, with a crazed step up in poke from about 4000rpm as the V-Boost fuel charge system kicks in. The Yamaha VMX1200 V-Max motor puts a grin on the face of the most jaded speedfreak. It punches you in the guts with its sheer torque.



Ride and Handling

MCN rating

Owners' rating

The Yamaha VMX1200 V-Max handles like a drunk office girl on a photocopier...and is just as dangerous. The frame seems to flex, the back end squirms under the engine's power and the front end loads up with the Yamaha VMX1200 V-Max's substantial 280kgs wet weight under braking. In a word, scary.



Equipment

MCN rating

Owners' rating

The Yamaha VMX1200 V-Max's 15 litre fuel tank can run dry in 90 miles, the pillion seat is really just a bum stop for the rider and the brakes and suspension are indifferent, even by 90s standards. Apart from a few cosmetic tweaks Yamaha did almost nothing to develop the V-Max throughout a near 20 year lifespan. Bit poor frankly.




Quality and Reliability

MCN rating

Owners' rating

You can turbocharge the motor, add nitrous, almost anything really and the V-4 lump will take it. The Yamaha VMX1200 V-Max's chassis is the weaker half of the motorcycle by far and as it was designed to race the strips of California, the V-Max can suffer if ridden too often in British rain.



Value

MCN rating

Owners' rating

The Yamaha VMX1200 V-Max is a cult machine and good used examples go for very decent money. Many are customised and feature mad performance tweaks. The V-Max was never a big selling motorcycle when brand new, so supply of original examples will never meet demand, prices will keep rising. Don't bother buying a restricted early 90s UK model. Find a Yamaha V-Max for sale



Insurance


Insurance group: 15 of 17
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Model History


1986: Yamaha VMX1200 V-Max launched in USA.
1991: Restricted version arrives in UK.
1996: Full 140bhp version of the Yamaha VMX1200 V-Max appears in UK.
1999: Cosmetic upgrade with `carbon look' bodywork.
2004: Yamaha VMX1200 V-Max discontinued in UK.



Other Versions


None.





Specifications

Top speed 160 mph1/4-mile acceleration 10.9 secsMax power140 bhpMax torque117.7 ft-lbWeight262 kgSeat height765 mmFuel capacity15 litresAverage fuel consumption35 mpgTank range 100 milesAnnual road taxInsurance group15 of 17
Engine size1198 ccEngine specification4 stroke, V4, 5 gearsFrameSteel cradle typeFront suspension adjustmentPreloadRear suspension adjustmentPreloadFront brakesTwin 282mm discRear brake290mm discFront tyre size110/90 x 18 Rear tyre size150/90 x 15

See all Yamaha V-MAX motorcycles for sale

Yamaha
V-MAX
23650 miles
£3,495

Yamaha
V-MAX
1 miles
£19,995

Yamaha
V-MAX
1401 miles
£12,699

Yamaha
V-MAX
5802 miles
£12,999

Yamaha
V-MAX
6495 miles
£6,995




Owners' Overall Rating

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  murphit
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  Having owned and ridden my Max for the last ten years in all conditions, including snow and ice, I find that comments of bad handling to be misplaced. Understand and respect what is under you and the machine csn return fast safe rides. No I'm show more
  
  18 November 2007
  

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jockridersays
pure muscle
the handling, yep start with the worst part, now the handlings only bad if your riding it like a sports bike n then i get i bit of a thrill out of it. its like trying to sexualy abuse an ill tempered bull that you've just spent the last three hours kicking. though this is greatly improved when on bridgestone tryres rather than the old avons common to the bike. you do get a lot of vibration through the bars from the front end, im gonna try a sreering dampener to try n cure this. the engine is inderstructable, i really punish mine n it just begs for more. and the power! wow the power of the full 145bhp is amazin! dont bother wit the 90bhp which for uk spec is any older than 1996.

01 June 2009 22:27





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[VMax-Mike]

http://www.angelfire.com/retro/torkezilla2/html/2vmax_1_vmaxoriginal.htm this says 248mph so who's telling the truth. All i can say is what the speedo said.

 

[srk468]

Stock speedometers are way off on these things at anything over 100mph, mine was off by roughly 12mph at top speed. Topped mine out quite a few times with stock speedometer and GPS (GPS said 143 and speedometer said roughly 155) and with my Vapor speedometer (Vapor was within 2mph, I was impressed) and GPS and ran lots of 1/4 mile passes on motor and nitrous and I'm just giving my first hand experience. I do have a 200/50-18 radial on the back now but it's basically identical height to the 170 TM Shinko bias I had on there before when I had the stock speedometer.

sent from my HTC Rezound using tapatalk

 

[cgswss]

Mike, are you saying I haven't had a v-max fully out in top gear?

Many many times I had my 85 up to an indicated 130. my test track was the "Seney Stretch". That is a piece of M28 in the UP that is over 23 miles of straight as an arrow road. Back in the '80s there was NOTHING in that 23 mile except the 5 one mile markers we set up in the middle. There were a bunch of that used those 1 mile markers and a stop watch to figure our true speed. Thats where I would lay out on the bike and do 130 mph at an indicated (aprox 9200 rpm.) I guess if back then I knew about the Venture dif., I may have tried it. I'm just saying you would have to be turning at least 9900 RPMs to hit 150, and I'm sure that your ship light would be telling you to shift before you got there.

As far as my current (97), your 100% right, I have never let it wind all the way out. with the fat man on it and that wind shied, the handling gets very vage at about an indicated 120 and I chose not to push it.

 

[cgswss]

that is 148.5 MPH- which I'm sure is calculated based on the rpm/mph in top gear
and 122 mph in the quarter.

let me put it another way- at 100 mph I'm turning 6600 rpm. Is that what other vmaxs are getting or is my tack way off? (I know the 100mph is right because it comes from the gps)

 

[customizedcreationz]

Tachs are way off on these things as well.

Mine was around 600 rpm off......

So honestly I would say a strong top end on a stock Vmax is probably around 140 ish mph on a true scale.

Todd

 

[customizedcreationz]

I didnt even see Scotts post, so there you have it, a built Vmax around 143 mph......

 

[VMax-Mike]

My tech was with in 200rpm of my raptor shift light.

 

[VMax-Mike]

All i know is i wouldent want anything to go wrong at that speed on a vmax. My vmax was nice and smooth at top end speeds. a high speed wobble at that speed could go real bad on a vmax.

 

[cgswss]

Yeah, but he is saying 143 IN 4th GEAR. My original question was if the dif is geared high enough to do 150. That was based on the fact that the 3 maxs I have had seemed to spinning a LOT of rpm at 130. Everything that has been brought up here would tend to support that if you want to do 150 on a max, you need a real big rear tire or a venture dif.

Makes me wonder if the dif is the same as it was in '85. I have never heard of any differences. My '85 was dead stock- I didn't even change the air filter. Back in those days, I weighed 127 lbs. I could keep that bike full open for 10 miles and it never got over an indicated 130.

I guess there is the very real possibility that that spedo was way off and I was really going much faster.

I can tell you that riding that bike wide open for 10 miles was much more exciting then driving my suzy a lot faster on the same strip. The max was very unstable and my vision was actually blurred. The Suzy was no problem because I could fit in a larger front sprocket and it had gonzo more power. Remember the suzy street bike I had was a very highly moded race motor with a plate on it

Does anyone have a spedo known to be accurate and after market tach (or better a gps and accurate tach)

If I get 6600 rpm at 100mph that would be 66 rpm per 1 mph. So 9900 at 150 mph... Right?

 

[VMax-Mike]

all i can tell you is i feel i could have got about maybe 5mph more on the speedo out of it if i stayed in it but it would have taken a bit to get it. I also had a 4 into two system that seem to make good power at the top end. and my tire was only rated for 149 mph.

 

[VMax-Mike]

remebering back from what i under stand the diff did not change.