They should have made one.

[KJShover]

I can understand the XS' Midnight special bikes. I've owned a 1980 and an '81.
Kills me that all my parts to put them back together were ruined and others stolen. Then I started thinking, why never a Vmax midnight special.

So I found a picture of a '93 Vmax and started to change colors.

Thought I'd play with the lighting and add some spotlighting

Here is the XS1100 midnight special

 

[johnpclynch]

Nice... my Max is currently Black and Gold
Not sure if I'd go with 100% gold wheels, maybe a touch of silver around the rim?

 

[Dr.n2o]

That's pretty cool.....good question

 

[KJShover]

Nice... my Max is currently Black and Gold
Not sure if I'd go with 100% gold wheels, maybe a touch of silver around the rim?

Your more than halfway there unk:

 

[one2dmax]

We had toyed with the idea of making a "special" over the years. Eventually we'll have to do just that!

 

[Fire-medic]

Too-much gold looks 'gaudy,' but the right combo can be appealing. That's why I powdercoated my camshaft covers gold, I intend to do a bit more gold, like the engine cover inserts (1 done), & I already have stock FZR1000 4-pot calipers which are gold Sumitomos.

KJ, your bike concept looks good, a tasteful amount of gold. I like the gold wheels, which accentuate the 'dense" nature of the powerplant, its central mass, and how they visually 'lighten' the front & rear. I think those cylinder rectangles would look good in gold, too, and accentuate the 'V' layout of the engine.

Anyone recall the Cycle Guide Bike of the Year? What "special" did they do to the bike they chose & put on the magazine cover?

 

[johnpclynch]

XS: Yumm (big pic)
http://bikesbybruce.com/images/XS1100LG/Yamaha 1100_004.jpg

XV: Not beffy enough

Gen-2: Not convinced - highlight the motor a bit more maybe?

 

[Biker Dash]

I do like the Black & Gold theme. Done right, it would look VERY sharp.

Not so certain on the 2nd Gen Max image... Does not look complete in my opinion.

On a side note, I wonder what one of them would look like with a bit more rake in the forks. The 2nd Gen bikes seem much more a cruiser than the 1st Gen. The 1st Gen seems more like a naked sportbike on steroids to me. (now, to just get it to handle like a sportbike )

 

[m-cman]

Anyone recall the Cycle Guide Bike of the Year? What "special" did they do to the bike they chose & put on the magazine cover?

They used to chrome them...

 

[Fire-medic]

They used to chrome them...

"We have-a winn-ah!"

Yes, and they always looked like something the "Man from Glad" would have ridden. You 'bout had to wear sunglasses to see one in-person, ah reckon!

I subscribed to the Big Four: Cycle Guide, Cycle, Motorcyclist, and Cycle World.
They all had something to recommend each.

I like that XV920, I had one given to me by a co-worker after his teenage sone stole the keys and wrecked it. The dad used to ride w/us as there were a big bunch of firefighter/paramedics who had bikes, and at different times, we would get-together as bikers are wont-to-do, and tear-off to someplace for the day. The biggest ride I recall, we all went down to Islamorada in the FL Keys, which has some spectacular scenery on the bridges, the Atlantic Ocean on your left, and the Gulf of Mexico on your right.

Every time we got to the 'passing zones,' the Big Dogs would whip 'em wide-open for the length of the two lanes, and it didn't take long for the fast boys to separate from the pack. I had a year-old FZR1000 and the only guy who could keep-up w/me was an '86 1000 Ninja w/a Superbike Mike completely-reworked head, and a D&D full exhaust. Starting out from about 75, it didn't take long to reach terminal velocity, which was about another 85 mph, not too-shabby for the day. That was 25 years ago, a well-tuned 600 might generate similar top speeds today. Still, they were bikes that would easily break into the mid/high 10's in the quarter, w/a fair rider.

 

[KJShover]

Lazy sunny afternoon, I thought I would try and add the midnight special touch to a Gen II

 

[johnpclynch]

Lazy sunny afternoon, I thought I would try and add the midnight special touch to a Gen II

Now, that I like :worthy: much better than the version above

 

[invalidsession]

In my humble opinion, the Gen 1 Max has a better stance than the Gen 2. More compact and slim. I do like the black and gold rendering on the Gen 1, not everyone's cup of tea but then again what is ? It's why we personalize our machines to our own individual tastes. It becomes a reflection of our personalities and individuality.

Chris.

 

[Klatuu]

I remember the ads for those in the bike mags. I ran across these:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t_iw5HVFgw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu11iITFx-E