Dressed to the Nines
Extra menace can be found in the carbon-fiber section of the Star accessory catalog, accented by billet-aluminum bling.
Star understands better than most Japanese OEMs that personalizing a motorcycle can be an integral part of the ownership experience. As such, it offers an extensive line of accessories for the new VMax.
Few materials are as emblematic of contemporary speed and racing as is lightweight carbon fiber, and Star delivers with an assortment of lovely composite pieces manufactured in-house. Tasty carbon bits include fenders, tank covers, seat cowls and side covers, but the beautifully made stuff isn't cheap. A set of the C-F air intake scoops costs a whopping $999.95.
Functional components include a flyscreen, touring windshield, hard saddlebags and a passenger backrest. An optional tail pack can attach to the passenger seat or an accessory aluminum luggage rack. Upping the bling factor is as easy as bolting on some billet aluminum covers for the cams, master cylinders and swingarm pivot.
The VMax's riding position is open and comfortable for rides longer than a quarter-mile.
Underneath the seat is 3.96-gallon fuel tank, same as the old bike, which helps lower the bike's CG. The VMax manages decent heat control through its dual radiators that keep its frontal area as slim as possible. Out of Ramona, stuck in traffic, I could feel a little heat on my ankles and shins, but not bad considering the engine's enormous output.
There are decent views out of the bar-mount mirrors for keeping an eye on your tail during your inevitable extra-legal antics. Freeway cruising is very comfortable for a naked, as a rider is sitting down in the bike, making even a 90-mph lope (with its overdriven fifth gear) quite bearable. A 2-year warranty adds peace of mind.
Star should be commended for the suspension it fitted to the Max. Both ends are produced by Soqi, a Yamaha subsidiary, and both the 52mm fork and single shock are adjustable for spring preload and both compression and rebound damping. But their best feature is tools-free knurled knobs to easily dial in optimum rebound damping at both ends, plus rear compression damping; a screwdriver needs to be unsheathed only for front compression. The rear end also has a handy hydraulic preload adjuster on the bike's left side that can be altered on the fly if you're flexible - otherwise, do it easily at a stop.
Although there are better bikes for cutting up the twisties, the VMax acquits itself well for a machine of its size.
Who wants to rumble?
The suspension is good stuff, but it is faced with the formidable task of controlling a hefty machine and its shaft-drive dynamics. Action from the titanium-oxide-coated fork legs is quite good, even with substantially increased spring rates. But the rear end often struggles with isolating bumps, faced as it is with the shaft-drive compromises. Backing off rear preload and compression damping soothed things somewhat, but it never responded like an optimized chain- or belt-driven bike.
More successful is the new VMax's handling qualities, one of the old bike's weakest aspects. Now with the new aluminum chassis, a beefy fork and a forged-aluminum lower triple clamp and a cast-aluminum upper, the big Star is ready to intimidate lesser riders on pure sportbikes down a canyon road.
Although it makes a Suzuki SV650 feel like a mountain bike in comparison, its handling is better than expected, with a chassis that feels stiff and responsive in steering transitions and a fork that offers decent front-end feel. You don't have to be a racetrack refugee to drag pegs on the VMax, but available lean angle is actually very respectable for a beast like this.
Any handling deficiencies it has are related to throttle response and the shaft drive. The YCC-T is endowed with a program to reduce engine braking feel by letting a bit of fuel seep through on trailing throttle, and this works seamlessly most of the time. But in some instances, the compression-braking effect is quite pronounced and, worse, unpredictable when it happens. Chopping the throttle mid-corner can unsettle the chassis, and a rider can feel some drivetrain lash with an uncertain throttle hand in corners.
The 2009 VMax - like nothing else.
When I first heard about the new VMax, I had two thoughts: First, it was about damn time! Second, hanging a $17,990 price tag on a Japanese bike can be akin to wearing cement shoes. But while I still wonder how well second- and third-year models will sell, I do see a lot of value in this scintillating machine.
Recreating an icon is never easy, but that's exactly what Star and Yamaha have done with the 2009 VMax. It has a few flaws and limitations, but its overall persona extends the Max's icon status. It's as distinctive as bikes come, it has terrific attention to detail, and it offers a thrill ride that can't be equaled by anything else on two wheels