Yamaha VMX V-Max 1200

Yamaha VMX V-Max 1200
Manufacturer	Yamaha
Production	1984 - 87
Engine	Four stroke, V-four, DOHC, 4 valve per cylinder.
Compression ratio	10.5:1
Top Speed	146 mph / 235 km/h
Ignition	CDI
Transmission	5 Speed
Frame	Double cradle steel tube
Suspension	Front: 40mm Kayaba forks, Air pressure Rear: Dual Kayaba shocks, adjustable for preload damping.
Brakes	Front: 2x 298mm discs 2 piston calipers Rear: Single 282mm disc 2 piston caliper
Front Tire	110/90-18
Rear Tire	150/90-15
Wheelbase	1590 mm / 65.6 in
Seat Height	765 mm / 30.1 in
Weight	254 kg / 560 lbs (dry), 274 kg / 604 lbs (wet)
Recommended Oil	Yamalube 10w-40
Fuel Capacity	15 Liters / 3.9 US gal
Manuals	Service Manual

It could reach a top speed of 146 mph / 235 km/h.

Engine

The engine was a Liquid cooled cooled Four stroke, V-four, DOHC, 4 valve per cylinder.. The engine featured a 10.5:1 compression ratio.

Drive

Power was moderated via the Wet, multi disc.

Chassis

It came with a 110/90-18 front tire and a 150/90-15 rear tire. Stopping was achieved via 2x 298mm discs 2 piston calipers in the front and a Single 282mm disc 2 piston caliper in the rear. The front suspension was a 40mm Kayaba forks, Air pressure while the rear was equipped with a Dual Kayaba shocks, adjustable for preload damping.. The VMX V-Max 1200 was fitted with a 15 Liters / 3.9 US gal fuel tank. The bike weighed just 254 kg / 560 lbs. The wheelbase was 1590 mm / 65.6 in long.

Photos

Overview

Yamaha V-Max

Yamaha's V-Max is designed to excel in the acceleration field. Its top speed of around 135mph is not as high as it might be, given a monstrous V4 engine with a power output of 135bhp, and compared with race-replica models. What is sensational is how quickly it gets to that speed. Acceleration is the V-Max's reason for being, helped by the fat rear tire like that of a drag bike and gearing to match.

Launched in 1984, the V-Max became at once the ultimate hot rod, the fastest-accelerating road bike ever, sizzling through the standing quarter mile in not quite ten seconds. Ten years before, only specialized dragsters could accelerate like that.

The basis of this factory hot rod was the big V4 engine from Yamaha's Venture tourer - a veritable river-barge of a bike, festooned with fairings and luggage gear. All that went, and the V-Max was left behind, spare but still monstrous, its styling dominated by the massive engine with two giant air-scoops for the four down-draught carburettors where you would expect to see the fuel tank. The V-Max, like the Venture, has a low-slung tank beneath the seat, with the fuel pumped up to the four greedy carburetor throats. A vestigial pillion seat completed the spartan look, while the back tire behind it was of unprecedented width: a 150/90 x 15 monster.

The engine was revitalized to release more of its fire-breathing potential, with the output rising from 90bhp in Venture trim to a massive 135bhp as the V-Max. The factory hop-up job was thorough, including a stronger crankshaft, lightened pistons with a 10.5:1 compression ratio, bigger valves, and high-lift double overhead camshafts. Yamaha also introduced a novel system of automatic butterfly valves linking the inlet tracts below the carburettors, which smoothed out the power delivery right across the rev range. The V-Max retained the shaft drive of the touring bike, freeing the owner from the burden of replacing shattered rear chains and the hard-worked rear tire.In a straight line, there is nothing to touch the V-Max. The way it hunkers down and takes off leaves all its rivals gasping. If its handling on a twisty road is a bit twitchy, it makes up so much ground Jberween the bends that it hardly matters.

On a long high-speed run, the rider - sitting upright and holding onto high and wide handlebars - feels like a parachute as the wind catches the chest. This more or less confined the V-Max's usefulness to the USA, where low speed limits favor fast acceleration at the expense of top speed. Europe did not see the V-Max, except as a spectre of the imagination.

Make Model	Yamaha V-Max
Year	1984 - 87
Engine Type	Four stroke, V-four, DOHC, 4 valve per cylinder.
Displacement	1198 cc / 73.1 cu-in
Bore X Stroke	76 х 66 mm
Cooling System	Liquid cooled
Compression	10.5:1
Induction	4x 35mm Mikuni BDS35 carburetor
Ignition	CDI
Starting	Electric
Max Power	145 hp / 108 kW @ 9000 rpm
Max Torque	12.4 kgf-m / 89.6 lb-ft @ 7500 rpm
Clutch	Wet, multi disc
Transmission	5 Speed
Final Drive	Shaft
Frame	Double cradle steel tube
Front Suspension	40mm Kayaba forks, Air pressure
Front Wheel Travel	140 mm / 5.5 in
Rear Suspension	Dual Kayaba shocks, adjustable for preload damping.
Rear Wheel Travel	100 mm / 3.9in
Front Brakes	2x 298mm discs 2 piston calipers
Rear Brakes	Single 282mm disc 2 piston caliper
Front Tire	110/90-18
Rear Tire	150/90-15
Rake	29°
Trail	119 mm / 4.7 in
Wheelbase	1590 mm / 65.6 in
Seat Height	765 mm / 30.1 in
Ground Clearance	145 mm / 5.7 in
Dry Weight	254 kg / 560 lbs
Wet Weight	274 kg / 604 lbs
Fuel Capacity	15 Liters / 3.9 US gal
Consumption Average	39 mpg
Braking 60 - 0 / 100 - 0
Standing ¼ Mile	10.8 sec / 125mph 200 km/h
Top Speed	146 mph / 235 km/h