The Yamaha V-Max is the original power cruiser. When launched in 1985 there was nothing quite like it. The bike was panned by enthusiast magazines for its ill-handling, but praise for its 1197cc, liquid-cooled, DOHC, 70-degree V-Four engine outshone any negativity and earned it early honors and, later, cult status.
Key the Yamaha V-Max’s legend is its bombshell engine. Sourced from Yamaha’s touring machine, the Venture Royale, engineers went to work altering cam profiles, lightening pistons and increasing the strength of connecting rods. The most important performance feature, however, was the V-Max’s “V-Boost” system. The engine was fed via two banks of two 35 mm constant-velocity carburetors, each carburetor feeding one cylinder. Between the two banks of carburetors was a butterfly valve attached to a small motor. When the engine revved past 6,000 rpm, the butterfly valve would open and allow the fuel mixture from both banks of carburetors to flow into the one chamber feeding all four carburetors. The result, in the hands of a pro dragracer, was a power boost that accelerated the Yamaha V-Max through the quarter-mile in under 10 seconds. The combination of unique styling and straight-line performance made the Yamaha V-Max an instant classic.