Ride
All this technical mastery did little to convince me of the new Prince's greatness; the last VMAX sounded pretty good on paper as well. At the risk of offending His Dark Lord's minions, the old 'Max was a miserable machine on many levels. I really wanted to like it but the shaft drive's lash, combined with spotty low-end jetting and weird handling made low-speed riding, shall we say, uncivilized. Twist the throttle hard and several things happen, all of which were bad: the shaft would bind up the chassis in knots, while the bias ply tires struggled to deal with all the power-the result was usually unsatisfying to scary. Frankly, I was worried if all of the technical mastery aimed at the new, more potent mill, would merely bring the handling to the level of the old machine.
My fears of the demon prince came to the fore as I tossed a leg across his saddle, and settled into the wide cockpit. Though it has a low 30.5-inch seat height, it is very wide across the middle, meaning that even standing 6' tall, I was just barely flat-footed while seated. Firing the engine, it growls to life with a sweet deep staccato. Lifting anchor and getting under way, the 'Max is a bit heavy-steering at parking lot velocities, or moving it around by foot, but once rolling that all disappears.
In fact, It's more civilized at in-town riding than more than a few bikes. Neutral, predictable handling, and a nice torquey motor combine for that rare combination of an exciting bike that is supremely easy to ride. Staying in the lower rpm reaches and short shifting it's downright confidence inspiring. If you could set the rev-limiter at 5000 rpm, you could set loose a recent MSF course graduate on this thing without a twinge of guilt. But those warm fuzzies are exactly what makes the VMAX a true manifestation of evil.
Twist the throttle a little harder, say up past where the V-Boost kicks in near 7000 rpm, and hold on tight. The hit actually starts a little lower than that, though the 'Max has a potent but utterly controllable powerband from all the way down at 2000 to about 5000 rpm, where it starts to hit harder and harder, shuddering, and the intake screaming like Beelzebub's hordes. I didn't hit the sweet spot for a good half hour after climbing aboard, but when it hit, I knew it. I have to stress that the bike is deceptively fast even when being lugged, then becomes obviously and painfully fast at high rpm. It's like the VMAX has two engines: the cruiser motor from idle to 5500 and the drag racer above that.
As the day went on, I began to get comfortable with the displays of power this devil was capable of. I was going roughly 100 mph on a deserted stretch of public...I mean a closed race course, when an editor from another magazine came past me like I was in reverse. The speeds involved were kind-of mind-bending.
All that said, the chassis is well matched to the motor. In tighter twisty roads, keep the revs lowish and the big machine will heel over and torque you out of the corners. The shaft effect is so light at low rpm that you'd almost think it had a belt. In faster stuff, you can let 'er rip a little more, but do yourself a favor and at least get up on the meat of the tire before opening the throttle too far and releasing the demons. Shaft effect is more noticeable at higher revs, but far from a deal breaker, and the chassis is utterly composed. When riding aggressively the big boy can be a bit of a handful, requiring some muscling to get it to flop side to side, but there are few bikes this large that can do the things that this one can.
The reduced engine braking from the slipper clutch and ECU is set about perfectly; at no point does it even remotely freewheel like a two-stroke, there still is quite a bit of whoa to be had by simple closing the throttle, but no rear wheel skipping.
On the practical side, the bike is a typical devil's bargain: there are definitely some considerable compromises needed to make a muscle machine this good. We didn't get a real accurate reading with the Star folks filling the bike for us from a mobile drum, but with the fuel light going on at about 70 miles on the 4 gallon tank that puts mileage at somewhere south of 30 mpg. The seat is a nice, secure throne for launching the bike hard, but by the time the skimpy tank runs out of gas you'll be ready to take a break. There is also nowhere besides the footpegs to rest your feet for a change of position; the rear pegs are too far back, and there's nowhere to attach a set of forward pegs with no downtubes. Clutch pull is still on the heavy side, but for the kind of duty its pulling, it's totally acceptable
There's also some nice, humane touches. Adjustable levers are key to getting the controls set up right, and you'll find them here. The dual displays are easy to read and very informative; however, the tank-mounted one is a little hard to see wearing a full face helmet. The fuel tank access is under the seat, like the old 'Max, but pops up with a spring-loaded catch, and even leaves a little space to store stuff like small maps, tools, keys, and the like.
So is the new VMAX one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse told of in the Book of Revelations? We don't claim to know, but don't say you weren't warned that this bike is an evil, evil beast. The Dark One's arrival had been prophesied via press release, shown to the press on the deck of an aircraft carrier, exhibited at shows around the country, and, by the time you read this, quite possibly sold-out. Evidence enough of its malevolence! Need more? Simply look at its wheelbase length and turn the last number around: 66.9 inches. You can't fool us...
Ever Darker...
As always with Star Motorcycles, the accessories department was in on the plot from its early stages, so there are already a number of ways to customize and change up the brand-new machine.
Aluminum covers to replace the (mostly) magnesium ones that come with the bike (!), along with more carbon fiber bits than you'll know what to do with. A new rear seat integrates the rider butt-rest, the passenger pad and the gas door cover in a sleek tapered shape. There are also travel accessories like hard luggage, racks, and windshields (small and large).
'09 Star Vmax
Base Price/MSRP: $17,990
Colors: Intense Black
Engine & Drivetrain
Type: 1679cc, liquid-cooled, 65-degree V-four
Bore And Stroke: 90x66mm
Valve Train: DOHC, 4 valves/cylinder
Compression Ratio: 11.3:1
Horsepower (claimed, crankshaft): 197hp @ 9000 rpm
Torque: 122 lb-ft @ 6500 rpm
Fuel Capacity: 4 gal.
Fuel System: EFI, quad 48mm throttle bodies
Transmission/Final Drive: 5-speed, shaft final drive
Chassis
Rake/Trail: 31-degrees/ 5.8 in.
Front Tire: 120/70x18 Bridgestone BT028
Rear Tire: 200/50x18 Bridgestone BT028
Front Brake: Dual six-piston radial-mount calipers, 320mm discs w/ ABS
Rear Brake: Single caliper, 298mm disc
Front Suspension: 52mm telescopic fork, 4.72 in. travel, fully adjustable
Rear Suspension: single shock, 4.33 in. travel, fully adjustable
Wheelbase: 66.9 in.
Seat Height: 30.5 in.
Wet Weight: 685 lbs.