Few people would consider a VMax for commuting in dense urban traffic, but if money were no object I personally would be happy to continue doing it. In the real world, where we have to count the pennies, I found that the expense of running the VMax in North London traffic was just too outrageous. Not only is the fuel consumption dreadful, the tank is so small that filling up every 60 miles or so was not unusual. For me this corresponds to a fill-up every other day just for commuting. On longer runs the situation was a bit better: 100 miles to a tank of petrol was possible.
My VMax was a US-import model, which has a reputation for being unmanageable and scary. I think this is an exaggeration. Certainly a machine that can accelerate to 60 mph in less than three seconds demands respectful treatment. I am told -- but have no wish to verify -- that under full throttle it will spin the rear wheel while lifting the front off the ground. But I found that openning the throttle a small amount make it go slowly, while opening it more made it go faster; it's as simple as that. There were no occasions where I found it uncontrollable, but in heavy rain the tendency for the back wheel to lose traction required extreme caution. I suspect that the tread on my VMax was not as deep as it might have been, and a new tyre might have improved the situation.
The VMax certainly attracted attention, mostly of the open-mouthed variety. The size of the engine has to be seen to be believed. It sounds like a 'real' motorbike as well.
For urban riding, I found the VMax to be entirely comfortable. It was not as difficult to squeeze between rows of stationary cars as its size might suggest, and the upright riding position made for good visibility. The immense low-speed torque makes gearchanges largely redundant, which is convenient around town. A further advantage is its ability to scare car drivers, sometimes to the extent of making them mount the pavement to get out of the way. I was also surprised by how infrequently car drivers though it would be fun to race me away from the traffic lights. Boy racers in their XR3s seem to think an 'ordinary' sporty motorcycle is fair game for a race. They're totally wrong of course; even a modest motorcycle would leave such a vehicle standing, but they don't know that. With the VMax, I think car drivers instictively realise that there is no prospect of victory in this endeavour, and don't bother. Good job too, since in a straight line the VMax would render almost any other road-going vehicle a diminishing dot in the rear-view mirror. In my experience cornering was less of problem than many reviewers seem to think; providing you throw the VMax into a corner it will get round respectably quickly. I don't suppose it would be much competition for a real sports bike on a twisty road, but this not often a problem for me.
The VMax has a good number of chromed shiny bits, and the standard of finish is not that marvellous. Keeping it looking
good requires continuous attention and a lot of elbow grease. This, combined with the
appalling fuel economy, finally convinced me to sell it. Which is sad.
©1994-2006 Kevin Boone, all rights reserved