Contact Patch

Reader Contribution by Alison Green
Published on August 25, 2008
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The 2009 Yamaha VMAX

Wow, but why?

197hp, 123 lb/ft of torque and 1,679cc of displacement! All wrapped in shiny black and much chrome, the 2009 version of Yamaha’s VMAX is now a reality.

I must confess that although the original has been around for 20 years, it never attracted me, nor does it now. The only such bikes that I have met were far too noisy at all speeds, and the riders’ attitudes left me cold. That being said, if one aspires to be a Darth Vader clone, this might indeed be the right ride for you.

On reading the specs as presented in the August issue of Cycle Canada, I am now completely boggled. Have the manufacturers not noticed that motorcycles still run on two wheels? And on two rather small patches of rubber in contact with the road? I challenge anyone to use all 197hp and keep those two small contact patches stuck to the pavement.

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