Say goodbye to Yamaha VMAX, the Euro 4 emission regulations that take effect in Europe from 2017 make it a non-compliant bike. These are the final months of the VMAX, so if you are still waiting for the best reason to help you pull the trigger on Iwata's muscle bike, you should know that time is running out.
The Yamaha VMAX or V-Max as it was called back in the day, has a history that spans over 30 years, but it is the end of the line for this incarnation. Launched in 1985 and heavily updated (and renamed) in 2008, the VMAX is a no-nonsense pile of high-tech and two-wheeled muscle.
Powered by a 1,679cc V4 engine, the VMAX produces 200 horsepower at 9,000 rpm and a whopping 166.8 Nm (122.9 lb-ft) of torque at 6,500, and with the final upgrades to the engine management system and the entirely new frame, this bike also became more controllable and nimble.
Regarded as one of the benchmarks in the muscle bike segment, special editions of the Yamaha VMAX also saw the light of day in the past years, with the Carbon and 60th Anniversary yellow and black versions being the sauciest.
Still, it looks like emissions compliance ends with the Euro 3 level, and this means that the VMAX will no longer be road-legal starting with 2017, at least not with this engine, moto-station reports.
The sad news is that Yamaha is rumored to not be interested in an Euro 4 version of the VMAX V4 engine, a costly undertaking for an expensive machine with limited potential, especially as the powercruisers sort of went out of fashion.
You can get one and have it registered this year of you want to have brutal asphalt-scorching fun, but looking at the price tags of the new Yamaha machines, it's clear that the VMAX is most likely going to be the last in its line.
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