Yamaha Discontinues Iconic VMAX Power Cruiser

For as exaggerated and intense as the Yamaha VMAX is, the news of its demise came as more of a whimper than a scream, snuck in at the end of a press release detailing the exciting new colors coming for the rest of the 2021 Yamaha street bike range. If you blinked, you missed it, but there it was: Thanks to age and the inability to come anywhere close to meeting Euro 5 emissions standards, the Yamaha VMAX will be discontinued after 2020.

This year will be the last for the iconic, long-lasting Yamaha VMAX. (Yamaha/)

There is a good argument that it was about time.

Introduced in 1985, the VMAX enjoyed exactly one major update in its 35-year reign as the original power cruiser. Even when it was thoroughly revamped in 2009, the formula stayed the same. Massive V-4 plus relaxed riding position plus pirate-skycycle looks equals VMAX. It was a great idea, but so were cigarette machines. Neither lands that well in 2020, as we stand on a melting planet facing a generational social reckoning.

Hefty brakes and adjustable suspension mean the thing can turn, but it is most at home making a rip down the boulevard or a dragstrip. (Yamaha/)

Related Content: 2020 Yamaha VMAX First Look Preview

Those massive, legendary ram air pipes feed whatever gets in their way to the 1,679cc V-4, which puts almost 180 hp through the back tire. (Yamaha/)

But the simple equation is why the VMAX became the muscle bike by which all others were judged. The power cruiser that begat and then killed Harley-Davidson’s radical V-Rod. The monster that made machines like the Ducati Diavel possible.

Despite its prodigious 683-pound heft, the VMAX is low enough for almost anyone to throw a leg over, with a seat height under 31 inches. (Yamaha/)

But it didn’t even meet Euro 4 emissions standards, and though it was fast and torquey in a straight line, it wasn’t exactly comfortable and it handled about like it looked. And, at $17,995, it wasn’t cheap.

Throttle wide open, road dead straight. The VMAX in its natural habitat. (Yamaha/)

Even after the 2009 update, the VMAX’s lines stuck close to its roots, and you never needed to look twice to know what it was. (Yamaha/)

Still, I have always loved this bike. It is an almost perfect embodiment of what a motorcycle should be. It’s impractical, louder than it is fast, almost entirely antisocial, and perfectly devoid of any practical justification. If you have to ask whether you need a VMAX, you have missed the point. And that is, well, the point.

The four stubby exhaust pipes have been a hallmark since day one. (Yamaha/)

Despite its size and weight, the VMAX was never a particularly relaxed machine. (Yamaha/)

And so, we say goodbye to the 1,679cc V-4 muscle missile. We wish the swan song had been louder, longer, and played through a Les Paul and a wall of Marshalls, but we’ll make do with the memories. And remember that anywhere that tire smoke lingers in a dive bar parking lot, the spirit of the VMAX is alive.

The heart of the beast: a 1,679cc, 65-degree V-4. (Yamaha/)

2020 Yamaha VMAX Technical Specifications and Price

Yamaha wisely fitted an adjustable remote-reservoir shock to help calm the big bike’s movements. (Yamaha/)

As the sun sets on the VMAX line, there are few contenders to truly replace it. (Yamaha/)

Anywhere there is tire smoke in a dive bar parking lot, the spirit of the VMAX lives. (Yamaha/)

One gauge showing revs and speed. A reminder to pay attention to the road. (Yamaha/)