Creating the Mighty Max!

The V-max was developed in and for the States, but the man who did most to create it was Japanese. In the early 1980s Akira Araki, who later became General Manager of Yamaha’s motorcycle operation in Japan, was the leader of a development team that had been put together to create a new and powerful model for the US market. This was the period when Yamaha was making a huge effort to catch up Honda, at the time hugely into V4 engines with its VF range.

Dragsters and V8powered hot-rod cars were part of Araki’s inspiration, but on a trip to study the US market it was a visit to an unofficial dash across the Mississippi river that did most to mould the V-max. The ‘bridge race’ made a big impression on Araki. “Each time two bikes lined up. The rules were simple: they started from one side of the bridge, and the finish line was the opposite side,” he recalled. “The idea I had from this race was to make a bike that was strong in a straight line and really fast. It was the birth of the V-max concept.”

Araki took his idea of a V4-powered dragster to GK Design, an external Yamaha design office based in Santa Monica, California. There he spent almost a month developing his ideas, in collaboration with engineer Yasushi Ashihara, designer Makoto Kurachi and a Yamaha US product planner named Ed Burke. Leading British custom builder John Reed, aka Uncle Bunt, was by this time based in Los

Angeles and was employed as a consultant.

Much work was needed to develop the V4 motor, borrowed from the Venture Royale. Eventually, conventional tuning plus the novel addition of V-boost lifted peak output from 90bhp to an impressive 143bhp, while retaining plenty of low-rev performance. But as the engine came together, the styling of the new bike was causing debate among the small development team.

“Components didn’t fit together in the right place,” recalled Araki. “The engine was kind of fighting for space. The designer wanted to place the tank low. We knew it was necessary to show the powerful impression of the engine.” Eventually the team completed a full-scale drawing, and were enthused by the radical concept machine as they flew back to Japan to present it to Yamaha. The verdict was disappointing.

“We received almost no reaction inside the company,” said Araki. “I thought it was because the style was too eccentric for people at that time, and nobody knew how to react.” Even so, the bike was cleared for production, and in October 1984 it was presented to US Yamaha dealers at a convention in Las Vegas, where it got a hugely positive reception. The dealers’ excitement was matched by strong sales when the bike went on sale the following year. Yamaha had an unexpected hit on their hands.