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30-Year Arcs / Muscle / Yamaha V-Max Lineage
Yamaha Japan

Yamaha V-Max 1200 / V-Max 1700. The drag-strip V4 that defined a category.

The original V-Max landed in 1985 with a 1197cc V4 from the Venture tourer, V-boost induction trickery and 120bhp — outrageous for a cruiser. It ran until 2007 with almost no changes. The 2009 V-Max 1700 was a clean-sheet 1679cc V4 making 197bhp claimed — proper hyper-cruiser. Yamaha killed it in 2020 and has not built a successor. The MT-10 covers the V4-shaped naked slot in 2026 — but with a CP4 inline-four, not a true V4.

1996
V-Max 1200
2006
V-Max 1200 (final yrs)
2016
V-Max 1700
2026
No V-Max · MT-10 closest
Continual audits are underway to verify local pricing for every bike in every market. Apologies for any gaps you see while this is in progress.
1996 V-Max 1200 · 11 years in
1996 V-Max 1200

V-Max 1200

1197cc liquid-cooled V4, V-boost induction
4× 35mm Mikuni carbs, shaft drive, drag-strip muscle

1197cc liquid-cooled DOHC V4
120 bhp
113
271
765
ABSFuel injectionTraction controlRide modesAnalogue dialsV-boost inductionShaft drive
Known issues
  • V-Max 1200 — front-end vague at speed (skinny forks) — all years
  • Carb sync drift, V-boost flap wear — all years
  • Shaft drive servicing neglected — used market
  • Reg/rec failure (Yamaha pattern) — all years
£8,500
£17,000
£3.5–6k
2006 V-Max 1200 · final years
2006 V-Max 1200

V-Max 1200

1197cc V4 — same bike as 1985, basically
Last year of production was 2007 (US/JP)

1197cc liquid-cooled DOHC V4
120 bhp
113
271
765
ABSFuel injectionTraction controlRide modesAnalogue dialsV-boost inductionShaft drive
Known issues
  • V-Max 1200 — same chassis weakness, 21 years in — all years
  • Reg/rec failure carry-over — all years
  • UK supply was always limited; grey imports common — UK market
  • Twitchy throttle response on V-boost engagement — all years
£10,000
£16,800
£4–6k
2016 V-Max 1700 · gen-2 mid-life
2016 V-Max 1700

V-Max 1700

1679cc clean-sheet V4 with YCC-T ride-by-wire
197bhp claimed, slipper clutch, alloy chassis

1679cc liquid-cooled DOHC 65° V4 (FI)
197 bhp
167
315
775
ABSFuel injectionTraction controlRide modesRide-by-wire (YCC-T)Slipper clutchShaft drive
Known issues
  • V-Max 1700 — heavy at low speed (315kg wet) — all years
  • Range awful (~110 miles to reserve, 15L tank) — all years
  • Optional ABS only on later models, never UK-spec TC — 2009-20
  • Otherwise mature, low-fault platform — bombproof V4
£17,000
£22,000
£8–12k
2026 No V-Max · 6 yrs gone
No bike for this era

No V-Max

Yamaha killed V-Max 1700 in 2020 (Euro 5)
MT-10 is the V4-naked successor in spirit — but is a CP4 inline-four

STATUS · GONE
GONE
—
—
—
—
—
MT-10 £14,800
// 30-Year Delta

What actually changed.

1996 → 2026 · 30 years of "progress"
Engine architecture V4 (then nothing) V-Max 1200 (1985-2007) and V-Max 1700 (2009-2020) were both genuine V4s — a layout almost extinct in 2026 outside Honda's VFR-derived holdouts and Aprilia's RSV4. Yamaha's modern muscle bike, the MT-10, uses the CP4 cross-plane crankshaft inline-four. Same number of cylinders, completely different engine character. The V4-cruiser slot at Yamaha is now empty.
V-Max 1200 → V-Max 1700 +482cc, 2009 reset After 24 years of the original V-Max, Yamaha threw it away and started over for 2009. New 1679cc V4 (different bore/stroke, no V-boost), new chassis, new electronics. Power claimed went 120bhp → 197bhp; weight went 271kg dry → 315kg wet. The 1200 was a 1980s drag bike with disco-era handling; the 1700 was a modern hyper-cruiser. Yamaha did not skimp.
Why it ended Euro 5 + niche economics, 2020 V-Max 1700 was killed for Euro 5 in 2020 after 11 model years. Always a low-volume bike (UK supply was tiny — most went to US and Japan), the cost of re-homologating a 1.7L V4 for a few thousand units a year didn't pencil out. Same fate as the Honda Valkyrie F6C and Triumph Rocket III's 2.3L generation.
The V-Max-shaped hole 6 years and counting There is no direct successor in 2026. Yamaha's MT-10 (£14,800, 165bhp inline-four) is the closest naked, but it's a 1L sportsbike-derived bike with totally different character. Triumph's Rocket 3 (£23,750, 2.5L triple, 165bhp / 221Nm) is the spiritual successor — same "outrageous engine in a cruiser" formula. But it's £8k more expensive.
Real cost trajectory +30% real £8,500 V-Max 1200 in 1996 (£17,000 today) → £17,000 V-Max 1700 in 2016 (£22,000 today). The V-Max 1700 was always premium-priced — it's a low-volume hand-built grey-import-pattern bike. Used market in 2026: V-Max 1200 £3.5-6k, V-Max 1700 £8-12k for clean low-mile.
Rider aids count (1996 → 2016) 0 → 4 V-Max 1200 had nothing — no ABS, no FI, no electronics. V-Max 1700 added ABS (optional then standard from 2014), FI, ride-by-wire (YCC-T), slipper clutch — but no traction control on UK-spec, no ride modes, no IMU. Even a 2026 mid-tier naked has more rider aids than the V-Max 1700 ever did.
Cheapest way in £3.5k A clean V-Max 1200 from the late 90s/early 2000s. 120bhp V4, V-boost induction, shaft drive, that engine note — a genuinely iconic motorcycle for the price of a 250cc commuter. Pay attention to reg/rec, V-boost flap wear, and front-end condition. A grey import bike (most UK V-Max 1200s are) is fine but check paperwork.
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// Sources

Where these numbers come from

Every figure on this page is from a published manufacturer spec sheet or a reputable review publication. No press junkets, no opinions in the spec data. Inflation calculated using Bank of England's CPI tool.

1996 V-Max 1200 Manufacturer specs · MCN archive · Cycle World road test archive
2006 V-Max 1200 (final years) Manufacturer press · MCN · Visordown
2016 V-Max 1700 Yamaha UK press release · MCN · Bennetts BikeSocial