Yamaha has dipped a tentative toe into the custom
waters: it’s commissioned three top builders to work their magic on the
venerable V-Max ‘power cruiser’. The V-Max has been around since 1985, so it’s
due for a fillip—and that’s exactly what
Roland Sands (USA),
Marcus Walz
(Germany) and
Ludovic Lazareth (France) have provided. Although Yamaha has
called the initiative “Hyper Modified”, the mods are relatively mild. I’m
guessing the builders were told not to stray too far from the essence of the
original.
Sands went for a more streamlined VMax with
clip-on handlebars and a more aggressive riding position. Walz kept many of the
VMax’s key styling cues crafted a number of carbon fiber components. Lazareth’s
creation had a more industrial edge to it, swapping the stock air intakes and
exhaust for a more rectangular look with harder edges.