1st Gen On The Newsstands (again)

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Latest issue of Motorcycle Classics features notable bikes of the 80s. It rightfully devotes 6 pages to the V-Max.
How is this magazine overall? I don't think I've heard of it and I'm colored intrigued.
 
I don't subscribe, I buy it on the newstand if there's a feature I enjoy. The paper is thick, and glossy, pictures look great, and they usually avoid falsehoods I can often spot in things posted on the internet, about bikes. I do save the issues if I purchase them. I used to subscribe to Cycle, Cycle Guide, Cycle World, and Motorcyclist, but print versions are gone. Motorcycle Classics still is publishing a print copy, and I'm still buying.

Something I noticed, the local bookstore used to carry a few British bike magazines, but I haven't seen them in awhile, so I suppose those also may have closed-shop. There was one which was repair-specific and they often did retrospectives on buying used bikes, I forget the name.
 
How is this magazine overall? I don't think I've heard of it and I'm colored intrigued.
I wasn't familiar till stumbling across it at Barnes & Noble last night. It was a cool mag though. The VMax article had a section with old-school reviews which was pretty awesome. It was called a "two wheeled funnycar" and a "whack across the forehead with a running chainsaw" LOL. One writer (Cylce World) said that VMax riders don't look for someone to race with. They troll for fresh victims LOLOL. Those were so good.
 
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This isn't the latest issue

...and the article has a couple of issues.
It said Nov and was the only issue on display. Didn't catch any problems with the article but I only glossed over it for a minute. I do recall a comment calling into question Yamaha's claimed 145hp, saying it tested between 119 and 135. That left a sour taste.
 
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Highest RWHP I ever-saw in the major USA publications for a stock VMax was 119 RWHP. Most were lower by a bit. Nothing to be ashamed of in 1984, when the VMax was released. Few bikes broke-into triple digits back then. A 90 RWHP bike was a screamer. I think a reading of 110 RWHP or thereabouts on a Dynojet 250 dyno is pretty-much an OEM rating achieved on a stock bike. Add the Dynojet Stage 7 kit tuned properly and a good 4/1 full exhaust, which tends to favor high-RPM output over midrange torque, and something in the mid-120's is possible, so a gain of ~10-15%. Sean has posted on this before. He probably has as-much time working with the Gen. 1's as anyone I know-of, still doing the work. I recall reading of how Dynojet used a Gen. 1 as a benchmark for their dyno, and Sean has mentioned that article in the past. Here's one write-up, The Story Behind the Dynojet Chassis Dyno - The Truth Meter - Hot Rod Magazine

The only way to get into the 130 RWHP and-up range is with a power-adder, or an increased displacement, or some combination of multiple hop-up parts [including engine mods], power-adders, increased displacement, and increased compression ratio. The PCW 1500cc Tourmasters are capable of around 150 hp. Superchargers and turbochargers can realize big HP numbers, but unless engines are modded to bear such increases, there will be expensive contributions to learning the God of Speed is a fickle master. Watch 'The World's Fastest Indian.'

From Dynojet: https://www.kainzinger.com/downloads/2005motodynocatebook.pdf
 
As an aside:

Just noticed last night there is an advert on the telly for Co-operative motorcycle funeral. About 8 seconds into it there is a VMax! I think I'll book in. We have a Hayabusa just down the road from me with a hearse sidecar, looks great and obviously would not take much time to get you to the funeral.

 
I liked the funeral advert so much I was looking at signing up, until I seen what they send you as a free gift, pasted below.

Well okay, maybe they don’t 😀 just thought I would include a bit ontop of the advert to spice the story up a bit more.
 

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