98 or 140 Horsepower?

[jaymel]

Hello all,

Long story short, a friend owes me money and offered me his 1998 VMAX instead which I am interested in.

What i'm confused about is how much horsepower it has...according to bikez.com, it has 98 horsepower stock...but I thought they have 140 horsepower stock.

Bikez.com says the 96 model has 140HP but the 98 model only has 98HP....is this a typo???...how could a newer model have less horsepower than an older one...did they switch engines or something like that???

Please excuse my ignorance but a response would be much appreciated.


Thank You,
Jay

 

[FootNote]

It should be around 120 stock. I *think* that it is around 120 rwh.

There shouldent be a difference between 96 and 98, all Gen1's (85-07) have the same motor.

 

[PATMAX]

How much does the guy owe you? He ain't no friend if he don't wanna pay you back unless he owes you a grand and he is offering you a 2,000 dollar bike. Two posts Jaymel and you want us to settle a bet for you? Ummmm.
Any takers?

 

[Horrendous]

Yea, depending on the tune / pipe setup you should be running around 110-125 at the rear wheel. Yamaha says something Like 145 HP but you lose a lot of that from the motor to the wheel.

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk

 

[ninjaneer]

http://www.vmaxoutlaw.com/tech/vmaxstory/vmaxhist.html

Yes in certain years the HPs decreased--but only if you're speaking about European models. 145 at the crank, for all years, otherwise.

 

[RaWarrior]

98hp is the euro-spec version, which didn't have v-boost.

All north american bikes were 145 @ crank, which translates to ~113 at the wheel for a good running stock bike.

Value van vary greatly depending on condition, mods, ect. A really cherry stock '98 would probably sell for around $3-3500.

If you are considering this check the "what to look for when buying a vmax" thread.

 

[jaymel]

Thanks for all the quick replies. I guess I was misled and thinking about the European version. My friend needed money because his wife left him for somebody else and took everything (yes it sucks). I'm trying to help him out by taking the bike off his hands in return...don't really care if i have to eat some $$$ the bikes sweet and I'm a good friend.

Is 25,000 Miles a lot for these bikes???

 

[KJShover]

Is 25,000 Miles a lot for these bikes???

Nope, there are folks out there who do that in a little over a season. There are quite a few Vmaxes out there with over 80k in the mileage and members here with over 100k

 

[06VMAXIMUS]

Just getting broke in at 25K! Welcome to the forum jaymel....

 

[jaymel]

Thank You all very much. I'm glad to be here.

 

[johnpclynch]

Yeah, the 98hp versions were sold in Japan, UK & France (France has a 100hp limit on ALL bikes :damn angry

A simple check is to listen for a servo whirr when you turn on the ignition - this is the vBoost opening/closing as part of it's initialisation.
Also, avoid engines stamped with 3UF (below rear LHS exhaust manifold)

 

[sdt354]

Thank You all very much. I'm glad to be here.

And, welcome to the best Vmax forum. Didn't 89 have the most HP? Rick, help me out. With your Gen 1 bike, I mean

All the same stock as far as I know.
Steve-o

 

[bazwell]

The ones that didn't have v-boost had 98hp, vboost took them up to 145. That's at the flywheel. A lot of French and Japanese bikes didn't have vboost, as well as others.

You can buy an old v-boost setup for about $500. If you are smart/lucky, you can do programmable for not much more.

 

[thundermax]

Just sold my 98, in good condition, got $4,250.00

 

[BorgBiker]

Hey, welcome to the group, and enjoy the megatons of knowledge floating around. The combined V-max knowledge on this site probably exceeds Yamaha's by now.

I have a 96 model, and yes, those are the most powerful. Just ask any other 96 owner (if you ask another year owner, he'll LIE!!! They are all jealous of the 96's power!!!).

All kidding aside, if you take ownership, you will love it. Keep in mind that it's not a new bike, and there will be minor issues here and there - as with any other older bike. Prepare for it (this site is the best tool in your arsenal), and enjoy the ride!

I bought my Max Dec 12, 2011. It had 47,000 something miles on it, now I have 54,000. I'll probably have 70,000 by next December. It's a great bike that you won't find at every stoplight, in fact it might be the only one for miles. But there are enough out there to make aftermarket parts relatively plentiful.

All in all, with the V-max you get a bike with unique character, power, sound and soul - with great customization potential. Not to mention the ultimate attitude bike unk:

Welcome and good luck!

P.S. If you haven't heard the V-max though a full header system as God intended, watch this YouTube video (not my bike), with the volume up on decent speakers :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2HtxfNIywU
Awesome sounds!

 

[Redbone]

Hey, welcome to the group, and enjoy the megatons of knowledge floating around. The combined V-max knowledge on this site probably exceeds Yamaha's by now.

I have a 96 model, and yes, those are the most powerful. Just ask any other 96 owner (if you ask another year owner, he'll LIE!!! They are all jealous of the 96's power!!!).

All kidding aside, if you take ownership, you will love it. Keep in mind that it's not a new bike, and there will be minor issues here and there - as with any other older bike. Prepare for it (this site is the best tool in your arsenal), and enjoy the ride!

I bought my Max Dec 12, 2011. It had 47,000 something miles on it, now I have 54,000. I'll probably have 70,000 by next December. It's a great bike that you won't find at every stoplight, in fact it might be the only one for miles. But there are enough out there to make aftermarket parts relatively plentiful.

All in all, with the V-max you get a bike with unique character, power, sound and soul - with great customization potential. Not to mention the ultimate attitude bike unk:

Welcome and good luck!

P.S. If you haven't heard the V-max though a full header system as God intended, watch this YouTube video (not my bike), with the volume up on decent speakers :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2HtxfNIywU
Awesome sounds!

THIS was my inspiration to buy my Mark's exhaust over 4 years ago! This video still sounds great and is the signature sound of a Vmax for me!
Thanks for posting!unk: