Yamaha 1700 V-MAX Limited Edition 2010 — Specifications

No need to beat around the bush: when Yamaha resurrected the V-Max in 2009, the bike delivered an electric shock to a muscle custom market many had written off as anaesthetized. A 65-degree V4 displacing 1679 cc, 200 horsepower at 9000 rpm, 166.7 Nm of torque available from 6500 rpm, all packed into 310 kilograms of metal sculpted like an industrial artwork. The machine had such a razor-sharp identity that it rendered its direct competitors obsolete before they could even respond.

For 2010, Yamaha France chose to capitalise on that reputation by offering three limited series reserved for the French market. No exclusive components, no special preparation kit, no revised engine mapping. Just three two-tone liveries available to order, in numbered units. The Demon Red pairs a deep red with a satin-finish magnesium brown. The Orange Metallic imposes a vivid orange ringed with a magnesium brown band. The Soft Brown plays it understated with a tonal mix of off-white and magnesium brown. The combinations sit coherently with the bike's lines, which absorb these colour schemes without betraying them.

The problem is the cost of the exercise. Listed at €23,490, this limited edition runs €1,500 more than the standard V-Max. For that premium, the buyer receives a small-run production colour and nothing else. When you consider that the bike was offered at €19,990 at launch — a rise of over €3,500 within a single commercial generation — the bill starts to sting. The 52 mm telescopic hydraulic fork, the radial six-piston calipers biting on 320 mm discs, the shaft drive, the 775 mm seat height, and the 15-litre tank remain strictly identical to the base version.

This type of limited series targets a very specific profile: the collector or V-Max enthusiast who wants a bike that stands out at gatherings without repainting it themselves. For everyone else, the rational buyer will struggle to justify the premium. The V-Max doesn't need this kind of artifice to make its presence felt; its 200 horsepower and shaft drive speak loudly enough on their own. When the bike reaches its theoretical 220 km/h, the colour of the bodywork is the last thing on anyone's mind.