In 1993 the fork tube size increased from 40 mm to its present size of 43 mm and the new forks tubes were no longer equipped with the “air joint”. (The air equalizing tube that runs from one fork tube to the other.) The front brake rotors were increased in diameter from 282 mm to 298 mm and ventilation holes were added to them. The front brake calipers were also upgraded to a 4-pot system over the previous 2-pot system. In 1993 the generator was also upgraded slightly.

In 1996 the oil drain screws at the bottom of the fork tubes were eliminated, a helmet lock was added to the left rear frame area, the rear drive housing changed slightly, bearing a surface area to mount a speedometer pick up in the casting, (used on other models) The casting was also machined down an additional ¼ inch at the axle nut area to accommodate a shorter axle. A larger diameter and thinner washer with a lock nut went with the deal, all Royal Star parts. The Vmax also got a larger, finned voltage regulator in ’96. Also in ’96 the Vmax got a newly designed engine block, which incorporated a spin-on oil filter and a new style connecting rod. There was also a small rubber plug or cover added to the bottom of the lower triple tree to keep water and dirt out.

2001 is the year Yamaha added fork guards to the lower fork legs and there were some slight changes to the forks damper rod and bolts.

The 2003 Vmax has different script style on the speedometer, tachometer and temperature gauge. The “red line” was lowered form 9,500 RPM’s to 9,000 RPM’s.  And while the paint scheme of the bike itself is “Matte Black”, it was the first time that Yamaha released the Vmax with the frame and engine not being the usual gloss black. It’s also been reported that the engine block was also slightly redesigned this year.

2005, the twentieth anniversary of the Vmax, brought no significant changes other than what’s been previously mentioned.