YAMAHA VMAX by Hermès 21.10.2010

Yamaha and fashion house Hermès have joined forces to produce this one-off leather-clad V Max concept bike, which has just been unveiled at the Cologne Show.

Hermès craftsmen were let loose to combine 'mechanics and leather, to fulfil the dreams of motorcycles'. The idea was, according to Yamaha and Hermès, to "Reinforce the sculptural lines of this unique object and underline its emotional power."

The result has the £20k machine's non-mechanical parts dressed in Skipper buffalo leather, the main parts being the tank, seat, mudguards, headlight cover, exhaust silencers and grips. Finishing touches include brushed aluminium mirrors, meter case and exhaust. There are no plans to add this version of V-Max to its present or future range of bikes. Yamaha and Hermès worked together on a similar project on a Virago 15 years ago.