2001 Vmax

VMAX  Forum

Help Support VMAX Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

mgosset1

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2011
Messages
104
Reaction score
0
Location
Irving, Tx
Hey this is Mike from Irving Tx....traded a Harley today for a 01 Vmax with 4k miles on it...looks like a new one....Bike sat in storage for a long time; will register it Monday....Have always wanted one; what a ride.....Looking forward to some sound advice on this beast....and getting some new ideas....first change will be the exhaust....
 

Attachments

  • IMAG0066[1].jpg
    IMAG0066[1].jpg
    58 KB · Views: 69
Super clean bike. If you haven't already, I would change ALL the fluids immediately. Then, I would start with getting rid of the stock seat. If you plan on riding any kind of distance, this is a must imo. There are several options on here for seats. I have a Morley muscle seat which is a reshaped and lowered stock one. Maxgasser also makes a seat which alot of people seem to like. Both guys are on the forum, so you couldn't go wrong either way. I would also recommend upgrading the suspension. Progressive front springs and rear shocks make a huge difference on the handling. Performance wise, a 4-2 or 4-1 system will open up the back end and you can go with a Morley muscle kit or stage 7 Dynojet. Stay away from the stage 1 kits, they're pretty much useless... I learned the hard way.

Anyway, enjoy your new ride and don't be afraid to ask questions. No one on here will give you crap if you ask a ? that has been asked many times before. The search button is your new best friend.
 
Hey this is Mike from Irving Tx....traded a Harley today for a 01 Vmax with 4k miles on it...looks like a new one....Bike sat in storage for a long time; will register it Monday....Have always wanted one; what a ride.....Looking forward to some sound advice on this beast....and getting some new ideas....first change will be the exhaust....

We are all interested in the market pricing today, there appears to be a real hit on pricing and deals. What did you pay? If it's a swap or trade-in, what did they give you for your bike and what did you have to make-up in cash?

Under the technical section, you can spend the next couple of weeks:biglaugh: reading about any topic of interest for your ride by category, i.e., 'engine,' 'suspension,' 'brakes,' etc. If you do that you will be much-better able to answer your own questions about what to do & how to do it.

If I had $$ to play with, & a nearly-new bike, I would either get a new rear wheel and go to radial tires ASAP, or, if you aren't going to spend the $ for that, make sure your tires aren't as hard as rocks, they very well could be the originals, and by age alone, are in need of replacement, if you want to ride safely.

After that, I would do the previously-mentioned fluid maintenance, install HH rated brake pads if you aren't going to upgrade the brake calipers (there are a number of ways to go there, used parts sourced from wherever you can find them will reward you with better function, use the technical section 'brakes' category; FYI, you can keep your stock master cyl & just replace the calipers, it will work just fine w/the commonly-available caliper replacements, such as FZR/YZF/R1, Hyabusa, & others). Stainless steel lines for the front brakes at a minimum (some also replace the clutch & rear brake lines, not really necessary if there are no issues w/the stock rubber lines)will make a big difference in brake feel at the lever.

Progressive Suspensions rear shocks (series 412, 418, & 440, take your pick, by order of >$) and front fork kits are popular, as are Cartridge Emulators and other brands of mods for the internals of the front fork. I would stay-away from shorter-than stock rear shocks unless you are a midget. Your cornering clearance will suffer, same advice for the front, sportbike front end swaps are expensive and unless you spend for some very expensive custom triple trees or longer fork downtubes, will also cost you corneering clearance. I don't think you will see much benefit from a different front fork brace, you would be better-off putting your $$ towards a fork internals kit like the springs & Fork Emulators or similar.

The Kerker 4/1 is a good performance exhaust, as are Mark's Performance Products in either 4/1 or 4/2; UFO makes some obscenely-loud exhausts which also provide great performance, and there are others. All these require re-jetting and other mods to your induction (pilot jets, filters, elimination of VBoost via simple tubing to replace the butterflies) to operate optimally. Dynojet Stage 7, and Morley's Muscle kits are what most member seem to use, there are other on the market. I have both the Kerker 4/1 and the UFO Dragstar 4/1. The Kerker costs you the use of your centerstand frame mounts, they must be removed. The UFO does not require the frame cutting. If you like the H-D modified exhaust loudness, go for the UFO! No one will want to ride on your right side...and you can make drivers wince and roll-up their windows while sounding like a cammed Chevy V8 idling at stoplights.

I have not installed an HID lighting kit, but I am looking at installing a different headlight. ddmtuning.com offers a great kit for the stock bulb replacement if you want to go w/HID's. Better night vision is always a +! Their prices cannot be beat, and I think they still offer a lifetime warranty!

On the 'electrical' forum topic there are threads about modifying the wiring harness inexpensively to make the charging system work better, including a cost-effective replacement for your voltage rectifier, better batteries (Odyssey brand is popular, but $, or go to Morley's Muscle website about a cheap alteration to your battery holder allowing you to fit a much-bigger capacity Gold Wing battery), and other topics about alternatives to lighting, including turn signals and rear taillights. I have a Signal Dynamics rear license plate light frame, they have several different kinds including ones you can use as turn signals too. This I feel is a must for increasing your nighttime visibility especially in bad weather. I have them on both of my current bikes.

Honestly, I would leave the engine internals alone until you get used to the bike, especially after coming off a H-D! You have probably 50%+ more h.p. than the best-running stock H-D Big Twin. As they say, power is 'adequate!' If you want more, well, open your wallet! Use it stock for a season or two first. If not see the attachment.

Well, that's the best advice I can give, but I am only a rider and not a mechanic. I do much of my own wrenching, but I am not making a living from it, there are many here who are, and you can chat w/them to get more-detailed advice on proposed paths of $-spending.
 

Attachments

  • NOS VMax_2011_10_29.zip
    151.1 KB · Views: 11
My Harley was a 07 custom 1200 sportster with 1,150 miles on it....I had 5,700 in the Harley and the guy with the Vmax wanted 6,950 for it.....We did a straight up swap.....He came out good and I got want I have always wanted....He might have come out a little better on value but I have my doubts..lol...
Thanks for the advice all.....it has fresh fluids in it already....gonna take a close look at the tires and see what the expire date is on them...there not cracked and still got the tits on the sides..I just cruise around town anyway; hardly ever get on the highway....gotta a friend that owns a Yamaha dealership; gonna let him give it a good look over and maybe re-sync the carbs....Not in a huge hurry to mod it just yet other than the exhaust....I like the UFO slashcuts...
 
Hey this is Mike from Irving Tx....traded a Harley today for a 01 Vmax with 4k miles on it...looks like a new one....Bike sat in storage for a long time; will register it Monday....Have always wanted one; what a ride.....Looking forward to some sound advice on this beast....and getting some new ideas....first change will be the exhaust....

Welcome Mike! I'm also new just getting mine last Wednesday. Not as nice as yours but I was in a rush since I wanted it before a ride last Friday (didn't get to ride it but that's a different story).

I paid 5250 for mine and it's a 06 with 12K miles (12,345) was the number when the guy filled out the sales tax form.

So I would say you got the deal I was looking for... you wanta trade? ;)

Cheers for now,
David.
 
Cypress Texas...I know where your at...Sounds like you got a good buy on your bike. 12k not any miles for these bikes...I have been wanting one of these bikes since 85, just never got around to finding a good one or being able to afford one....Owning one of these older Vmax's to me is like owning a 57 chevy 2 dr.....very nostalgic...you never get tired of seeing one on the road....
 
Cypress Texas...I know where your at...Sounds like you got a good buy on your bike. 12k not any miles for these bikes...I have been wanting one of these bikes since 85, just never got around to finding a good one or being able to afford one....Owning one of these older Vmax's to me is like owning a 57 chevy 2 dr.....very nostalgic...you never get tired of seeing one on the road....

I feel the same way and I didn't do anything to my first VMax but ride it. I sold it with only about 2500 mile on her.

This one has 2-1 pipes and it's way louder then stock... I didn't even think the VMax would even sound like it does with louder pipes. Almost like a HD... well close but way better sounding then stock (if you can deal/handle the loudness).

Here's one like mine (pipes that is):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKqikEGuadc

I love the setup with drag bars and tach and if I keep mine for a while I plan on bars, tach and rear fender light/plate mods.

I ride a 08 KLR most of the time so the stock VMax seat is way nicer then my stock KLR seat! LOL
 
Welcome to the forum! You do have a nice ride. I would recommend that you ask plenty of questions and follow the advice. I have not been steered wrong yet.
 
Ha ha ha... The midichlorians level on you is high my young padawan... Welcome to the drakforce i say... Theres no going back... unless you're broke!!!...
 

Latest posts

Back
Top