Another Newbie

Hey!

I just bought a 1997 V-Max used and drove it for the first time yesterday. The bike was stored for several years but only had 4,000 miles on it. More importantly, the price was right.

I'm glad I bought it. It's the first non-sportbike I've ever owned. It's a little more cramped than I expected, but reasonably comfortably once you get used to it. Except for the seat of course.

To be perfectly honest, I thought something was wrong with the bike because it seemed rough when compared to an inline four. Once I had a chance to floor the throttle I realized it was running juuuuuust fine. :eusa_dance:

I've got all sorts of questions for you guys but I'll search around for answers before I start flapping my lips.

-Jeff

WELCOME TO THE VMAX FORUM JEFF!


Looking forward to talking to you soon,
G Man

MNFatz said:

Hey!

I just bought a 1997 V-Max used and drove it for the first time yesterday. The bike was stored for several years but only had 4,000 miles on it. More importantly, the price was right.

I'm glad I bought it. It's the first non-sportbike I've ever owned. It's a little more cramped than I expected, but reasonably comfortably once you get used to it. Except for the seat of course.

To be perfectly honest, I thought something was wrong with the bike because it seemed rough when compared to an inline four. Once I had a chance to floor the throttle I realized it was running juuuuuust fine. :eusa_dance:

I've got all sorts of questions for you guys but I'll search around for answers before I start flapping my lips.

-Jeff

Click to expand...

Hi Jeff!

If the idle is rough and it has been sitting in storage ( probably with old gas), the jets in the carbs are gummed up. You are going to have to clean the jets out and it will idle smooth and accelerate better! Either search here for "shotgun the carbs" or when I find it, I will post it.

Here's the shotgun link - http://vmax.lvlhead.com/tips/shotgun.htm

Thanks for the advice. For once, I'm one step ahead of somebody.

No big deal pulling it out of storage (for once). I've dealt with it before.

Only one of the four carbs needed help; the rest were fine. The one that needed help had a stuck float needle. I wasn't ready for what I had to do to get to the float bowl because I'm used to dealing with in-line carb banks. To make a long story short, about 4 hours and some carb cleaner later, everything was back together. A few runs to redline and everything settled in nicely.

The 'roughness' was just the motor--sort of lopey sort of feeling to it. Coupled with the Kerker slip-ons, I wasn't sure if things were working right or not.

That seat really has to go though. Corbin here I come.

-jeff

p.s. Anyone want to buy an 86 ninja 1000r? Only 1 bike in the garage allowed and the vmax won.

MNFatz said:

p.s. Anyone want to buy an 86 ninja 1000r? Only 1 bike in the garage allowed and the vmax won.

Click to expand...

Welcome aboard Jeff!
Might be time to extend the garage. Many here support a multiple bike addiction! My Max shares the garage with a ZX-11.

MNFatz said:

Hey!

I just bought a 1997 V-Max used and drove it for the first time yesterday. The bike was stored for several years but only had 4,000 miles on it. More importantly, the price was right.

I'm glad I bought it. It's the first non-sportbike I've ever owned. It's a little more cramped than I expected, but reasonably comfortably once you get used to it. Except for the seat of course.

To be perfectly honest, I thought something was wrong with the bike because it seemed rough when compared to an inline four. Once I had a chance to floor the throttle I realized it was running juuuuuust fine. :eusa_dance:

I've got all sorts of questions for you guys but I'll search around for answers before I start flapping my lips.

-Jeff

Click to expand...

WELCOME JEFF!!!

We are glad to help. Just ask.

I have a question for you. Did you synchronize the carburetors after you cleaned them? It makes a huge amount of difference in the way the engine runs.

Looking foreward to seeing your posts!

Welcome to the forum Jeff!

Buy V-Max-----Open wallet:hihi: For the mods of course!!!!
Welcome to the forum and sync thoes carbs.
Lew

Thanks for the warm reception, guys.

I didn't synch the carbs--I just pulled the one stuck carb and cleaned it up.

I'm sure this thing needs a sync and a good tune. As big of a pain it was to pull out the carbs, it is nice having clear access to the vacuum ports and throttle plate screws without having to take everything apart. That and I got to take a look at the vboost setup.

I just bought a Corbin seat off of ebay for $175.00. I'm not wild about what it does to the lines of the bike, but the butt cheeks need tlc. I'm not speaking from experience, but I have a feeling the only thing that could hurt your ass more than 100 miles on a vmax is 5 years in a federal penetiary.

Are highway bars worth it on these bikes? The footpeg to seat distance on these bikes is pretty short.

Other than that, these are classically durable bikes. All the reliability of a Venture and it flies. What's not to like?

welcome to the site.

Do yourself a favor and look into the tank and see if its rusted. Its a possibility if the bike was stored for a while. And trust me you dont want that rust getting into the carbs.


I persoanlly dont like the Corbin seat either. Look into www.ufocycles.com or RMS Sportsmax, their seats are much better !