2003 vmax with UFO exhaust and vgas

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sparkymark

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Hello I have just purchased a 2003 Vmax it is a Japanise import as I live in WA and it very hard to find good secound bikes here.I ordered a 4/2 megaphone exhaust and a vgas system from UFO. I paid for the order on the 22/4/12 and Jon said it will take 7-10 days for the Exhaust to arive and 4 days untill he gets the carbs 7-10 days to get them ready and 6-10 days untill I get them , remeber I live in Perth Australia , I will keep you all posted on the time parts take to arrive and the fitting process and horse power gains and 1/4 mile times. I want to hear stories from others who have done the same mods and handy tips etc.. I am very interrested to hear other peoples 1/4 mile times with the same mods. This is the first Vmax I've own and the bike is still in transit so I can't wait to get it , I'm going to take it over the pits and get it licenced then take it home and strip and modify it straight away. I also need a trailer to take it to the race track , I'm working on that at the moment so anyone on here from Aus with advice on trailers would be good as well.
 
Welcome to the forum....few things you might like to know...seeing as 32 people read this and nobody responded....I'll break it to you.

-The Vgas was a spectacular waste of money. It has been repeatedly proven they do not make any more power than a good setup with stock carbs, for stock engine size. You would have been far better off with Morley's carb kit, at a small fraction of the cost. Jon thinks these are the greatest things ever, and tuned properly can perform well, but so can stock carbs. I have yet to hear of anyone getting his claimed 140+hp, or even close to that. Jon has been known to well....ahem.....bullshit people. And for $2000....sheesh.
They have various unpleasant side effects, like they make your legs smell like gas and have been known to get finicky on hot engines.

-UFO has notoriously bad customer service, especially when it comes to items that are not ready to be shipped immediately. Excuses, delays, ect. Some people have had no issues with him, a lot of people have. Once he's got your money, you are strictly on the "back burner" so to speak. It's been around 2 weeks, has anything arrived yet? Has he contacted you with status updates?

-Japanese bikes had a speed limiter device inside the speedometer. It's fairly simple to disconnect. Japan-spec bikes also did not have v-boost(only US/Canada bikes got this, Euro/Japan did not). So right out of the gate your engine is down around 20-25hp over one with v-boost. Since you have vgas carbs this is kind of a non issue though.

I hate to be such a pessimist right out of the gate but it looks like you should have done a little more homework before diving in and spending loads of money. A Marks or Kerker exhaust, and a Morley carb kit will give you the most power possible without cracking open the engine. PCW(a reputable shop specializing in the Max in New York), has had mixed success with UFO's full systems, they've reported they can be tough to dial in across the rev range and don't produce the power of other systems (despite Jon's propaganda that his are the best and everyone else copied him). They had a bike with his full system on it on the dyno and were only getting around 120 for power. They say usually a full system and good carb tune will get in the 124-128 range. While they are an unbiased shop and don't want to badmouth any one thing, they have said they have had "limited success" with Vgas systems, most of the time they come in is when the owner can't get the bike to run right with them.

Anyway welcome aboard, I have heard that the Max is quite rare is Australia so good for you for getting one.
 
sparkymark Welcome to the forum. I have not dealt with UFO, I have talked to Sean Morley of Morley's Muscle great fellow, knows his V-Max that is for sure. I have also dealt with CaptainKyle another great fellow and knows his way around a V-Max as well. As do many others here. Grats on getting a Max. Hope you enjoy yours as much as I do mine. Ride safe and enjoy the ride.
 
Welcome to the forum.

+1 to what RaWarrior said.

Also , save your money for the trailer too unless you are going to strictly race it. Most of us ride it to the track , tweak whatever needs it , safety it , & race it , change back whatever needs to be done and ride it home. :punk:
 
Thanks for your replies the bike was imported by a Australian licenced motor vechicle dealer as a full power version so there should not be a problem there. I did do a lot of research before I ordered the parts from UFO , I find 90% of what is on the internet is not true , I have ordered the parts and paid for them and can't wait to get them and fit them to the bike , carbs arn't that hard to tune man , I'm a Auto Electrician from Australia and work at a mine site, I know a lot of fitters. I posted this Thread to state facts and I will keep you all posted about what happens and the HP gains I do get and 1/4 mile times. The bike was sent from Brisbane on the 3/5/12 it will take 7 to 10 days to get to Perth which sucks as I work in a fly in fly out mine site my roster is 1 week on 1 week off, I will go back to work on the 10/5/12 so I won't get it this break but it's all good I know I will get a better bike in the long run it is worth the wait. If I brought a 1995 Vmax in Perth with 24000 km I would pay $9000 AUD and the imported bike from Japan is a 2003 with 24000 km and I paid $9000 AUD and that is with freight to Perth included , all I have to do is get it licenced.The police in Australia are hard they don't like modified bikes all cars and they hang around the race track waiting to catch ya , so I think it is a good idea to get a trailer.
 
Hey Sparkymark good to hear from you I'm in Fremantle looking forward to a ride together sometime. Another user here - Bazwell - is in North Perth.

I'm importing a Max from the US, unfortunately it's been stuck over East since it arrived in the country in early March having its compliance done. I wanna go and hit the arseholes dealing with it over east they said two weeks it's been two months and still dunno when it'll come.. We'll be right in winter by the time I get it here!

Sorry for the rant looking forward to meet up and ride sometime.
 
Thanks for your replies ... I find ̶9̶0̶%̶ 99.8% of what is on the internet is not true ...

FIFY :biglaugh:

You Aussies have to dish out some big shekels for your Maxes. That kind of committment makes a thing dear to your heart, and I'm sure you'll end up with something to be proud of. You'll get plenty of good advice & tips here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vD94dVu8lqQ
 
Hey Sparky, welcome to the forum. Keep us posted on your tuning adventures. Happy Riding!
 
Here is a photo of the Vmax still in Transit.
 

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Tempary licence plate arrived today with the spare key it's not much to brag about but it's a start , this is a Queensland plate it will last for one month so when I get the bike I have to change the plates to Western Australia plates which means it needs to go over the pits so it must be stock standard , no mods.It won't cost much just a few hundred then I'm ready to go. YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

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sparkymark,
I just installed a UFO StreetPro Slash Cut system on a 2003 V-Max last week. The entire system is of very high quality. The craftsmanship was the finest I've ever seen on any after market exhaust. The exhaust also fit like a glove, very well designed. Best part is the sound, you will be pleased with your exhaust. Seems like some may have a personal axe to grind with the company/owner.
 
sparkymark,
I just installed a UFO StreetPro Slash Cut system on a 2003 V-Max last week. The entire system is of very high quality. The craftsmanship was the finest I've ever seen on any after market exhaust. The exhaust also fit like a glove, very well designed. Best part is the sound, you will be pleased with your exhaust. Seems like some may have a personal axe to grind with the company/owner.
Welcome Lineman, glad you can join us. I'm sure you'll find everything about a Vmax and lots of help when you have questions. We encourage everyone to tell us their experiances, show off a few pics of your bike and add any information like a tech how to/ buyer beware to help make this site as informative as possible.
It's true there has been less than glowing responses regarding the Company/ owner, which is what has been their experiance. I'm glad you are happy with your purchase, it's good to hear that we Vmax riders enjoy our niche bike, no matter the point of view!
 
The braces come with the bike from Japan, when I get the bike I'll have a good look at them to see if there is part numbers or a ID of some sort on them.Im at work now won't be back in Perth until next Thursday the bike arrives in Perth tomorrow I can't wait to get back home.The freight company I'm dealing with is Northline freight from Brisbane to Perth in 8 days they have been really good to deal with so far.
 
Hi Sparky Mark,I am in Brissy,I've got an '85.It's pretty much stock as far as the motor goes,but lot's of other mods (re-money) has gone into it.Don't worry about UFO too much,I bought some stuff from Jon,and he's been great.I can't vouch for V-Gas though,I haven't got it yet.This is for naughty G...who is supplying your bike?Is it in Brisbane?I know the guy who brings them into Qld.He goes thru a lot of crap getting them complianced,he even has to take the braided brake lines off them.He was also told to move the rear indicators backward,for some reason they were too far in front of the tail-light,but he got that changed!
 

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I have a Vgas setup on my bike and Love it!! And so does anyone else that I've seen on here WHO ACTUALLY HAVE THEM! So don't just go by someone who doesn't have the system. If it wasn't any good people would take it off and go back to stock carbs. I havn't seen ANYONE do that. But that's just my opinion. Good luck with the new bike and hope your not discouraged by some people's problem with UFO.
 
I have a Vgas setup on my bike and Love it!! And so does anyone else that I've seen on here WHO ACTUALLY HAVE THEM! So don't just go by someone who doesn't have the system. If it wasn't any good people would take it off and go back to stock carbs. I havn't seen ANYONE do that. But that's just my opinion. Good luck with the new bike and hope your not discouraged by some people's problem with UFO.

You need to get around more. We have taken them off a few bikes (and have one we wish the owner would let us take them off). As noted. It's not just me that has had less then spectacular performance with them (or any flatslide on a stock or even smaller bore vmax).

So, yes, some of us do know the difference between the two!

Sean
 

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