checking out old vmax new to me

[Brett unsupervised]

Looking for advice on things to check on a rough 98 vmax which may be unique to the bike and I may not think of.

got a 98 vmax, looked a little rough when I got it but ran ok as far as I could tell. got it home and looked closer and the more I looked the rougher it appeared.
- changed oil and found one little hard bit on the magnetic plug, also some "sludge" which sort of had the consistency of old dried toothpaste. was not shiny, gritty but was on the magnetic plug. Most worried if the bike has internal problems.
- as I dug down past the breather and to the tops of the carbs I kept finding just silly stuff that shouldn't be the way it was: PCV hose not connected and puking oil on the back of engine, 3 of 4 small hoses on the tops of the carbs missing, variouse body screws MIA, the low idle pilot completely missing on the #2 carb, black plugs, burned/corroded plug boots .... Im sure I will find more.
-Plan: test compression against Clymer manual spec, put the hoses back on the carbs and breather the right way, install a new oem pilot and cap on #2 carb, replace plugs, clean plug boots, sync carbs, check/change rear end fluid by whatever guidance clymber manual recommend, then run it for 50 miles and check the oil for metal on the magnetic drain plug. assumuing all above is good and no metal on the plug. then figure I have a solid machine and start fixing it up (it has a very bad case of very cheap mods ... Im sure it feels humilitated going out in public with those).
- please provide any advice on stuff I should check before running it, to ascertain if its solid or if I need to have a mechanic tear into the block: Ill change out the brake fluid and coolant after I determine if its mechanically solid.

 

[MaxMidnight]

First rule of a new acquisition is assume nothing and don't trust what you have been told.
I would do is a full service (checklist attached) and by working through this you will uncover many of the gremlins. One of my assumptions would be that it had never been serviced therefore replace rather than check.
I would also clean the earth points and run fuel and oil system cleaners through.

Having done the above you should have a machine that you now know well. There may well be other gremlins lurking but if I could predict what they were I would be a multiple lottery winner (I'm not )

 

[Fire-medic]

MM, that's a good spreadsheet. It would help an owner keep track of things, and help the bike's longevity.

If you run a compression test, don't forget to have the throttle fully-open when cranking. If that shows any negative results, doing a cylinder leak-down test will help you to identify where the issues lie, before tearing into anything.

Changing out the brake fluid now is a good idea, for both the clutch and the brakes. That way you won't be tempted to hop on it, and run down the road without having looked-over the brakes F & R.

I agree with Mr. Midnight, from what you've found so-far, you've taken-on a bike with much 'deferred maintenance,' as it's called. A dime to a dollar (or a £, as Max Midnight would say) you are going to discover all-sorts of bollocks-up repairs. I would be pulling the front & rear calipers to check the condition of the brake pads, too. I suspect they will be kaput. Fronts will take a HH compound pad, better braking for you. Pinch the front rotors and see if you have a smooth surface, or a wavy one, as you pull your pinched fingers across the surface. Wavy? Replace.

Any oil on the front calipers? That suggests leaky fork seals. Use OEM replacements rather that aftermarket, the service life seems to be better.

There is much, much more, but that's a start. Max Midnight's spreadsheet can help you keep track of things.

 

[Brett unsupervised]

First rule of a new acquisition is assume nothing and don't trust what you have been told.
I would do is a full service (checklist attached) and by working through this you will uncover many of the gremlins. One of my assumptions would be that it had never been serviced therefore replace rather than check.
I would also clean the earth points and run fuel and oil system cleaners through.

Having done the above you should have a machine that you now know well. There may well be other gremlins lurking but if I could predict what they were I would be a multiple lottery winner (I'm not )

 

[Brett unsupervised]

midnight -- thanks a pile -- thats a great set of advice and really helpful

 

[Brett unsupervised]

MM, that's a good spreadsheet. It would help an owner keep track of things, and help the bike's longevity.

If you run a compression test, don't forget to have the throttle fully-open when cranking. If that shows any negative results, doing a cylinder leak-down test will help you to identify where the issues lie, before tearing into anything.

Changing out the brake fluid now is a good idea, for both the clutch and the brakes. That way you won't be tempted to hop on it, and run down the road without having looked-over the brakes F & R.

I agree with Mr. Midnight, from what you've found so-far, you've taken-on a bike with much 'deferred maintenance,' as it's called. A dime to a dollar (or a £, as Max Midnight would say) you are going to discover all-sorts of bollocks-up repairs. I would be pulling the front & rear calipers to check the condition of the brake pads, too. I suspect they will be kaput. Fronts will take a HH compound pad, better braking for you. Pinch the front rotors and see if you have a smooth surface, or a wavy one, as you pull your pinched fingers across the surface. Wavy? Replace.

Any oil on the front calipers? That suggests leaky fork seals. Use OEM replacements rather that aftermarket, the service life seems to be better.

There is much, much more, but that's a start. Max Midnight's spreadsheet can help you keep track of things.

midnight -- thanks a pile -- thats a great set of advice and really helpful

fire medic -- as with midnight -- thanks for the tips -- will do the brakes before running around. and really appreciate the note on the full open throttle during compression check.

what started out as a desire to buy a more or less turnkey bike, albeit "seasoned", with expected hickups, Im now looking at this as a fun project to get the poor thing as it should be. Fortunately I can keep the other one stock and enjoy it, while deciding what to do with this one. And Use the good 02 as a reference for the needy 98.

 

[Fire-medic]

Maybe the best thing to do us to use the 2002 as a 'reference standard.' Once you get the '98 operating properly as an OEM, you can undertake any mods you want secure in knowing that it's not some hop-up trick you tried, which is making the bike operate poorly.

 

[Brett unsupervised]

Maybe the best thing to do us to use the 2002 as a 'reference standard.' Once you get the '98 operating properly as an OEM, you can undertake any mods you want secure in knowing that it's not some hop-up trick you tried, which is making the bike operate poorly.

sound advice for sure -- a well established entry config

 

[Brett unsupervised]

First rule of a new acquisition is assume nothing and don't trust what you have been told.
I would do is a full service (checklist attached) and by working through this you will uncover many of the gremlins. One of my assumptions would be that it had never been serviced therefore replace rather than check.
I would also clean the earth points and run fuel and oil system cleaners through.

Having done the above you should have a machine that you now know well. There may well be other gremlins lurking but if I could predict what they were I would be a multiple lottery winner (I'm not )

just reviewed the checklist -- really great, and includes specs! thank you so much. Looking forward to this journey.