96 sitting for 4 + years.

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I don't know, I'm going to respectfully diverge from the crowd here. If you ride your max with any vigor at all, It'll be hard on the clutch. I've had three of them now, I have done clutches and all of them. Often sooner than I would have expected. I would upgrade the clutch. It's easy enough to do later, but I would certainly keep it on the short list.

The DD mod Makes for a fairly uncomfortable around town cruiser. The clutch pull is pretty harsh. I recently Upgraded my current clutch. OEM frictions including the full inner plate, heavy duty PCW spring. Definitely more pressure on the plates and decent compromise with regard to lever action.
 
We're right back to those two different schools of:
  • Only replace those parts that need replacing to save money.
  • You're there. You're RIGHT THERE. Replace it all with new and forget about it.
There's no wrong answer, but for what it's worth in the the latter crowd with DM.
 
I don't know, I'm going to respectfully diverge from the crowd here. If you ride your max with any vigor at all, It'll be hard on the clutch. I've had three of them now, I have done clutches and all of them. Often sooner than I would have expected. I would upgrade the clutch. It's easy enough to do later, but I would certainly keep it on the short list.

The DD mod Makes for a fairly uncomfortable around town cruiser. The clutch pull is pretty harsh. I recently Upgraded my current clutch. OEM frictions including the full inner plate, heavy duty PCW spring. Definitely more pressure on the plates and decent compromise with regard to lever action.

I see your point and the point of FM and MM.

I have an opinion that is in the middle of what you, and they suggest.
Pending the OE clutch looks good on inspection, I would remove the half plate, clutch boss spring, spring seat, and retaining wire. Then replace all that with a full size disc. Clean up the steel plates, and reuse everything else. It gives more hold for minimal dollars. Get this thing running for minimal investment and then see where you are at once you get to ride it a bit.
 
Well, after many hours of work I finally have the engine back in the frame. That’s something that I will not want to do again. I took the rear end off and lifted it up over the engine and “worked” the engine into place all by myself. It took a couple of hours to get it right, but now it’s in. I replaced the engine mounts with billet aluminum ones. E394AF00-E0CA-40A4-B7DC-8B5E29E51B2C.jpeg7A427604-C555-4BC7-8EC1-EB362C232597.jpeg
 
Nice one mate. I just spent the same couple of hours by myself trying my frame over the engine and putting solid (delrin) engine mounts in and being really careful not to damage the newly powdercoated frame. I really should have waited until one of my mates could come over to give me a hand because I struggled for a while trying to get it lined up, breaking sweat and generally being unsuccessful. Then one of my kids got home from school and gave me a hand, I got it lined up and bolted together in 10 minutes lol
 
Yes, having another set of hands would have been helpful. I'm happy now that I didn't paint anything before I put it in, I scratched the frame in many places and the valve covers too.
 
I use a long floor jack and can get it in without too-much time spent, and some padding on the paint if that's fresh, and you're worried. Some people do the 'lay the frame on its side' method. I've never-tried that for a VMax.
 
This is me eating my words: I suspect that it will turn out that your long road to getting this one back will be time well spent. You got unlucky with ham-fisted previous owners. But you took destiny into your own hands and your luck is about to change.

I've been pretty lucky in that most of mine have shown signs of fairly minor stupidity, typically easy to correct. (However, a recently acquired specimen just might change that streak).
 
Well I don't know if the PO put the cam shaft in wrong or if it was the result of the tensioner bolt being stripped which may have caused the chain to slip....but either way what he did caused the outcome.
 
I may have missed it, is your workspace sided with pallets-pieces? It looks like it turned-out well.

Do you have any-sort of a stay on the exhaust canister? I would recommend one.

And, don't forget to re-attach the right font caliper hose! 😝 I took a look at the front brake master cylinder sight-glass, and thought to myself, "wow, that's really-clear, he must've used a brand new can of brake fluid!"

VMax mjsinil fresh paint.jpeg
 
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