Welcome to the forum I am in FLorida but a ways from you there are some others in your area. I do have Tech Days at my house from time to time.
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Rollie
Well-Known Member
Thanks JR , Black has always been faster , Blue attracts more women , Red brings the PoPo .
IMHO.
:rofl_200::rofl_200:
BorgBiker
Well-Known Member
Hi I am Marcus, and I am addicted to motorcycles, and the 1st Gen V-max in particular.
I am an IT guy by day, guitar player by evening, and motorcycle fanatic since 1983. This is when I discovered the V65 Magna, and it forever changed my notion of what a motorcycle could be/do.
I've always been a power fiend, but I still have a soft spot for cruisers. But my idea of a cruiser was forever altered when I was in 8th grade. The school library had a Magazine with a cruiser up on it's rear wheel, like a horse pawing the sky. That bike was a V65 Magna, and I wanted one.
Luckily, I was the only person stupid enough to think I could handle one, so I had a string of smaller bikes including a 1973 Honda CB350F and a 1981 Honda Silverwing 500.
When the V-Max came out, I initially liked it but was still a "Team Honda" guy. In fact, it irked me that Yamaha had stolen the Magna's title as "King of The Musclebikes". But I got over it when a guy in our neighborhood started riding a V-Max with the early Kerker pipe. I decided I wanted one bad.
My biggest hurdle was money. Sure, I would have had to convince Dad that I could handle one. Every time I'd start talking of getting a bigger bike, he'd always tell me that his V45 Magna was more than he could truly handle, anything bigger for me would be guaranteed trouble. And he wasn't wrong.
The money thing was simply insurmountable for someone at the ripe old age of 17. Sure $5299 doesn't sound like much now, but most other literbikes were around $4000. Heck, I worked part-time at minimum wage, and that $70/wk wouldn't save up to $5K very fast, even if I didn't spend it on gas money, food and movies. A loan? Who'd be crazy enough?
And then there was the insurance: one motorcycle magazine had an article on insurance, and found that while many insurance companies of the day wouldn't insure a V-max to an under 25 rider at all, some would for about $5000 a year. That's like $10-12K today! (I can get full coverage on a V-Max today for about $250 a year
)
So my dream of riding the most powerful production bike in the world subsided, but never died. I finally was able to get a V65 Magna, which I sold to move from Texas to California. It's been almost 8 long years now, and jonesing doesn't start to describe the yearnings for the open road I feel.
Now that I'm nearly 30 years older and wiser, I know that having the biggest and fastest isn't having the best. The best is what you want the most, whatever will bring you the most joy, pleasure or happiness. For some that's a bike that can go anywhere - like a BMW R1200GS. For some it's a precision corner carver, like a GSXR or Ninja. Still others want to ride forever and do it again the next day - those people have their GoldWings. For me, it's a bike that recaptures the thrill of youth, the bike that will probably find me spending as many hours out in the garage tinkering on, washing and polishing it as I do riding it. It'll be the bike that I have spent hours watching YouTube videos of, just to hear that sound! For me, it can only be a V-max.
I have written a few motorcycle articles for the Los Angeles Examiner, and had one featured in Motorcyclist Magazine (Street Savvy - August 2009 - Open Letter To An Angry Rider). I am in the process of creating a blog that will contain many articles, including the entire buying experience, start to finish. I'll be sure to post info when it's up.
My name is Marcus and I am addict. An addict of drag racing, the smell of half-burnt racing fuel in the air and the hand of God pushing me forward. I don't want a cure. Just another ride!
More V-boost please!!!
I am an IT guy by day, guitar player by evening, and motorcycle fanatic since 1983. This is when I discovered the V65 Magna, and it forever changed my notion of what a motorcycle could be/do.
I've always been a power fiend, but I still have a soft spot for cruisers. But my idea of a cruiser was forever altered when I was in 8th grade. The school library had a Magazine with a cruiser up on it's rear wheel, like a horse pawing the sky. That bike was a V65 Magna, and I wanted one.
Luckily, I was the only person stupid enough to think I could handle one, so I had a string of smaller bikes including a 1973 Honda CB350F and a 1981 Honda Silverwing 500.
When the V-Max came out, I initially liked it but was still a "Team Honda" guy. In fact, it irked me that Yamaha had stolen the Magna's title as "King of The Musclebikes". But I got over it when a guy in our neighborhood started riding a V-Max with the early Kerker pipe. I decided I wanted one bad.
My biggest hurdle was money. Sure, I would have had to convince Dad that I could handle one. Every time I'd start talking of getting a bigger bike, he'd always tell me that his V45 Magna was more than he could truly handle, anything bigger for me would be guaranteed trouble. And he wasn't wrong.
The money thing was simply insurmountable for someone at the ripe old age of 17. Sure $5299 doesn't sound like much now, but most other literbikes were around $4000. Heck, I worked part-time at minimum wage, and that $70/wk wouldn't save up to $5K very fast, even if I didn't spend it on gas money, food and movies. A loan? Who'd be crazy enough?
And then there was the insurance: one motorcycle magazine had an article on insurance, and found that while many insurance companies of the day wouldn't insure a V-max to an under 25 rider at all, some would for about $5000 a year. That's like $10-12K today! (I can get full coverage on a V-Max today for about $250 a year
)So my dream of riding the most powerful production bike in the world subsided, but never died. I finally was able to get a V65 Magna, which I sold to move from Texas to California. It's been almost 8 long years now, and jonesing doesn't start to describe the yearnings for the open road I feel.
Now that I'm nearly 30 years older and wiser, I know that having the biggest and fastest isn't having the best. The best is what you want the most, whatever will bring you the most joy, pleasure or happiness. For some that's a bike that can go anywhere - like a BMW R1200GS. For some it's a precision corner carver, like a GSXR or Ninja. Still others want to ride forever and do it again the next day - those people have their GoldWings. For me, it's a bike that recaptures the thrill of youth, the bike that will probably find me spending as many hours out in the garage tinkering on, washing and polishing it as I do riding it. It'll be the bike that I have spent hours watching YouTube videos of, just to hear that sound! For me, it can only be a V-max.
I have written a few motorcycle articles for the Los Angeles Examiner, and had one featured in Motorcyclist Magazine (Street Savvy - August 2009 - Open Letter To An Angry Rider). I am in the process of creating a blog that will contain many articles, including the entire buying experience, start to finish. I'll be sure to post info when it's up.
My name is Marcus and I am addict. An addict of drag racing, the smell of half-burnt racing fuel in the air and the hand of God pushing me forward. I don't want a cure. Just another ride!
More V-boost please!!!
Maximus Super
New Member
Hi All,
I have been reading this forum for about a month and decided it was time to say hello. I rode a lot in my youth. It all started on a Honda XL100 and I was hooked. I could spend hours and hours riding in the same area as long as I was riding. Then I moved up to a new Suzuki TM 250(before the RM). Next was a Honda Elsinore 250cr...wow what a bike. Did not ride much at all while in college. When I got my first real Job I bought a Honda V45 and later moved onto a V65 Sabre which was incredibly fast but I always was moved every time I saw a VMax. When my kids came along I stopped riding again because I did not trust the idiots in cars. Once my kids got a little older I got into trail riding again with my son. Started him on a Honda 80 and he now rides a 150 and I ride a 250x, both are red. After looking for a while I found a 2003 Vmax with 4200 miles on it. I love it and it is everything I thought it would be. I now have the bug again and I still may look at adding to my collection with a FZ1 or 1000 Ninja...not the R model. Anyways...Hi everybody.
Mark
I have been reading this forum for about a month and decided it was time to say hello. I rode a lot in my youth. It all started on a Honda XL100 and I was hooked. I could spend hours and hours riding in the same area as long as I was riding. Then I moved up to a new Suzuki TM 250(before the RM). Next was a Honda Elsinore 250cr...wow what a bike. Did not ride much at all while in college. When I got my first real Job I bought a Honda V45 and later moved onto a V65 Sabre which was incredibly fast but I always was moved every time I saw a VMax. When my kids came along I stopped riding again because I did not trust the idiots in cars. Once my kids got a little older I got into trail riding again with my son. Started him on a Honda 80 and he now rides a 150 and I ride a 250x, both are red. After looking for a while I found a 2003 Vmax with 4200 miles on it. I love it and it is everything I thought it would be. I now have the bug again and I still may look at adding to my collection with a FZ1 or 1000 Ninja...not the R model. Anyways...Hi everybody.
Mark
NIRAD111
Member
Yeah! Got me some wheels that I have been wanting for the longest time.. Finally! Hi everyone, I have been registered here for a short bit already, however the weather has been so nice here in NH lately that I have been on the road for the last few weeks carving up the pavement with my VMax. In the first 2.5 weeks I have had it I have gotten 1100 miles out of it. I have finally taken a video of my VMax for you to view if you so choose to.
Now I will be trying to get in the loop as far as parts and getting it back into shape. The one thing I hadn't expected when I made this purchase is the difficulty of finding discontinued parts for it. That is about the only let down I have had with it's purchase. All in all I am extremely happy with the bike and look forward to having it on the road for a long time to come..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGZMYMch0yU
Now I will be trying to get in the loop as far as parts and getting it back into shape. The one thing I hadn't expected when I made this purchase is the difficulty of finding discontinued parts for it. That is about the only let down I have had with it's purchase. All in all I am extremely happy with the bike and look forward to having it on the road for a long time to come..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGZMYMch0yU
The Beekeeper
Well-Known Member
Welcome NIRAD111, nice looking bike!............Looks like you will be doing some routine maintenance/repairs to prep for the next riding season, You will find everything you will need right here in the form of parts supply or tech help!..........Feel free to post up your questions, other than your need for a rear tire "which seems to be a common Max high wear item"you should pick up 4 1/4" plastic plugs for the pilot jet holes on your carbs to keep the dirt/ moisture from collecting, take care...............................tom.
NIRAD111
Member
Indeed. They are one of the purchases I have in mind to make over the winter months. In fact just after noticing that the original brass plugs were drilled I had noticed the two rear carb boots were not mounted correctly. I am hoping that after I remount the carb to the boots and synch the them that the hesitation when I open up the throttle and the sputter it has at higher rpm are solved.
If anyone can point me in the direction of posting questions about carburetors it would be appreciated.
Rollie
Well-Known Member
Hey, My name is Dusty from Tulsa, OK. Just thought I would drop in and make an introduction. I have wanted a V-Max for as long as I can remember. Only problem was finding one for sale that I could afford. My wish finally came true a couple of months ago when I found slightly neglected '93 in a "chop shop" (for lack of a better term.) The guy buys bikes and then parts them out on Ebay and locally in his shop. I was looking for parts for my V65 Sabre, as they are getting harder to come by and more expensive by the day. In the shop is this very clean looking Max. I asked him "what's up with that V-Max?" "'Bout to strip it down and get it out of here," he said. Honestly, I shuddered a little at the thought of it. We talked a little about it and I finally convinced him to sell it to me complete and he even threw in a few extra parts that came with it. Practically stole it for $300. It has been sitting outside for a few years and needs all of the basic restoration done. Got the carbs torn down and took them to a machine shop to have the stuck a/f mixture screws removed. The seat is looking a little sad, but it came with a pretty nice corbin replacement with a backrest in addition to the stock one, extra set of stock mirrors, turn signals, NIB feaux tank/airbox cover, pegs, and a few other odds and ends. Looks like a new battery, some rubber, rebuild forks and rebuild carbs and it will be back on the road. Having grown up in a bike shop and worked for free most of my life has its benifits. Most people say that knowledge is power, but in this case, knowledge is money saved. Looking forward to ripping this thing loose. I think my dad is more excited than I am. Looking forward to meeting other Max-ers Hopefully there are some people here in the Tulsa area not afraid of the cold.
Rollie
Well-Known Member
Welcome to the best forum on the VMax . If you need any help , parts , etc. , just post and your ? s will be answered. unk:
unk:
The Beekeeper
Well-Known Member
Welcome Rednek!............How about posting some before pics so you can share with us your project Max, I'm sure some of us would like to follow along as you transform it into the tire burning beast it should be!.......................Tom.
Thanks for the welcome. I have checked out a few of the other websites and this one seems to be the best as far as info on mods. Planning on just riding it stock for a bit to get used to it, but the mods will begin sooner or later as they always do. Should get my carbs back from the machine shop today or tomorrow. Planning to go down to K&N cycles here in Tulsa and find out if their in-store prices are as good as their online prices. Too bad Yamaha doesn't offer a "factory rebuild kit." That would make it a little easier and probably cheaper. I have always put OEM parts in every carb i have rebuilt. Just makes life a little easier and avoids tuning frustrations. For the most part, the bike is in good condition. Motor needs to be repainted/polished and many of the aluminum parts need polished and re-cleared. Before I tore the carbs down, I shot a little starting fluid in the intake and gave it a jump start. It fired right away and tried to run so that is a good sign. Compression test checked out good. Thinking that i may need to have a look at the starter clutch also. Makes a little noise occasionally. All-in-all I'm pretty happy with it.
If you want help on parts, for future referance. Sean Morley (one2dmax), Kyle (CaptainKyle) and a few others scattered here and there can assist.
Welcome to the most active forum there is. Absolutely the best people are here.. Everyone's willing to lend a hand fixing VMax's or just about anything...
This place is in the Perfect World.... It's the rest of the world that's going to Hell.....:confused2:
Welcome to the most active forum there is. Absolutely the best people are here.. Everyone's willing to lend a hand fixing VMax's or just about anything...
This place is in the Perfect World.... It's the rest of the world that's going to Hell.....:confused2:
Talk to Tyler McDonald at K&N and tell him you are a vmaxforum member. They have the best prices I have seen on OEM parts. Have spent tons of money there. 25% over actual cost. Hopefully they will give walk-ins the same deal. If not, see if he will give the deal over the phone or email. I usually email him with a list of part numbers and he gives me a price. Get some prices from him and compare.
Hi all, I live north of Phoenix, little town called Wittmann. Just bought a 88 VMAX two days ago. It was a rough ride home, sputtering, bucking at anything over 55 mph, 45 mph was a delightfully smooth ride. Got her home though after about a 60 mile ride. Anyway for two days now I've been taking it apart and cleaning everything. I've started soldering leads and wires today that have crappy or loose ends. I've been an avid rider for over 25 years, absolutely love sport bikes and other than my couple of months on a gold wing 15 years ago this is my first non sport bike. Even as bad as it ran I know it has potential as it pulled incredibly strong WOT. So I can't wait til actually runs. The speedo is showing 22k it has a rebuild title so who knows how many miles actually. The tack and coolant dial did not work, the tach actually read about 750 rpm most of the way home. The dummy lights didn't work either. A broken rear tail light with bad wiring. The battery ground had a very loose lug at the battery and for some odd reason it was grounded to a bolt on the very rear metal hand hold I guess. The radiator has milky stuff in it so the radiator hoses are off, the radiator comes off tomorrow. When I drained it, the water was a light rusty brown. I'm looking for a thermostat housing assembly and found one in Canada. The carbs came off today as did the electricals. I am thoroughly testing everything. Waiting on new battery to test the servo motor, it gets here on Monday. Ordered a new dash last week. Front right fork seal is busted, the rear brake pedal is missing the dowel that connects it to the brake piston, the handgrips are nasty bubble gummy. The fuel pump and the fuel pump relay are being replaced. It's weird but I think body panesl and "pretty" things are more expensive than parts for this bike. I absolutely love this site and hope to have my bike on the road by Feb. When I drained the oil there was no water in the oil. So I've order that water jacket gasket that sits in the valley between the cylinder banks. The Spark plugs look good, nice golden color, I replaced those yesterday though. I have the run only on reserve problem but will have that fixed in a couple of days. Had a blown fuse replaced it then for some odd reason I threw the battery away, it would have been handy to have this weekend. I'm sure there is more wrong with it but I'm only under the carbs, the servo motor is sitting next to my pc mouse, I tested the resistance and it seemed fine. I hope to take the motor completely out and would love to strip it and repaint it. and I guess I'd repaint the frame too. Hell I'm already this far. Any tips for painting or removing the driveshaft would be welcome. Anyway it's a great feeling to feel like I'm a part of a group who appreciates what the VMAX is and understands what it isn't.
sweet 65
New Member
Sounds like you found quite a project! Hi everyone! I am new to the site too. I picked up an 85 last week. I've always wanted one, but could never find one reasonible priced. My uncle picked up an 85 Max a couple years ago, which put me back on the hunt. I've been riding an FZ1 since 2002, had an 85 FJ1100 before that...along with 17 other bikes, but my dream bike was always just out of reach. Put on about 300 miles so far, and I'm definitely happy now! It's not working out too well for the three other restorations I'm in the middle of, but it is NC and will eventually be too cold to ride, so I'm just going to enjoy it while I can.
Welcome to the forum Redneck and Brown. Sounds like both of you have winter Vmax projects. The guys on this forum have done it all when it comes to Vmax. And i mean it ALL. lol. The carbs seem to be one of the biggest problems with these bikes. Both of you might check your Rubber Diaphrams on your carbs for pin holes and thin spots. They arent getting cheaper, find a good discount supplier in the Vendors section here. Once you get em cleaned and set up correctly and a good sync the best thing to do is ride the piss oughta your vmax and never shut it off, keeps the carbs clean :biglaugh: Check the different sections on here, broke down into carbs, motor, etc. alot of info on those stickys right offa the bat. Good luck guys. Boost on. unk:
unk:Thanks for the welcome! In a few days I'll have it put back together. Today was wiring harness install day. Not sure if I got the turn signals right, bought 3 wire aftermarket chrome ones, I guess I'll see when I crank it on. New battery came in today also.
CustomMax
Well-Known Member
Welcome guys, Best place on the net for Vmax info, I test rode a V65 for the first time when I was in Tulsa also lived there for a while as well. Nice place. Had an aunt and uncle that lived there and we'd visit every year. I moved there at 16 and my uncle gave me a Mercedes 450 SL to drive. That was sweet. Occasionally he'd let me take either the Pantera or turbo Carrerra out so I got addicted to speed early. But there's a lot of wide open long straightaways to open ANY vehicle up. I love it out west. I hope to eventually wind up either back on Maui or at least somewhere warm year round out west.
