Buying a used 1st gen V-Max - skinny short guy lol

[Thevmaxrider]

Jim, did you wind up selling Toxic?

Nope, still in the garage! Getting ready to do some tidy up work on Toxic very shortly.......

 

[CustomMax]

Nope, still in the garage! Getting ready to do some tidy up work on Toxic very shortly.......

Glad to hear it, after reading your post I was a little confused. I'm just finally putting my bike away this weekend. We've had a unusual fall being so warm here but old man winter finally stuck his ass in the door. I've got some mods planned for this off season as well but just gotta make sure I'm done by late January for the World of Wheels show. Don't want to miss that one 2yrs in a row. See you at Thunder I guess. Ed

 

[Rollie]

Maybe things have changed, but my understanding was that like any exotic vehicle, Ducati's were expensive to buy, and subsequently expensive to own. Great at what they do (go turn and stop), but a difficult bike to "live with". People who own Lamborghini's don't drive them to the grocery store and pick the kids up at soccer practice with them.

The Vmax's electrical issues are mostly from a poorly designed harness. There's several electrical bottlenecks, too-small wire gauges, ect. Voltage magically disappears throughout the system.

On my '97 I ended up having to replace the stator, the R/R, and replacing the wiring with thicker gauges until I got 14.4v at the battery(was like 12 or so before). You can see my thread in the "how to" for more info about that. Still, there's only like 11v at the blinker relay, 12 at the headlight, 12.5 at the ignition. As such my blinkers have never worked right, which is more than a little annoying.

My bike has frame braces, a fork brace, R1 brakes, forks w/Progressive springs and lowered internally, and slid up the tree 3/4". Metz ME880 tires. Rear shocks are stock. It handles as good as I can possibly expect from a bike of this weight and wheelbase. I tremendously out-handle my buddy's M109, it isn't even a contest. Mostly because that M109 is as wide as a city bus, so at about 10* of lean the pegs start dragging. I know he's scraping the exhaust long before I touch a peg.

Try some Works Street Trackers rear shocks and you will be surprised , in a good way .

 

[RaWarrior]

Do rears really make that much of a difference? My rear wheel doesn't chatter or get squirrely on mid-corner bumps, so I assumed it was "working" as well as a dual shock setup can. The bike used to have some of that, but after ditching the Avon rear for a Metz, that vanished.

 

[Rollie]

Yes , they do , along with normal ( on a Vmax ) frame flex and rear end ( swing arm ) flex , you add to that a less than stellar set of shocks and they ( along with frame braces / solid motor mounts , braced swing arm , radials ) can really add to your performance in the handling / twistie depts.
" You don't know what you don't know. " Don't just take my word for it . Ask the professionals .

 

[gamorg02]

i went from stock rears to 412's. i think they handle about the same so its basically a wash but i lowered the rear adn they were blacked out so win win. the swingarm bracing and radials is really night and day ryan. its big money too unforutnately. you could probably sell the vmax and spend the $1k - $1500 extra on a bike that would handle better.

but if, like me, you already have too much tied up in the vmax it sorta makes sense. haha. the rear end on these bikes bounces all over the place. cheap and easy is to start with the swingarm.

 

[ouchez]

I have an 05, 20,000 miles, bought new, and never had a problem. I never expected it to handle like a crotch rocket, never was stupid enough to push it like one. My 05 is stock and runs perfect, I do love it, best bike over all I have ever owned. No racing, no smoking the tire, no wheelies, just alot of power rolls.

I just wish they had reworked the Gen 1 and not produced a completely new Gen 2.

O

 

[Fire-medic]

"I just wish they had reworked the Gen 1 and not produced a completely new Gen 2."

Like Ducati does, different combinations of engine, frame, suspension, style @ different price points. You could get a lighter, better-handling, more-powerful Gen. I to the limits of your credit $, and the bike would be supported for years to come. Shoulda, coulda, woulda...:confused2:

 

[RaWarrior]

I just wish they had reworked the Gen 1 and not produced a completely new Gen 2.

O

Join the club. I would have been beside myself if they kept the 1198, added efi, got rwhp to 130(which would put it squarely in the ranks of other sport standards/nakeds), modernized the frame, and it rode on radial wheels. And maybe put the tach in the right spot. A slight modernization of the style....just enough to tell it apart as a modern bike, but similar enough to clearly show it's roots. And a price around $10-$12k. I'd sell my ass on the streetcorner for a bike like that.

 

[Miles Long]

" I'd sell my ass on the streetcorner for a bike like that."

Ho ho ho !:rofl_200:

 

[Junior6996]

I'd sell my ass on the streetcorner for a bike like that.

My wife says I'm an impulse buyer but I'd rent it for some MAX labor!

 

[Daffy]

Hey guys, so sorry for the delay.

OK I prob'ly missed a bit, but here we go:

Nice duc you had there daffy. I would have stopped at stage 2 myself

The gen1 should weigh in around 625lbs wet. The bike doesn't feel top heavy to me at all. That is just one mans opinion though.

I actually went to stage 4 lol, added TTX and FGRTs and a few bits (alum sub etc.). I never got any pics though.

I really screwed up with the paint lol. Yuckphooey!

I think the weight vs. center of gravity will be important. 625 should be fine...and if I see guys riding 900 pound bikes around who aren't much bigger than me, than the issue is psychological and will probably go away first ride.

Down grading from a ducati to a vmax is like sticking your head in a toilet handling, top heavy, a money pit & you'll never be satisfied. I have an 03 max, it has ~70,000 miles now still running strong but hate the day I bought this bike and passed on a new FJR 2003, they were the same price.
the vmax looks nice but that is all. its just my opinion.

Downgrading from a Ducati, suspension wise? I had to add 5 figures to make it handle the way people said it should (not that I know, I didn't ride hard enough). You will always find people no matter the bike saying it's not enough til you've done all you can to 'fix' it...

I grew up when the FJ1100 was an awesome bike, often thought about buying one, I bought the FZ750 instead...would have probably liked the FJ more...

If that Ducati wasn't a money pit what is ? If Daffy wasn't satisfied enough to keep it with mucho upgrades , chances are he's just like us , always changing , upgrading , etc. The VMax is much more than a nice looking bike . IMHO of course as well .

VMax is like a Ducati: awesome motor, it does it's thing (grunt in this case; turn on lovers of Italian memorabilia, in the Duck's case lol) and doesn't apologise to anyone.

Daffy,

First off welcome to the forum. Too bad you weren't around recently or you could have purchased my Max (pretty much done to your specs with some extras) for a steal of a price. If you would like to hop on out to Milton some time to take a look and get some ideas for what to look for, or just to hang and shoot the shit, drop me a PM. Am pretty easy to get ahold of through here. Can also help you in your search.

I'm up for it, cool! Would actually like to sit on a VMax before making a decision. I'm not worried about riding, I can ride anything. I'm worried about backing it up etc.

Maybe things have changed, but my understanding was that like any exotic vehicle, Ducati's were expensive to buy, and subsequently expensive to own. Great at what they do (go turn and stop), but a difficult bike to "live with". People who own Lamborghini's don't drive them to the grocery store and pick the kids up at soccer practice with them.

The Vmax's electrical issues are mostly from a poorly designed harness. There's several electrical bottlenecks, too-small wire gauges, ect. Voltage magically disappears throughout the system.

On my '97 I ended up having to replace the stator, the R/R, and replacing the wiring with thicker gauges until I got 14.4v at the battery(was like 12 or so before). You can see my thread in the "how to" for more info about that. Still, there's only like 11v at the blinker relay, 12 at the headlight, 12.5 at the ignition. As such my blinkers have never worked right, which is more than a little annoying.

My bike has frame braces, a fork brace, R1 brakes, forks w/Progressive springs and lowered internally, and slid up the tree 3/4". Metz ME880 tires. Rear shocks are stock. It handles as good as I can possibly expect from a bike of this weight and wheelbase. I tremendously out-handle my buddy's M109, it isn't even a contest. Mostly because that M109 is as wide as a city bus, so at about 10* of lean the pegs start dragging. I know he's scraping the exhaust long before I touch a peg.

Hummm, well that gets to the core of it for me. The bike was expensive-ish, around $28K Cdn, and then I put a LOT into it, roughly another $40K. THAT didn't bother me, not at all (I had money at the time). What bothered me was initially the insurance, was $7K a year (and by last year had dropped about 50%). The other thing was, my lack of faith in the dealer, unfortunately. They were great and very helpful, through all of my mods, full warranty etc. but then it wouldn't start after I had them remove the alarm, and no one knew what the problem was. A simple thing like an alarm confused everyone and left me dead in the water. And my service was coming up, so I thought, if we can't fix this, then I shouldn't own a Ducati. I should own something that more experts in the area can help with, with weird issues etc. So I sold it...to a racer thankfully

I've played, in my head, with a few bikes to replace the Duck...an oiler GSXR (too many of them bashed and not conducive to touring), an FZR400 (fun fun fun but not conducive to touring), an XR1200 (still thinking about that one!), and the VMax.

The Vmax is the only one that has my soul for the last 20 plus years. I like the FZR400 but can't tour on it. The XR has tons of soul but it's a new bike and holds nothing on me.

I'm not making this decision lightly. I want a bike that does what I want. The VMax sounds great, awesome torque, lots of nostalgia, would handle a 3K 5 day trip no problem...it's a no brainer to me...and I can slowly mod it to look/perform/feel the way I want it to. VMax ain't like a 1 movie beauty queen who will be forgotten tomorrow, more like someone with staying power who will always be beautiful, even when she turns 50...

To be honest, the XR1200 is the only other bike in the running right now...how strange is that?

 

[RMSVMAX]

"VMax ain't like a 1 movie beauty queen who will be forgotten tomorrow, more like someone with staying power who will always be beautiful, even when she turns 50..."

WELL PUT.

(...kinda like Liz Taylor...You can say whatever you like about her, & she certainly wasn't perfect by any means, but the boys were still lining up around the block for her, long after her contemporaries had faded into history...)

(PS...Mark my words on THIS: 'Classic' VMAXs will still be a LEGEND long after the 'New Coke' bike is just an unpleasant memory...)

Take your time with your decision, Daffy;
ENJOY the new ride, (whatever that decision may be) & Welcome to the crrrazzzyyy world of VMAXs & VMAXers!!!

WARNING: PLEASE keep in mind that this IS a 2-wheeled ADDICTION, for which there is NO cure...!!!...LOL...Even the guy who posted he wished he had bought something else originally, is STILL logging the miles on his MAX, & not just a few, I must say...I have seen more than a few sell their 'Classic' MAX, only to regret they did, & end up buying another...OK then,...You HAVE been warned...!!!...LOL

 

[Thevmaxrider]

Daffy,

If you come to the Supershow in January we will have a VMOA booth there with 8 Vmax's for your viewing pleasure. Was going to skip this show and do some cleanup work on Toxic, but decided to get her ready and put her in the show again. Would have hated to skip it ya know:biglaugh: Fire me a PM any time or you can email me at [email protected] .

 

[Daffy]

What's the Supershow? Bar's International World of Motorcycles at the International center? My old boss used to and still does show there, I think, John Connery. We painted a lot of VMaxes in the 80s, he's still at it and still doing amazing paintjobs...DOCC asked me to come last year cuz I had a lot of money in my bike but it was just a parts bike, so I declined.

One of these days I'll build something special...

Daffy,

If you come to the Supershow in January we will have a VMOA booth there with 8 Vmax's for your viewing pleasure. Was going to skip this show and do some cleanup work on Toxic, but decided to get her ready and put her in the show again. Would have hated to skip it ya know:biglaugh: Fire me a PM any time or you can email me at [email protected] .

 

[jmailley]

Hey Shawn and welcome. Lots of good stuff here. Brother had a Yamaha shop in the mid 80's and when the Vmax came out wer we were all blown away. Always wanted one but after the shop was sold, Max left my life until 3 months ago when I finally said enough is enough and found one on Craigslist.

I'm 5'10, 150, 31" inseam and the already low set height is very comfortable to me. I sit completely flat foot at a stop. Max is not top heavy to me. Actually feels light compared to some when you get on it since it's so slim in the middle. Low engine and mid fuel tank make the weight feel nice and low. You'll be surprised. You'll get used to plotting out where to park to make it easier to get out, etc.

Anyway, c'mon man , get in the pool. The water's real warm here in the Max pool. You'll be fine. With all the adrenaline you'll be pumping everytime you put the key in him will overcome any nerves or worries. Have fun and keep the shiny side up!!!

 

[Daffy]

Hey man I'm in the pool. Still saving and scoping the market, but I am definitely doing the VMax.

Can some of you guys answer a few questions for me, please? Some are practical, some are if I decide to go nuts:

1) Shaft vs. Chain. I plan on riding the bike a lot, often 5-600Km in a day, for 3-7 days; in other words, I don't know if it's worth it to switch to chain for a semi-touring bike? Is the hop all that bad, especially considering:

2) There are 3 things I'd like to do to get started, for the highway, and almost as importantly, for looks and my short 5'8" arse: lower it by say 1 inch, lengthen the rear (expensive I know) by say 3 inches, and rake it maybe 5 degrees. I know that is completely counter to a Ducati, but on the highway, would such be ridable? The VRod seems to handle such numbers just by eye. Again, I'm thinking in terms of long/low AND ridability, to a point. I know it won't be a canyon carver.

3) On the dreaming end of things, money-wise, I've never supercharged or turbocharged anything, but I love the sound of a turbo (supercharging is cool but I seem to like turbos better). Is it possible to put a 'small' or tunable turbo on that doesn't radically affect reliability over the long haul? One of my goals has always been to get on a bike and go as far as possible as quickly as possible, without doing jail time lol - Iron Butt! Would a small turbo (is there such a thing?) be reliable enough if built by a decent shop to allow me to confidently go from Toronto to say Vancouver or Florida without any fear (nothing is a guarantee of course, but...)? Again, it's the cool factor, expensive, etc., but if it's reliable, I'd consider it...I've had a lot of experience on two strokes, so I'm not worried about how the turbo changes the numbers - instant off/on is ok as long as it's semi predictable.

I'm trying to think of the BIG expensive things here, something I didn't consider with the Duck. Frankly I'll be hapy to strap my leg over a VMax and just ride it for the first year...

Shawn

edit: ps I forgot to mention, my first purchase (other than any needs for a used bike) will be a set of hard bags (maybe from the fat max website?) and I see a LOT of HD Deckers with turbos, so I'm thinking why not. I know it's expensive, but again, if a big Harley can be turbo charged, maybe without a lot of boost, and yet still travel with no or little fear of a breakdown, then why not with a VMax?

Hey Shawn and welcome. Lots of good stuff here. Brother had a Yamaha shop in the mid 80's and when the Vmax came out wer we were all blown away. Always wanted one but after the shop was sold, Max left my life until 3 months ago when I finally said enough is enough and found one on Craigslist.

I'm 5'10, 150, 31" inseam and the already low set height is very comfortable to me. I sit completely flat foot at a stop. Max is not top heavy to me. Actually feels light compared to some when you get on it since it's so slim in the middle. Low engine and mid fuel tank make the weight feel nice and low. You'll be surprised. You'll get used to plotting out where to park to make it easier to get out, etc.

Anyway, c'mon man , get in the pool. The water's real warm here in the Max pool. You'll be fine. With all the adrenaline you'll be pumping everytime you put the key in him will overcome any nerves or worries. Have fun and keep the shiny side up!!!

 

[Barry barker]

[

Frankly I'll be hapy to strap my leg over a VMax and just ride it for the first year...

I think this is the best Idea i have heard on this thread.:clapping: it could take you a year to figure out what you want to improve.

 

[Thevmaxrider]

What's the Supershow? Bar's International World of Motorcycles at the International center? My old boss used to and still does show there, I think, John Connery. We painted a lot of VMaxes in the 80s, he's still at it and still doing amazing paintjobs...DOCC asked me to come last year cuz I had a lot of money in my bike but it was just a parts bike, so I declined.

One of these days I'll build something special...

Yep, it's the show that Bar and Hedy put on at the International Center. It is Jan 6-8th this year. Not sure what hall we will be in, but you cannot miss out booth. Last year they had us in hall 1 right at the front last year. Look us up if you get to the show this year.

 

[06VMAXIMUS]

[

Frankly I'll be hapy to strap my leg over a VMax and just ride it for the first year...

I think this is the best Idea i have heard on this thread.:clapping: it could take you a year to figure out what you want to improve.

+1! Everyone has different tastes and ideas of what the vmax should and shouldn't be.....its up to you to find out what you desire from it. Ride it for a while, learn its positives and negatives, then build from there.