TTAmoneypit
Member
the damn sound of vmax UFO exhaust OMG I'm hard right now,but fuck you speed wobble at 130mph
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I had the gen 1 since 2005. Nice bike but you're right about the wobble. What a piece of shi*! Both the Diavel and the Gen 2 are so much nicer but you will definitely pay a bit more and no wobbles even at 160mph. Both suspensions are setup beautifully. if you want to ride in the twisties go with the Diavel. If you like to burn from stop light to stop light, go with the VMAX Gen 2. Dollar for dollar the Hayabusa is by far the best bike as it can be ridden it all conditions and is a very comfy ride. They are everywhere and can be bought cheaply. One of the nice things about the VMAX is they aren't everywhere.
Bruiser1198
Well-Known Member
Have you checked the steering head bearings? Done the Furbur Fix? or even checked the tire is properly inflated and not cupped? These few things will cure your high speed wobble . Something to consider.
Any bike is nice if you don't have one.
There will ALWAYS be a better ride out there. One which will suit you ergonomically, economically, psychologically. I have a 2006 Gen 1. I wanted one ever since I began riding back in the early '80s and my brother showed up with an '85.
IMO, there's not been one other bike that has the V8 sound of muscle when tuned and dialled in. Except maybe the Boss Hoss, but this IS a V8.
The Gen 1 is basic, not the best, and offers a great balance of wrench on your own, tune as you want, kick ass for bizarre looks, long standing following CULT favourite classic ride.
Like I always say...
Harley's are cool, but the Vmax rules. This can also apply to any other brand or model in my opinion.
There will ALWAYS be a better ride out there. One which will suit you ergonomically, economically, psychologically. I have a 2006 Gen 1. I wanted one ever since I began riding back in the early '80s and my brother showed up with an '85.
IMO, there's not been one other bike that has the V8 sound of muscle when tuned and dialled in. Except maybe the Boss Hoss, but this IS a V8.
The Gen 1 is basic, not the best, and offers a great balance of wrench on your own, tune as you want, kick ass for bizarre looks, long standing following CULT favourite classic ride.
Like I always say...
Harley's are cool, but the Vmax rules. This can also apply to any other brand or model in my opinion.
i rode the diavel, it's lighter. stock for stock it's slower in a straight line than the vmax. personally, my vmax handles beautifully and on the road i haven't been passed by anything in the twisties. i'm game for a twisty race. for all the vmax's faults, i bought a brand new 2013 in 2015 for 14500 bucks, put on a larger tank that gives me 170 miles if ridden somewhat aggressively, got exhaust, clutch mod, and flash. now it will smoke the diavel even worse in the straights, and i have all of 17500 in the bike. way cheaper than a diavel. i like those ok but not near the vmax imho. if ya turn the vmax thru the twisties just counter steer and don't be a sissy. they turn and hold a line just fine.
I had a Diavel pull over for me because I was pushing him through the twisties.
It is a very good handling bike....it is really more of a sport bike with a fat tire on the back and standard seating position.
The VMax can do some amazing things in the turns for a bike of its size. It's chassis is extremely rigid. The bike never gets unsettled when pushed - it is very stable.
What works against it is it's length, (and rake) much more than its weight in my opinion. It's as long as a Haybusa with a 9" stretch! That hurts you on quick switchbacks but makes the bike super stable at high speed.
Yessir and its a mixed bag but being a bit larger than most i have no problem getting it to turn and i really have grown to love hustling it thru the twisties. 2 weeks ago in colorado we ran down a whole lot of sport bikes in the twisties. Its fun when they look behind and try and pick it up and then give up and pull over.
sdt354
Well-Known Member
Ride what pleases you. And the Diavel is a great looking machine. Best of luck with it. I'll stick with my old slow Gen 1, and it's legendary bad handling, and rotten gas mileage. Don't be a stranger.
Steve-o
Steve-o
I doubt you were running these guys down in the twisties on the VMAX. the VMAX can't be ridden like this. Its simply too heavy. The guy on the R1 has a Gen2 VMAX as well. He described the VMAX in the canyon like driving a Cadilac CTS compared to a Formula One race car. The Caddy is fast and handles well be certainly in a different class.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWtkSihR038
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWtkSihR038
you can doubt what you want and sure there are people we dont', but those guys were not accelerating all the way to their braking points, were not getting on the throttle very early and those two things alone can make up for alot of lean angle. lots. getting on the throttle .1 seconds later in a turn can amount to about a bike length. get a few good books on performance riding, hit some good track days, get some races and then get back to me about what can and can't be done on what bike. just the fact that this was an example of really fast riding tells me alot. i've ridden behind a couple gen 1 riders in the hill country that did what these guys do, and did it in the rain. granted the bikes weren't stock but these guys did everything in the above video.
No doubt with equal expert riders an R1 is going to be a lot faster......that's a given.....kind of a silly argument.
The thing is that there are the capabilities of the motorcycle and then the capabilities of the rider.
I would guess 90% of the riders on the street use less than 70% of their bikes capabilities.
I often run down sport bikes with riders that have less ability than I do. That being said I'd said at best I'm probably only at 70% of what can be done on my bike. But there are plenty of sport bike riders that are at maybe 50% of what their bike can truly do.
The bottom line is the VMax is very capable for what it is.....no other bike its
size can come anywhere close to it, in the turns or the straightaways....all things being equal.
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Not saying this type of riding can't be done on the VMAX but it sure the hell isn't as easy or as fast as a sport bike. A VMAX would get lapped by ANY sport bike on the track; granted all riders a equal because the great equalizer in this is most certainly the rider. I loved my VMAX for what it was but even riding a Diavel there is a very noticeable difference in the capabilities of the two bikes when the roads start to bend. The VMAX is one of the best stoplight to stoplight bikes. Great for 1/4mile runs but not the bike you want to be on when approaching a hard bend at high speed or knee dragging in the canyons. And if you don' think those are professional riders then you are reading the wrong books and attending the wrong track days.
Ejwoodwork
Member
I'm in the same situation, has a gen 2 and the gas capacity drives me nuts. I am looking at the diavel as well but I am 6.4 ft tall, 250 lbs. am I going to be comfortable on the bike? My son has an R1 but the sitting position makes my legs chicken winged which is not good for someone tall. I'm also 56 years old so I don't bend like I use to. I want the power of the Vmax but want better gas mileage and better handling.
