Problem with my bike. Need a shop that I can trust in Central NJ.

[extremevmax1200cc]

:confused2: Problem with my bike. Need a shop that I can trust in Central NJ.
Hello Everyone

I have a 1997 V-max. The bike was sitting for in my garage for at least five years before I put it back on the road. THe bike has a stage one jet kit with a full hindle exhaust. The bike gets about 60 miles to the tank and runs very rich. Tonight I took her our and it seems as though the bike runs very rough and did not seem to be synced properly and the rear cyclinder seems to be exhibiting rocker noise. There is only 8,000 miles on the and I want to get her back up again.
So far I have changed all the fluids, did a carb sync, changed the spark plugs. Put in a new gel battery. I live in central Jersey so I need a place that I can trust to do the work. The jet kit was installed by Action Yamaha. I think they screwup the jet kit because it runs way too rich. (My opinion). The bike also sounds like it back firing and choking a bit until the rpm's is over 3K. Taking off in first gear, the bike seems to want to stall. Please help.:bang head:

Thanks
Vince

 

[maleko89]

Since it was sitting for 5 years you can bet the carbs are in need of cleaning.

First, make sure your ignition system is working....make sure each plug fires a nice, crisp blue spark. Use a multimeter and read the resistance by sticking one lead up in plug boot and the other on a clean engine bolt. It should read between 18.5KOhms and 23 KOhms. Once you know your ignition is good, move on to the carbs.

A dirty air filter will cause you to go rich. How does that look? Did you check/change the fuel filter? Take a flashlight and check the inside of the fuel tank. It might be worthwhile to drain all the old gas and re-fill the tank. Check your rubber boots to which includes four air box velocity stacks, carb intake boots and your vboost rubbers. Check your float level and make sure all four are the same at either 16 mm or 17 mm. Remove your side covers and check the condition of your slides and check the attached diaphragms of rips, tears or holes. This would be a good time to see what clip position your stage 1 needles are set at. I would also check and see if your using the shorter stage 1 springs and see if your slides have been drilled. It may be a good idea to check and see what main jets you're running. Like I said, when carbs sit that long it's a safe bet that some of your carb passages might be dirty. Since you need choke from 3000 rpms or lower, I'd guess that one of pilot air passages or purge jets are plugged.

Drain the float bowls and check for rust, dirt or water in the gas. If it was me, I would take the carbs off and check everything over. I recommend getting a Clymer service manual. It nicely explains how to remove and disassemble the carbs. If you wish, I can email you the parts list to rebuild your carbs. Or, I could do it for you much cheaper than a Yamaha dealer. I recommend going through the Carbs section of this website. Many posts have pictures on how to set float level, mixture screws and what passages to clean when doing the Shotgun and/or Peashooter carb cleaning methods. Take your time and ask questions! If I can work on carbs, anybody can.

Mark
#1098

 

[Ghost]

I second Mark's opinion. If you're going to read up on carb service and try this yourself, it helps to have the carbs right in front of you so you can translate the tech jargon to something tangible. Before you know it, you'll be a carb guru offering others jetting advice!

 

[vmaxman99]

Vince, where in central Jersey are you? I may be nearby and can help. Contact me off list.
Mike Costa
VMOA #3531

 

[extremevmax1200cc]

I live in Edison, NJ.

Thanks again

Vince

 

[extremevmax1200cc]

HEllo again everyone. The dynojet needle was three turns out. Dynojet only states 2.5 turns out.
I turned all the jets 2.5 turns.
The fuel filter has no rust. The gas tand seems clean.
The bike has been in a heated garage with a dehumidifer just in case. Very dry garage. The bike started right up the long sleep. If the bike does not have rockers, then why is there a ticking noise in the head?
I checked all the plugs and everyone sparked. There does appear to be a lot of carbon build up after only 120 miles on the new plugs. So far I have gone through 2 tanks a premium gas.
All fluids has been changed, new battery. The K&N filter is clean. I cleaned before I stored the bike. There are no cob webs or nest growing anywhere on the bike. The bike is very clean with a bit of dust. The bike only has 8K on her. I resynced the carbs again after adjusting the pilot screws. The pilot screws are the ones that was drilled out and replaced. I readjusted them 2.5 turns out.
Any suggestions?
Thanks
Vince

How do you check the float bowls so they are approximately 16 - 17 mm?

 

[4gasem]

Take the carbs out and completely clean them...:thumbs up:

Then run a can of seafoam through the fuel system...:thumbs up:

 

[extremevmax1200cc]

VMAX Man will be helping me take the carbs out and clean them. Once I learn how to do it. I will help anyone else that is in need. I do have some luck in the bag. Just not with carbs. Carb tune, I am good at, I think, will let Mike Costa decide. Hopefully I am doing it right.

Wish me luck! We should be doing it this Sat AM. I will take some pictures if it would help everyone.

Thanks

Vince

 

[extremevmax1200cc]

After Vmaxman99 cleaned out and adjusted the carbs, very through making sure the carbs were completely clean. We found lots of little pieces of rust and varnish in the carbs. Gotta get a new fuel filter and probaly take the gas tank out and coat it this winter. The bike now runs like new and has lots of power. I took her out last night with a few R1s, 954RRs, ZX-9, GSXR 600s. The bike kept up with everyone. My buddies were impressed. One buddy with the R1 even stated he is going to look into getting a V-max as well.

The suspension and tires are the two things i plan on doing this summer. Cant wait to see how it would handle afterwards.

Thanks again Vmaxman99.

Extremevamx97
Vince

 

[maleko89]

Good to hear! Mr. Costa is a good guy!

Mike, what kind of wire did you use to run through the passages?

Mark
#1098