Questions about bringing an 85 back to life...

[david_the_greek]

Let me preface this by saying this sight is great and I've found a lot of useful information so far!

OK, so here's my situation.... 85 vmax that's been sitting for 8-12 years. The good? It's been garage kept this entire time AND it's free (it was my Dad's, he doesn't ride anymore). I know this thing is going to need some work, I'm just wondering what else I'll need and what else I *should* do.

So here is the plan so far....

Ordered new spark plugs, oil filter, (I've got 10-40 oil, can I use it?), new master cylinder for the front brake and clutch, slave cylinder for the clutch, and battery. Oh and I had a key made because I was lacking one of those too... I figure I'll have to drop some oil in the where the spark plugs go, change to coolant too. Can I use DOT 4 brake fluid?

The question is where to start? I KNOW I'm going to have to get the carbs cleaned (I'm hoping a good friend of mine can do it), the question is do I have to spring for a whole rebuild kit? That's damn near $100 just there! I'm assuming I'll need to pull the tank and clean it and replace the fuel lines, that sound about right? Anyone have advice as to what I should do first? I'm not the most mechanically inclined, but I'm trying to learn and I have some help. Is there an order anyone wold recommend starting in or any simple mods I should do while the beast is getting worked on?

 

[gamorg02]

rebuilding an 89 honda hawk myself right now so we were in the same boat.

do the bare minimum to get it going then worry about the rest. make sure it runs, 2nd gear isn't a mess and its working properly. to me thats oil, plugs, coolant, brake/clutch fluid (DOT 4 is fine, i use havoline 3/4 synthetic it works pretty well!).

Also check your gas tank, fuel filter probably and clean the carbs. dont' buy a rebuild kit, take the carbs apart and see where you are at, at that point.

 

[tugla]

a new good battery for sure....guys run rotella 15w40, need the zinc in these old beast so great oil to run and cheap.make sure no rust in the tank if so run a jerry can to the fuel pump to get he fired up atleast

 

[PATMAX]

Well, somewhat cart before the horse here with some of the suggestions. Without giving this a ton of thought but having done it once or twice! Change the oil and oil filter. Any 10-30 is fine for now. Flush the fuel system meaning tank, lines, and carbs. Fill radiator overflow tank. New plugs. New Oddessy battery. Thats it, start cranking that mother up! Everything else is on a "as needed" basis. Things like a fuel filter, brake pads, etc can wait. This should get you to the point of whether you need anything else. Carb work? Don't bother. Send them out to Dannymax or One2dmax or any of several other guys that do it regularly. I 'd be surprised if you could pull the rack of carbs off by yourself without any help. Thats where this forum pays off for you!
Shit, you might be riding in a weekend! Don't freak out if you have smoke out the exhaust on first start up. Keep a fire extinguisher handy.
Let us know what you do.

 

[david_the_greek]

haha, I've got like 3 fire extinguishers! (this house is prepared for explosions and fires....).

Funny, all the stuff I ordered from ebay is already delivered, mind you it all came from out of state (Cali I believe). Yet the company IN Michigan just sent the parts out today.... I ordered everything at the exact same time.

You've guys got me hopeful.... I didn't spring for that great of a battery, (yeah, I know :bang head perhaps when/if I get'er running. The clutch slave rebuild kit came, the new spark plugs, and the battery, so that'll be first. Got to wait on everything else unfortunately. I'm definitely getting excited! A little background, I picked up riding to serve as my primary mode of commuting. I rode a 250 nighthawk for 5 years and finally decided it was finally time to upgrade and picked up a 650 bmw. Now mind you these bikes are very easy to ride and fun to putz around on, but I didn't know what I was missing when it came to power and noise. A friend let me borrow his beast of a Harley (he's got 40k in receipts, and he did most all the work himself!) and the bug bit me. I needed something with some oomph! I can't wait to get this bad boy on the road, even if the mileage isn't that much better than my truck.

 

[The Beekeeper]

A V-Max in good state of tune should get you 40mpg or so, hopefully everything goes smooth and you get it running right, then go out and clean your buddy's clock with this thing and report back!....unk:...We all love a good story!.........:biglaugh:........BTW......What are the last 4 digits of your VIN?..........We have an oldest surviving V-Max thread going..............Good luck!...........Tom.

 

[dannymax]

Like the guys said....bare minimum to get it going so you can check 2nd gear (sometimes an issue but we can explain that later).

There's a good chance the carbs are all gummed up from old fuel but try it first, might get lucky. You can get to the rebuild later if you have to.

Important!...BEFORE trying to start this bike remove top of the airbox and check for mice nests & bodies!

 

[85vmax]

Well, somewhat cart before the horse here with some of the suggestions. Without giving this a ton of thought but having done it once or twice! Change the oil and oil filter. Any 10-30 is fine for now. Flush the fuel system meaning tank, lines, and carbs. Fill radiator overflow tank. New plugs. New Oddessy battery. Thats it, start cranking that mother up! Everything else is on a "as needed" basis. Let us know what you do.

Totally agree......both my maxes were non-runners for 3+ years....
new plugs......drained tank/lines carbs.....new fuel filter and battery.....crank her up...she will start.
A good dose of seafoam and you might be on the road....or just to tear apart and clean.........forget the rebuild kit for now.

Good Luck.....

 

[david_the_greek]

I'll double check, but I think I saw 1074....

Anyways, I've got some good news! Shoved the battery in and turned the engine over.... sounded great! So that's not seized which is good news. I tried to be lazy and just added brake fluid to the clutch and bled it, unfortunately it didn't really build up pressure so it looks like I'll have to throw the rebuild kits in there. One thing I've seen online is a mention of a banjo bolt... not going to lie, I'm not too sure what that is. Going to look online for that and try it first I guess. Why are the screws so darn soft on this bike? Tried to take the front brake master cylinder off and watched the metal just just pushed around.


Tasks for today? Pick up more oil and get that changed. Figure out what the hell the banjo bolt is and try that for the clutch. Then use my dremel to score the screws on the master and try to get that open. If I'm lucky my buddy with help me star the carbs and get the gas tank off. Any recommendations for the gas tank? I peeked my head in and there was definitely some rust, but I don't think it's too bad

 

[mr.maxx]

the banjo bolt is what holds the line to the MC....its hollow.....unless the Mc is leaking...it may just need a cleanig and not a rebuild. it takes a long time to get pressure. pump the lever with the cover off untill you dont see any bubbles. then put the cover on and it should build pressure.

 

[NHVmaxpower]

View attachment banjo.bmp

 

[NHVmaxpower]

View attachment banjo.bmphttp://www.vmaxforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=31252&stc=1&d=1345995140

 

[Fire-medic]

Like the members have said, save the invasive work for later. Get it running first, and then you will have a better idea of wha it needs.

One thing I would disagree with, mention was made about not bothering w/the gas filter. If you want to get it running, replacing the filter is something I would do even before an oil change. You can turn-over the bike w/oil that's in it, to see if the engine is free & not seized, assuming there is something in the crankcase; hold the bike upright and use the sight glass window in the side cover of the engine, the oil should be at least visible. I suggest NOT just dumping some gas into the untouched tank to try & getting it running.

The gas filter collects a lot of crud and you don't want that in your carbs. The gas tank is a PITA to remove but you can get it boiled-out and re-use it. I elected to replace my 20 yr-old tank to avoid having to clean the carbs repeatedly on the advice of my friend who has been a factory Yamaha mechanic since before the VMax was released.

Get it started and then work on the other stuff. You can use an auxiliary tank if yours is really cruddy, just to see if it runs. You can make one from a lawn mower tank off a junk mower & a petcock. My advice-try all refueling & temporary gas tanks outside your building. It's always a good idea to replace gas lines first, you don't need gas peeing all-over your garage from a rotten hose or a bad fastener for the hose.

 

[david_the_greek]

I will definitely take your advice on the fuel filter, the LAST thing I want is to add more crap into my carbs/engine. On that note, I peeked at the filter and it appears there is some clean looking fuel in it. I just bought a 3-part tank restore kit online and when it gets here I'm going to pull the tank and the filter off. Can I purchase any inline filter? Seems like those yamaha ones are pricey/hard to come by. That said, if it's worth the money I'll shell it out. No point in trying to fix a bike and skimping on something so trivial as $10-15.

So I've definitely encountered some problems... a few stripped bolts and an oil filter cover bolt that won't freaking budge. Looks like I'm going to have to get the dremel out and be creative. Anyone have recommendations for new hardware to install in place of some of these countersunk screws/oil filter cover screw? I hit it with some more wd-40, but I doubt that's going to do too much of anything. The 12mm socket just mushes the corners apart and the channel locks literally chewed chunks out of the metal.

Another wonderfully stupid question.... how the heck do I get to the slave cylinder? I kept adding in fluid, I played with the banjo bolt etc, then noticed a nice big puddle under the bike! Looks like it's the slave leaking. I'm sure it leaks passively as well, but I noticed it while depressing the clutch and squatting next to the bleeder. So how do I access it and what else will I need other than the rebuild kit? Thanks guys, you're all awesome!