Temporarily Handing In My Man Card...

[Kronx]

I'd admit it. My VMax purchase was complete impulse buy. It was a bike I had always loved ever since I saw my neighbor in '85 doing rolling burn outs up and down our street. You know those crazy Apple people who camp out at the stores for the next gadget? My neighbor was that way, only with motorcycles. So I blame him for making me love the VMax as much as I do.

But the reason I feel I'm not worthy of my man card is because while I've always loved the VMax, I really didn't know much about it other than it had badassitude and it could back it up. I was looking for a motorcycle as a work commuter and I had a budget. When this VMax popped up on my budget radar I sort of threw all rational judgement out the window. I've done more homework on a coffee maker purchase than I did on this VMax.

While I'm a VMax newb, I'm not necessarily new to riding. Like most riders, I grew up on dirt bikes and eventually moved to street bikes. But unlike a lot riders I actually took a few courses once I got on street bikes(had aspirations to road race). So I know that I bit off a lot and bought a monster of a bike. I respect it and will not push the limits of my skill -- which will take some time to get back in shape.

When I had gone to the dealer to look at the bike, I walked around the bike looking at it and pretending I knew what the hell I was looking for (I didn't). I bought the bike, a helmet, and gloves right there. Did I try to haggle with the dealer? Nope. Did I try to get the helmet and gloves thrown in? Nope. I was like a kid in a candy store... MINE! Gimme it! I drove it home and immediately signed up for a MSF course. Didn't get on the bike again till after the course. Been getting a ride every day since then -- longer rides on the weekends.

It seems I lucked out and actually got a good deal regardless of my textbook example of "What not to do when buying a motorcycle."

But as the bike was in my garage and I was sweating my ass off in 100 degree driving through cones on a dirt bike reality was sinking in.

How do I service this bike? Do I even have the tools to do basic maintenance? Is there a place that can work on it and does this place have someone that knows the VMax? Is my VMax even running like it should? I've been away from motorcycles so long, ANYTHING will feel fast at this point. So many questions start flooding my head.

I ordered a Clymers for the VMax. I hit these forums and read the posts. Then I open up more tabs on my browser to Google-Fu what the 'eff ya'll are even talking about. Then I watch all of Sean Morely's YouTube videos and I feel like I'm watching brain surgery. Of course the salt in the wound is watching his 12 year old daughter break down the front forks. Yea, time to turn in the man card.

I'm gonna need to get some tools. I'm gonna need to improve the lighting in the garage, because I anticipate A LOT of long nights being in there cussing and bleeding. I went out into the garage and apologized to my VMax. I told her "I realize when working on you, I'm going to be a like virgin teenager during his first time: clumsy, awkward, and not much fun for you." I hope she understands.

So I temporarily hand in my man card with a goal set to earn back by figuring this all out and eventually being able to talk wrench turning with you guys without faking it.

 

[Traumahawk]

Ask ANY question that you need to, and dont feel bad. I had worked on cars before....but this is the first bike that Ive worked on. ALL of my experience in working on my Vmax...is due to this forum. I was on here for 6 months...before I ever commented on ANYTHING!!!

All that you have to do is show your bike love, and she will forgive everything else.

 

[one2dmax]

LOL, these bikes are easy for the most part. The harder you ride it the more parts will wear. Ride it easy *(in relativity) the longer you will get without troubles. This doesn't mean the bike is fragile just that the wear is relative.

Sean

 

[maxcruiser]

Everybody had to learn how to wrench, ride, etc... at one point or another, so don't sweat it.

The benefit today is, as long as you are willing, there are so many resources, like this forum, to learn from.

Mike

 

[marsmax85]

I always had extra money for dealerships to work on my bikes until I joined these forums and realized that when the monkey bites or maintenance is due it's a lot easier knowing that you have backup here to help . Harbor freight is a great place for tools !! great story too ..

 

[thepretender]

Don't worry about your man card, just buying this bike turns your balls to brass. They will soon start growing and be big and clanging up a storm in no time I too am gaining confidence little by little with my new (to me) Vmax and it sure is fun.

 

[Biker Dash]

Don't worry about your man card, just buying this bike turns your balls to brass.

That's funny... mine turned to a tungsten alloy an grew to the size of bowling balls. (they used to be about the size of softballs, and made out of high-carbon steel)

 

[06VMAXIMUS]

Great story Kronx! No need to hand in the man card, everything you ever want or need to know (and some things you don't WANT to know) are here on this forum! Welcome, and congrats on your purchase. Bob

 

[Fire-medic]

Here's your 'man-card' back. Pick-up your tools and get to work. Learn your bike, develop your rusty riding skills, and tell us what your experiences are in both. Avoid poor practices in maintenance or modification, seek knowlege before either.

 

[95spfldmax]

Welcome to The VMax Forum.......

Now....first-things-first.....Post a pic of your lovely lady!!

:ttiwwp:

 

[fltinstructor]

Welcome to The VMax Forum.......

Now....first-things-first.....Post a pic of your lovely lady!!

:ttiwwp:

Absolutely what he said!!

 

[95spfldmax]

I just realized you have several posts so if I missed your pics already I apologize.....

 

[ninjaneer]

Dude WTFever! If a pooter-jockey like myself, whose most advanced mechanical claim-to-fame up until three years ago after I delved into motorcycling and bought my first bike, was changing out brake pads on the pickup, can say that with the help of this forum and a service manual, he DIY'd the rebuild and upgrade of all of the hydraulic cylinders, the carbs, the steering bearing, the intake, the forks, the rear shocks, the brake calipers, the exhaust, the charging system, the starter motor, valve adjustments, the horn, and the dreaded starter clutch; then so can you.

The guys here are great. They amass a collection of wrenchers from all walks of life--from the spring-time, dry-days-only commuting, stealership patron and the 360-day, rain-or-shine, mechanical gurus; to the highly blinged-out show queen customizers and sub-nine, NOS-squirting draggers--all of whom will offer up their varying degrees of expertise free of preconceived notions, judgement, and ridicule.

So take back your man card.

Just a few words of advice, though...BEWARE of the Mod Monkey. He shows up in the most inconvenience of times during and after routine maintenance and proceed to leave you too poor to buy a package of Raman.

 

[Kronx]

Thanks for the responses. She's pretty much stock all the way through. She's a 93 and only had 13k mile on her. Got her for a smidge under $3k.

I want to get rid of the backrest and go with the stock bar in the back. Local Yamaha place said that piece was like $310. Ouch. It looks like the backrest could be unscrewed and something put in place. I found a thread in the forums about Virago piece that would fit. Am I barking up the right tree on that? That seemed like a cheaper option. I plan to hit the Yamaha shop this weekend and see if they can score that piece and how much it would cost. I've seen a lot of pictures with what I assume is aftermarket bars. Not sure where a reputable place with a reasonable price to go for that sort of thing.

I'm looking at getting a set of Shinko TM 230s for it. The rear tire(Metzler 880) seems fine, but the front tire(Bridgestone BattleAx) will need to be changed out in the near future. I sort of like the idea of shaking my riding rust off on a new pair of the same type of tires and going a bit wider in the rear with a 170. I read on the forums that the Shinko 170 fits fine on a stock swing arm. Gonna stick with the 110 in the front. Heard different things about 120.. some say it messes with the speedo, some say it doesn't.

There is one thing that's on my bike that's clearly not stock. Really not sure what the heck it is. It looks like some sort of LED lighting controller. I've attached pictures of it. It has a USB port and 3 other sockets -- well maybe they aren't sockets so much as just pointless holes. It lights up and there's a light assembly at the rear seat that associated to it. Any ideas what that is? Is there something else I can do with it besides turn my ass blue? I hear butts in red make the bike go faster.

 

[m-cman]

Maybe a USB port for charging a cell phone? See if you can trace the wiring on both items...

Bike really looks clean, especially for a 93!

That backrest is like gold. Do not get rid of it. Someone here will swap a standard back bar and cash for the backrest. In fact I will do that if you want to set a price. I have a stock back piece in my Max spare parts cabinet. Do not go to the dealer. Prices there are outrageous. Check eBay.

 

[Kronx]

Dude WTFever! If a pooter-jockey like myself, whose most advanced mechanical claim-to-fame up until three years ago after I delved into motorcycling and bought my first bike, was changing out brake pads on the pickup, can say that with the help of this forum and a service manual, he DIY'd the rebuild and upgrade of all of the hydraulic cylinders, the carbs, the steering bearing, the intake, the forks, the rear shocks, the brake calipers, the exhaust, the charging system, the starter motor, valve adjustments, the horn, and the dreaded starter clutch; then so can you.

The guys here are great. They amass a collection of wrenchers from all walks of life--from the spring-time, dry-days-only commuting, stealership patron and the 360-day, rain-or-shine, mechanical gurus; to the highly blinged-out show queen customizers and sub-nine, NOS-squirting draggers--all of whom will offer up their varying degrees of expertise free of preconceived notions, judgement, and ridicule.

So take back your man card.

Just a few words of advice, though...BEWARE of the Mod Monkey. He shows up in the most inconvenience of times during and after routine maintenance and proceed to leave you too poor to buy a package of Raman.

If you can tell me you did all the with some duct tape and a pair of channel locks then I might be ok... otherwise I got a lot of tools to get. I'm not even at Jeff Spicoli level (reference linked below).

I've heard about the infamous Mod Monkey... I will keep my eye out for him. Although I might have a better change of seeing him coming with some new headlights... maybe some new mirrors in case he sneaks up behind me... perhaps a more aggressive exhaust system will scare him away...

Spicoli Reference:
http://youtu.be/A5cneCgNA9U

 

[ninjaneer]

I want to get rid of the backrest and go with the stock bar in the back. Local Yamaha place said that piece was like $310. Ouch. It looks like the backrest could be unscrewed and something put in place. I found a thread in the forums about Virago piece that would fit. Am I barking up the right tree on that? That seemed like a cheaper option. I plan to hit the Yamaha shop this weekend and see if they can score that piece and how much it would cost. I've seen a lot of pictures with what I assume is aftermarket bars. Not sure where a reputable place with a reasonable price to go for that sort of thing. ...

... That backrest is like gold. Do not get rid of it. Someone here will swap a standard back bar and cash for the backrest. In fact I will do that if you want to set a price. I have a stock back piece in my Max spare parts cabinet. Do not go to the dealer. Prices there are outrageous. Check eBay.

+1 whatever you do, keep a tight fist on the back rest. i thought i would never need it and sold it to pay for a mod. and then biketoberfest '11 was soon approaching and the wife wanted to go. ugh, m-cman ain't kidding how much a backrest can cost. luckily i found a guy selling his and a bunch of other stuff and got all of it on the cheap. or like he says hold onto as a bargaining chip in a barter.

i did the virago bar grab rail mod. it is a good compromise for me so that i can deal with the occasional two-up. but it still requires the complete removal of one of the fender mounts in order to exchange the virago bar and back rest due to their legs. if you never have plans of taking a passenger for a ride, then perhaps getting the stock grab rail is a better way for you to go.

your instincts are correct, don't trust the stealership. visit eBay, you'll find the virago bar normally (75% chance of an affordable hit). you'll also find the stock grab rail there, too. monitor the forum's Parts For Sell section--upon occasion one of the members here will advertise either of the two that was no longer in the vision .

If you can tell me you did all the with some duct tape and a pair of channel locks then I might be ok...

yeah my toolbox was basically filled with fishing line, lures, and a pair of rusty needlenose pliers. needless to say, i've expanded. :rofl_200: i've been known, much to my neighbors' chagrin, to borrow a tool or three.

 

[m-cman]

BTW, I also have the Virago short backrest in my stash. Have collected tons of Max stuff over the years... :biglaugh:

 

[Biker Dash]

If you can tell me you did all the with some duct tape and a pair of channel locks then I might be ok... otherwise I got a lot of tools to get. I'm not even at Jeff Spicoli level (reference linked below).

I've heard about the infamous Mod Monkey... I will keep my eye out for him. Although I might have a better change of seeing him coming with some new headlights... maybe some new mirrors in case he sneaks up behind me... perhaps a more aggressive exhaust system will scare him away...

Spicoli Reference:
http://youtu.be/A5cneCgNA9U

FT@RH FTW!!!! (\_^c^_/)
Yeah, I was definitely Spicoli in high school

And now, I'm more like Tim "The Toolman" Tailor...

 

[CrackerRican]

Thanks for the responses. She's pretty much stock all the way through. She's a 93 and only had 13k mile on her. Got her for a smidge under $3k.

I want to get rid of the backrest and go with the stock bar in the back. Local Yamaha place said that piece was like $310. Ouch. It looks like the backrest could be unscrewed and something put in place. I found a thread in the forums about Virago piece that would fit. Am I barking up the right tree on that? That seemed like a cheaper option. I plan to hit the Yamaha shop this weekend and see if they can score that piece and how much it would cost. I've seen a lot of pictures with what I assume is aftermarket bars. Not sure where a reputable place with a reasonable price to go for that sort of thing.

I'm looking at getting a set of Shinko TM 230s for it. The rear tire(Metzler 880) seems fine, but the front tire(Bridgestone BattleAx) will need to be changed out in the near future. I sort of like the idea of shaking my riding rust off on a new pair of the same type of tires and going a bit wider in the rear with a 170. I read on the forums that the Shinko 170 fits fine on a stock swing arm. Gonna stick with the 110 in the front. Heard different things about 120.. some say it messes with the speedo, some say it doesn't.

There is one thing that's on my bike that's clearly not stock. Really not sure what the heck it is. It looks like some sort of LED lighting controller. I've attached pictures of it. It has a USB port and 3 other sockets -- well maybe they aren't sockets so much as just pointless holes. It lights up and there's a light assembly at the rear seat that associated to it. Any ideas what that is? Is there something else I can do with it besides turn my ass blue? I hear butts in red make the bike go faster.

Welcome to the forum. It's a 12v dc adapter for charging devices. I just ordered 2 of them for my work trucks.
Looks like you got pretty good deal.