Welp....it's for sale

[Rand-5107]

In 23 years, oil filters, oil, gas filters, air filters,several sets of brake pads, 4 batteries, many sets of tires, 3 middle gear seals, 2 sets fork seals. In the last 2 years 1 set head bearings, 1 set rear shocks, gas tank, and exhaust system, kitted clutch master and slave. I've never been stranded along the side of the road, or at work. All in all I think it's been very reliable .

 

[RaWarrior]

I've never been left stranded by the Max (came close when the shift segment pins fell out...trapped me in third gear 100 miles from home), but since I bought it in July of 2009(around 15k miles since then) I've had to replace

-Stator
-R/R
-Shift segment
-Starter clutch
-Drive clutch
-Like 5 case gaskets because it kept leaking oil
-Fork seals
-Head bearings(and it still wobbles at speed)
-And it still misfires at highway speed. At this point in time, I think it's gotta be a problem with the TCI since I've tried EVERYTHING else.

That's a lot of things to go wrong in 15k miles, or at least to me it is. What would you think if in your car, in the course of 15k miles, the alternator went bad, the clutch went out, the starter died, it started leaking oil, needed new shocks, and a complete overhaul of the front end suspension? Would you call that a reliable, well built car and buy another?

With my '85 Magna, I had to replace in roughly the same amount of miles:
-Spark plug wires


And that's it.

TBH I used to be a real die-hard Yamaha fan, but between my Max and my Yamaha sled, I've been losing faith. Things that shouldn't have to be fixed keep needing it, and IMO it's design flaws. Example: in the front suspension of my snowmobile, there are a total of 32 plastic bushings in the a-arms, spindle, steering, ect. At 5000 miles, all of them have turned essentially to dust(it's only a 6 year old machine) and there's enormous play in everything. All had to be replaced, at like $5/bushing. To me that's retarded...use a metal bushing and put a grease fitting in there. The secondary clutch literally exploded at wide open, the metal fragmented apart into a bazillion pieces. The plastic side panels are held on with flimsy tabs that all broke off within months....all held on with zipties now. Stuff like that. My '90 Yamaha quad is a little champ though...starts on the first kick every single time.

So while I can't say either has left me stranded or caused a big-time problem, both machines have been nickle-and-diming me to death over the past couple years. I'm really tired of it. I would say "well, it is a 15 year old bike", but then I remember my 25 year old Honda that didn't have any of these problems.

I gave Yamaha a fair shake for the next round, I rode the FZ8. I just sat on the FZ1 and instantly didn't like it. I'm not a fanboy to any one brand and didn't feel the need to "stay loyal" and buy a new Yamaha. To me, Kawasaki offers a better product that fits what I want better than what Yam offers.

 

[CaptainKyle]

Do what makes you happy. I have been looking at some Bandit 1200's you can pick them up reasonably & they are easy to make haul ass.

 

[rusty]

Cycle World proclamed the z1000 best standerd bike of the year, Great choice!!unk:

 

[Buster Hymen]

I'd like to keep Mr. Max, but I can't afford the Z without the down payment the Max will provide, and when I think about it, what would I do with two motorcycles? If I had a Z and a Vmax sitting next to each other the Vmax would collect dust....better to pass it onto someone who can enjoy it.

I don't know about that. i have 3 bikes and they all get equal use. The newest one would get used more when I first got it, but the novelty of it being new soon passes.

 

[mattness]

the z1s are nice.

but..

youll be back.

someday youll be buyin gas or hanging out with your buddies and a vmax with kerker pipes will roll up to a stoplight and everyone will start talkin shit about it, and youll get that fire again.

 

[Rusty McNeil]

Come on man, don't sell it. Just buy another one. Everyone needs a stable!

There are better bikes than a Vmax.....

I spent a weekend on a Busa a while bike and was hooked quickly too....But not THAT hooked!

But nothings cooler than a vmax

 

[dannymax]

After the first couple rides on my new (to me) '05 FJR I thought....Hmmm, I think this bike may replace '99 as the 'favored ride.' It's fast, comfortable, handles like a cat & got neat shit like a clock and fuel gauge.

But now, after a few weeks I've found I'm throwing a leg over '99 as often, and probly MORE often, than F Jr. Not that I'll dump the Feej, I won't....but I sure won't dump '99 either!

Just think about doing the Sat. morning ride on downtown Chatham with a bunch of FJ's & Z's 'n such buzzing and whirring down the street....beautiful bikes, no doubt about that, but would they have the same effect as a dozen V Max's with Mark's, Holeshots, Kerkers & Trapp's....:ummm:

I rest my case!! unk:

 

[Rollie]

the z1s are nice.

but..

youll be back.

someday youll be buyin gas or hanging out with your buddies and a vmax with kerker pipes will roll up to a stoplight and everyone will start talkin shit about it, and youll get that fire again.

+ 1 , They talk about it 'cause they had one , wanted one , or got beat by one .

 

[SpecOps13]

My Wife and Son can worry about what to do with my toys when I die. Even if I get a Z1000,
the other bikes will stay. I wouldn't sell Strafer unless somebody offered me way rediculous money...
SkullDuggery??? My 1200 Sportster, gets me into too many arguements to get rid of, it's a blast just
sitting still.

 

[RaWarrior]

+ 1 , They talk about it 'cause they had one , wanted one , or got beat by one .

Can't argue with that. I swear, everyone has some story about how they used to have a vmax, had a friend that did, or had some other memory about what a beast it was. For a bike I almost never see others of(I saw one at Americade, which was the first time I'd seen another vmax since last year's brownie run), there sure are a lot of people that remember it.

However....almost all those people ended up "moving on". The older people ended up "upgrading" (lol) to a Harley or some other cruiser. The younger people ditched it for, to be honest, a modern performance bike.

And from the people I've met and this forum, I can say that I'm not sure any bike ever made has quite the cult loyalty the Vmax enjoys. One of those bikes where everyone who owns one can't help but get obsessed with it, it always becomes "more" than just 600lbs of steel sitting in the garage. And it did to me too, I enjoyed my GS450 and my Magna, but never really felt quite the connection I felt with the Max (probably mostly due to this forum/community).

That said, the sentimental value gets strained every time I lean into a corner and the bike jiggles like jell-o in southern california, or want to haul ass and almost go into a tank slapper at 120mph. Or when it starts missing on the highway. Or when the starter clutch kept missing. Or when the battery kept going flat. I'll say that the sentimental value, coupled with the fun factor of hitting v-boost, "kept" me on this bike for a while. I kind of overlooked the flaws and fixing it's problems was a labor of love that didn't really bother me that much. But it's gotten to the point where that sentimental "connection" with the bike is overpowered by well, it's lack of ability. I can get from 0-100, in a straight line, really fast....but that's about it. I realized the other day when I managed to get it to 140 the little "procedure" I had...butt against fuel door, head just below the flyscreen's wind, feet on the highway pegs, certain amount of grip on the bars, no shifting, just for a chance the bike wouldn't wobble going that fast. I realized how ridiculous it was. We drive 70's era Chargers in a world of M3's and EVO's.....it's just outdated and the "glory days" are over. Sure, there's a lot of fun and nostalgic value in the old stuff, but if you're really out for performance, that little four-cylinder EVO will run circles around your old big-block muscle car.

And while I'll freely admit the Z doesn't have the legacy or bad-boy 80's nostalgia, or the sweet V4 sound, which I will miss. Though the Z actually does have "scoops", they're in the small fairing in front of the tank...and they're real ram-air, and they make a sweet howl as the revs build up. But I don't ride for nostalgia, or the logo on the tank, or to achieve an image. I ride for fun, and fun comes from performance. The second I set off on the Z I had a stupid grin on my face the whole time. Nostalgia and fond memories don't help with sloppy handling and generally irritating build quality.

To me, the "value" of sentiment and legacy has just run dry. The flaws and frustrations of this bike have overcome my fond feelings for it.

So, I hope I'll still be welcome around here, since this is bar none the best biker community I've ever experienced and I definitely don't want to lose all youse guys. I'll appreciate and respect the Vmax forever, but for me, it's just time to move on to a bike that can satisfy what I want in a bike....

 

[tugla]

After the first couple rides on my new (to me) '05 FJR I thought....Hmmm, I think this bike may replace '99 as the 'favored ride.' It's fast, comfortable, handles like a cat & got neat shit like a clock and fuel gauge.

But now, after a few weeks I've found I'm throwing a leg over '99 as often, and probly MORE often, than F Jr. Not that I'll dump the Feej, I won't....but I sure won't dump '99 either!

Just think about doing the Sat. morning ride on downtown Chatham with a bunch of FJ's & Z's 'n such buzzing and whirring down the street....beautiful bikes, no doubt about that, but would they have the same effect as a dozen V Max's with Mark's, Holeshots, Kerkers & Trapp's....:ummm:

I rest my case!! unk:

your right man, trust me there are lots of great bikes out there, id for sure have a bmw k1200r in my stable if i could afford it, got to ride one lots last few years and all i can say is wow!!! what a bike, almost too nice. but along with that is the great feeling of the vmax. need to have all the itches scratched, cant all be in one package.
hope you get the ride you want ryan, dont let anyone convince you other wise only you know what you want.

 

[gamorg02]

Can't argue with that. I swear, everyone has some story about how they used to have a vmax, had a friend that did, or had some other memory about what a beast it was. For a bike I almost never see others of(I saw one at Americade, which was the first time I'd seen another vmax since last year's brownie run), there sure are a lot of people that remember it.

However....almost all those people ended up "moving on". The older people ended up "upgrading" (lol) to a Harley or some other cruiser. The younger people ditched it for, to be honest, a modern performance bike.

And from the people I've met and this forum, I can say that I'm not sure any bike ever made has quite the cult loyalty the Vmax enjoys. One of those bikes where everyone who owns one can't help but get obsessed with it, it always becomes "more" than just 600lbs of steel sitting in the garage. And it did to me too, I enjoyed my GS450 and my Magna, but never really felt quite the connection I felt with the Max (probably mostly due to this forum/community).

That said, the sentimental value gets strained every time I lean into a corner and the bike jiggles like jell-o in southern california, or want to haul ass and almost go into a tank slapper at 120mph. Or when it starts missing on the highway. Or when the starter clutch kept missing. Or when the battery kept going flat. I'll say that the sentimental value, coupled with the fun factor of hitting v-boost, "kept" me on this bike for a while. I kind of overlooked the flaws and fixing it's problems was a labor of love that didn't really bother me that much. But it's gotten to the point where that sentimental "connection" with the bike is overpowered by well, it's lack of ability. I can get from 0-100, in a straight line, really fast....but that's about it. I realized the other day when I managed to get it to 140 the little "procedure" I had...butt against fuel door, head just below the flyscreen's wind, feet on the highway pegs, certain amount of grip on the bars, no shifting, just for a chance the bike wouldn't wobble going that fast. I realized how ridiculous it was. We drive 70's era Chargers in a world of M3's and EVO's.....it's just outdated and the "glory days" are over. Sure, there's a lot of fun and nostalgic value in the old stuff, but if you're really out for performance, that little four-cylinder EVO will run circles around your old big-block muscle car.

And while I'll freely admit the Z doesn't have the legacy or bad-boy 80's nostalgia, or the sweet V4 sound, which I will miss. Though the Z actually does have "scoops", they're in the small fairing in front of the tank...and they're real ram-air, and they make a sweet howl as the revs build up. But I don't ride for nostalgia, or the logo on the tank, or to achieve an image. I ride for fun, and fun comes from performance. The second I set off on the Z I had a stupid grin on my face the whole time. Nostalgia and fond memories don't help with sloppy handling and generally irritating build quality.

To me, the "value" of sentiment and legacy has just run dry. The flaws and frustrations of this bike have overcome my fond feelings for it.

So, I hope I'll still be welcome around here, since this is bar none the best biker community I've ever experienced and I definitely don't want to lose all youse guys. I'll appreciate and respect the Vmax forever, but for me, it's just time to move on to a bike that can satisfy what I want in a bike....

i hope yous tick around and give us updates, i think a lot of guys would eye a z for a second bike and would be interested as you rack up the miles

 

[satariel666]

I was riding one some time ago, at dealer open days.
Nothing else I was expecting form this bike - not a right bike for me.
But of course its very well made ANOTHER sporty naked.

 

[Klatuu]

Having similar thoughts about the Z1000-derived 1000 Ninja:

It's a bit more touring oriented than the Z1000, but basically the same bike. I doubt I'll pull the trigger on it at this point, but it's calling me.

 

[m-cman]

Having similar thoughts about the Z1000-derived 1000 Ninja:

It's a bit more touring oriented than the Z1000, but basically the same bike. I doubt I'll pull the trigger on it at this point, but it's calling me.

That is the exact one I would buy if I was in the market for a second bike.

 

[acammer]

RaWarrior - your commentary all makes perfect sense to me... it's not about "the nostalgia, or the logo on the tank, or to achieve an image. I ride for fun, and fun comes from performance." Man, that sums it up for me. I bought the Max thinking it would get me pretty much where I wanted to be for the $3,500 I spent, and I think it has. I've put about 1,800 miles on this year, and I've already determined that the handling is a serious disappointment. I guess my slammed Intruder I used to ride really was a decent turning machine, because it inspired more turning confidence than Mr. Max does.

Now, straight line from a stop, I haven't ridden anything that does what Mr. Max will. Power was #1 on my list, and that has been pretty decently full-filled in the Max. Embarrasing the sport bike guys at lights is a blast! But I guess I starting to want something that'll inspire confidence in the twisties as well. I suppose with some work I could get more from the Max there. But then there is the weight, would be nice to be at 450lbs wet.

I dunno, the Max sound is pretty intoxicating, that would probably be the hardest thing to leave, and that pull off the line through 70 or so mph is just brutal.

That said, I am stopping to eye-ball and maybe take a Z1k for a spin, you're demo ride report and this thread have got the wheels turning...

 

[RaWarrior]

Yeah, that demo ride shot me from "hmm, that's kind of a cool looking bike" to "I need to have one ASAP" in 20 miles flat. Be careful, lol. Might make your Max suddenly feel a whole lot crappier.....

Honestly I had no intention of even riding the Z at americade...I went to try the Triumph Speed Triple, but they required you to be 21 and booted me out, and the Kawi booth was right next to it, with dozens of open rides. I chatted with one of the guys, he suggested I take the Z for a spin, and that was that.

It's on ebay now as well...haven't got a single bite from craigslist. Starting bid, no reserve, is only $3,750, which I think is a tremendous bargain for whoever gets it. I'd hate to let it go for that cheap and I hope it'll bid up to at least $4k....I paid $4500 two years ago and have a lot of mod-monkey dollars in it.

 

[ouchez]

I have an 05, since new, 18,000 miles now and runs flawless, of course stock and never abused in any way.

The Max 1st gen is what it is, like the brochure for the 05 infers, it is an old style hot rod, not a modern sport bike. You cannot expect more from an 85 design hot rod.

I know there are many faster bikes, far more modern, but I do love my Max and I am glad I have it. It has given me much smiles.

Next bike will be a super torquey Raider S, real old style too, air cooled v-twin.

O

 

[Ebein_486]

I just bought my 3rd Vmax a 2002, and It had plenty of handling mods done to it before I bought it, Progressive fronts, fork brace, frame brace etc. Still starts death wobble at 95 and im still afraid to really laid it over to the pegs as Im afraid the front end will wash out from under me.

I love the sound of the kerker 4-1 love the omg hold on when vboost kicks in. But im already looking at other bikes and I've had the Vmax for a month... I really think im going to have to buy a second bike to really enjoy some twisties and higher than legal speeds ( on the track of course :rofl_200.
Or Im going to have to find me a Gen 2 max to replace the Gen 1.