What did you do to your Vmax today? Part 2

[huw s]

Hi all, been getting on with rebuilding my v4 block. Had to make a jig to hold it in the miller for skimming the tops of the cylinders. Front side is done, now to do the rears. It's taken ages due to other work and also the inverter driving my miller packed in. But at least I know that flycutting does give the flat surface needed, and that clamping a v4 in the machine is a right pain in the backside.
Interesting reading on the carb issues - my bike came with a burnt piston, so once the engine is back together guess what I'll be doing? I want to make one comment though, someone wrote that idle mixture screws djust fuelling up to 4000 rpm - well this isn't true for all conditions. On no load (ie just sitting there opening the throttle) yes, probably true. But on the road, pulling the bike and big fat biker allong 4000 rpm will have the carbs open a whole lot more, hence all the progression holes will be open, even if the needle hasn't lifted? Just my take on it, tell me if I'm wrong?

 

[jmdclan]

I changed my oil and filter! Tomorrow, I Ryde!

 

[redbaron13]

Started it and ran it until hot while recovering from hip surgery. Looks like that will be it for a few months. Had the 86 max for five years. Replaced ecu with galaxy model, put in mr.gasket fuel pump best thing I have done, replaced starter clutch, tires three times, battery three times, spark plugs to champions, wire harness crimp mod, melted plug from alternator to wire harness then hard wired and insulated leads. I have to replace headlight connector because it is looking poorly. I still have no complaints on the performance this bike delivers! After five years it is still a thrill to drive. I put on a voodoo exhaust four years, ago two into 1.

 

[eric1959]

I do the sanding and varnish of the scoop for 3 VMAX.

 

[Fire-medic]

Here are some pics of the VMax w/sidecar, note the leading-link front fork. To me, it looks like something Steve McQueen would have stolen during The Great Escape, and tried to outrun the Wehrmacht in it.

 

[desert_max]

That is a thing of beauty. Lots of work there. Love the Earl’s forks on a Vmax. Never seen that before.

 

[usfwood]

Greetings. So, I have not posted very much, but I have done quite a bit to my 99 Max. It started with replacing the tires, which meant cleaning and polishing the rims (some). Then when I went to start it, it would not start off choke. So, carb rebuild and Dynojet upgrade. Of course I had to get to the source of the carb fouling, so, cleaning, coating and repainting the tank, and since I had it out, repaired the rusted out wire/ contacts on the fuel sender and installing a second real fuel level sender (I will install the gage later when I decide where to mount it). Of course, brake pads, clutch seals, and just for good measure repairing the stripped aluminum threaded holes in the backrest and replacing worn or wrong fasteners installed by the previous owners.

I am happy to say, it is finally back together, and started on the first try. I had to balance the carbs to get the idle back to a reasonable idle range, it started 4000+ RPM.

I finally have everything back on the bike, carbs balanced, flushed the brake lines and clutch lines, and am happy to report it looks and rides better than It has since I got it.

I would like to thank those that have posted on this forum, it has been an excellent resource for answering the questions I have had, without even asking them directly. There is a wealth of knowledge on this forum, and thank you for all the help.

On the road again.....

Regards,
Darin (Usfwood)

 

[C2protect]

Greetings Vmax'ers. After using Bridgestone which is the actual OEM tires that it comes on. I have change or tried out the new Shinko tires. Which now comes in the 18in rims that the generation 2 Vmax is have. At first I was skeptical, however after about two hundred miles of riding with these tires I am truly convinced that these are possibly the best tires for this bike. They make the bike handle quite a bit better than the bridgestone's.

 

[Fire-medic]

Greetings. So, I have not posted very much, but I have done quite a bit to my 99 Max. It started with replacing the tires, which meant cleaning and polishing the rims (some). Then when I went to start it, it would not start off choke. So, carb rebuild and Dynojet upgrade. Of course I had to get to the source of the carb fouling, so, cleaning, coating and repainting the tank, and since I had it out, repaired the rusted out wire/ contacts on the fuel sender and installing a second real fuel level sender (I will install the gage later when I decide where to mount it). Of course, brake pads, clutch seals, and just for good measure repairing the stripped aluminum threaded holes in the backrest and replacing worn or wrong fasteners installed by the previous owners.

I am happy to say, it is finally back together, and started on the first try. I had to balance the carbs to get the idle back to a reasonable idle range, it started 4000+ RPM.

I finally have everything back on the bike, carbs balanced, flushed the brake lines and clutch lines, and am happy to report it looks and rides better than It has since I got it.

I would like to thank those that have posted on this forum, it has been an excellent resource for answering the questions I have had, without even asking them directly. There is a wealth of knowledge on this forum, and thank you for all the help.

On the road again.....

Regards,
Darin (Usfwood)

Sounds like you've done a lot to return the bike to good operational condition. You said you did the clutch seals, did you install a slave cyl seal kit, and replace the pushrod seal? What method did you use to bleed the hydraulics? I like to do a reverse-bleed with a 60 cc syringe and a short piece of 1/4" clear plastic hose, for the brakes and the clutch. For me, it's much-faster than using my Mityvac, which is what I had been using.

 

[likembikem]

Today I moved my Vmax away from my pallets of toilet paper. If anyone tries to steal my Vmax at least they won't find my TP stash.

 

[mundmc]

I FINALLY (after 2 years) got to work on my vmax.
Progressive springs installed (possibly correctly).
18” wheels put on (this is a mess, the tire is rubbing on the drive shaft).

Oil changed.

 

[Fire-medic]

I FINALLY (after 2 years) got to work on my vmax.
Progressive springs installed (possibly correctly).
18” wheels put on (this is a mess, the tire is rubbing on the drive shaft).

Oil changed.

It's rubbing on the swingarm, the driveshaft is inside the swingarm. But we knew what you meant. Was it you who was having issues with the Progressive springs bottoming? I think Sean Morley asked about your spacers needing to be the correct length. I'd also put 5 to 10 PSI in them, though the PS instructions say you don't need-to. You might even try that before trying a different length fork spacer pair.

 

[TK3333]

Changing head bearings, installing progressive springs, superbike bars, led headlight, front tire, oil change, plugs, fuel filter and other touch/clean ups.

 

[Maxman376]

 

[Bill Seward]

Added a gallon of gas, with a big dose of Berrymans Chemtool to the tank, and Godzilla fired right up. I'm gonna run this heavy mix for a few miles, then fill it up with E0 gas. Looking forward to the bikes 36th season.

 

[eric1959]

Synchro and new Denso spark plugs.

 

[Jerry Klay]

Greetings Vmax'ers. After using Bridgestone which is the actual OEM tires that it comes on. I have change or tried out the new Shinko tires. Which now comes in the 18in rims that the generation 2 Vmax is have. At first I was skeptical, however after about two hundred miles of riding with these tires I am truly convinced that these are possibly the best tires for this bike. They make the bike handle quite a bit better than the bridgestone's.

Bought my 09 with 2500 miles. Getting dam close to 50k now and been running the Shinko. Best tire for the VMAX. I run them Front and Back.

 

[Coastal Grey]

Morning All
Greetings from Up here in the north and way over to the east managed to get out and squeeze of an hour of high velocity social distancing
I hope everyone is safe
This isn’t a good scene for everyone we are very concerned here in Nova Scotia we have our land bridge locked down
When this first broke in Wuhan I started to prepare not sure why but a part of my head knew this was bad anyway I’m on a well lots of wood for the burner and if all goes to shit we have enough to get through a few months of shit
I feel very bad for the brothers and sisters to the south it’s going to be a very rough ride before during and after all the best to everyone
Stay safe read between the lines and rely on your self and your instincts
I’ve made a conscious decision not to believe 95% of what I hear at the moment
Taking cues from Europe and paying attention to frontline doctors I hate to say it but the economy is not on my high list of worries it is what it is and we will deal on the other side whatever that looks like


Be safe be well and look after yourselves and your families
Good luck and thanks for allowing me to vent

cheers
Peter
Coastalgrey

 

[Vinmax]

Didn't just do this today, but I'll show it anyway. Did this a couple of months ago.
Put in the Venture shift switch mechanism in place of the stock Vmax 'neutral-only' piece. I LOVE this mod. All bikes should have something like this. My green LED shows first gear, and the red shows 5th. I don't need to know anything in the middle, and my neutral stock light works as it always did.

The only things I changed after the first install, was to replace the LED's with silver bezel ones instead of the black (I thought it looked nicer against the stock silver instrument cluster backing), and I added a 2.7K ohm resistor to the hot leads to decrease the brightness a bit. Those small LED's were so damn bright that in the dark (going into a tunnel or in the garage with the lights off, they were blinding. Now it's just right and can be easily seen in the bright direct sunlight. But at night, it's subtle and not blinding.
Vinnie

 

[[email protected]]

Didn't just do this today, but I'll show it anyway. Did this a couple of months ago.
Put in the Venture shift switch mechanism in place of the stock Vmax 'neutral-only' piece. I LOVE this mod. All bikes should have something like this. My green LED shows first gear, and the red shows 5th. I don't need to know anything in the middle, and my neutral stock light works as it always did.

The only things I changed after the first install, was to replace the LED's with silver bezel ones instead of the black (I thought it looked nicer against the stock silver instrument cluster backing), and I added a 2.7K ohm resistor to the hot leads to decrease the brightness a bit. Those small LED's were so damn bright that in the dark (going into a tunnel or in the garage with the lights off, they were blinding. Now it's just right and can be easily seen in the bright direct sunlight. But at night, it's subtle and not blinding.
Vinnie

Nice! What LED's did you use?
The last photo of the LED's lit up, is that before you put the resistor in? Seems pretty bright in that photo.