Your first thoughts your first time on a VMax?

[Dirtystinknape]

Man, your like the big boy toy king around here. I actually seen yer Max on Youtube a long time before I knew about this sight and really liked the all black theme. Gave me some inspiration on my choices of aesthetic mods that I decided on. I decided to go with some black scoops, Trapps and heat wrap and a handful of other mods. I will post some pics in March or so.

 

[Shuriken]

The old, and the new :biglaugh:

Yup, that black Max looks fantastic...

 

[Noxx72]

I bought my Max used, and it came fresh from the P/O with a terribly out of sync carb set. So actually my first thought was "I fail to see what all the fuss is about".

 

[KJShover]

Man, your like the big boy toy king around here.

I don't know about that, I just love to ride and have impulse buying issues :bang head:, hind sight I would have had the bike done with a suspention instead of a rigid. it tore my back apart, but then I would have never bought my Vmax. It had stoopid power though, I was riding at about 25 mph, downshifted the baker and punched it. the next thing I new I was flying down the road with on hell of a shake. Turns out I broke 13 of the spokes. I wasn't so worried about the rear wheel as I was the pully, I didn't want to shell out $700 to get another laced spoked pulley. :eusa_dance:

I decided to go with some black scoops, Trapps and heat wrap and a handful of other mods. I will post some pics in March or so.

Sweet, can't wait to see it. unk:everyone knows that black bikes make 5 more hp :biglaugh:

 

[naughtyG]

unk:everyone knows that black bikes make 5 more hp :biglaugh:

Haha - I knew mine just felt that lil'bit faster :rofl_200::biglaugh::clapping:

 

[dannymax]

hind sight I would have had the bike done with a suspention instead of a rigid. it tore my back apart

I rode Triumph choppers for a few years. Man, those hardtails will find bumps you can't even SEE!! :hippy biker:

Orthopedic surgeons love 'em!! :biglaugh:

 

[WESLICH]

My first v-boost ride showed me what brutal acceleration is all about. I wasn't fully prepared for it, but now I know what the stepped up passenger is for. It's to keep your ass from sliding off the back of the bike!

 

[cool1442]

I thought the following: What a heavy bastard, why are the bars so narrow, I hate white faced speedos, only 4 gallons, why are the pegs so far back, who in hell designed this seat, wonder how much rear tires cost, what a stupid assed place to put the gas cap, why is the battery so small and bruried so deep, and why the hell would anyone every buy a V twin? Oh yeah, one other thought.... how much do you want for this and when can it be ready!

 

[Firewrench]

Back in 1984 I worked at a Yamaha/Kaw/Harley dealer in Eastern Texas. I was 20 and fresh out of the Army. While building my Sportster, I had the use of the "shop bike". 1983 Yamaha Venture Royal. We all knew that this engine had better use than a garbage barge. I traded the Sportster in on an FXR and found nirvana. Always wanted to ride a V-max though. 24 years later, I'm looking at Craigslist and see a max for ...$500!!! 1985, needs work. I couldn't dial fast enough. Nice lady says her brother bought it new and had it till he passed away in his sleep. Been sitting in her garage for over a year. Needs work but doesn't know what. Cycle Salvage is gonna be picking it up in an hour. She lives 45 minutes away. I jump on the Suzuki and make it there in 30 minutes. I look it over and ask if I can start it. She says to go ahead and try, takes about 10 minutes and a jumper box for the dead battery but I got her idling! Clutch master is broken, starter switch is inop, parts are not installed but in a box. I can't ride it but I know this is a smoking deal. I pay the lady a down payment, gonna pay it off come next payday. Can't wait though, do a side job and get some cash, go pick it up on Sunday. Get her home, clean the carbs, new plugs. Over the next two weeks, new tires, new clutch master cyl and finally a chance to ride her. OMFG this thing is quick. Not enough power to wheelie though. Clutch is slipping too. New clutch, rebuild slave cyl. Bought a speedo, now I know I've been going way to fast. Finally did the compression check and found #3 to be low. Now she sits in the garage waiting for a bore and hone. Got all new pistons and rings and the 1200 o-rings and seals to rebuild her, good set of used heads, and as of Christmas a brand new seat (all three pieces) from my girlfriend.
As of now, I know that we were right in 1984, that motor was destined for much more than hauling around a window and air ride suspension.
I can't wait to get her back together. This summer is gonna be a blast.

 

[shawn kloker]

I'd try running some engine tune through it first.Let it sit for a day then fire it back up.You could have sticking rings after sitting for that long.I'd buy $500 Vmax's all day long!

Back in 1984 I worked at a Yamaha/Kaw/Harley dealer in Eastern Texas. I was 20 and fresh out of the Army. While building my Sportster, I had the use of the "shop bike". 1983 Yamaha Venture Royal. We all knew that this engine had better use than a garbage barge. I traded the Sportster in on an FXR and found nirvana. Always wanted to ride a V-max though. 24 years later, I'm looking at Craigslist and see a max for ...$500!!! 1985, needs work. I couldn't dial fast enough. Nice lady says her brother bought it new and had it till he passed away in his sleep. Been sitting in her garage for over a year. Needs work but doesn't know what. Cycle Salvage is gonna be picking it up in an hour. She lives 45 minutes away. I jump on the Suzuki and make it there in 30 minutes. I look it over and ask if I can start it. She says to go ahead and try, takes about 10 minutes and a jumper box for the dead battery but I got her idling! Clutch master is broken, starter switch is inop, parts are not installed but in a box. I can't ride it but I know this is a smoking deal. I pay the lady a down payment, gonna pay it off come next payday. Can't wait though, do a side job and get some cash, go pick it up on Sunday. Get her home, clean the carbs, new plugs. Over the next two weeks, new tires, new clutch master cyl and finally a chance to ride her. OMFG this thing is quick. Not enough power to wheelie though. Clutch is slipping too. New clutch, rebuild slave cyl. Bought a speedo, now I know I've been going way to fast. Finally did the compression check and found #3 to be low. Now she sits in the garage waiting for a bore and hone. Got all new pistons and rings and the 1200 o-rings and seals to rebuild her, good set of used heads, and as of Christmas a brand new seat (all three pieces) from my girlfriend.
As of now, I know that we were right in 1984, that motor was destined for much more than hauling around a window and air ride suspension.
I can't wait to get her back together. This summer is gonna be a blast.

 

[shawn kloker]

I'd try running some engine tune through it first.Let it sit for a day then fire it back up.You could have sticking rings after sitting for that long.I'd buy $500 Vmax's all day long!

This cleans out all of the carbon like magic.Works very well on 2strokes too!

 

[Firewrench]

Believe me, I tried everything. Came down to #3 having rust that left pitting about 1/2 way down the bore. Interesting thing was leakdown test showed good at tdc but at 1/2 stroke all compression was lost, going through the crankcase and coming out the #2 carb. I surmise that the sparkplug was left out for a while and in Oregon, untreated steel will rust on a sunny day. I still think I got a great deal and once it's back together the smiles will roll on.

 

[shawn kloker]

Believe me, I tried everything. Came down to #3 having rust that left pitting about 1/2 way down the bore. Interesting thing was leakdown test showed good at tdc but at 1/2 stroke all compression was lost, going through the crankcase and coming out the #2 carb. I surmise that the sparkplug was left out for a while and in Oregon, untreated steel will rust on a sunny day. I still think I got a great deal and once it's back together the smiles will roll on.

Make sure that you put high compression pistons back into it. 12-1

Do not go with the oversize yamaha pistons,10-1 , It is worth the extra money!

 

[MeanMax]

at first i worried that the max would not live up to my expectaions, but before my test drive the previous owner asked me if i had ever ridden a Vmax before, I said i never did and he instructed me that it was quite powerfull and if i crashed it i bought it. I was expecting it to be like riding a raging bull after reading every magazine and internet artical that i could, but it puttered around more like riding a donkey. A straight opened up and i twisted the throttle up to 3/4, and i my expectations were met and exceded. I remember holding on for dear life and trying to stop sliding up on to the passenger seat. It was everything i wanted.

 

[jfeagins]

First ride - home from the dealership - OH HELL YEAH! THIS IS A KEEPER.

First time through the lights at the strip - Ah F*@K, I broke it. Then I realized I still had my feet on the pegs and it wasn't falling over sideways. A quick glance down at the tach, I realized I'd better shift cause I was sitting there spinning in place. (I moved a total distance of about 2 feet in first gear and managed a 12.4 sec ET on the whole run) :biglaugh:

 

[fasterlapdunn]

This things a fucking beast! and...I can't stop raping this thing!

 

[4gasem]

"It isn't all that!" It was my buddies '86 and I think the V-boost controller was bad. I know he replaced some time later.

The bike is fast but it's not stupid. I've been on stupid bikes.

Chris

 

[Bill Seward]

Rarely, I let someone ride the Max. My final instruction to them is always:
"Be sure you've got it aimed".

A few weeks after I got the '85, one of the girls at work asked me for a ride. Seeing that she was a Grade A+ babe, I readily agreed. She made the mistake of telling me that she had gone out with a guy with a Harley(tm), and THAT was a FAST bike. I goosed the throttle at the next stop light, and neatly deposited her right on her unbelieveably fine ass right in the middle of the street. She got on with no more mention of Harleys(tm). I goosed HER later! unk:

 

[fasterlapdunn]

"It isn't all that!" It was my buddies '86 and I think the V-boost controller was bad. I know he replaced some time later.

The bike is fast but it's not stupid. I've been on stupid bikes.

Chris

I hear yea on that. But I ride mountain roads on this thing (and thats it, just the curves) and I love it because its just a STUPID beast through the twisties. I was trying to slow down off sport bikes, get something more comfy for long rides, and have some character. I have always loved this bike for many reasons EXCEPT handling. So I was real worried if I was gonna like it or not. I actually said fuck it...I never road one before...and bought a new one. That's usually my bike mantra. Soooooooo, I took the thing for a nice long ride and was just WOW! It's comfy, fast enough, riding really tight curves in the v boost power is like being on a rollercoaster! It flexes, dives and gets loose. The bike talks to me and thats what I love about it. So through my first set of turns I was like this thing is a fucking beast! all I want to do is is just ring the piss outta it.,,like every bike I ride....this one is just a lot more fun to do it on. All bikes can be STUPID...with a STUPID rider on them.unk:

 

[RowdyMax]

I've always loved the look of the Max. That engine...those scoops...
With a background on MX bikes, I felt I needed to spend some time on the street before progressing to a Max. I bought a new cruiser to gain some experience. After a couple of years, I went into a Yamaha dealership and took an '07 out, expecting to be disappointed with the handling etc. I was excited that I loved everything about the bike. Fortunately, my riding style doesn't exceed the limitations of the bike.

I didn't buy the '07. I started saving money to buy my mint '05, 6 months later.
My reaction at owning my very own Vmax? I had to pull over on the way home and stare at her. The overwhelming feeling I had was "At Last"...