Buying my first Vmax.

I always figure if it is with in a 10 hr. drive and the price is right I go. Hell 5 yrs ago I flew to Dallas / Fort Worth for an 82 Kawasaki ELR 1000 drove it home to pa. and sold it 3 yrs. later will never do that again. Should have never sold that bike.

[email protected] said:

If you expect to find a deal, ya gotta be willing to travel a little bit. Three hrs is not much of a ride IMO.

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I agree, its not too terrible.

I found my Vmax on Craigslist. It was about 6hours away. Well worth it for my bike. Its what i wanted. packed it into the back of the truck and took it home. no regrets.

Talking to the guy from Jersey, hopefully its as awesome as the guy made it out to be on the phone.

Has aftermarket ufo exhaust and stage 7 kit. Tboost, frame sliders and a few other things.

Only one thing.
Is this normal? To have two different color clutch and brake caps?


Anyone know what that little bell looking thing is hanging off to the right of the handlebar bracket?

Did you ask him why he is selling it? 4K seems like an ok deal if the bikes as clean as he claims, with the aftermarket exhaust and jetting you know this guy has hit it more than a few times, how much abuse it has seen is anyones guess and I'd check it out good....................

Saml01 said:

Only one thing.
Is this normal? To have two different color clutch and brake caps?


Anyone know what that little bell looking thing is hanging off to the right of the handlebar bracket?

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Kinda odd, why wouldn't he want them to match? I would!

OTOH, looks like Gen-II mirrors....I have them and like 'em a lot. Also, are those windshield brackets on the bars? Is it included?

Bell thing looks like some kind of trinketry...make sure it hasn't munged up the chrome anywhere.

The Beekeeper said:

Did you ask him why he is selling it? 4K seems like an ok deal if the bikes as clean as he claims, with the aftermarket exhaust and jetting you know this guy has hit it more than a few times, how much abuse it has seen is anyones guess and I'd check it out good....................

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Ill have to ask him, but imho people never tell the truth.

Any bike that has aftermarket parts is going to be hit on, otherwise what was the point you know?

I cant open the engine to look at the cylinder bores so if the engine doesnt knock, and the exhaust doesnt billow blue or white, ill have to assume its good.

dannymax said:

Kinda odd, why wouldn't he want them to match? I would!

OTOH, looks like Gen-II mirrors....I have them and like 'em a lot. Also, are those windshield brackets on the bars? Is it included?

Bell thing looks like some kind of trinketry...make sure it hasn't munged up the chrome anywhere.

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Those are windshield brackets and they are included in the sale.
Here are pics of the rest of the bike and ill ask him about the covers tomorrow.





He said he will grab me some newer more detailed pics tomorrow.

Aftermarket doesn't necessarily mean it's been " hit on " any more that a stock V-Max. I remember when mine were stock and I drive them the same now that they are aftermarketed / modified. The potential risk ( riding stupid to have to spend extra $ for repairs ) to the motor, tranny , rear end, clutch, etc. is the same stock or modified . Sometimes it means someone has taken the time , expense , and thought process to make something personal and cares more about it than someone who keeps it stock and drives the piss out of it. It may look different or perform different than stock , but it doesn't mean it wouldn't be a good purchase. JMHO

unk:

+1 I agree with that....the guy's willing to put some coin in it, could easily mean he really likes and cares for the bike.

It's a nice looking bike....no doubt about that.

Couple observations....oem seat, you'll not like that very well, they're brutal!
UFO pipes....very loud from what I've seen posted here so, if you like loud those should bring a smile.

The res covers are no big deal...I did this to my '06.

So now that I showed you the jersey bike, should I go for it or

a little transformation that has to go - VMaxForum.net

Dont look at the price difference.

I am having a hard time saying no to the blue, and the mileage. Plus I can appreciate the guy being in his position.

i think if they mod the bike it means they care about it, and wouldnt mind spending 30 bucks on an oil change

Saml01 said:

Thanks for the words of advice. Its not my intention to become a smear on the tarmac. Luckily I have plenty of gear so I should be relatively safe..err.

I am still leaning toward the cheapest option for a bike, is there really something glaringly bad about getting an old bike if one drives carefully?

I recognize issues regarding chassis flex and poor brakes. Otherwise anything else terrible?

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Old bike: if it 'looks' OK, normally upgrading the shift segment & replacing the starter clutch (both known weaknesses), possibly a new battery & you should be OK

Saml01 said:

So now that I showed you the jersey bike, should I go for it or

a little transformation that has to go - VMaxForum.net

Dont look at the price difference.

I am having a hard time saying no to the blue, and the mileage. Plus I can appreciate the guy being in his position.

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Ultimately it's your decision, of course, but the big advantage I see with the blue one is that PCW has just done some work on it....if there was anything amiss they would have found it.

dannymax said:

Ultimately it's your decision, of course, but the big advantage I see with the blue one is that PCW has just done some work on it....if there was anything amiss they would have found it.

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took the words outa my mouth. id' say its worht the $$. have u talked to ohnopopo?

Saml01 said:

Only one thing.
Is this normal? To have two different color clutch and brake caps?


Anyone know what that little bell looking thing is hanging off to the right of the handlebar bracket?

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Looks like he removed the paint from the left cover. No big deal. "paint it black" (stones).
The bell is a gremlin bell. or some call it a guardian bell. different stories for each guy that has one. I rode 25 years without one. A buddy got me one this year on a run.

That bike with the UFO pipes looks nice. i have UFO 4-2 pipes and mine are loud as hell ill bet the 4-1 will be loud. But its all blasting to the guys behind me so wtf do i care. Neighbors hate me. I agree just because the bike has aftermarket doesnt mean its been stomped to death. My bike was a 1994 with like 7,000 miles. everyone told me "its probably a drag bike only. 1/4 mile at a time". Turned out it was a rich guy who kept it in a heated garage with all the UFO Bells and whistles. And who cares. Its a freakin VMAX! Itll handle the romps fine. beleive me. and come back for more.
Buy the newest mid/low mileage bike with all the add on aftermarket you can get. You can always sell the aftermarket later if u dont like it. Vmax aftermarket is expensive. Those UFO pipes cost him $1000. The Stage 7 cost him 300$ plus install and dyno tune. shits expensive on a Vmax.

gamorg02 said:

took the words outa my mouth. id' say its worht the $$. have u talked to ohnopopo?

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Yep last night.

Waiting for some info from him today.

i think everyone here knows what the best deal is!!

the thing is, if u buy an old one for cheaper, youll spend 3k in mods getting it to 124 rwhp. and itll be old, have higher miles, etc.

i dunno how long youve been looking at bikes but 99% dont die of engine failure, they die of old age. electrical wires get brittle, rubber and plastic dries up and gets brittle, carbs get old from sitting so they just die. the best maintenance is getting one thats been ridden.

86 with 5k miles is not better than an 01 with 12k

just jump on craigslist and look at whats in peoples garages,

cb750 only 8k miles, doesnt run needs battery - tires -carbs cleaned - retuned blah blah 800 dollars ------- battery 70 bucks, tires 200, carbs cleaned parts and labor 500 -- hmm maybe it wasnt a deal at all!!
cb750 22k miles ready to ride, ride it home, 1000 bucks

just call ohnopopo, get the 2k extra cash loan, and go get it. i had to borrow partially to buy mine and i stretched it out over 3 years and the payment was only 44 dollar a month. so i put 200 in the bank and forgot about it lol... paid the whole bike off in 11 months. best savings account ive ever had

44 bucks a mnth is nothing, stop getting big macs and drop down to mcdubbles on ur lunch break, thatll make you 70 bucks right there

I completely agree with you.

Let me see what he says tonight and based on that and the conversation I had with another very convincing individual over PM I will know if im going for it or not.

But ill tell you guys what I have decided, this community is 1000% better than Ducati Monster Forum(other bike I was considering).