Every once in a while...
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Rollie
Well-Known Member
Hey, a V Max.....man, don't see many of them around! :surprise:
You just don't get that with any other bike!!
unk:
You just don't get that with any other bike!!
unk:Yeah
that muscle car lope coming out of the exhaust pipe helps draw the attention too ....
they're not sure if it's a car or a bike before they see it.:eusa_dance:
very distinct sound, gotta love itunk:
that muscle car lope coming out of the exhaust pipe helps draw the attention too ....
they're not sure if it's a car or a bike before they see it.:eusa_dance:
very distinct sound, gotta love it
unk:
desert_max
Well-Known Member
Hey, a V Max.....man, don't see many of them around! :surprise:
You just don't get that with any other bike!!
Well, not quite...the old ZL9 gets attention - and is MUCH more scarce than Mr. Max.
(But the VMax is the daddy rabbit. No doubt about it).
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RaWarrior
Well-Known Member
I'm the other way around. I'd never dream of giving up riding. Every summer I think about selling my snowmobile, but I never even consider getting rid of the bike in winter. I think about what mods I could buy with the money from my sled.
I just don't use the sled that much. In a really good year(which we haven't had recently around here....mild winters and low snowfall) I might get 1500 miles on the sled, and have ~3 months at best to do it in (mid Dec through mid March). You have to carry the sled everywhere with something else. Constantly loading and unloading it from the truck. Gotta bundle up like a Stormtrooper to go for a ride without freezing your balls off. Aside from a couple good areas I know, trails for the most part suck, aren't always well marked, and you're limited to designated trails, you can't just ride anywhere. If you're not familiar with the area, prepare to get lost in a hurry. Signage is sparse at best and published maps are in most cases useless. Too many sleds and not enough groomers, espicially in high traffic areas like tug hill and old forge. By noon everyday the trails are absolutely destroyed, lucky if you can manage 30mph. The Colton/Long lake/Cranberry lake is one of the few areas where I can actually enjoy riding the sled. Plus snowmobiles tend to require a lot of routine maintenance items. Replacing carbides, replacing track hyfax, replacing the drivebelt, rebuilding clutches, rebuilding shocks, bearings don't last long, bushings don't last long, skis get beat up, ect. Most of those things have to be done every year, if not multiple times per year if you ride hard or race. Plus, it's tough to plan for a "snowmobile trip", since you're never sure if the weather is going to cooperate. Warm spell, snow is ruined. Need snow? Probably won't get any and trails will suck. I've had sledding nirvana a couple times.....20 degrees, perfect snow, very low traffic, wide, flat trails. Except for every "nirvana" ride, I've been on 10 that sucked ass. Hard, icy snow, sled's overheating constantly, trails that redefine "bumpy", crazy traffic. I've come back from a few thinking "f this s, I'm selling the damn thing.".
On the other hand, the Vmax can drive itself to where it needs to go, easily gets 8-9k miles a year, has virtually unlimited prefectly groomed "trails" to anywhere in the country (aka public streets). Maintenance amounts to oil changes and tire changes. Bearings, clutches, shocks, all last for 10s of thousands of miles in most cases. It's always easy to find low/no traffic roads. Public streets are well marked, even the back-back Adirondack roads have signs pointing which way to major towns, keep riding you'll eventually wind up somewhere. Never truly "lost", just not where I might have intended to be. I have one of the fastest sleds out there (Yamaha 1000.... modified R1 motor) and the Vmax still beats it for fun factor. Plus, you never get stuck on a motorcycle, at least street bike. I've never come back from a ride pissed off. A couple where I was 5 miles into a 100 mile commute and it started raining I wasn't exactly thrilled, but when I arrived soaked to the bone, bike covered in road grime, I was just glad to get home, not sore, cold, and exhausted from a 50 mile mogul fest, dodging dumbasses riding down the wrong side of the trail, and eating crappy food at exorbitant prices at the snowmobile "lodges" that cater to the crowds.
But I hold onto both, since otherwise I'd be bored all winter. A bad day of riding still beats a good day at work I suppose. But if I had to choose bike or sled, the sled would get sold in a heartbeat. Just isn't as fun, isn't practical, costs more to use. The sled is purely a toy, where the bike can at least pass as practical transportation. Just doesn't have the allure of adventure motorcycling has.
I just don't use the sled that much. In a really good year(which we haven't had recently around here....mild winters and low snowfall) I might get 1500 miles on the sled, and have ~3 months at best to do it in (mid Dec through mid March). You have to carry the sled everywhere with something else. Constantly loading and unloading it from the truck. Gotta bundle up like a Stormtrooper to go for a ride without freezing your balls off. Aside from a couple good areas I know, trails for the most part suck, aren't always well marked, and you're limited to designated trails, you can't just ride anywhere. If you're not familiar with the area, prepare to get lost in a hurry. Signage is sparse at best and published maps are in most cases useless. Too many sleds and not enough groomers, espicially in high traffic areas like tug hill and old forge. By noon everyday the trails are absolutely destroyed, lucky if you can manage 30mph. The Colton/Long lake/Cranberry lake is one of the few areas where I can actually enjoy riding the sled. Plus snowmobiles tend to require a lot of routine maintenance items. Replacing carbides, replacing track hyfax, replacing the drivebelt, rebuilding clutches, rebuilding shocks, bearings don't last long, bushings don't last long, skis get beat up, ect. Most of those things have to be done every year, if not multiple times per year if you ride hard or race. Plus, it's tough to plan for a "snowmobile trip", since you're never sure if the weather is going to cooperate. Warm spell, snow is ruined. Need snow? Probably won't get any and trails will suck. I've had sledding nirvana a couple times.....20 degrees, perfect snow, very low traffic, wide, flat trails. Except for every "nirvana" ride, I've been on 10 that sucked ass. Hard, icy snow, sled's overheating constantly, trails that redefine "bumpy", crazy traffic. I've come back from a few thinking "f this s, I'm selling the damn thing.".
On the other hand, the Vmax can drive itself to where it needs to go, easily gets 8-9k miles a year, has virtually unlimited prefectly groomed "trails" to anywhere in the country (aka public streets). Maintenance amounts to oil changes and tire changes. Bearings, clutches, shocks, all last for 10s of thousands of miles in most cases. It's always easy to find low/no traffic roads. Public streets are well marked, even the back-back Adirondack roads have signs pointing which way to major towns, keep riding you'll eventually wind up somewhere. Never truly "lost", just not where I might have intended to be. I have one of the fastest sleds out there (Yamaha 1000.... modified R1 motor) and the Vmax still beats it for fun factor. Plus, you never get stuck on a motorcycle, at least street bike. I've never come back from a ride pissed off. A couple where I was 5 miles into a 100 mile commute and it started raining I wasn't exactly thrilled, but when I arrived soaked to the bone, bike covered in road grime, I was just glad to get home, not sore, cold, and exhausted from a 50 mile mogul fest, dodging dumbasses riding down the wrong side of the trail, and eating crappy food at exorbitant prices at the snowmobile "lodges" that cater to the crowds.
But I hold onto both, since otherwise I'd be bored all winter. A bad day of riding still beats a good day at work I suppose. But if I had to choose bike or sled, the sled would get sold in a heartbeat. Just isn't as fun, isn't practical, costs more to use. The sled is purely a toy, where the bike can at least pass as practical transportation. Just doesn't have the allure of adventure motorcycling has.
4gasem
Well-Known Member
I think about it all the time... Problem is, I have a ton of money in it, and I'll get next to nothing for it. Boo!
I'll keep and store it.
Chris
I'll keep and store it.
Chris
2fear
Well-Known Member
I plan on having a Vmax for a long time. I try to keep my bike simple but running good, that way if I don't feel like, or can't ride it's really no big deal to let it sit, it's cheap enough. I don't feel like I'm cheating myself out of riding and paying for something that I'm not using all the time. I had my 85 Vmax for 19 years and a couple of seasons I never fired it up, the year my son was born I never took the cover off the thing. Michigan summers are so short and I have so many summer activities going on it's hard to prioritize. But I will tell you one thing, if the fish are biting the Vmax is sitting :biglaugh: As far as snowmobiling goes, no thanks. I will be on the ice, fishing..... I guess I'm one of the lucky ones, when I feel that urge to mod the Max I just say no, and spank the monkey!
richwrench
Well-Known Member
I'll probably get flamed for this, but here goes - I've actually been thinking of selling my Vmax, buying a 883 Harley, installing a big-bore kit just so I can have a sleeper bike that will spank full size Harleys & 600 crotch rockets. But then I think " Isn't that what my Vmax already does? " I don't know what's up. Either I'm itching for another project, or I'm drinking too much cheap beer... :ummm:
Maxnos1198
Well-Known Member
The only problem with spanking 600 cc sportbikes is alot of them are making 120 hp too 130 hp and if the the guy can ride i don't thing a Harley is going to do the spanking.
RaWarrior
Well-Known Member
Unless you do some pretty extreme work to that 883, I doubt you'll be spanking much of anything. A stock Max can usually get a 600 off the line, but IME by 70-80mph it's over and the sportbike is gone.
A stock 883 is what, like 45hp or something? You'd have to increase power by 250% to even put up a fight, then youd be in Vmax territory. Even if somehow you accomplished that, the rest of the bike would probably be destroyed by all the new power.
With all that money you could make a big bore "sleeper" Vmax and surprise a lot more than sportys at the local bike night.
A stock 883 is what, like 45hp or something? You'd have to increase power by 250% to even put up a fight, then youd be in Vmax territory. Even if somehow you accomplished that, the rest of the bike would probably be destroyed by all the new power.
With all that money you could make a big bore "sleeper" Vmax and surprise a lot more than sportys at the local bike night.
richwrench
Well-Known Member
I'm just talking about an Off the line, Red light to red light spanking. 883's are geared lower that bigger Harleys. Big bore kits can put them into the 90's horsepowerwise, with all the torque down low. 600's take a short while to spool up. Ask SpecOps about his 883 - he's surpised a number of people...
And yes Dave, I definatley want to test ride it someday.
And yes Dave, I definatley want to test ride it someday.
[email protected]
Well-Known Member
The 883's can definitely be quick with some work. NRHS 1250 big bore kit. Bigger cams, exhaust, Mikuni HSR carb, different air filter, ignition, and some head porting will make it haul pretty good. I helped a friend build up his '05 883 xlc with these parts and the improvement in power was flat out amazing. Over 10K miles with the new setup and no problems at all.
I never worked on a Harley before any of this but know some wrenching basics. My friend knew basically nothing. We got in contact with the "local guru", Jim from Mega-Flo, and he provided a good deal of direction with the parts combo chosen and did the cylinder head work. As I said, it is a night and day difference in how the bike runs now. Here is Jim's website:
http://mega-flo.com/index.htm
All that being said, unless you are totally bored with the max you'd be crazy to get rid of it to buy a 883 and then spend all the money to make it any fun and still be slower than your Vmax.... Just sayin'! LOL
I never worked on a Harley before any of this but know some wrenching basics. My friend knew basically nothing. We got in contact with the "local guru", Jim from Mega-Flo, and he provided a good deal of direction with the parts combo chosen and did the cylinder head work. As I said, it is a night and day difference in how the bike runs now. Here is Jim's website:
http://mega-flo.com/index.htm
All that being said, unless you are totally bored with the max you'd be crazy to get rid of it to buy a 883 and then spend all the money to make it any fun and still be slower than your Vmax.... Just sayin'! LOL
richwrench
Well-Known Member
Yea Mike, you're right. Now that I've dynoed my Vmax & I have established a base line, my goal is to get 10 more HP by rejetting. After hearing Kyles Kerker screaming on the dyno, I need to start saving for an exhaust & jet again for even more HP. That Kerker sounds SICK ! unk:
unk:
That Kerker has a boss hoss can on it so it sounds diffrent than a reguler kerker. I got the bike running right now to so it should pull some more hp to. Although for the way it was running the numbers were not to bad.Yea Mike, you're right. Now that I've dynoed my Vmax & I have established a base line, my goal is to get 10 more HP by rejetting. After hearing Kyles Kerker screaming on the dyno, I need to start saving for an exhaust & jet again for even more HP. That Kerker sounds SICK !
richwrench
Well-Known Member
You pulled the best numbers of all the GenI Vmax's with that set-up. In a couple years when my kids are done with college, if you still have that kerker I'm buyin' it from you. LOL Ok, I know that will be long gone, but someday I'll have a similar setup. It really was the best sounding bike IMHO.
BTW - did you dyno the Triumph ? What the hell was that & what did it pull ? Cool looking bike - I should have stayed 10 more minutes & watched the run. If you end up buying that dyno, I will have marriage problems. What a thrill to watch all those bikes on a dyno...
:rocket bike:
BTW - did you dyno the Triumph ? What the hell was that & what did it pull ? Cool looking bike - I should have stayed 10 more minutes & watched the run. If you end up buying that dyno, I will have marriage problems. What a thrill to watch all those bikes on a dyno...
:rocket bike:
old timer
Well-Known Member
Big HP and top end power is overblown...you hardly ever get to use it and if you do it's only for a second or two...or three . The bikes of today are overpowered , that's including anything from a 400 cc up . Unless you live next door to Bonneville...:worthy:
I'm happy with the Max because I use it for what it's designed to do...let's face it , it's a power cruiser , mainly straight line stuff . And going into 3 digits worth of speed is playing with fire , as the saying goes , slow down and smell the roses...:thumbs up:
I'm happy with the Max because I use it for what it's designed to do...let's face it , it's a power cruiser , mainly straight line stuff . And going into 3 digits worth of speed is playing with fire , as the saying goes , slow down and smell the roses...:thumbs up:
