Tex85
Well-Known Member
Hey all,
Just picked up my first VMAX shortly before Xmas, a blue 85 restored by none other than Captain Kyle himself. It was an interesting trip home with quite a few hiccups along the way. At first I thought it was the battery so from the side of the road I found the nearest auto shop with a compatible battery. Arrived there only to find their computer lied about the status but was able to get a slightly larger battery that fit, installed it in the parking lot and got back on the road. This lasted for about 15 miles, then dead on the side of the road again. To fast forward a little all said and done a 2 hour drive home ended up taking about 7 hours. Fortunately I have a VERY patient wife who helped by following so I could let the bike cool and jump it back to life every few miles.
This being a purchase on Craigslist I did not expect much if anything from the seller and being a complete newbie when it comes to fixing a motorcycle the outlook was bleak. After a few talks with Kyle it seemed that I had a fuel and potential relay issue. He then informed me that he didn't have a relay in his stock but could part one off one of his bikes and come over and fix the bike (this to me was completely unexpected since my initial call was just for tips to try and do it myself). Instead of disassembling one of his bikes and with the holidays fast approaching I wished Kyle a Merry Xmas so he could get out of town to see his family. Post-holidays Kyle drove on his own dime all the way to my house (about 100 miles) took everything apart; cleaned the carbs, synched the carbs, cleaned out the switches, got the bike up and running again after being briefly haunted by a bad fuel pump, and followed me on a test ride in case something went wrong all for free as part of the initial sale. On top of all that he is sending me a replacement relay to install myself to address a potential charging issue.
Definitely not your typical Craigslist experience and it seems I have stumbled on to a great group of individuals who seem to be like minded in many ways (even though I haven't posted I have been reading numerous articles over the past week and a half to learn more about the VMAX, quick repairs, maintenance, etc).
Since I am a newbie I don't know if I have the ability to do this but I would like to nominate CaptainKyle for a NiceGuyAward as seen on this post http://vmaxforum.net/showthread.php?t=27196&highlight=award for going way above and beyond the scope of a Craiglist sale. :clapping:
Now to go back to soaking in all of the knowledge on the forum...
Ryan
Just picked up my first VMAX shortly before Xmas, a blue 85 restored by none other than Captain Kyle himself. It was an interesting trip home with quite a few hiccups along the way. At first I thought it was the battery so from the side of the road I found the nearest auto shop with a compatible battery. Arrived there only to find their computer lied about the status but was able to get a slightly larger battery that fit, installed it in the parking lot and got back on the road. This lasted for about 15 miles, then dead on the side of the road again. To fast forward a little all said and done a 2 hour drive home ended up taking about 7 hours. Fortunately I have a VERY patient wife who helped by following so I could let the bike cool and jump it back to life every few miles.
This being a purchase on Craigslist I did not expect much if anything from the seller and being a complete newbie when it comes to fixing a motorcycle the outlook was bleak. After a few talks with Kyle it seemed that I had a fuel and potential relay issue. He then informed me that he didn't have a relay in his stock but could part one off one of his bikes and come over and fix the bike (this to me was completely unexpected since my initial call was just for tips to try and do it myself). Instead of disassembling one of his bikes and with the holidays fast approaching I wished Kyle a Merry Xmas so he could get out of town to see his family. Post-holidays Kyle drove on his own dime all the way to my house (about 100 miles) took everything apart; cleaned the carbs, synched the carbs, cleaned out the switches, got the bike up and running again after being briefly haunted by a bad fuel pump, and followed me on a test ride in case something went wrong all for free as part of the initial sale. On top of all that he is sending me a replacement relay to install myself to address a potential charging issue.
Definitely not your typical Craigslist experience and it seems I have stumbled on to a great group of individuals who seem to be like minded in many ways (even though I haven't posted I have been reading numerous articles over the past week and a half to learn more about the VMAX, quick repairs, maintenance, etc).
Since I am a newbie I don't know if I have the ability to do this but I would like to nominate CaptainKyle for a NiceGuyAward as seen on this post http://vmaxforum.net/showthread.php?t=27196&highlight=award for going way above and beyond the scope of a Craiglist sale. :clapping:
Now to go back to soaking in all of the knowledge on the forum...
Ryan
