New Max owner and member here!

[Keeb Max]

Hi all, just picked up my first VMax two days ago. Been having wet dreams of owning one since i could have wet dreams, LOL. Its my fifth bike technically. have gone from a project 81 Honda CX500, to a Streetfighter 01 GSX-R 750, to a 98 V Star 650, to a 00 V Star 1100, and now even trade from the 1100 Star to the Max. I have only gotten a chance to ride her home so far, but very impressed, its so far everything i have always wanted! Pics soon to come. unk:

 

[VMAX1260]

welcome to the best family.

 

[CaptainKyle]

Welcome to the forum & Enjoy the bike !

 

[SpecOps13]

Welcome to the Forum. You don't live too far from a lot of us. Maybe you can make one of the Tech Days for Central Florida.. They're a Blast..

 

[twistedmax]

Welcome Keeb,have you met the mod monkey yet?if not...........its only a matter of time!

 

[95spfldmax]

Welcome.........

 

[COP RUNNER]

i . WELCOME , IT WASN'T FATE THAT BROUGHT YOU HERE , " IT WAS YOUR DESTINY " !

 

[bigrubbers4x4]

i . WELCOME , IT WASN'T FATE THAT BROUGHT YOU HERE , " IT WAS YOUR DESTINY " !

welcome, may the mod monkey be with you....... he attacks everyone that joins this forum, be afraid......be very very afraid!!!

 

[88vmx12]

Welcome to the funny farm! LOL Enjoy the forum. There is tons of info here and don't be afraid to ask.

Gannon

 

[RaWarrior]

You found one of the best online bike forums on the web. And I'm not saying that because I like it....I've been on lots of different forums for other bikes and other topics and this is far and away the friendliest, most informative, and most communal of all.

This is the holy grail of vmax knowledge. The "search" button at the top of the screen can turn up a lot (use general keywords, not long search queries for best results). Also, read the highlighted "sticky" threads at the top of all the forums...they contain answers to FAQs. If you still can't find what you're looking for, ask away.

 

[Lew L]

WELCOME,
All questions answered promptly. Mod Monkey= open wallet, shake out all your spare monies.

 

[Redbone]

Welcome! And yes, we are the forum that your mother would have warned you about but only because the Vmax such a fearsome reputation!
In actuality we are a very nice and information sharing group, it's the damn evil mod monkey that tarnishes our gleaming reputation!

 

[Keeb Max]

Thanks for the welcome everyone, and so sorry it took me a bit to get back to the forum, lifes been busy here lately and I havent had much time to do anything with the Max until now.

So with that being said, It turns out my Max is a red 1990 with about 35K on her. Kerker 4 into 1 exhaust (which the symmetrical freak in me hates, I want a 4 into 2 or 4 into 4, i love that dual exhaust look), Progressive 412's in the rear (12") and K&N filter. Those are the only performance mods I have seen so far, but I have a feeling somthing may have been done to the front forks, like maybe progressive springs, will find out soon enough. Other little bobs and bits are the grips, and mirrors, and i cant tell if the handlebar is stock or not.

I have a few things I want to do, and am looking for some feedback on such as controls. I have searched the sight and found that there are a few companies that make the forward controls, and then there are buell drop pegs that lower the current mid controls to 1" lower. I am leaning more towards the forward controls, but dont have that kind of money. I just came off of a V Star, and as much as I love the performance of the Max I really miss my full on cruiser riding position. So any advice?

 

[Keeb Max]

Oh yeah, here is the bike I traded for the Max. I gotta admit i loved this bike, however I have wanted a Max since i was 14, so I went ahead and did it, even swap.

 

[DakRatFink]

Sweet looking 'Max. The V Star you traded for it wasn't too bad either. Welcome to the forum. I haven't been here long either, but have found everyone here to be pretty friendly and informative so far.

 

[srk468]

Welcome aboard, I'm just now starting to post more cause I've been too busy reading & learning but just about all you need to know is on this site. If you want my $.02 then I'd put some highway pegs on the frame up front that way you can still cruise comfortably but when you want to open her up you still have your good peg position. Forward controls on a bike with as much power as the Vmax would be too hard to get your feet up for your 1-2 shift in my opinion but it still looks cool either way!

 

[sarchin]

Welcome to the forum, I'm sure you have discovered how great this site is.

looks like you got your first Vmax about the same time I did, same color too! unk:

 

[SpecOps13]

Very nice VMax. I know what you mean about the riding position. There are several seats available that would set you lower and more straight up. MaxGasser made by a member here is one. I'd love to have forward controls too...


Good Luck and Happy Easter,
Dave

 

[Keeb Max]

alright, well a little bit of backstory, I have been riding for a little over a year now, and have played quite the game of musical bikes.

First bike I got used to be a stuntbike, that I picked up for cheap and fixed up into a custom streetfighter like bike, 2001 GSX-R 750

After I got it done though, i didnt like it, sounded like a pissed off wasp, and riding position was too uncomfortable for me. So about a week on craigslist yielded me an even trade for a 98 V Star 650 that I painted a candy rootbeer brown.

Enjoyed that bike for a few months but Found that when riding 2 up It really lacked for any kind of power, so back to craigslist and I sold it and bought the Black 2000 V Star 1100 that you saw above. As stated I loved that bike but when the offer for a V Max came along I had to jump on it, otherwise I would regret never having experienced the Max when I had the chance.

I find now though having had the bike for a month that it is a fun ride, WAY more power stock than I even need and as previously stated riding position leaves much to be desired.

Should I bother trying to mod the hell out of it, to make it into somthing I would be more comfortable with? or should I go back to a full on cruiser?

 

[RaWarrior]

I can imagine a 650 for 2-up riding being at a loss for power lol.

For comfort, there are several things you can do.

You mentioned forward controls. While I don't know of any of those out there, it's fairly common to put crash bars/engine guards on (there were a factory accessory) and mount another set of pegs on them. This lets you stretch you your legs a bit more.

Your handlebar looks an awful lot like my Python bar, which is 2" wider than stock.

There are several options for making the seat more comfortable (as I'm sure you've noticed, the stock one blows). Sean Morley modifies stock seats with a cut-down and re-shape and those are very popular. There is also the maxgasser(banner on the top of the page) which I have heard good things about as well. Corbin's are available, but from what I've heard they're "too hard".

With tweaks to make the bike accomodate you, it can be fairly comfortable. I'm only 5-8 or so and the Python bars and forward pegs fit well, now I just need the seat fixed and my Max will be comfort city. Honestly now the seat is the only problem....butt falls asleep after a couple hours.