The amazing thing about these bikes is the level of performance you get for not much $$. Even totally stock, if the tires & bearings are ok, I don't think they are that bad. I think a lot of the bike's rep is due to inexperienced riders w\> enthusiasm than riding skills & lack of maintenance. A fresh set of good tires makes all the difference in handling assuming other parts are not in-need.
In the 1970's I had a Kawi Mach III, now there you had reason to be concerned! Too-little front end weight, suspension that wasn't, unless compared to other bikes of the time, and a peaky powerband that was the reason for many inexperienced riders hurting themselves. I never wrecked mine but I knew many bikes were wrecked before they got 1K mi on them. You'd see them in the shop w/wasted front ends & pretzled handlebars but sometimes not even 100 mi on them.
I think the VMax is like the Mach III in that many owners don't respect the limitations of their skills when they twist the throttle. How-many times have you heard someone tell you, "wasn't that bike outlawed?" or hear it called a "widowmaker?"
Enjoy your ride, looks like a good deal. I imagine Gary Surdyke knows how to make a bike work right. I followed his success when he was racing pro.
unk:!! enjoy!!!
