RaWarrior
Well-Known Member
WARNING: Big post alert.
Since I got my Vmax over a year ago, I write down notes about things I do to it, experiences, quirks, or answers to a question I had. A lot is accumulated knowledge from this forum as well. The notepad is getting pretty substantial...full of bite size tidbits of vmax info. Figure I might as well share it here in one big info-dump for all to review. They're in no particular order. If I messed up somewhere, let me know and I'll fix it.
--> Almost all smallish bolts on the bike are 10mm. Larger ones are 12mm.
--> All the allen bolts that hold the case covers(stator, middle gear, clutch, and w/p), are 5mm. Using the US equivalent is a bad idea and will strip them out...use ONLY a 5mm key.
--> Purple Power is good stuff. It's a concentrated cleaner/degreaser, and you can get a gallon of it for like $5 at wal mart. Grease and road grime literally melts away. For general cleaning I dilute it 50/50 with water...it's strong stuff. Tip: Don't spray it on hot aluminum...it instantly etches it and will require LOTS of polishing to remove.
--> You have to remove the middle gear cover to get the stator cover off....who knows why, but you do.
-->Dealer not stocking case gaskets? $20 for a gasket getting you down? Then don't use them. Permantex "Ultra Black" sealant works just as well if not better, and you get a BIG tube for around $6, that's enough to re-seal your whole case probably 5 times.
Tip: Use a razor blade and a scotch-brite pad to clean the mating surfaces. Clean away all oil, any oil that contacts the RTV sealant before it cures will cause it not to, and shortly leak.
Another Tip: A ton of sealant is not necessary. I don't bother with the nozzle, and just "dab" the tube against the surface, leaving a thin layer of sealant. Assemble the parts, but put the bolts in just enough to hold the cover in place...don't tighten them. It will just squeeze out all the sealant. Wait 24 hours, then torque the bolts down, and you'll never leak oil again.
--> For a super-easy spray-and-wipe shine, grab a bottle of Turtle Wax "Ice". $6 gets you a 23oz bottle. Lasts longer than regular cleaner wax and won't leave white streaks all over the place. I just spritz on, then use a paper towel to wipe off. Works good on chrome and polished aluminum also.
--> Stock brakes kinda weak? Front calipers off an R1 are a bolt-on swap on (I believe) any Vmax '93 or newer. Older bikes require an adapter. R1's calipers are milled rather than cast, and overall give more power and better feel. Stainless lines will also help.
--> Want a bit more traction? Burnouts are cool, but they also waste power that could be used for acceleration. Stock rear tire is a 150, but a 170 fits in there fine. Shinko Tourmasters are very sticky , but wear out fast...don't expect much more than 5k miles out of them. Metzler Marathon's aren't quite as sticky, but last longer, often 8 or 9k miles. Either will be a big improvement over stock Dunlops, but now I won't run anything but Metzlers.
--> Going for quarter mile times, or just want to smoke your buddy who talked smack about the Vmax? Read up on "How to Launch the Vmax".
Tip: Avoid powershifting between 1 and 2...it's hard on the trans and contributes to wearing out the dogs on your second gear. If they wear enough, you'll pop out of second on acceleration. Just feather the clutch to make the shifts easier. Then on, just preload the shifter up, and let off WOT for an instant to pop into the next gear.
--> In lieu of the Vmax's retarded tachometer size/position, get a shift light. They're easy to install and look great stuck to the side of the speedo. Set it for a bit before redline to account for reaction times and such. The Vmax mill doesn't take kindly to over-revving, it's not an I4 and doesn't have a rev limiter. They run about $100.
--> Pick up a nail in your tire? I did, and didn't know it until I tried to take a sweeping 50mph corner at 70 and almost high-sided it. Straight line, it rode fine. Corners, it shook like a cheap whore in Sunday Mass. Pulled over, and my rear tire had 0 psi in it. It would hold air for about an hour at a time, which I did to get myself home. Now I'm sure procedure says to replace the tire, but I'm cheap, and the tire was almost new. I used a radial tire plug kit...for car tires. The puncture was almost dead center on the tread. And now here's the most unintentionally dirty sounding sentence ever. Ream the hole out with the kit's tool, then shove the plug in with the needle. I skipped the rubber cement, figuring it would just ooze out with a MC tire's running heat. I added some "Slime" stuff to be extra sure. Aired up, no problem. Holds pressure, and I've run it hard and fast. Good enough for me.
--> T-boost is a little box that works with your stock v-boost. All it does is when activated, fools the stock controller into thinking the motor is spinning twice as fast as actual....thus opening it at 3000 instead of the stock 6000. Neat gizmo, but it's really not much use. Throttle response is maybe a bit more "punchy" when open down low, but you'll run rich and waste a lot of gas also. I have it on my bike, but seldom ever use it.
--> Want better mileage? Consider finding a final drive from a Venture(the touring cruiser). It's a direct bolt-in swap to the original, but has slightly higher gearing inside. At 75mph, stock RPM is around 4800, with the Venture drive it's around 4400. I see 40+mpg at a steady 75mph cruise, and average in the high 30's.
--> With the Vmax it's hard to "ride easy", all that power on tap builds bad habits, at least as far as economy is concerned. To improve your range, accelerate easy, shift early, ride at least reasonably within speed limits, and keep v-boost to a minimum. You should see at least mid 30's, if not closer to 40 with conservative riding.
--> Now to contradict myself: I've noticed my bike gets better mileage when run hard. On one particularly spirited ride, I burned probably 80% of the tank at 90mph+, with several bursts to 120 any beyond. I got to 128 miles before the fuel light lit, and when I filled I got 41mpg. Go figure.
--> Slip-on exhaust does little to nothing in terms of power. However they do save BIG on weight...the stock muffler is stupid heavy. Holeshot's also give your bike the sound of a big-block V8.
--> Is all the paint worn off the plastic water pump elbow? Krylon "fusion" paint works awesome to put it back to black.
--> The errrr.....ERRRRR you hear when you turn the key is the v-boost servo cycling open, then shut again. It's normal. If you want to try full time v-boost, time yourself and unplug the harness connector between the whirrs.
--> A LED taillight is a great way to conserve power on the Vmax's "marginal" electrical system. It also gives you an excuse to get rid of the nasal looking stock one that bounces all over the place on bumps.
--> Does your bike crank slowly when hot? Chances are your charging system is only marginally working and not keeping the battery fully charged. Time to dive into the joy that is Yamaha wiring.....
-First, check voltage at the battery after the bike has been off for a while. Should be 12.6. Any less, and your battery could be weak, or you're not charging well.
-Second, check voltage with the bike running. Idle(1000rpm) voltage should be at least 12.8-13v, quickly increasing to 14-14.5 when you rev up. Any less and r/r, stator, or both could be bad.
-Third, unplug the stator connector(3 black wires) from the regulator/rectifier mounted behind the left passenger peg. Get your multitester out and set it to the lowest ohm scale it has. Testing all three combinations of the wires, you should have .2-1ohm of resistance, with all three being very similar. One that's different from the rest is bad news. Zero ohms means it's shorted out, and very high ohms probably means it's burned out. Either case is bad. Also, put one lead of the tester on ground, then probe all 3 prongs. Should be no circuit. If there is any continuity between the stator wires and ground, new stator time.
-There's a test for the r/r, but if you have an older (pre 98 I believe) bike, you have the old, crappy r/r. Smooth box with no fins. I'd replace this in any case, since the shunt style seem to all die eventually. Many people replace it with a MOSFET style. Most modern sportbikes all use these, and they all wire the same. A R1 part is popular, but one from a ZX10/14 is smaller and works good too.
--> Nowhere to put your new larger R/R? Make some by losing the stock coils and getting Coil-On-Plugs(COPs). Again, almost any Japanese I4 uses these, and they're all virtually identical. See this thread for info, but they're cheap(sets with harness connectors go for usually $50-$75 on ebay), easy to install, and just work better than coil packs and wires. Hotter spark, more precise timing, and the bike starts easier also.
--> The front coils are a pain in the ass to get at. I don't know of any secrets or tips for this one. Honestly, I left my front two up there rather than try to dig them out.
--> Lose the four bolts on the seat. With the fuel hatch clipped down, the seat isn't going anywhere.
--> Add a set of allen keys to the tool kit.
--> The small shampoo bottles from hotels work nicely to hold fuel additives inside the little alcove around the fuel cap. Ones I got from a Hampton Inn hold almost exactly one ounce each, and I can fit four or five in there.
--> Tired the the motor roasting itself and your nuts in traffic with the needle pegged on the redline? Why OEM fans never come on until it's too late is beyond me. Get an override switch kit, or make one yourself using the wiring diagram(it's in the service manual available on vmaxoutlaw.com). Just short the thermostat switch. Turning the fan on early keeps the temp from getting stupid high.
--> The plastic frame cover on the left side(piece where the ignition is on the right) makes a great place to add switches.
--> Coolant additives promising lower running temps are a waste of money at best and a farce at worst. The best coolant known is pure water, with a specific heat index of 1. That index measures simply how quickly a substance transfers(gains or loses) heat, and also how much heat it can carry. Water can absorb a tremendous about of energy with only a small increase in temperature, making it ideal for coolant. Problem it, it boils over, rusts and freezes. Ethlyene glycol lowers the freezing point and raises the boiling point at the expense of capacity...it only comes in at about .82. If you poke around the additive manufacturer's websites, they do list the specific heat of "their" coolant mix, and it's always lower than regular green stuff. I have yet to hear of any solid testing evidence that motors "run cooler" with some magic potion in the radiator. Lots of vague claims, no stats or solid proof. Check this out for info.
--> Many fuel additives are a farce also and should be avoided with the advent(and now mandate) of E10 gas. Ethanol, an alcohol, is a great solvent and cleaner. Many "fuel system cleaners" are just bottles full of various alcohols. When added to e10 gas, you're boosting the alcohol percent even higher, to 15 or even 20%. Not good for your motor. Check the MSDS on the manufacturer's website, or check this table here. With E10 gas, you really should never need fuel system cleaners. Carb problems stem from E10 from it dissolving crud and moisture in your tank and lines, and depositing it as a jell-o like goo in the carb bowls. Attached is a picture of said jello that I found in a lawnmower's carb bowl shortly after we started getting E10 fuel where I work.
--> Starter "miss" in cold weather or on a cold motor? Sound like a jar of rocks spinning when it does? Chances are your starter clutch has come loose...common issue. You need to remove the covers and pull the flywheel. Don't be scared, it's not a big deal. You can rent a perfect puller for the job from autozone. Ask for the crow-foot puller, think it's called the harmonic balancer puller. It comes with a set of bolts that perfectly fit the Max's flywheel. Remove the bolt and hit the puller with an impact gun...makes this a lot faster. Get it really tight, then smack the puller bolt with a hammer. Re-tighten and repeat until it pops off....after 3 tries, mine surrendered and came out. The starter clutch ring is on the back of it. Three big bolts in the middle hold it on...chances are they're loose. Remove them, degrease, add loc-tite (I used the red stuff, but the blue should be fine too), and re assemble it.
--> High octane does nothing for a stock motor. The bike was designed for and specifies plain old 87, despite it's rather high compression. Unless you have raised cylinder pressures beyond stock with motor work or forced induction, don't bother. Ideally you want the lowest possible octane fuel that won't detonate, since this will ensure the fuel is at it's most volatile when the spark lights it. Octane retards combustion....why high compression motors need it so it doesn't pre ignite from compression alone. Running "premium" will make your motor run cooler than intended and increase carbon buildup, and also lighten your wallet an extra dollar or so on each fillup.
Myth: "Premium" gas contains no octane....not true, never was, never will be. All gas for on-road use as of Sept 1 2010 are federally madated to have 10% ethanol, and that applies to ALL grades, race fuels exempted.
--> Can't see the stock gauges at night? Want a different color? Head on over to superbrightleds.com and order up some 74 series replacement LED bulbs. They come in three varieties(brightnesses), and several colors. I had good luck with two "regular" 74's in the speedometer, a 74-HP(brighter) in the tach, and a 74-HP3(brightest) in the temp gauge, all in red. Now all the gauges are the same brightness and easily visible at night. Here's a link to the tutorial.
--> Bike wiggle/weave at high speed? Yep, mine too. The general consensus is that worn/bad steering head bearings are the culprit, but they're not the easiest things to change. Short of that, there are a couple things you can do.
Do the "drop test"...put the bike on the centerstand and sit on the passenger seat, or otherwise get the front wheel off the ground. Put the handlebars in the center, and lightly nudge it to one side. If it falls and bounces off the stop, the bearings are too loose. Remove the big nut in the center of the triple tree....a 1 1/16" end wrench works great. Loosen the allen clamps on the fork tubes, and lift the whole thing out of the way. Using a big flat screwdriver and a hammer, loosen the top jam nut, then slowly tighten the bottom one. Keep tightening until the handlebars no longer bounce, but still fall to one side. Excessive tightening can cause a low speed "wandering". Also, check and make sure your tires are fully aired up to spec. I seem to remember it's 33 in the front and 36 in the back.
Tip: During extra-legal speeds, your instinct is to hold on really tight and pull the bars toward you. Don't.....that helps cause wobble. Keep and easy grip on the handlebars, and don't pull on them. DON'T push forward. Doing so will seem to cure the wobble. DON'T. That wobble will come back 10mph later as a full on oh-shit tank slapper.
--> A stock bike puts down around 110 rwhp. My stage 1 and slip-ons put down 114. A stage 7 with full exhaust puts down between 120-125. A few pounds of boost can net you close to 200:eusa_dance:
--> Oil warning light coming on under hard acceleration? Normal. The sensor is in the front of the pan, but the actual oil pickup is in the back, so nothing to worry about. It means your bike is running well.
--> What's with the reserve switch? There's a small thermocouple in the tank that acts like a tiny heating element, the fuel acts as a heat sink and keeps it cool. The thermocouple only conducts electricity when it gets hot. When the fuel level is above it, it keeps the fuel light off. When it heats up and conducts(why the fuel light fades on), it lights the fuel warning and also disables the fuel pump. Why? To get your attention...the fuel light is easy to miss in sunlight. Switching to "reserve" overrides the thermocouple and restores power to the fuel pump.
--> My horn blows (not hard enough). Yep, the stock horn is pretty weak. Any automotive store will sell you a generic car horn for $20-30. Car horns are loud, and they're buried under the hood to boot. Out in the open, they blast, and they're a lot cheaper than special motorcycle airhorns. Use a relay off the switch for best results, and to avoid melting your horn button.
--> The final drive will get quite warm after riding for a while, particularly at higher speeds. Normal, all shaft drive bikes are like this. Just make sure the oil inside is full and clean. You don't need to worry much about it, every 10,000 miles or so is plenty. It holds about six ounces of gear lube. 80wt GL4 is called for, but honestly the viscosity doesn't matter much and everything now is GL5 anyway.
--> Conventional or synthetic? Ah, the great question, right up there with the meaning of life as far as bikers are concerned, or so it would seem. The general consensus: Use whatever you damn well please. Conventional. Blend. Synthetic. Car oil, motorcycle oil, heavy duty(diesel) oil. It doesn't much matter, and any will protect your engine adequately. Only one pitfall....avoid any "High Mileage" or "Energy Conserving" oils...they can cause your wet clutch to slip. If you want to extend change intervals(I usually do it when neutral starts getting hard to find), or just want the best, go with a full synthetic. They don't break down or lose viscosity like conventionals, but do become dirty and the additives get depleted.
--> How often should I change it? Whatever makes you sleep better at night. Some people here change religiously every couple thousand. I change when neutral gets tough to grab, usually around 7 or 8 thousand, meaning the clutch is dragging more than it used to from worse lubrication. With full synthetics, anything less than 5000 miles IMO is just a waste of good oil.
--> Stick a couple powerful magnets(hardware stores usually sell magnets in a little display in the asscrack of the last aisle) on the oil filter....this can nab any metallic gremlins floating around your motor.
That's all for now...if you've got any tips or tricks, let's have 'em.
Since I got my Vmax over a year ago, I write down notes about things I do to it, experiences, quirks, or answers to a question I had. A lot is accumulated knowledge from this forum as well. The notepad is getting pretty substantial...full of bite size tidbits of vmax info. Figure I might as well share it here in one big info-dump for all to review. They're in no particular order. If I messed up somewhere, let me know and I'll fix it.
--> Almost all smallish bolts on the bike are 10mm. Larger ones are 12mm.
--> All the allen bolts that hold the case covers(stator, middle gear, clutch, and w/p), are 5mm. Using the US equivalent is a bad idea and will strip them out...use ONLY a 5mm key.
--> Purple Power is good stuff. It's a concentrated cleaner/degreaser, and you can get a gallon of it for like $5 at wal mart. Grease and road grime literally melts away. For general cleaning I dilute it 50/50 with water...it's strong stuff. Tip: Don't spray it on hot aluminum...it instantly etches it and will require LOTS of polishing to remove.
--> You have to remove the middle gear cover to get the stator cover off....who knows why, but you do.
-->Dealer not stocking case gaskets? $20 for a gasket getting you down? Then don't use them. Permantex "Ultra Black" sealant works just as well if not better, and you get a BIG tube for around $6, that's enough to re-seal your whole case probably 5 times.
Tip: Use a razor blade and a scotch-brite pad to clean the mating surfaces. Clean away all oil, any oil that contacts the RTV sealant before it cures will cause it not to, and shortly leak.
Another Tip: A ton of sealant is not necessary. I don't bother with the nozzle, and just "dab" the tube against the surface, leaving a thin layer of sealant. Assemble the parts, but put the bolts in just enough to hold the cover in place...don't tighten them. It will just squeeze out all the sealant. Wait 24 hours, then torque the bolts down, and you'll never leak oil again.
--> For a super-easy spray-and-wipe shine, grab a bottle of Turtle Wax "Ice". $6 gets you a 23oz bottle. Lasts longer than regular cleaner wax and won't leave white streaks all over the place. I just spritz on, then use a paper towel to wipe off. Works good on chrome and polished aluminum also.
--> Stock brakes kinda weak? Front calipers off an R1 are a bolt-on swap on (I believe) any Vmax '93 or newer. Older bikes require an adapter. R1's calipers are milled rather than cast, and overall give more power and better feel. Stainless lines will also help.
--> Want a bit more traction? Burnouts are cool, but they also waste power that could be used for acceleration. Stock rear tire is a 150, but a 170 fits in there fine. Shinko Tourmasters are very sticky , but wear out fast...don't expect much more than 5k miles out of them. Metzler Marathon's aren't quite as sticky, but last longer, often 8 or 9k miles. Either will be a big improvement over stock Dunlops, but now I won't run anything but Metzlers.
--> Going for quarter mile times, or just want to smoke your buddy who talked smack about the Vmax? Read up on "How to Launch the Vmax".
Tip: Avoid powershifting between 1 and 2...it's hard on the trans and contributes to wearing out the dogs on your second gear. If they wear enough, you'll pop out of second on acceleration. Just feather the clutch to make the shifts easier. Then on, just preload the shifter up, and let off WOT for an instant to pop into the next gear.
--> In lieu of the Vmax's retarded tachometer size/position, get a shift light. They're easy to install and look great stuck to the side of the speedo. Set it for a bit before redline to account for reaction times and such. The Vmax mill doesn't take kindly to over-revving, it's not an I4 and doesn't have a rev limiter. They run about $100.
--> Pick up a nail in your tire? I did, and didn't know it until I tried to take a sweeping 50mph corner at 70 and almost high-sided it. Straight line, it rode fine. Corners, it shook like a cheap whore in Sunday Mass. Pulled over, and my rear tire had 0 psi in it. It would hold air for about an hour at a time, which I did to get myself home. Now I'm sure procedure says to replace the tire, but I'm cheap, and the tire was almost new. I used a radial tire plug kit...for car tires. The puncture was almost dead center on the tread. And now here's the most unintentionally dirty sounding sentence ever. Ream the hole out with the kit's tool, then shove the plug in with the needle. I skipped the rubber cement, figuring it would just ooze out with a MC tire's running heat. I added some "Slime" stuff to be extra sure. Aired up, no problem. Holds pressure, and I've run it hard and fast. Good enough for me.
--> T-boost is a little box that works with your stock v-boost. All it does is when activated, fools the stock controller into thinking the motor is spinning twice as fast as actual....thus opening it at 3000 instead of the stock 6000. Neat gizmo, but it's really not much use. Throttle response is maybe a bit more "punchy" when open down low, but you'll run rich and waste a lot of gas also. I have it on my bike, but seldom ever use it.
--> Want better mileage? Consider finding a final drive from a Venture(the touring cruiser). It's a direct bolt-in swap to the original, but has slightly higher gearing inside. At 75mph, stock RPM is around 4800, with the Venture drive it's around 4400. I see 40+mpg at a steady 75mph cruise, and average in the high 30's.
--> With the Vmax it's hard to "ride easy", all that power on tap builds bad habits, at least as far as economy is concerned. To improve your range, accelerate easy, shift early, ride at least reasonably within speed limits, and keep v-boost to a minimum. You should see at least mid 30's, if not closer to 40 with conservative riding.
--> Now to contradict myself: I've noticed my bike gets better mileage when run hard. On one particularly spirited ride, I burned probably 80% of the tank at 90mph+, with several bursts to 120 any beyond. I got to 128 miles before the fuel light lit, and when I filled I got 41mpg. Go figure.
--> Slip-on exhaust does little to nothing in terms of power. However they do save BIG on weight...the stock muffler is stupid heavy. Holeshot's also give your bike the sound of a big-block V8.
--> Is all the paint worn off the plastic water pump elbow? Krylon "fusion" paint works awesome to put it back to black.
--> The errrr.....ERRRRR you hear when you turn the key is the v-boost servo cycling open, then shut again. It's normal. If you want to try full time v-boost, time yourself and unplug the harness connector between the whirrs.
--> A LED taillight is a great way to conserve power on the Vmax's "marginal" electrical system. It also gives you an excuse to get rid of the nasal looking stock one that bounces all over the place on bumps.
--> Does your bike crank slowly when hot? Chances are your charging system is only marginally working and not keeping the battery fully charged. Time to dive into the joy that is Yamaha wiring.....
-First, check voltage at the battery after the bike has been off for a while. Should be 12.6. Any less, and your battery could be weak, or you're not charging well.
-Second, check voltage with the bike running. Idle(1000rpm) voltage should be at least 12.8-13v, quickly increasing to 14-14.5 when you rev up. Any less and r/r, stator, or both could be bad.
-Third, unplug the stator connector(3 black wires) from the regulator/rectifier mounted behind the left passenger peg. Get your multitester out and set it to the lowest ohm scale it has. Testing all three combinations of the wires, you should have .2-1ohm of resistance, with all three being very similar. One that's different from the rest is bad news. Zero ohms means it's shorted out, and very high ohms probably means it's burned out. Either case is bad. Also, put one lead of the tester on ground, then probe all 3 prongs. Should be no circuit. If there is any continuity between the stator wires and ground, new stator time.
-There's a test for the r/r, but if you have an older (pre 98 I believe) bike, you have the old, crappy r/r. Smooth box with no fins. I'd replace this in any case, since the shunt style seem to all die eventually. Many people replace it with a MOSFET style. Most modern sportbikes all use these, and they all wire the same. A R1 part is popular, but one from a ZX10/14 is smaller and works good too.
--> Nowhere to put your new larger R/R? Make some by losing the stock coils and getting Coil-On-Plugs(COPs). Again, almost any Japanese I4 uses these, and they're all virtually identical. See this thread for info, but they're cheap(sets with harness connectors go for usually $50-$75 on ebay), easy to install, and just work better than coil packs and wires. Hotter spark, more precise timing, and the bike starts easier also.
--> The front coils are a pain in the ass to get at. I don't know of any secrets or tips for this one. Honestly, I left my front two up there rather than try to dig them out.
--> Lose the four bolts on the seat. With the fuel hatch clipped down, the seat isn't going anywhere.
--> Add a set of allen keys to the tool kit.
--> The small shampoo bottles from hotels work nicely to hold fuel additives inside the little alcove around the fuel cap. Ones I got from a Hampton Inn hold almost exactly one ounce each, and I can fit four or five in there.
--> Tired the the motor roasting itself and your nuts in traffic with the needle pegged on the redline? Why OEM fans never come on until it's too late is beyond me. Get an override switch kit, or make one yourself using the wiring diagram(it's in the service manual available on vmaxoutlaw.com). Just short the thermostat switch. Turning the fan on early keeps the temp from getting stupid high.
--> The plastic frame cover on the left side(piece where the ignition is on the right) makes a great place to add switches.
--> Coolant additives promising lower running temps are a waste of money at best and a farce at worst. The best coolant known is pure water, with a specific heat index of 1. That index measures simply how quickly a substance transfers(gains or loses) heat, and also how much heat it can carry. Water can absorb a tremendous about of energy with only a small increase in temperature, making it ideal for coolant. Problem it, it boils over, rusts and freezes. Ethlyene glycol lowers the freezing point and raises the boiling point at the expense of capacity...it only comes in at about .82. If you poke around the additive manufacturer's websites, they do list the specific heat of "their" coolant mix, and it's always lower than regular green stuff. I have yet to hear of any solid testing evidence that motors "run cooler" with some magic potion in the radiator. Lots of vague claims, no stats or solid proof. Check this out for info.
--> Many fuel additives are a farce also and should be avoided with the advent(and now mandate) of E10 gas. Ethanol, an alcohol, is a great solvent and cleaner. Many "fuel system cleaners" are just bottles full of various alcohols. When added to e10 gas, you're boosting the alcohol percent even higher, to 15 or even 20%. Not good for your motor. Check the MSDS on the manufacturer's website, or check this table here. With E10 gas, you really should never need fuel system cleaners. Carb problems stem from E10 from it dissolving crud and moisture in your tank and lines, and depositing it as a jell-o like goo in the carb bowls. Attached is a picture of said jello that I found in a lawnmower's carb bowl shortly after we started getting E10 fuel where I work.
--> Starter "miss" in cold weather or on a cold motor? Sound like a jar of rocks spinning when it does? Chances are your starter clutch has come loose...common issue. You need to remove the covers and pull the flywheel. Don't be scared, it's not a big deal. You can rent a perfect puller for the job from autozone. Ask for the crow-foot puller, think it's called the harmonic balancer puller. It comes with a set of bolts that perfectly fit the Max's flywheel. Remove the bolt and hit the puller with an impact gun...makes this a lot faster. Get it really tight, then smack the puller bolt with a hammer. Re-tighten and repeat until it pops off....after 3 tries, mine surrendered and came out. The starter clutch ring is on the back of it. Three big bolts in the middle hold it on...chances are they're loose. Remove them, degrease, add loc-tite (I used the red stuff, but the blue should be fine too), and re assemble it.
--> High octane does nothing for a stock motor. The bike was designed for and specifies plain old 87, despite it's rather high compression. Unless you have raised cylinder pressures beyond stock with motor work or forced induction, don't bother. Ideally you want the lowest possible octane fuel that won't detonate, since this will ensure the fuel is at it's most volatile when the spark lights it. Octane retards combustion....why high compression motors need it so it doesn't pre ignite from compression alone. Running "premium" will make your motor run cooler than intended and increase carbon buildup, and also lighten your wallet an extra dollar or so on each fillup.
Myth: "Premium" gas contains no octane....not true, never was, never will be. All gas for on-road use as of Sept 1 2010 are federally madated to have 10% ethanol, and that applies to ALL grades, race fuels exempted.
--> Can't see the stock gauges at night? Want a different color? Head on over to superbrightleds.com and order up some 74 series replacement LED bulbs. They come in three varieties(brightnesses), and several colors. I had good luck with two "regular" 74's in the speedometer, a 74-HP(brighter) in the tach, and a 74-HP3(brightest) in the temp gauge, all in red. Now all the gauges are the same brightness and easily visible at night. Here's a link to the tutorial.
--> Bike wiggle/weave at high speed? Yep, mine too. The general consensus is that worn/bad steering head bearings are the culprit, but they're not the easiest things to change. Short of that, there are a couple things you can do.
Do the "drop test"...put the bike on the centerstand and sit on the passenger seat, or otherwise get the front wheel off the ground. Put the handlebars in the center, and lightly nudge it to one side. If it falls and bounces off the stop, the bearings are too loose. Remove the big nut in the center of the triple tree....a 1 1/16" end wrench works great. Loosen the allen clamps on the fork tubes, and lift the whole thing out of the way. Using a big flat screwdriver and a hammer, loosen the top jam nut, then slowly tighten the bottom one. Keep tightening until the handlebars no longer bounce, but still fall to one side. Excessive tightening can cause a low speed "wandering". Also, check and make sure your tires are fully aired up to spec. I seem to remember it's 33 in the front and 36 in the back.
Tip: During extra-legal speeds, your instinct is to hold on really tight and pull the bars toward you. Don't.....that helps cause wobble. Keep and easy grip on the handlebars, and don't pull on them. DON'T push forward. Doing so will seem to cure the wobble. DON'T. That wobble will come back 10mph later as a full on oh-shit tank slapper.
--> A stock bike puts down around 110 rwhp. My stage 1 and slip-ons put down 114. A stage 7 with full exhaust puts down between 120-125. A few pounds of boost can net you close to 200:eusa_dance:
--> Oil warning light coming on under hard acceleration? Normal. The sensor is in the front of the pan, but the actual oil pickup is in the back, so nothing to worry about. It means your bike is running well.
--> What's with the reserve switch? There's a small thermocouple in the tank that acts like a tiny heating element, the fuel acts as a heat sink and keeps it cool. The thermocouple only conducts electricity when it gets hot. When the fuel level is above it, it keeps the fuel light off. When it heats up and conducts(why the fuel light fades on), it lights the fuel warning and also disables the fuel pump. Why? To get your attention...the fuel light is easy to miss in sunlight. Switching to "reserve" overrides the thermocouple and restores power to the fuel pump.
--> My horn blows (not hard enough). Yep, the stock horn is pretty weak. Any automotive store will sell you a generic car horn for $20-30. Car horns are loud, and they're buried under the hood to boot. Out in the open, they blast, and they're a lot cheaper than special motorcycle airhorns. Use a relay off the switch for best results, and to avoid melting your horn button.
--> The final drive will get quite warm after riding for a while, particularly at higher speeds. Normal, all shaft drive bikes are like this. Just make sure the oil inside is full and clean. You don't need to worry much about it, every 10,000 miles or so is plenty. It holds about six ounces of gear lube. 80wt GL4 is called for, but honestly the viscosity doesn't matter much and everything now is GL5 anyway.
--> Conventional or synthetic? Ah, the great question, right up there with the meaning of life as far as bikers are concerned, or so it would seem. The general consensus: Use whatever you damn well please. Conventional. Blend. Synthetic. Car oil, motorcycle oil, heavy duty(diesel) oil. It doesn't much matter, and any will protect your engine adequately. Only one pitfall....avoid any "High Mileage" or "Energy Conserving" oils...they can cause your wet clutch to slip. If you want to extend change intervals(I usually do it when neutral starts getting hard to find), or just want the best, go with a full synthetic. They don't break down or lose viscosity like conventionals, but do become dirty and the additives get depleted.
--> How often should I change it? Whatever makes you sleep better at night. Some people here change religiously every couple thousand. I change when neutral gets tough to grab, usually around 7 or 8 thousand, meaning the clutch is dragging more than it used to from worse lubrication. With full synthetics, anything less than 5000 miles IMO is just a waste of good oil.
--> Stick a couple powerful magnets(hardware stores usually sell magnets in a little display in the asscrack of the last aisle) on the oil filter....this can nab any metallic gremlins floating around your motor.
That's all for now...if you've got any tips or tricks, let's have 'em.
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