1989 Vmax Resurrection Thread

[CaptainKyle]

Thank You and Glad to see you got it going !

 

[Fire-medic]

Syncing the carburetors will make a big difference I bet you.

Have you put any air into the forks? Air them up to 10 or 14 psi and see what happens to the clunking. Since the downtubes are pitted they may not hold pressure long, but I bet you will see a difference as long as it holds pressure.

Try Race-Tech or Forking by Frank for downtubes, they aren't cheap.

Jack up the front of the bike. Have it so the front wheel is a bit off the ground. Try grabbing the bottom of the sliders standing in-front of the bike, and attempt to move them forward and back. Is there any back & forth movement, any clunking? If so, loose/worn steering head bearings.

Next try moving from full left-lock to full right-lock. Do you feel any notchiness as the forks move side-to-side? That's called brinelling. Imperfections in the races from being loose, or from too-many hard wheelie landings, two common causes of the notchiness.

New rubber donuts for the top bellmouths of the carburetors, or those to the VBoost manifold will make things easier to mount the carbs and the airbox. In the meantime, consider using some water-soluble gel from the drugstore to help things slide. Some reading for you:

https://www.vmaxforum.net/threads/seat-those-carbs-easily.21303/
Here's something from an earlier post:

There's an easy way to get your airbox mounted and this is how:

Assuming your rubbers are in decent shape, no rips, tears, or cracks which would cause leaks, simply place the assembled airbox above your carbs. Start them onto the carb bellmouths. Now you need to have the bike on the centerstand. Step onto the footpegs and move your position forward until your butt is resting on the airbox lid.

Gently lower your weight onto the airbox lid, and you should feel your airbox pop-into the carb bellmouth rubbers. Climb off and confirm that your airbox is now in-place. You can use some water-soluble gel like KY (yes, that KY) and place a thin film onto the inside of the rubbers and the mating airbox surfaces to help 'mate' the pieces (no pun intended). Remember to replace the KY where you got it from.

This works for me with older rubbers when you cannot seem to get them to fit. Some people say, "boil them in water to soften them up, and quickly place them into position, and press the airbox down." I bet that if you try the persuasion of your butt on top of the lid, you won't need to boil the rubber rings.
I call it the Happy Days Method: "sit on it Potsie!"

I don't know that the mystery parts are from your bike.

New OEM friction discs are what I recommend. You can replace the innermost friction disc, which is half-width, with a 'regular' full-width one. There are several parts you eliminate when you do that. You can search for threads discussing that. One was recently done by DocDoom, which gives a good explanation of doing a clutch replacement.

https://www.vmaxforum.net/threads/question-sanity-checking-on-upcoming-clutch-job.53162/
CaptainKyle did a video:

https://www.vmaxforum.net/threads/gen-1-clutch.52836/


so between those you should be able to get it done properly. You do NOT need to go aftermarket! Sean Morley I think offers a stronger diaphragm clutch spring, if you want to work on your forearm muscles, by all-means use two OEM diaphragm springs, stacked together (referred to as the DD, or 'double-disc.' Get your mind outta the gutter!). If you had a large-displacement engine, or a power-adder (NOS, supercharger, turbo) then one of those might be worth the expense. Otherwise forget it.

 

[user 80813]

I ordered new OEM airbox to carb boots from Partzilla, that should make installation a lot easier. The forks will not hold any air pressure right now.
Once I get the new boots installed, I will sync the carbs. I would say it's 95% running right, very smooth idle. I am truly impressed with Kyle's work!
The parts came with the bike, so I assumed they go somewhere, I hold on to them for a while.

 

[user 80813]

I installed my new airbox to carb velocity stacks yesterday. That was money well spent because now it is a breeze to install the airbox.

Tomorrow, we go on a week's vacation to the Lake of the Ozarks where we rent a cabin and get away from the daily grind and working on the Vmax. When I get back. I'll replace the upper fork tubes and remove the clutch to see what I have to order to fix that problem.

 

[user 80813]

Did some work today.

I disassembled the front end and replaced the steering head bearings; somebody was in there before because the upper bearing seal was missing and some of the fasteners were loose. The lower bearing race was a lot of fun to remove; had to cut it apart. Both bearings were bad, but the new ones are installed. Next, I replace the upper fork tubes and seals.

I mentioned previously that the clutch was slipping. Really odd for a bike with 18k miles. I did some reading around here and read about the small port being plugged in the master cylinder, not allowing to release pressure. Well, I stuck a needle in there today and brake fluid shot up to the garage ceiling and stupid me took a DOT4 shower. My clutch might just be working now; the lever definitely feels different now. Obviously, I will flush the clutch system and both brake systems as well.

 

[user 80813]

Today I disassembled the fork legs and replaced the upper tubes and seals. I did buy the tubes off eBay, they were made in China but appear to be of great quality and fit perfectly. The dimensions, including the wall thickness are identical to the OEM tubes, even the weight is the same at 4 lbs. 13 oz, just like the ones I took off. Seals are AllBalls Racing, and the dust seals have an additional lip.

The disassemble and reassembly was easy, thanks to the videos Sean Morley has on his website. If there is something to add.....if you have the early style fork, put some electrical tape around the groove where the locator circlips go to prevent seal damage during installation.

 

[Stephan]

I stand to be corrected, but I don't recognise those mystery parts as being from a Vmax and I have done a nut and bolt restoration on mine. What makes you think that they are from a Vmax?

 

[wayne billings]

Thank you 71-340 for the info on the fork tubes. I have to replace mine this winter, as the are bent (po problems ) . Thanks also to Doc Doom for the video. Wish I could do that, techno dummy. Cheers

 

[Fire-medic]

While the Chinese fork tubes may fit, I bet the chrome is thin. If you aren't hurting for $ I suggest OEM, Race-Tech, or Forking by Frank. Good used OEM also.

 

[user 80813]

I stand to be corrected, but I don't recognise those mystery parts as being from a Vmax and I have done a nut and bolt restoration on mine. What makes you think that they are from a Vmax?

The parts came in a box along with other parts the seller had removed from the bike.

 

[user 80813]

While the Chinese fork tubes may fit, I bet the chrome is thin. If you aren't hurting for $ I suggest OEM, Race-Tech, or Forking by Frank. Good used OEM also.

Only time will tell. With that said, the days where Chinese parts were all crap are long over. I have a brand-new Ram 1500, I am sure it has parts made in China. When I rode Harleys, most of the expensive Harley-branded chrome accessories were made in China.

 

[user 80813]

Got the Vmax reassembled and flushed/bled both brake systems as well as the clutch. I used the vacuum method for everything until only clean brake fluid came out.

Took the bike for a short test drive in our subdivision and the clutch is working fine. no more slipping. The acceleration is insane. I had fast bikes before but nothing that explosive. Next is syncing the carbs and flush the cooling system.

 

[user 80813]

Had a busy day today, doing things my wife consider more important than working on the Vmax. I did manage to replace the grips, put new mirrors in and reinstall the fly screen.
Took her down a country road and really hammered her through the first two gears…..second gear is good. Very pleased with that.

 

[user 80813]

The Vmax passed the safety inspection and I got here licensed, now I can drive legally. Took the bike to the local Honda dealer to get the safety inspected......that took a good little while because, turned out that the Vmax is a great conversation piece. Some young kid test drove it to check the brakes. He was afraid to open her up after he heard all the stories from the old timers working there.

Regardless, I ordered three sets of EBC sintered brake pads that came in today. I also stripped the paint off the OEM air scoops I got from a fellow member and started sanding them as there was a lot of oxidation under the clear coat. Not sure yet which way to go, OEM black/silver or all silver?

 

[user 80813]

We had a warm day today, perfect time to do some more work.

I finished my air scoops last night, not exactly show quality but they look very nice. I also synced the rebuilt carburetors to my bike which took care of the initial slight hesitation when opening the throttle. Flushed the cooling system one more time and then filled it with DexCool. Also changed the engine oil again with cheap 15W40, I'll drive that for probably 50 miles and then a final oil and filter change with Rotella non-synthetic oil. Installed all new EBC sintered brake pads, definitely an improvement.

I bought a set of Buell foot pegs I read about here......that was a no-go because they do not fit and will be returned. Another issue popped up when I drove the bike to warm up the engine to sync the carbs. I got on it and it just died, like when you turn the key off. I coasted to a stop, and it started right up again and drove normal for the next 5 miles. Tank is full! I read here about a crimped connection that should be soldered; I find the post and will do that next. Besides that, the bike runs great.

 

[Radioguylogs]

Just in case it helps......

When I started my bike this past spring, I was having trouble with the engine cutting out abrubptly. I discovered the kickstand switch was dirty. I just cleaned it with Deoxit and the problem was gone.

 

[Fire-medic]

That's happened often enough to many riders, lubrication of it should be a regular part of your periodic maintenance. Once a year, or when you change oil, something to prevent the issue from happening. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[user 80813]

Just in case it helps......

When I started my bike this past spring, I was having trouble with the engine cutting out abrubptly. I discovered the kickstand switch was dirty. I just cleaned it with Deoxit and the problem was gone.

Thanks, I’ll check that as well. I did notice that there is quite a bit play/wobble where the kick stand pivots. I live Ike’s at the parts diagram but there is no replaceable bushing from what I can tell. I’ll probably take the kick stand off, get measurements and find some sleeve or bushing I can make work.

 

[user 80813]

The Vmax is done, well except for new tires in the spring. I think she looks pretty decent now.

 

[Fire-medic]

Yep, it is a good appearing bike, congratulations.