1997 sitting for 6 years

[Sedated]

My vmax has been under a cover in my garage for the last 6 years. The garage is insulated, but not heated.

The extent of winterizing the bike was to drive it to my house, park it, and cover it.

Life got in the way and I haven't been able to justify the cost of insurance/riding gear until now. I want to get it out this weekend, and start bringing it back to its former glory but I have this feeling in my stomach that I'm going to be in for a nasty surprise.

Its a given that my battery is toast but what else will I need to be checking for specifically? Any advice to help me get back on the road?

Much appreciated!

 

[Hoove]

My vmax has been under a cover in my garage for the last 6 years. The garage is insulated, but not heated.

The extent of winterizing the bike was to drive it to my house, park it, and cover it.

Life got in the way and I haven't been able to justify the cost of insurance/riding gear until now. I want to get it out this weekend, and start bringing it back to its former glory but I have this feeling in my stomach that I'm going to be in for a nasty surprise.

Its a given that my battery is toast but what else will I need to be checking for specifically? Any advice to help me get back on the road?

Much appreciated!

First thing is don't try to start it. Open the gas tank and have a look. The tank has a drain plug on the bottom. Drain any gas and check for rust. I brought a bike back to life that was sitting for 3 years and the tank was a mess. I found it easier to just replace the tank with a good used one.
Next is the carburetors may be gummed up you can pull them off and try the shotgun cleaning method. found here: http://vmax.lvlhead.com/tips/shotgun.htm
of course a new battery will be required and you should check the tires for dry rot and cracking they may have plenty of tread but may not be safe to ride on. Take your time be thorough and Good luck.

 

[lethal dose]

I got lucky- my '92 sat for years. Hit the button and away she went. Battery tender, full tank, and good stabilizer.

 

[Dragmaxster]

First thing is don't try to start it. Open the gas tank and have a look. The tank has a drain plug on the bottom. Drain any gas and check for rust. I brought a bike back to life that was sitting for 3 years and the tank was a mess. I found it easier to just replace the tank with a good used one.
Next is the carburetors may be gummed up you can pull them off and try the shotgun cleaning method. found here: http://vmax.lvlhead.com/tips/shotgun.htm
of course a new battery will be required and you should check the tires for dry rot and cracking they may have plenty of tread but may not be safe to ride on. Take your time be thorough and Good luck.

Drain yor carbs before starting. Six year old gas is bad and no matter what fuel additve you put in the tank it should be drained also.
Excellent battery and great price- fast shipping too!!!
http://www.apexbattery.com/ub1220-12v-22ah-battery.html

 

[Sedated]

Thanks for the advice! I really appreciate it. I'm actually getting nervous at how bad things might have gotten.

It doesn't look like Apex ships to Canada. I may just have to call the local stealership for an OEM

 

[davesax36]

Don't do that, and don't worry too much. This board is full of guys who have revived bikes in pretty terrible shape. There's a list of compatible batteries on here somewhere. If you really want to bring it back to life, get an Odyssey pc680. Lots of power, and should be available. I'll check Canadian tire tomorrow when I'm out. I've used that battery to dezombiefy two maxes now.

Like others have said. Shine a light in the tank to see if it's rusty. If it smells like varnish, drain it immediately (pumping it out isn't a bad idea, and is pretty easy). Drain your carbs into a glass jar or white cup to see if there are bits of things floating around.

You might be surprised how quickly it runs.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

 

[Dragmaxster]

Thanks for the advice! I really appreciate it. I'm actually getting nervous at how bad things might have gotten.

It doesn't look like Apex ships to Canada. I may just have to call the local stealership for an OEM

I just rebuilt a set of carbs on a canadian 1987 vmax that had been sitting for 8 years-it runs tops now but there was a lot of gunk in bowls.

Write him an email and ask him or call- this man will go to the ends of the earth to make sure yiu are satisfied.
Battery is the best you can get and the price is priceless--:rofl_200:

 

[scuff]

don't forget brakes ! old brake fluid in your calipers can be just as nasty as old gas in the carbs, i would change every fluid actually

 

[1967vmax]

Alot of good advice on the carbs but you should also remove the brake fluid in the brakes and the clutch also i would prob replace the old rubber lines with some Galfer brake lines , replace the tires,rear diff gear oil,and me i would also do the fork seals

 

[[email protected]]

Clean the carbs, check the tank, and see if it runs. If you've got a runner change all fluids, get some new tires and you should be in business.

 

[Sedated]

I just pulled the cover and had a quick look in the tank. And as I feared, the tank is damned near empty, but there is some nice rust all around the opening and all over inside the tank.

Looks like step 1 is going to be removing and cleaning the gas tank. Any tips on that? Youtube tells me to use distilled water and sand, and shake it until shiny.

 

[Dragmaxster]

don't forget brakes ! old brake fluid in your calipers can be just as nasty as old gas in the carbs, i would change every fluid actually

+1 This guy is a fart smella. j/k:rofl_200:

 

[davesax36]

No sand. Pull the tank (look in the how-to section), pour in a bunch of cider vinegar or evaporust, shake it all around, dump it, and see what you've got. If it's just flash rust, one of those will probably take care of it. You can then coat the tank if you want with POR15 or Red Kote. I've used RK on two tanks with no issues. Others swear by POR15.

You can put some screws or some chain in the tank, but count the screws for when you're fishing around in there with a magnet when you're done.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

 

[Sedated]

So if I was to remove my tank, swish with evaporust and a chain for a few days, do I need to coat the tank? Or just fill it up with gas and plan on changing the fuel filter a few times to be sure its all caught?

I guess the question is was there originally a coating inside the tank or was it bare steel?

Also, I really appreciate all the responses I've gotten here. This is really great. I'll do my best to photo-document the process to getting the bike up and running again so I can give back to this community.

 

[MaxMidnight]

I suspect that once you have had corrosion in the tank there will always be a tendency for it to come back unless you keep it brimmed when not in use.
If you cote it then that is one less issue you will potentially have for the periods it is laid up.

In addition to the previous good advice above, I would drain the oil and change the oil and fuel filters. At the first start turn the motor over without any choke to allow some oil to start to circulate..

It may also be worthwhile removing HT leads and cops and remove the six years of crud that will have deposited on them.

 

[scuff]

No sand. Pull the tank (look in the how-to section), pour in a bunch of cider vinegar or evaporust, shake it all around, dump it, and see what you've got. If it's just flash rust, one of those will probably take care of it. You can then coat the tank if you want with POR15 or Red Kote. I've used RK on two tanks with no issues. Others swear by POR15.

You can put some screws or some chain in the tank, but count the screws for when you're fishing around in there with a magnet when you're done.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

+1 on the apple cider vinegar it does work on light rust I did it on my Goldwing, it only works on light rust though, I saw the post about the sand I have a friend that did that on his old bike said it worked great but he did have a lot of probs with his carbs after and i'm kinda thinking it was because of the sand, even though he wouldn't admit it, lol

 

[davesax36]

+1 on the apple cider vinegar it does work on light rust I did it on my Goldwing, it only works on light rust though, I saw the post about the sand I have a friend that did that on his old bike said it worked great but he did have a lot of probs with his carbs after and i'm kinda thinking it was because of the sand, even though he wouldn't admit it, lol

With these tempermental carbs, I wouldn't want to add anything to the mix that could mess more stuff up and make me take everything apart again.

 

[veebooster]

Thanks for the advice! I really appreciate it. I'm actually getting nervous at how bad things might have gotten.

It doesn't look like Apex ships to Canada. I may just have to call the local stealership for an OEM

I just got one shipped from Hamilton ON. I'll check to see if i can find the link.

Dale

 

[veebooster]

I just got one shipped from Hamilton ON. I'll check to see if i can find the link.

Dale

ebay seller is battery_specialist. Ships from Burlington ON. A UB12220 was $66.00 can plus $15 ship. This battery fits and works well but the connections are not same as stock. You have to mount cables sideways rather than the top.

Dale

 

[Sedated]

I've ordered a POR15 kit and I'm going to give it a try. I suppose worst cast I'll need to buy a new tank haha.

Attached are a few pics just for giggles. The back of the bike was fully covered, but I had uncovered last night to check the tank.

Also that odometer reading makes me sad that I've neglected such a young bike.

I found a Canadian website that says they'll sell me a PC680 battery for $155. I'm not sure I trust the site, but is this battery worth 2 times the price of the apex if I can get that off ebay?

Another Question: I spoke with my dad (original owner) and he tells me that when he drove the bike to my house to be parked, one of the cylinders wasn't firing. I asked him how he knew and he said the exhaust on one was cool. He can't recall which one it was, but I'd imagine a quick look at the plugs will tell me. Is this as simple as a bad plug? Dirty/plugged carb? or do I have more problems to deal with?