1997 Vmax

[steelfish]

New member here guys. Just got my Vmax 2 days ago. It's a 1997 with stage 7 jet kit and Supertrapp pipes. As most of you know, it sounds great. Love the bike, lot of power. Real fun to drive. The only problem is that if you let go of handlebars it starts to shake, maybe after 70 feet or so. Front tire is still good, there is enough Psi too. Could that be the tire balance or is there something else to it. It really is not nice riding it and feeling the front end shaking like crazy.

 

[06VMAXIMUS]

Welcome to the site!! If you use the search icon above, you will find posts on how to diagnose and fix your wobble.

 

[steelfish]

will try, thanx

 

[06VMAXIMUS]

Several options available from just tightening the nut, to adding a washer, AKA "Furber Fix". Post some pics of your new ride!!

 

[hubeerjw]

Lots of things can come into play here...

Steering Bearings and torque
Tires/air pressure
Forks Oil/Springs
Fork Brace
Rider Position and weight
Speeds
Wind
Swingarm Bearings and torque

Do some searches as noted in a previous post. There is a ton of
good info here and lots of great people. Welcome to the forum and
congrats on the new ride!

Jeff

 

[steelfish]

Thank you guys for answering. I guess I'll have to take the bike to a local shop and check it out. You know how it's when you get something new. Don't want to leave it there, but safety first. Will post pics as soon as I get a chance.:clapping:

 

[hubeerjw]

NOOOOO!!!!!!
Don't take this bike to a shop!!!!!

You can do this yourself!

There has been a lot of people that have spent a lot of money by sending this bike to people that know little or nothing about the VMax. We can walk you through it... if you get good results, just send a little money to the forum and become a supporter.

Jeff

 

[gamorg02]

yes definitley. esp with dingys steering head bearing tool will make the job a breeze.

 

[steelfish]

NOOOOO!!!!!!
Don't take this bike to a shop!!!!!

You can do this yourself!

There has been a lot of people that have spent a lot of money by sending this bike to people that know little or nothing about the VMax. We can walk you through it... if you get good results, just send a little money to the forum and become a supporter.

Jeff

Doesn't sound bad, like the idea as long as it's fixed. Where do I start? What tools?

 

[06VMAXIMUS]

I would start by putting it up on the center stand to get the front wheel off the ground. Start with the simple stuff like spinning the front wheel by hand and see if you can see any wobble or shake. Also I would check every nut and bolt associated with the front end for tightness. Being a used bike, it wouldn't hurt to go over every nut/bolt you can get to on the whole bike, and check as well! I would then have someone sit on the bike and hold the handlebars while you grab the forks and check for play. There is also a "bounce" test where you test the tightness of the head bearings, but you will have to do a search on this site for that one, as I have never had to do it. Check the bike over, and I am sure with a little testing you will find the problem, and save a lot of money and time.

 

[dannymax]

Doesn't sound bad, like the idea as long as it's fixed. Where do I start? What tools?

You won't need a shop for this steelfish, there's a good chance they would just make it worse. The best v max wrenches in the country, (in two countries....sorry tugla) are here on this forum.

Jack the front wheel off the floor and let the handlebars fall to the stops on either side....it should not slam off the stops. If it does, snug up the head bearings until you get one light bounce or no bounce at all. If it won't fall all the way then you got it too tight.

It's possible the problem exists elsewhere, but this is the place to start.

Do a search on 'head bearing adjustment' or 'steering head bearings'....there's tons of info available....don't hesitate to ask questions and keep us posted of your progress.

 

[dannymax]

Oh, welcome to the forum steelfish.

Altho this is kinda 'ghetto' it works well and is a cheap easy way to hold the front wheel off the floor.

 

[steelfish]

You guys are awesome. I will try to do my best with a friend of mine. I'll check all the nuts and bolts too. Yesterday I try to drive the bike, but something was wrong. You could not go into turns easy at all, check the front tire, seemed soft. Got home and checked Psi, now don't laugh guys, it was 10Psi front and 20Psi rear. Damn, no wonder why it performed so crappy. Anyway, pressure is perfect now, shaking still there. In the next few days I'll check as much as possible. Guy I bought it from kept the bike in his garage for too long without driving.
Thanx again..

 

[vmaximum]

steelfish, as you are finding out this forum is bad ass! lot of good dudes full of knowledge and willing to help out new vmax owners. you will find that people who own vmax's have more love for their bikes more than any other bike owners i have seen. just try as much as possible to elivate asking before you spent a good amount of time brousing and searching through the forum, so much good shit written down on here and always someone with the same mod with the same problem in the past troubleshooted through with help from the VMF family. welcome to the forum and congrats on the new bad ass VMAX! unk:

 

[tugla]

You won't need a shop for this steelfish, there's a good chance they would just make it worse. The best v max wrenches in the country, (in two countries....sorry tugla) are here on this forum.

Jack the front wheel off the floor and let the handlebars fall to the stops on either side....it should not slam off the stops. If it does, snug up the head bearings until you get one light bounce or no bounce at all. If it won't fall all the way then you got it too tight.

It's possible the problem exists elsewhere, but this is the place to start.

Do a search on 'head bearing adjustment' or 'steering head bearings'....there's tons of info available....don't hesitate to ask questions and keep us posted of your progress.

The best v max wrenches in the country, (in two countries....sorry tugla) :th_eat_arrow:

Dan-o is right search here for it and the rest we can all help you. but i bet you can tighten up the nut and will help reduce the shakes for sure. how many miles on your girl??? you can also check that both forks are positioned at the same height in the triple tree, if not or want to re-set, loosen it all off, set height then torque to spec. any clue how old the fork oil is?

 

[magna_dude74]

I had the same problem with my 1994, not quite that low in PSI, but never the less the low PSI caused "CUPPING" in the tire tread. Steelfish, try running your hand very lightly in the opposite direction of normal rotation. You will feel highs and lows in the tread pattern, along with catching the edges of the tire pattern at some of the grooves. This will be an indicator you need a new tire.
Good Luck,
Steve in Michigan