Hey this is Mike from Irving Tx....traded a Harley today for a 01 Vmax with 4k miles on it...looks like a new one....Bike sat in storage for a long time; will register it Monday....Have always wanted one; what a ride.....Looking forward to some sound advice on this beast....and getting some new ideas....first change will be the exhaust....
We are all interested in the market pricing today, there appears to be a real hit on pricing and deals. What did you pay? If it's a swap or trade-in, what did they give you for your bike and what did you have to make-up in cash?
Under the technical section, you can spend the next couple of weeks:biglaugh: reading about any topic of interest for your ride by category, i.e., 'engine,' 'suspension,' 'brakes,' etc. If you do that you will be much-better able to answer your own questions about what to do & how to do it.
If I had $$ to play with, & a nearly-new bike, I would either get a new rear wheel and go to radial tires ASAP, or, if you aren't going to spend the $ for that, make sure your tires aren't as hard as rocks, they very well could be the originals, and by age alone, are in need of replacement, if you want to ride safely.
After that, I would do the previously-mentioned fluid maintenance, install HH rated brake pads if you aren't going to upgrade the brake calipers (there are a number of ways to go there, used parts sourced from wherever you can find them will reward you with better function, use the technical section 'brakes' category; FYI, you can keep your stock master cyl & just replace the calipers, it will work just fine w/the commonly-available caliper replacements, such as FZR/YZF/R1, Hyabusa, & others). Stainless steel lines for the front brakes at a minimum (some also replace the clutch & rear brake lines, not really necessary if there are no issues w/the stock rubber lines)will make a big difference in brake feel at the lever.
Progressive Suspensions rear shocks (series 412, 418, & 440, take your pick, by order of >$) and front fork kits are popular, as are Cartridge Emulators and other brands of mods for the internals of the front fork. I would stay-away from shorter-than stock rear shocks unless you are a midget. Your cornering clearance will suffer, same advice for the front, sportbike front end swaps are expensive and unless you spend for some very expensive custom triple trees or longer fork downtubes, will also cost you corneering clearance. I don't think you will see much benefit from a different front fork brace, you would be better-off putting your $$ towards a fork internals kit like the springs & Fork Emulators or similar.
The Kerker 4/1 is a good performance exhaust, as are Mark's Performance Products in either 4/1 or 4/2; UFO makes some obscenely-loud exhausts which also provide great performance, and there are others. All these require re-jetting and other mods to your induction (pilot jets, filters, elimination of VBoost via simple tubing to replace the butterflies) to operate optimally. Dynojet Stage 7, and Morley's Muscle kits are what most member seem to use, there are other on the market. I have both the Kerker 4/1 and the UFO Dragstar 4/1. The Kerker costs you the use of your centerstand frame mounts, they must be removed. The UFO does not require the frame cutting. If you like the H-D modified exhaust loudness, go for the UFO! No one will want to ride on your right side...and you can make drivers wince and roll-up their windows while sounding like a cammed Chevy V8 idling at stoplights.
I have not installed an HID lighting kit, but I am looking at installing a different headlight.
ddmtuning.com offers a great kit for the stock bulb replacement if you want to go w/HID's. Better night vision is always a +! Their prices cannot be beat, and I think they still offer a lifetime warranty!
On the 'electrical' forum topic there are threads about modifying the wiring harness inexpensively to make the charging system work better, including a cost-effective replacement for your voltage rectifier, better batteries (Odyssey brand is popular, but $, or go to Morley's Muscle website about a cheap alteration to your battery holder allowing you to fit a much-bigger capacity Gold Wing battery), and other topics about alternatives to lighting, including turn signals and rear taillights. I have a Signal Dynamics rear license plate light frame, they have several different kinds including ones you can use as turn signals too. This I feel is a must for increasing your nighttime visibility especially in bad weather. I have them on both of my current bikes.
Honestly, I would leave the engine internals alone until you get used to the bike, especially after coming off a H-D! You have probably 50%+ more h.p. than the best-running stock H-D Big Twin. As they say, power is 'adequate!' If you want more, well, open your wallet! Use it stock for a season or two first. If not see the attachment.
Well, that's the best advice I can give, but I am only a rider and
not a mechanic. I do much of my own wrenching, but I am not making a living from it, there are many here who are, and you can chat w/them to get more-detailed advice on proposed paths of $-spending.
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