2001 vmax

[mgosset1]

Finally getting the original tires off the vmax in the morning...i looked at the front tire and it dated to 2001 and the back dated to 2002.....old tires have plenty of tread and look like new; just don't trust the age of them....bike is very low milage and sat up in a boat storage house for 8 years...lol...the back tire has zero grip; assume that the rubber has hardened thru the years, it don't corner worth a damn.....Putting some Bridgestone tires on it and going with stock tire size.....heard it handles better with the same size....shop had to order the tires for it....kinda oddball size for vmax's.....i don't need a big back tire on it....

 

[Fire-medic]

I think you are gonna be happy w/the stock rubber, you can get different sizes and ratings but if you try the Bridgestones, I think you will like them. They aren't the grippiest, they are OK, but they should give you decent handling and life, especially if you aren't a roadburner like GhostRider (Nicholas Cage version, not the crazy guy on the internet taunting the European cops).

 

[mgosset1]

Man i am nearly 58, my roadburning days are over...trust me i had my day....been real fortunate or maybe just a damn good guardian angel all these years...if i would have had a bike this fast when i was young and dumb, i am not sure that angel would have stayed with me...lol...I go all the way back to the Kawa 750 triple two strokes....
I always shut the max down around 70 but enjoy getting there quick like...love the power on this bike....I am still waiting for a crotch rocket kid around here to take me on...Here in Dallas its cop city; makes it hard to run the bike like it was built for....plus if i ever did drop it, it would be like humpty dumpty.....don't need that....I think the 130 mph rated Bridgestones will do the trick for me....the older you get the more scared you get of these bikes...

 

[Fire-medic]

You should try the ones rated for the bike's performance. Around here, most shops won't mount a tire rated well-below the performance capability of the bike's top end. I just got Bridgestone Exedra G525-front & G526-rear. $229 mounted & balanced, I brought the wheels off the bike.

I had a Kawi 500-H1, a '71, it was about 4 y.o. when I got it; when you turned on the bike, you heard a high-pitched note from the transistorized ignition, until the engine started, and then all you heard was the two-stroke din the H-D boys "loved" and learned to hate.

Being a bit older than you, I still enjoy a good thrash, but am not interested in seeing if it really can do 149 mph. Bags o'torque means most capable bikes really have to work hard to stay abreast up to 100. After that, the aerodynamics of the cruiser and the higher redline on the literbikes cost you.

Just wondering, have you ever flushed your clutch and f&r brakes, completely? You probably would be surprised at what a set of 'HH' pads and a flush will do to your brake feel and function. It's a natural given the new rubber.

 

[mgosset1]

i did the clutch but have not messed with the brakes...going to do the pads next....they feel ok but you never know....done radiator flush and most everything else....this bike is in very good condition....but all stock....gonna change over to drag bars soon...hate the stock bars....this bike i have is showroom clean....people freak out when i tell them how old it is...lol....

 

[mivmx]

Sound like a perfect opportunity for a great burnout......unk:

 

[PDWeyand]

Well you could have changed the rear tire size a little and you would not have seen much change. I can not tell you that one tire is better over another. I was wondering about the size change and how much of a change would it make. http://www.vmaxforum.net/showthread.php?p=234027#post234027
As you can see there is not much change in the over all size. Now if there could be a handling change or not, I would not know. :ummm:

 

[mgosset1]

fire-medic i bought the same tires....you got and cost me a little more out the door...but i had pads put on the back and a few other items.....also took the bike to them.....happy with the tires....

 

[IrocZ]

My 2003 had the original tire on the front and a new rear when I bought it this summer. It never cornered very well but didn't put to much thought into it until I replaced the tires a week ago. Wow, what a difference. Must have been the front tire? I have been told before an old tire can effect handling, but never thought it would make a night and day difference like I have noticed. It corners 1000X better and doesn't want to "follow" grooves and cracks in the road anymore. I went with Metzler 880's.

 

[BikeShack]

Bridgestones are great tires for the G1. The stock sizes is a smart call. I had wider Kossman's wheels on my G1 and the handling was not as crispy as the original size wheels. Although some folks have reported that the CH3s http://www.dymag.com/?q=products work really well for the G1 Max.

Cheers,
Amaury

Finally getting the original tires off the vmax in the morning...i looked at the front tire and it dated to 2001 and the back dated to 2002.....old tires have plenty of tread and look like new; just don't trust the age of them....bike is very low milage and sat up in a boat storage house for 8 years...lol...the back tire has zero grip; assume that the rubber has hardened thru the years, it don't corner worth a damn.....Putting some Bridgestone tires on it and going with stock tire size.....heard it handles better with the same size....shop had to order the tires for it....kinda oddball size for vmax's.....i don't need a big back tire on it....