1st Gen V-Max 2007 Vmax - Vancouver, BC

[StanVM2007]

VMax Year

2007

I think it's time to add mine to the register. Like title says, mine is living in Vancouver, Canada.

I like the stock look, so any upgrades I've done are for improved riding only. I like riding aggressively, but they are quite bad consequences here for speeding, so I have to watch out and ride it mostly like a cruiser. Plus, living in a city, traffic here is getting worse almost by the hour. It's also basically one big construction site, impossible to leave. So I'm stuck here most of the time.

There isn't much I'd like to add to my Vmax. The welded frame brace, fancier seat cover and make the seat more comfortable reshaping and adding gel pads, steering damper mostly to help when stuck in traffic and long trips. My fingers are giving me trouble so I will still need to address the front brakes, and that would be the rotors and possibly master cylinder. I need easier operation as my fingers get painful ad stiff with a passenger on even short trips. And yeah, will need to add highway pegs, lol
0ther than that, just basic maintenance and already had to fix the famous starter clutch. Right now I just painted new rear exhaust downpipes, as one rusted through and after patching it with JB Weld it smells when sitting on idle. So, the next thing on the agenda is to remove the old ones and replace with new.

Cheers!
Stan

 

[VMAXer]

Very fine looking. How many miles have you ridden it?

 

[StanVM2007]

Thanks. I used to ride V4 Magnas and got to try a Vmax around 1995 maybe. Always wanted one since I saw and heard one in 1985. This machine I got in 2016, when I got back on motorcycles, and did about 22k km so far. It has just 48k on the odometer right now. I have other bikes, so they get their share of miles. But Vmax is my favorite for the city and short trips around (all my bikes are heavy). While it's easy to quickly put miles on empty highways, in and out of traffic on busy roads seem like a constant race and requiring attention. The situation always changes and the bad drivers challenge you constantly, lots of throttle work, brakes and twists. So, in this was is very stimulating. The downside is - it gets old and makes you tired. Actually, at my age I am sick of it and want the free and empty roads ahead of me instead.

Cheers!
Stan

 

[Fire-medic]

at my age I am sick of it and want the free and empty roads ahead of me instead.

Sounds like you have arthritis. How old are you? It looks like you already have air-cell handgrips, I was going to suggest them.

About the traffic, that's one of the downsides of living in a well-populated area. It seems whether on 2 or 4 wheels, I see aggressive drivers every time I'm driving/riding. I cannot understand why so-many riders here aren't wearing helmets, given the way things are, lots of traffic usually, and too-many people texting, or talking and driving.

 

[StanVM2007]

Yes, I had x-rays done and I have some arthritic changes in the two fingers and thumb base joints. I also had trigger finger and got injection done, and now index finger is giving me weird tendon issues. I'll be 60 in December, but I think my problems come from not age but partially maybe from not having a car and riding motorcycles exclusively. As you can imagine, during even a 10 mile trip trying to get out of town and back you'd use clutch and brake more than on a 100 mile trip around countryside. And with a passenger, the strain gets even worse. 0n top of that, I had a heavy repetitive use of my hand at the construction job stint I did recently - something I am not used to. Plus, to almost fully paint the picture, I don't have an equipped garage, so I have been doing lots, and I really men lots, of cleaning, rust removing, polishing etc. by hand, applying pressure on my poor fingers. Also, the recent elbow and shoulder surgery, the inactivity after this, had a very bad effect on my hand. I'm not going to quit though! Just have to find ways to deal with all this.

Here, where I live, there is a constant flood of newcomers who easily pass exams and then bring their bad habits, and inabilities, from their countries on the roads. Basically, many bad drivers. Which creates many angry drivers. Add to that the recent generation who grew up with cellphones by their side and can't live without them (I am generalizing of course). Then the unpredictable cabbies who drive as if still back in their old hometown (I travelled a lot so I've been to many of them). Place all of that in Vancouver, where the infrastructure fits traffic of the 1980's not 2020's, plus the obsession with building condominiums and office buildings everywhere, endless construction sites but no road repairs, and you get the picture. There is a solution to this though - to move out! Haha Which unfortunately is easier said than done.

 

[Tbailey538]

Nice looking bike! What tires / size do you have on it? The bike I recently picked up have the absolute biggest tires I think you can shove on here and I am looking to swap them. your tires look killer size wise so figured I would ask!

 

[StanVM2007]

Thank you! I used to have 170 when riding on stock rear wheel. I used Shinko. Since buying MaxDaddy 18-5.5" custom wheel, I use radials. Back: Avon AV72 Cobra Rear Tire Blackwall 180/55ZR18 74W and Avon AV65 Storm 3D X-M Front Tire 110/80ZR18. This is the maximum width the stock could take. The edge of the tire is almost touching the swing arm, and actually under load it was touching the rear brake stay, so I had to notch it just a little. To be absolutely honest, I wouldn't want a wider tire. 180 is on the wider side but still relatively slim, after getting used to riding on a wider radial I think this size offers a good balanse.

What else. I installed rear Progressive 444 shocks and Ricor intiminators in the front forks. That improved handling greatly. And handlebar risers, as I like sitting on the bike upright. I am still keeping stock springs in the front, but will switch to stiffer ones. I was advised to use 0.95 kg/mm for an around 160 - 180 lbs rider. I am about 230 but will be loosing that, and after a lot of thinking and experiencing riding with stock now, which are 0.382 kg/mm I was told, I think eventually I will get 95 or even 85 kg/mm springs.

 

[jpeterguerra]

I think it's time to add mine to the register. Like title says, mine is living in Vancouver, Canada.

I like the stock look, so any upgrades I've done are for improved riding only. I like riding aggressively, but they are quite bad consequences here for speeding, so I have to watch out and ride it mostly like a cruiser. Plus, living in a city, traffic here is getting worse almost by the hour. It's also basically one big construction site, impossible to leave. So I'm stuck here most of the time.

There isn't much I'd like to add to my Vmax. The welded frame brace, fancier seat cover and make the seat more comfortable reshaping and adding gel pads, steering damper mostly to help when stuck in traffic and long trips. My fingers are giving me trouble so I will still need to address the front brakes, and that would be the rotors and possibly master cylinder. I need easier operation as my fingers get painful ad stiff with a passenger on even short trips. And yeah, will need to add highway pegs, lol
0ther than that, just basic maintenance and already had to fix the famous starter clutch. Right now I just painted new rear exhaust downpipes, as one rusted through and after patching it with JB Weld it smells when sitting on idle. So, the next thing on the agenda is to remove the old ones and replace with new.

Cheers!
Stan




View attachment 88236

Hi there. I am in Toronto on a 2007 Vmax. What back rest is on your Vmax? I would like to get one. Did you have to do any modifications? thanking you in advance.... Peter Guerra

 

[StanVM2007]

Hi there. I am in Toronto on a 2007 Vmax. What back rest is on your Vmax? I would like to get one. Did you have to do any modifications? thanking you in advance.... Peter Guerra

Hi Peter.

The bike came with it and all is Yamaha stock. I'd say the best way to find one is ask here or on the Vmax facebook forums. Besides the practical aspect when riding with a passenger, I think it complements the bike in shape and form. I love how the bike looks with it.

 

[jpeterguerra]

Hi Peter.

The bike came with it and all is Yamaha stock. I'd say the best way to find one is ask here or on the Vmax facebook forums. Besides the practical aspect when riding with a passenger, I think it complements the bike in shape and form. I love how the bike looks with it.

Thank you for replying.

 

[Davelaf]

Thank you! I used to have 170 when riding on stock rear wheel. I used Shinko. Since buying MaxDaddy 18-5.5" custom wheel, I use radials. Back: Avon AV72 Cobra Rear Tire Blackwall 180/55ZR18 74W and Avon AV65 Storm 3D X-M Front Tire 110/80ZR18. This is the maximum width the stock could take. The edge of the tire is almost touching the swing arm, and actually under load it was touching the rear brake stay, so I had to notch it just a little. To be absolutely honest, I wouldn't want a wider tire. 180 is on the wider side but still relatively slim, after getting used to riding on a wider radial I think this size offers a good balanse.

What else. I installed rear Progressive 444 shocks and Ricor intiminators in the front forks. That improved handling greatly. And handlebar risers, as I like sitting on the bike upright. I am still keeping stock springs in the front, but will switch to stiffer ones. I was advised to use 0.95 kg/mm for an around 160 - 180 lbs rider. I am about 230 but will be loosing that, and after a lot of thinking and experiencing riding with stock now, which are 0.382 kg/mm I was told, I think eventually I will get 95 or even 85 kg/mm springs.

So, did you get down to 160-180? You seemed pretty confident.