Assistance Required! Buying 2001 Vmax

[axepsy]

Hello Everyone,

I am new to the Forum and wanted to ask all of you for some assistance. I am buying a Vmax possibly in the next few days. I have found a few locally here in Vancouver BC and am making my rounds to check them out.

i saw an 01 carbon grey paint, about 28000 Kms on the dial, second owner asking $5000 cash. Here are my observations.

- the bike was stored for the winter, and was a little dusty. It was very clear that it had some white corrosion stains on the chrome parts of the engine. Is there any way to get these off and should this be a concern?

- the owner said that the show room recommended work on the fork seals as they were getting soft. This is about a $400 job.

- the clutch plate cover (or at least thats what i think it is) has a crack on it. there is no oil leak but a crack is clearly visible. This the round engine case near the rear brake peddle. should i be worried about this, is this expensive to replace? the bike doesn't show signs of being dropped. I wonder how this happened because it would take a serious impact to crack that part. the owner says he doesn't know, says it might have been when the bike was serviced last. Pic attached.

- there was oil residue on the seal between the head and the bore. is this normal. I owned an enfield back in the day and this was normal on that, is the max known for having oil near the seals if not regularly cleaned?

- other small things like it needs new handle grips, tune up etc.

- the owner recommended that i speak with the local dealership to know more about the bike (i took this as a good sign) I intend to do this during the week as they are closed today.

The owner was pretty straight forward about the repair costs and seemed like a good guy. Considering these facts and the pictures attached please let me know what you guys think? Should go ahead with the purchase.

 

[MR_NST]

im in saskatchewan and ill be the first to say welcome, but secondly... for some reason canadian prices command more than the states... $5000 cdn for an 01 with almost 30000 kms seems abit high even for here... A close friend picked up an 04 with 14000 kms for 5 gs and it seemed a fair price.

Contact sean morley (one2dmax) for any questions on parts. he is the most knowledgable with vmaxes as its his day job. he would be able to sell you a used cover im sure... Everyone on here will be of great help to ya!!!

it seems over all that by the pics the bike looks to be a good mid miled stocker with a couple chrome parts added.

were/ have the valves been adjusted. every 25000 kms its a service item.

my advice, if hes willing to drop 500 or so, buy it, but if not id keep looking. its a decent bike, not much goes wrong with them but the price seems a bit high.

peace,
evan

 

[Fire-medic]

Maybe $5K is good in Canada, not here, I say $4K to start. You can fix the seals yourself probably for <$50 for o.e.m. seals & some fork oil. Sean Morley has a video about it. He also has the seals, and you can call him if you get stuck. For the price the dealer is supposed to be charging, you could ship the forks to Sean and have him fix them & still save $! The head/cyl leak is something to consider, because that would likely be costly to repair at the dealer. The side cover, if it isn't leaking can be replaced for the cost of the disc, which is expensive, relatively-speaking, and a side cover gasket, it is secured w/2 bolts. Figure new tires, ~$300 mounted, maybe brake pads, a new battery, and fluid changes: brakes, oil, coolant, rear shaft drive; which could cost altogether the $1K difference between what you could offer and what he's asking. If it was absolutely perfect, and had 10-12K mi then maybe the $5K asking price would be warranted.

To get the idea of what the factory flat-rate is for the cyl. head leak, if that's what it is, call a Yamaha shop and ask them for a quote, I bet their price for that is going to be $800+.

So, don't get fixated on one bike there are others. Offer $4K and leave your contact # and head for the door. If he doesn't sell in a couple of weeks (still seen on C.L.?) you may be getting a call, or you can call him again.

Look at the sticky threads here under the various sections, plenty of help to do what needs be done.

 

[[email protected]]

Agreed, seems expensive and it needs work to boot. Maybe go to the dealer he is speaking of and have them work up a price to fix all the issues and tell the seller you will pay him 5K minus the cost of the estimate. Then, do the work yourself.

 

[naughtyG]

I just bought a '00 for USD 4k, with slightly fewer miles but no issues at all.

I'm quite worried about that crack in the clutch housing - something must've hit it real hard, and no, vmax's are not known for leaky head gaskets.

Other than that the bike looks pretty good. You need to run it hard in the first 3 or 4 gears - if it jumps out of gear (esp. in second) you've got a no good bike.

As it is, do talk to the local stealers about service history, then if you want this bike offer the price less the fork seals job and clutch cover replacement. Bear in mind you'll want tires too - those dunlops are like soap - and a seat upgrade as the OEM is like a piece of wood.

You *can* do fork seals yourself if you like getting your hands dirty, but use the stealers repair price for bargaining.

 

[Fire-medic]

I like mabdcmb's idea of bargaining room, it would probably move the offered price more than $1000 down!

 

[gamorg02]

I'm quite worried about that crack in the clutch housing - something must've hit it real hard, and no, vmax's are not known for leaky head gaskets.

head gaskets => no. valve cover gaskets => yes.

they crack and weap a bit of oil. not cheap either at $30 a pop and its a pretty long job. if you're going to do it might as well check the valves.

 

[axepsy]

I love this Forum. Thank you guys for your responses, its very reassuring to get your support in making an informed decision :th_image003:

I found another 04 Vmax. Its had a fall but the bikes has been repaired and the bike looks good. The owner has air shifters on it, holeshot exhaust system and K&N air. He is asking for a flat 5k in cash.

I didn't get to test ride it but the air shifters trouble me as they say that the bike has been used for Drags, I could be wrong. The bike also has a new speedo so i am a little worried about the true mileage. The owner claim that the bike has dont about 12500 Kilometers (about 8K miles).

the bike looks clean except for the scrape on the left fork head where the bolt goes and a small dent on the tank. Other than this the bike is good to go, no leaks and I like it but then again I am itching to own my very first Vmax so I share my decision making capabilities with you.

The sound on this thing is killer. Every Max I am coming across has a hidden story it seems. What do you guys think about this one?

 

[Rhoy Carter]

Keep looking and you will find one that is a good bike for you, take your time and dont get rushed.

 

[warp1]

Check out the one Sean is listing on ebay....fly down and drive it home I already have one and still keep thinking about it....lol

 

[Fire-medic]

"...air shifters trouble me as they say that the bike has been used for Drags... ."
Ya got that right! Pass!

On to the next one.

The first one wouldn't be bad if it was for sale somewhere in the $4K range. Five thousand for one w/issues is not a 'good deal.' As mentioned, a valve cover gasket='no big deal,' but a head gasket will require more $ to fix and mechanical aptitude to do it. Also, why did it leak? Was the engine overheated? If everything was fixed, $5K might be reasonable, but it isn't a 'deal.'

It may be that the Canada prices just run higher. Here in FL there are plenty of used decent-looking VMaxes for < what you are telling us-$5K. Captain Kyle just sold a nice one he had gone through for somewhere around $3K, a bit older, but the same mileage as the first one you mentioned.

Tank your time, as has been mentioned. You will find one that works well for you at a price that is fair.

 

[PDWeyand]

Check out the one Sean is listing on ebay....fly down and drive it home I already have one and still keep thinking about it....lol

For the money and knowing that is bike is 100% right. If you really want a real deal for your money I would look at this bike. Sean is a V-Max god, he knows this machine backwards and forwards, if I could swing it I would would be buying the bike. Here is the link to ebay if you want to know more about it. SEAN MORLEY'S V-MAX I am betting it is worth everything he is asking and more.