Big City Whoas....RatMax no Likey

[DenniSM]

I had a good time in NYC this weekend. I rode 130 miles each way on the poor RatMAx. The longest single trip its done since I got it last fall. I have put over 5000 miles on it in the winter. I ride it almost every day, just not that far away.
This was its first trip to a big city and its first time in trafiic. A friend and I rode from 48th street to China town where the Rat just dropped dead. It was running real hot and had enough and died. It would not crank and I thought for sure it was done/seized. It was a little after midnight. And I might have had a drink or 2 in me. So I did the only thing I could think of. I took off the plate and walked away with no plans of returning to it. But we ended up singing Karioki in a bar in China town until 4 am right around the corner from the bike. And we were the only non asian people in the bar. It was very crazy. After we wore out our welcome we tried walking back to the hotel but passed the poor Rat. I had to give it a try. Even if I was maybe a little too drunk to ride it. And my friend had no urge to get back on it after the ride down. But the old Rat started and ran fine. So off we road in search of the Hotel. We made it back and the bike was almost as hot when we got to the hotel. But it got us home for the night.
The next day I tried to get to the radiator cover to check the fluids, but I could not with the factory tool kit. No 8mm sock. So I rode to the show and figured I would work it out there. No tools there either. And I had to work. (Side note-Awake now for 24 hours after sleeping 3 hours from the adventure of the night before. Its not VMax related, so I will keep this one to myself. I need to protect the inocent). We will try to find a Sears if it runs hot on the open road once we leave the show.
The weather coming from the West was not nice to say the least. So we left NYC at noon to head straight into the storm headingback to PA. At noon ithe storm was in State College. We firgured we could beat it back. But we came out of the tunnel and it was pouring. Not the big storm, but rain never the less. It rained hard and not stop all the way back to PA. And the RatMax was not happy again. It rain like normal temp wise. I was happy to see the cooling system work semi normally on teh open road again. I felt like I would make it home. And that was a good thing.
But then the rain turned to fog. The temps just over freezing. And the Rat started to miss. It was pouring and missing. At one point it might have been down to one cylinder. I got to the PA toll on 80 and slowed down to use the ezpass and bike stalled. But started right up, but the oil light was on. I assumed it was because fo the quick on off. So I pulled over to wait for a friend who had to pull out cash and checked the bike out. Oil was fine and it was still pouring and the temp was up to 35 degrees. All was ok. I turned the key on and the bike turned on.No starter button. Just came on. That was strange. Sometimes my bike makes a single pop noise when I turn the key on. Like a single fire of a single cylinder. Strange. But this was very weird. My friend came over and I turned off the key. I told him the story and he said I was nuts. He turned the key and again the bike started without the starter button. He was shocked. We tried a thrid time and it was back to normal. The oil light was out and we began to ride the rest of the way.

Now here are my questions.

1- Does anyone else have a max that runs extra shitty in the rain?
2- How does you bike like city trafiic? Flushing and checking my antifreeze this week just in case. Or at least topping it off if its just low.
3-Other then demonic possesion, whats the deal with my VMax self starting?

On a side note. I was never cold on this whole trip. I bought a new suit from http://www.britishmotorcyclegear.com/challenger-jacket.asp . I was never cold and no water got inside. Except for my gloves eventually soaking thru in the forth hour, I was fine. I strongly recommend this jacket. I am a fat guy it it fit perfectly. Loads of adjustments to make it fit almost anyone.

 

[EvilD]

mine runs like shit in the rain, better after i changed to COPs but still shitty.

 

[one2dmax]

Pretty much they all run like crap in the rain.

Sean

 

[gamorg02]

really? i didn't have too much of a problem with mine. i did about 250 miles in the pouring rain in september.

 

[CaptainKyle]

I have never had a problem with mine in the rain either & I am talking hard rain.

 

[DenniSM]

This was Wrath of God type rain. I did not blame the bike for having its issues with it. I ran good for a few hours in it before it got bad.
I just came in from checking the radiator fluid. It was full in the radiator, but empty in the overflow. I guess 2 guys (weighing 500 lbs combined on it is a bit much for it in traffic. 60 blocks of stop and go.

 

[Nobody]

This was Wrath of God type rain. I did not blame the bike for having its issues with it. I ran good for a few hours in it before it got bad.
I just came in from checking the radiator fluid. It was full in the radiator, but empty in the overflow. I guess 2 500 lbs on it is a bit much for it in traffic. 60 blocks of stop and go.

So let me get this straight. You had two 500 lb. guys on this bike at once??:ummm:

 

[Frosty72]

That's not possable

 

[[email protected]]

so let me get this straight. You had two 500 lb. Guys on this bike at once??:ummm:

lol.

 

[DenniSM]

That is a mistake. I corrected it....

 

[GREEN light BLITZ]

My Max LOVES the rain.It runs nice and cool and full of piss and vinegar.

Got honked at and waved at by on-lookers for doing a 3 gear long,up to 70somthin mile an hour fish tail (more like 3 fish tails because it straitens out when you pull the clutch in then goes side ways when you dump it again) up the main road from my place on the way to work.Last time it rained.

Not sure if I can still do it with my new tire but that old Bridestone broke lose if you even said water.

NO V-MAX likes traffic,V4's all suffer from it. I live is Southern California and the summers get HOT.You learn to change coolant regualarly and top off,maybe try water wetter,over-ride swiitches on the fan are very common,maybe a lower temp sending unit for your fan.
Personally I put a 10in radiator fan on the front of my radiator to combat the heat...Now I hit the switch on that bad boy and the temp guage goes to that little dot on the temp guage and sits there happily.

 

[kaboom]

My Max runs fine in the rain:confused2:

 

[KJShover]

My Max runs fine in the rain:confused2:

+1

No rain issues here. wait, there's one. Going over the painted lines in the road while its raining is instant traction lost.

 

[1967vmax]

He may have cracked coils.

 

[trentsee]

No probs in the rain and when it rains here it RAINS!!!

 

[Lordofwyr]

My 99 still runs like a raped ape no matter how hard it rains. Go figure.

 

[RaWarrior]

No problems for me in the rain. If it starts missing or dropping cylinders it is most definitely not "normal" and you should look into it. Plug wires would be a good place to start. Old, cracked, brittle coils that let moisture in and then essentially trap it there. While I don't particularly like riding in the rain, my Max's temp will often drop to just above the bottom "normal" line with all the road mist going through the rad.

As for traffic....got that one figured out too. Two things- aluminum rad fan and override switch, the actual cooling system hasn't been touched. Whenever I get into traffic I hit the override switch. The temp will never, ever rise past half way on the gauge. Not even in stop-n-go traffic at 90 degrees. The p/o of the bike said he initially put the override switch on, but the temp would still almost hit the red in traffic. The aluminum fan blade made a tremendous difference. On the highway it might reach half way, if it's hot out and I'm running it hard, it's usually more like 1/3 of the way. One time I kept the fan off until the temp was near the red, then switched it on. Within a couple minutes it fell back to about half, still in traffic. Can't beat that for efficiency.

As for the magic starting, that's a tough one. I know that when you turn the key on all 4 plugs spark once, a test or something I guess. If you're riding, turn the key off and then back on, it's almost guaranteed to backfire/ping on one cylinder. Maybe carbs leaking fuel into the a cylinder on the intake stroke, you turn the key, it sparks and kicks the motor over enough to start? Or it could be possessed, there's that option to. Certainly not unheard of.

My V4 Magna ran hot. It kicked the fan on right before it's temp gauge hit the red and it would never go any higher, but on hot days even on the highway the needle would stay right at the edge of the red zone. Maybe a switch and metal fan would have helped that too, but from what I read "they all are like that", and as long as it never goes into the red not to pay much attention.

 

[Dr.n2o]

The airbox is a big help in the rain. I have 4 K&N's so it'l get a little choppy on me after a while. Wet road, no prob. Like Blitz said...the stare you get after kickin gears fishtailin' for about 1000 ft. is priceless unk:

 

[vmaximum]

So let me get this straight. You had two 500 lb. guys on this bike at once??:ummm:

so let me get this straight. You had two Guys on this bike at once?? now why would you leave your self open for that one?:ummm:

 

[Maximum]

The two big boys on the (poor) cycles are wrestlers. They were here in Toledo years ago, and they were interviewed on TV. The news guy asked how they got so big, and one said it was a glandular problem. Then the reporter asked what an average breakfast was like, and one said he had the same thing every morning--a dozen eggs, a pound of bacon and a loaf of toast. I thought, yeah, glandular alright. Salivary glands. LOL.