Grateful Dead ice cream eater and my bike

[Fire-medic]

I took this pic today, my favorite background. The shop it's on closed, bet the new tenant paints it over, a shame.

I finally have my bike where it seems to be running well. Now I can justify tearing it down & doing the cosmetics-the frame & brackets, and doing something w/the wheels. I have radials, still the biggest single improvement in my 20 years of ownership (see the pic below of when it was new! The one in-front of the open garage door, you can still see the dealer's temorary paper tag, it had probably 1700 miles on it there). After that, I'd say, 'undercut tranny.' Third would be, 'full Stage 7' (or, Morley's kit if I had bought carbs w/it already installed, like this deal). Of course, to get the most out of either carb setup you have to add something noisy, like my UFO Dragstar 4/1. The list goes on. Gannon's COP's. A Dyna 3000 I bought for the rev-limiter. Upgrade the pre-1993 front end to the newer 1993 & up one, and throw-in some FZR1000 four-pot brakes. I have Progressive Suspension springs to throw-in the front end, and RICOR's, when I get around to it. A Superbrace keeps the forks straight. For the rear, Progressive Suspension springs & dampers. I added a 7' round halogen headlamp w/a H-D (I know, I know!) lens & a BOSCH H4/9003 bulb, 55/60 watts. I am using a PCW extra-plate clutch kit & a heavy-duty PCW diaphragm spring. A fresh valve-job freshened-up the top end, and a rebuilt bottom-end should carry me for years after I spun a bearing during a dyno run. I have spare bodywork (complete set!) including a LED taillight from the ever-popular CBR Honda. Oh, and Russell stainless steel brake cables. And, a WOLO air horn I finished today (see the electrical posts). Also a Ballistic lithium-ion battery.

Now, the incentive to do all-this was coming to this forum, because the bike was laid-up for a long time, and when I decided to do something about it, I found this forum, began reading, and planning what I wanted to do. I bought a lot of parts through the VMax brotherhood. Thank-you :worthy: to all the members who relieved me of my spare cash in exchange for some great deals. It would have cost me a lot more, and then my wife would have been even madder!:confused2: Seriously, I am gonna get-around to doing the cosmetics, but I'm having so-much fun riding when I can that I don't want to stop for the month it probably will take me to tear it down & get everything back from the powdercoater's. :damn angry: You can see that some of the pics are from the 'sad-times' when something failed catastrophically, I have one 'lunched' engine to my 'credit,' if it can be considered that. Ride it, break it, fix it, repeat as-often as required.

Two local businesses cut me great deals on parts and service for the stuff I didn't or couldn't do myself, both in Dania Beach FL: Competition Cycle Center (zip 33004) and Under Pressure (zip 33312).
Again, thanks to everyone for the ideas, the parts, and the inspiration from seeing the great bikes members on-here produce. unk:

 

[The Beekeeper]

Great pics FM!!..........You and your Max have been through a lot together!!..........You say you have gotten a lot from this forum, I along with many others would say this is very true, the wealth of info and awsome people here are second to none!.......But I would also add that because of members like your self who post up usefull info and links, share personal experiences, carry a great attitude and are always willing to help, makes this the best V-Max site on the net!.........unk:.............Tom.

 

[DMAN999]

Great Post.
I'm glad to hear that you have it up and running properly.
And I agree, the wealth of information and parts available from members here is incredible.

 

[Vmaxnewfie]

Also a Ballistic lithium-ion battery.

How well does the battery fit? I hear they are smaller. Thinking about ordering one myself.

 

[DMAN999]

How well does the battery fit? I hear they are smaller. Thinking about ordering one myself.

You better read this first:
http://www.vmaxforum.net/showthread.php?t=28414

 

[Fire-medic]

I am OK w/the lithium-ion products, yes, they cost a premium, but you lose some significant weight and they have good reserve capacity. I alrady have a Shorai ordered thru my dealer to replace my Ballistic. Waiting on seeing what the Parts Unlimited sales rep will do for the warranty, which was supposed to be 3 years when I bought my two for my two bikes about a year-ago. The shop owner said, "no-one warranties terminals," but I am just gonna wait & see what happens. I know the sales rep, not that it will do anything for me, but if you don't ask, you don't get. The thing that impresses me about the Li-ion batteries is, you can leave them for months w/no maintenance and they still spin the starter like it's a lead-acid battery just-off the Battery-Tender.

When you pick-up one of these in your hands, you almost think it's hollow, that's how-light they are. Yes they are smaller by quite a bit than stock.

 

[Karmakatt]

What an amount of work.. Lots of $ and patience. Good example to a Noob like myself. I've heard those new Ballistic Batteries aren't so great.. Regardless, keep us informed ;-)
I dig The Dead and IceCream.. Like the cover of the 1972 Double Albumn..

 

[Fire-medic]

I met Jerry Garcia once at a concert in Miami nearly 40 years ago. it was June '74. I had a backstage pass & met him & shook his hand after the concert. It was after Ron McKernan ("Pigpen") died of alcoholism at age 27. He had been the 'frontman' for the band and when he died, the role fell to Jerry Garcia.

I bought my bike as a reward for my impending retirement. It was just a year old, at the Yamaha dealer's because the original owner was scared of it. He traded it in on a v twin. It had 1700 miles.

 

[Karmakatt]

Two cool stories.. RIP Gerry.. We have Kim Mitchell from Max Webster as a DJ for a local Rock Station. He spun some Dead and said he doesnt understand people's fascination with The Dead. I knew than and there, why he only puts out a hit every 20 years!!
The Dead always put me in a good mood!!

 

[Vmaxnewfie]

I am OK w/the lithium-ion products, yes, they cost a premium, but you lose some significant weight and they have good reserve capacity. I alrady have a Shorai ordered thru my dealer to replace my Ballistic. Waiting on seeing what the Parts Unlimited sales rep will do for the warranty, which was supposed to be 3 years when I bought my two for my two bikes about a year-ago. The shop owner said, "no-one warranties terminals," but I am just gonna wait & see what happens. I know the sales rep, not that it will do anything for me, but if you don't ask, you don't get. The thing that impresses me about the Li-ion batteries is, you can leave them for months w/no maintenance and they still spin the starter like it's a lead-acid battery just-off the Battery-Tender.

When you pick-up one of these in your hands, you almost think it's hollow, that's how-light they are. Yes they are smaller by quite a bit than stock.

Thanks Fire-medic. I was actually looking at the Shorai. I like the fact that they hold a good charge and spin the motor a little faster. It is generally a colder climate where I live. (had 10" of snow over the weekend:bang head

 

[DMAN999]

@ VMaxnewfie,
You can always grab one these SLA Batteries for about $42:
http://www.apexbattery.com/universal...ery-d5745.html
It has 13 more CCA than the Shorai (UB12180 - 283 vs Shorai - 270) but it does weigh about 9 lbs more.
I haven't seen anything about how long the Shorai last yet but the UB12180 has been in my Vmax for almost 6 years now and still hold's it's charge like a champ.
I put the trickle charger on it every few weeks over the winter but it always shows as fully charged, and while it's not as cold here as Newfoundland, it isn't exactly warm either.

The Odyssey PC680 ($145 or so) has the Following CCA:
680 cranking amps for 5 seconds
595 cranking amps for 10 seconds
525 cranking amps for 20 seconds
it might be a better choice for you if you are concerned with having the Highest CCA.
http://www.odysseybatteries.com/battery/pc680.htm

 

[Vmaxnewfie]

Thanks DMAN999. I checked the first link, they don't ship to Canada. I will check with the local dealers here. Sounds like another good option. Shipping cost is a factor for me in Newfoundland. Big reason why I'm looking at lithium ion.
BTW... Fire-medic, I love what you've done with your bike. Very nice!

 

[m-cman]

I think I heard the Shorai doesn't like cold weather. Might do a little research on that since you are definitely in cold weather territory... :biglaugh:

 

[Fire-medic]

Long-term ownership has shown me some tough-love in the form of failed parts, and I don't do standing-start burnouts, drag-race it, or speed-shift. I have no qualms about cycling into the VBoost pretty-much every time I ride. When I see someone on here say, "well, I bought one of these because of its reputation, and the other day, I tried VBoost, and I'm not-impressed," I feel sorry they got a restricted model like they get in some countries, like the U.K., or that their spark plug leads fell-off. That's kinda-like saying, "yeah, I dated Sandra Bullock, but what's the thrill?" I guess those people ride turbo/nitrous Hyabusas and ZX-14's (shots of 'Busas below from Under Pressure, Dania Beach FL 33312), and have Kate Upton on their speed-dial.

Me? I'm tickled-pink right-now to have the use of my bike again, and I think I finally have the mechanicals down, until the next part failure. Ride-it, break-it, fix-it (repeat as-needed).

Here are some other shots of stuff which could go wrong on the bike. I hope you avoid these. Especially the last one, I hate it when someone pulls-mine!

However, if either one of these wants to "pull-mine," ...:biglaugh:

 

[DMAN999]

I think I heard the Shorai doesn't like cold weather. Might do a little research on that since you are definitely in cold weather territory... :biglaugh:

I just read this:

For use in Snowmobiles the fact is that all Lithium Batteries have what is called “Cold Lag”… When lithium is extremely cold it will suffer from initially sluggish performance until it is warmed up. The battery self warms with short start attempts by discharging amperage which cause it to self-warm and soon get it’s full power back, but it must be pointed out that Snowmobiles are often ridden in these extreme temperatures and must consider this Cold Lag issue. We recommend a minimum of 1 to 2 sizes larger for use in Watercraft of Snowmobiles, but please contact us for more information in determining what will work best for you.

From here:
http://antigravitybatteries.com/?page_id=510

 

[Vmaxnewfie]

I just read this:

I read earlier that if you turn the key "on" (headlight on) for 30 seconds, it will warm the battery enough in temps as low as 20F. Considering that, I don't think this battery would cause any real trouble. That's f@#king cold on a street bike.

 

[DMAN999]

I have to say though this doesn't look very encouraging:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mmU7pNvrKk
I don't think 2-3 Very Hard Start attempts could be good for your Bike.

And from the Ballistic FAQ:

If you operate your vehicle in temps lower than 32deg;F (0deg;C) we do not recommend our batteries.
You would best served with a traditional deep cycle lead-acid battery.

http://www.ballisticparts.com/tech/faq.php#11

 

[Vmaxnewfie]

I have to say though this doesn't look very encouraging:

Wow. Good demo for cold weather starts. Dennis, you are really looking out for me... Thanks!:worthy: Another great example of why this is such a good forum.
I'll have to check the shipping cost of the Odyssey PC680. Looks like it will be a better battery for my climate. Maybe my local dealer can order one from Parts Canada.

 

[DMAN999]

^There are quite a few Vmax Riders in Ontario, some of them may be able to tell you where to get an Odyssey PC680 in Canada.
And I know a lot of guys on this forum have used the PC680 and Love it.
If I were you, I'd open a thread in here and ask:
http://www.vmaxforum.net/forumdisplay.php?f=53

OR just use this Canada Odyssey Battery Supplier Locator:
http://www.odysseybattery.ca/locator/index.php?tab=CA

 

[Fire-medic]

I have the SE USA Odyssey distributor about 4 mi. from my home. Just south of FT. Lauderdale Airport & north of Old Griffin Rd.

And here's a shot of my new noisemaker from Jon Cornell, made for me, ordered before Daytona, picked-up today.:biglaugh:unk::clapping:

I have a couple other items I was told are waiting for me at two different shops. And, my brother in San Francisco said he just put into the mail two packages for me. Bike stuff. And, two more besides, not yet ready for shipment.

On a much-more sad note, you may recall I liked to take pics of my bike in-front of a mural on vacant building, and that w/the former long-term tenant out, I feared for the longevity of the Grateful Dead inspired artwork. Well, fittingly, I came that way tonight coming back from showing my shop friends my new megaphone, and sure-enough, someone has desecrated the artwork w/a coat of Kilz! Too-bad, the picture was a bright spot on a very mundane commercial strip.