Harleys makes you a tough guy...really?

[woodsman30]

Thanks RAWARRIOR. Well I got the 85 Max,..paid $4200. Has 28,000 kilometers. Needs brake pads,front fork seals and battery. I took the cabs off and cleaned the silt and dirt out of them. " easy enough to do" Runs farley well, but Im taking it to my buddy to get the cabs synced and set.He is a journeyman certified Yamaha mechanic. He's great with all things Yamaha.SOOOO,..what do I think of the Vmax.......It handles great.Turns well.seems to be nicley balancedm, smooth suspension.Very nice "fit and finish" Very easy to work on. Comfortable riding position. Switch to reserve tank on the go.."I already had to do that"No vibration on the highway.

Things I dont like.......When shifting at high rpm, there is a little bit of a gear click when I shift. Is this normal. My buddies XS 1100 did the same thing ,and was really bad shifting into 2nd. I dont like all this talk about "THE DEATH WOBBLE" Why make a bke capable of 150 mph and stick it in a frame that cant do over what a Harley Sportster can do. Some one really droped the ball here! The company is well aware of this wobble,..yet has done nothing about it in all these years of production ? Not liking this. I bought this bike because it was suppose to be all "this and that" I will garuntee you,..if this this bike wobbles any where near 100mph...its gone! Not very impressive low end tourge,..."a Harley thing"
Sold my sportster to my friend EDDY. He really likes it. Any way,..we took the bikes to the highway to day ,just to compare them " a fun race" I won!! But he smoked me till 50mph ! So we came back to town and did some zooming around. From light to light, he was stomping me "ARRRG" Those big bore kits and screamin eagle parts sure bring a sporty to life.
....Well I guess one bike cant be all things. I am not planing going back to Harley,.....if the max doesnt work out,..I think I'll get a Yamaha Raider. I was very impressed with it.

just practice you launch and a Harley will never take you from light to light. I love to chew up Harley s whenever I get the chanceunk::rofl_200:

 

[hederstedt]

I have been riding both Harleys and different Jap bikes. "custom" to racebikes. There are ******** in every camp. I always wave everybody, nomatter what I?m driving. Many Jap-drivers did not wave back when I had my harley running, when I?m on my max, many harley riders dont wave back.
Well, **** em all - I wont stop beeing happy and wave everybody.

 

[06VMAXIMUS]

Years ago a young kid I worked with rode his new Harley to work. We all went out at lunch break to have a look at his new purchase. Being cordial, I told him his bike looked nice and congratulated him on his new purchase. He replied to me "Its not a bike, its a LIFESTYLE". I laughed at him and walked away.

 

[MtnMax/Magniac]

A "lifestyle" is just what Harley does sell these days. Everything is all about image, Hats, boots, shirts, jackets, bumper stickers, window signs, it all screams "Look at me!"
They make LOTS more money selling all that crap than they do selling motorcycles.

 

[m-cman]

When Harley mania was at its highest in the 90's, they actually opened "Boutiques" in regular shopping malls. Just selling clothing, etc. That said, the quality of the clothing was top notch. Haven't looked in years so don't know if that still applies.

I am a "Life Member" of HOG but stopped participating in the mid 90's and sold my 91 Sturgis in 98. Got to be too much about "Rubbies" instead of real motorcycle enthusiasts. Had my Sturgis for 8.5 years with no problems. Only to the dealer once for a carb recall. Was overflowing due to float design problem. Was replaced under warranty. (Was a Jap carb! Mikuni I believe.) Sold it to the Austin, TX HD dealer for $2300 more than I paid for it new. Only think I ever sold for a profit and it was over 8 years old!!! Almost perfect condition though as I am very anal about my bikes.

 

[RaWarrior]

That's the one upswing of a HD...they hold money better than a safe. Many times people sell their used HD for nearly (or as cman said, more) than what they originally paid.

There's no way a HD should be taking your Max off launches. I've taken 1200's and even the 96" bikes off the line like candy from a baby, and that's even with me doing a burnout through third gear. Imagine if I actually hooked up. Either your bike isn't running 100%, or you just need to brush up on your launch. There's a thread somewhere on "how to launch the vmax" that has a lot of good tips.

High-speed instability is kind of inherent on any non-faired bike. All that plastic on sportbikes serves a purpose, to cut smoothly and symmetrically through the air. The Vmax(like any upright cruiser) is an aerodynamic train wreck. Not a whole lot you can do but get ahold of a "flyscreen" and lay down behind it when you're hauling--it provides a small "pocket" of diverted wind you can crouch behind, minimizing your body's effect on the bike.

The frame can definitely handle high speeds, and there are people who have zero wobble issues. Bearings wear, tires are not created equal, ect. Keeping a bike stable at double the speed limit is no easy task and involves enough physics and variables to make Stephen Hawking sweat, and when in motion you're in an extremely finely balanced state of dozens of forces.

So if you want rail-like stability to any speed your heart desires, look to a sportbike. The Vmax was designed as a quarter mile king, delivering absolutely brutal acceleration. A rather high top end was kind of a "side effect" of all that power.

The best way to figure it out, is to go try it yourself. I've never gotten a "tank slapper" or really pants-soiling wobble, it's never more than a slight weave that will slowly get worse if you don't take action. Take your Max and let it go. Bring it to 100. Stable? Bring it to 110. Still good? 120, 130, and possibly 140. A stock Max hits its redline right around 150 I believe. It it starts to weave(wobble at such high speeds is unlikely, the massive rotational inertia of the wheels at that speed prevents any sudden changes), just slowly ease up on the gas(don't snap it shut) and allow the motor to slow the bike down. Jamming on the brake is probably the worse thing you can do...that can turn a lazy weave into a tank slapper. Also, don't "push through" the weave. Pushing strongly forward on the handlebars can often seem to cure wobble, but DON'T. Your strength is covering up the effect of another imbalance, and that imbalance is only going to get stronger with more speed. Eventually it will overpower your "push", and that easy weave will come back with a vengance, much worse. Somebody on this forum has a horror story about that.


Those HD "boutiques" are still around. There's one in Lake Placid. It's one big HD merch store, doesn't actually sell bikes. Millions of t-shirts and bad attitude in various forums, since the next best thing to owning a HD is projecting the image that you do. It's like a mini wal-mart, except everything has the bar and shield or Hogly Ferguson written on it.

 

[FREERIDER]

Damn RaWarrior, you broke that down pretty good.:hmmm: You must speak from experience:confused2:. RIDE ON. unk:

Oh the wobbles, the wobbles:bang head:.
When I was a kid set free on a Vmax I couldnt hardly get the thing over 125 due to the wobbles. After growing up some and getting to ride other Maxs I figure that it was poor head bearings and maybe tire size. One up in the front.

In the end the best overcome for the front end wobble is to lightly let off and ease back into it.

Danm I tired from Mass Babby Momma Drama:argue 1: today or else I would get into what the R1 feels like at speed. Or the Harley I barrow sometimes that has a 6" over bolt on rake in the front. It doesnt like anything over 75. Owner says its to keep me honest.

 

[EvilD]

That's the one upswing of a HD...they hold money better than a safe. Many times people sell their used HD for nearly (or as cman said, more) than what they originally paid.

That used to be true in the 90's maybe even in the early 2000's but not any more. Take a look at CL, $20,000 bikes listed for $12 and on there for months at a time, I know 2 people got about half of what they paid for their big cruisers 3-4 years ago.