1st Gen V-Max My VMAX 1992 white

[Tim spain]

VMax Year

1992

Thank you for being there. The vmax is certainly an interesting bike (especially on the bends)! Apart from a BMW 100RT and a Kawasaki Z650 all of my more recent bikes have been Triumphs, 50's thru 70's. '58 500 speed twin, '76 750 Bonneville with extensive engine/exhaust mods (bought it in 1980 sold it 2016), '75 US spec Trident T160, loads of norman hyde bits, sintered Iron drag clutch, production race exhaust etc. I've been riding since 1978. Sadly I sold all of my Triumphs before I emigrated to spain. The heat where I live in southern spain in the summer would have probably done them in (90 to 110f). Anyhow I'm attaching a pic of my vmax a white '92 model. Adios amigos.

 

[Fire-medic]

You had a Triumph addiction. The Trident/Rocket III was the 'fastest production bike in the world,' for a couple months in the fall of 1968 when it was released, then the Japanese landed. Between the 750/4 and the Kawasaki Mach III, and preceded by the Trident/Rocket III, 1969 was an exciting year for two wheeled big-bore bikes. The marketplace has never been the same.

Your '92 is a well-preserved bike. You don't see many VMax owners choosing to put white paint jobs on their bikes. I like a white bike, but in 'the old days,' that would just show leaking oil more-quickly.

The 'young-'un's' probably are too-busy staring into their smartphones' screens to know that the Triumph Daytona 500 won the race it's named after. No, not the Daytona 500, the Daytona 200 as 500 refers to the engine displacement of 500cc. That was the largest displacement OHV engine you were allowed to run by the AMA back-then. In 1966 and 1967 it was Elmore and Nixon who won the race, then a flathead H-D with Cal Rayborn the next two years.

Enjoy your relocation.

 

[Tim spain]

Thank you, I've been living in spain for more than 2 years now, the VMAX came along at just the right time for me, I was seriously missing having a bike. Although the max doesn't handle like a Triumph, it has a great charm of its own. I particularly love the low end and midrange power delivery. My Kawasaki Z650 handled Ok, but it did have a speed weave issue around 90mph, on freeway bends (the bike was new, back in '79). I'm checking the vmax over in the process of doing a full service on it. I did have a '71 500 daytona triumph for a short while way back, but it was nothing like the race bikes obviously. As I am fairly tall at 6ft 3ins, I found the daytona was just too low for me. Re the white vmax I was told that it was the original paint job, but I don't know that for sure. The previous owner couldn't live with the handling I think, but I guess it grows on you. I intend to do what I can to improve the cornering if possible, so any tips re this would be very much appreciated. Great to talk with you.

 

[Fire-medic]

While there are now radial tires offered in the OEM Gen. 1 wheel sizes (15" rear, 18" front), the rear isn't available as a V-rated tire (to 149 mph). An important caveat to heed is that radial tires use a wider wheel than bias-ply tires like the VMax have fitted.

In my opinion, the #1 best handling mod is to get wheels and tires sized for running radial tires rated at V or better. I suspect that the most popular sizes on a Gen. 1 are 17" F & R, though the rear cuts down on your top-end, not that many of us are doing that regularly. An 18" rear wheel will be less of a cut in possible top-end, because it's taller than a 17" tire/wheel.

First is an 18" X 5-1/2" wheel on a new rim, using an OEM Gen. 1 splined hub, for a bolt-on changeover.

Second is a 17" X 5-1/2" welded wheel, using a donor used rim on an OEM Gen. 1 splined hub. You can easily see the difference in tire width they are capable of accommodating.

 

[Tim spain]

That is very interesting, thank you. The bike has Metzeler tires front (110/90 V18) and rear (150/90 -V15) at the moment, both show very little use/wear. I'll check the date markings on both tires as I am not keen on running any tires more than 4 to 5 years old anyway. The U/V here in spain is very strong and unless the bike has been kept out of direct sunlight when not in use (which it is now) it can cause fairly rapid deterioration of the tire's structural integrity. Also do you know the best air pressure for the front forks? I am waiting for the repair manual to arrive in the post but it might take another week or so to arrive.

 

[Fire-medic]

vmoa.net/VMX12-Service-Manual01.pdf

5-14 psi
See p. 35 of 405pp. in the .pdf

 

[Rick52]

White is nice

 

[joksi]

Hi Tim, well Spain is EC and to swap out the rims and tires is a bit of a mess here - homoligation can get a huge issue.

I got a '99 VMax as a XMas present from my lady and following "Fire-medic's" advice I was going to plan using 17" rims. Looking for more a low-cost solution I failed on getting cheaper offers approved for my bike. Ended up in buying second hand PVM rims, which were hardly used (less than 5000km's) and the main reason not to go for 18" rear was the better choice on tires for the 17".
I dont know about US market, but here in EC the 180x55x17" is probably the most common rear dimension for tires. And just 1 hr ago I have ordered Pirelli Angel for only 170€ front and rear.

While Im waiting for delivery I do the maintenance jobs, changing all liquids, new brake pads, valves adjustment and so on...

And its great fun, amazing... Even the bike is old and 64k km's on odo, no rust anywhere and all screws are easy to dismantle...

Have fun, Tim

 

[Tim spain]

vmoa.net/VMX12-Service-Manual01.pdf

5-14 psi
See p. 35 of 405pp. in the .pdf

Thank you.

 

[Tim spain]

Hi Tim, well Spain is EC and to swap out the rims and tires is a bit of a mess here - homoligation can get a huge issue.

I got a '99 VMax as a XMas present from my lady and following "Fire-medic's" advice I was going to plan using 17" rims. Looking for more a low-cost solution I failed on getting cheaper offers approved for my bike. Ended up in buying second hand PVM rims, which were hardly used (less than 5000km's) and the main reason not to go for 18" rear was the better choice on tires for the 17".
I dont know about US market, but here in EC the 180x55x17" is probably the most common rear dimension for tires. And just 1 hr ago I have ordered Pirelli Angel for only 170€ front and rear.

While Im waiting for delivery I do the maintenance jobs, changing all liquids, new brake pads, valves adjustment and so on...

And its great fun, amazing... Even the bike is old and 64k km's on odo, no rust anywhere and all screws are easy to dismantle...

Have fun, Tim

Hi thanks for the info. I'll stick with the stock tyre sizes for a while, after what you have told me. I had serious handling issues when riding the bike home after I bought it. Very twisty mountain road with rain and fog, I felt the back end starting to go but quickly corrected my stance to straighten up the bike.

The road was incredibly greasy too and extremely slippery due to the rain. I will admit to being more than a little disheartened when I got back home with the bike. However after carefully checking the bike over, the front tire was only at 20psi!, the rear tire about the same. To say that I was horrified would be a massive understatement! I put the correct air pressure in both tires and adjusted the rear shocks to the hardest setting (they were on the softest).

Went out for a 5 mile test ride and it was a completely different bike! Dry roads though this time. The handling was OK for such a heavy bike and I really enjoyed riding the bike.

The front tire looks virtually new and the date code of manufacture puts it at 3 years (not necessarily the date the tire was fitted to the bike of course). Not such good news re the rear tire though. It also looks fairly new, but the tire date code shows it was made 6 years ago. I have no way of knowing how long the tire was in stock before it was fitted to the bike, but I can't live with a tire that old on my bike.

I'll get another Metzeler rear tire as it has a Metzeler on the front. Thank you for your advice.

 

[joksi]

I'll stick with the stock tyre sizes for a while, after what you have told me.

@Tim spain
Before investing in a new tire on a 15"rim, I would check with the authorities for your area (province). Here it depends and varies a lot between provinces and even more on countries. Surprisingly even some provinces in Germany are easier to homoligate than here in my province - it costs me around 400US$ to get it right. But this amount includes all changes, indicators, fork-upgrades and shock absorber done already from previous owner .

My situation was to get the bike with front tire used-off, and I didnt want to carry on with old fashioned axial tires since I am very concerned about my safety (10 years only riding scooters). And I am lucky enough to live in one of the most beautiful mountain areas in Austria, so I want to enjoy all the winding roads and bends to the maximum.

Its your money, your bike, your game - but I would ask authorities first. Usually, they wont bite

 

[vmax425]

White is still one of my favourites.
93’ Canadian model. Sold but missed.

 

[Tim spain]

@Tim spain
Before investing in a new tire on a 15"rim, I would check with the authorities for your area (province). Here it depends and varies a lot between provinces and even more on countries. Surprisingly even some provinces in Germany are easier to homoligate than here in my province - it costs me around 400US$ to get it right. But this amount includes all changes, indicators, fork-upgrades and shock absorber done already from previous owner .

My situation was to get the bike with front tire used-off, and I didnt want to carry on with old fashioned axial tires since I am very concerned about my safety (10 years only riding scooters). And I am lucky enough to live in one of the most beautiful mountain areas in Austria, so I want to enjoy all the winding roads and bends to the maximum.

Its your money, your bike, your game - but I would ask authorities first. Usually, they wont bite

Thank you for your advice. The bike passed a vehicle inspection only 2 months back (spanish ITV test) and that was with the stock tire sizes. I guess it should be OK if I replace the rear metzeler with another one the same size, re homologation hassles.