new to forum and vmax, some issues

[joesteggs]

Hey guys,
My name is joe and I just started riding about 3 weeks ago. I got my first bike off of c-list an 86 1200cc vmax. I had a buddy ride it and it seemed to run great, started like a charm and didn't seem to miss or pop at all.
As soon as I got it home, the issues started happening.
1.) It wouldn't stay running unless i had the choke on about halfway to keep it from idling out. I realized the battery was bad when it wouldn't start after a while. I replaced the battery and the new batter wouldn't hold a charge.
2.) Took it to the shop and they said it was the regulator and they it was a 230 part. They also said there was some melted wiring between the stator and the regulator and the stator tested fine. So i got a regulator from a junk yard for 45 and replaced that. Seems to be holding a charge. (after a ride the neutral light will stay pretty solid green)
3.) Bike still will not start. At first it would turn over slowly, and occasionally start, but now it's push start every time i want to ride it. It's like when i press the start button there is either nothing or a very slow turn.
4.) After I got it (about a week in), it started to miss fire and it seems like I am missing alot of power, I don't know if its just that i have gotten used to the bike or not, but when i first got it, it was everything i could do to not to fall off or wheelie when i hit the gas, but it seems quieter and less powerfull now. It seems to backfire and miss and pop alot when it first turns on, also, now if i put the choke on, or gas it it will turn off.
After I let it warm up, (takes about 2-3 minutes) usually there is no more missing or popping, power still is lacking.
5.) gas milleage is terrible, at one point i got 20 miles to a tank, then i realized that the dealer left one of my plug wires undone. Now i am getting about 25mpg.
6.) The airbox is not seating right on the carbs. I tried for around an hour to get the rubber grommets? to fit on the top of the carbs, and i can get the left 2 on but when i put the right 2 on, the left 2 pop off.
7.) Don't know if this helps at all, but last night i rode it home in the rain, and it was like all the problems were on steroids. There was a burning smell, and some smoke floating up infront of the headlight. If i went even 30seconds without giving it some throttle the engine would die.

Anyways, sorry for the length of this, but i figure every piece helps. If you guys have any suggestions, i would apprechiate it. Taking it to a shop is way more costly than i am willing to pay, also, when they do things like leave my plugwires undone, I am just wanting to do it myself. I haven't don't much on motorcycles, but am pretty handy. Thanks ahead of time guys, Joe

 

[Thevmaxrider]

Wow, where to start with the laundry list of issues.

1) Until you get the airbox to seat properly on the carbs you will have all sorts of issues with it running properly. The CV carbs on a Vmax were designed to run with a vacuum in the airbox. When the boots are not sealed you loose the vacuum and the carbs will not work right. That would be step 1 to fix tuning issues.

2) Not knowing how clean the carbs are it would also seem that you need to perform the "Pea shooter" and/or the "Shotgun"on these carbs. Search the forum here and you will find instructions on how to do this yourself.

3) The starting problem llikely stems from your 86 having the old 2-pole starter. I would try to find a late model 4-pole starter or at a minimum take yours apart and clean it. Sean Morley here on the forum is a great source for parts and may have a good late model starter you can buy:confused2:

4) Bad mileage is probably one or more of your choke valves sticking in the "on" position, yet another thing that can cause bad running. I would recommend that when you are doing the Pea shooter or Shotgun you also take the time to clean the exteriors of your carbs, ensure your choke valves are moving with the lever, and do a carb synch when you are all done.


There are probably a dozen more things that you probably ought to do, but this will give you a starting point. My biggest recommendation would be to find another Vmaxxer in your area who can help you out! Michigan has a very active group of guys so someone should be able to get you going. If nothing else by all means feel free to contact me here or via email, [email protected] and I will help where I can over the phone.

 

[maleko89]

Geesh! $230 for a regulator? Nothing like a 100% markup!

 

[Thevmaxrider]

Geesh! $230 for a regulator? Nothing like a 100% markup!

No kidding eh! I picked up a ZX6R R/R for $25 used and just figured out the wiring. Works like a charm, never gets warm, and my voltage runs at ~14v @ 3k rpm all day long with the EFI. Gotta love modern electrical parts!

 

[maleko89]

Nice, Jim. Where did you mount it? Do you know what year your R/R is from?

 

[Thevmaxrider]

Nice, Jim. Where did you mount it? Do you know what year your R/R is from?

Mounted it under my left scoop and it is from a 2004. I will have to look, but if my memory serves me correctly it wires up kind of funky (the black output wire goes to the + battery terminal if I do recall correctly while red is the sensing wire).

 

[2fear]

Welcome Joe, sounds like you have a few issues but I'm sure we can get you up and running. You are at the right place for Vmax info and parts, I'm in Muskegon and we have some Vmaxers in GR also.

 

[joesteggs]

Thanks for the thoughts guys. Also, do you have any suggestions on how to get the boots to seat on the carbs? It's almost like they are high centering, but there is nothing under them. I think they are just old and dried up. Could they be soaked in something? Also, how do I tell if it is the starter or the starter clutch that is acting up? there is no grinding noise, just a really slow rev, if anything... -Joe

 

[Buster Hymen]

Hey guys,
My name is joe and I just started riding about 3 weeks ago. I got my first bike off of c-list an 86 1200cc vmax. I had a buddy ride it and it seemed to run great, started like a charm and didn't seem to miss or pop at all.
As soon as I got it home, the issues started happening.
1.) It wouldn't stay running unless i had the choke on about halfway to keep it from idling out. I realized the battery was bad when it wouldn't start after a while. I replaced the battery and the new batter wouldn't hold a charge.
2.) Took it to the shop and they said it was the regulator and they it was a 230 part. They also said there was some melted wiring between the stator and the regulator and the stator tested fine. So i got a regulator from a junk yard for 45 and replaced that. Seems to be holding a charge. (after a ride the neutral light will stay pretty solid green)
3.) Bike still will not start. At first it would turn over slowly, and occasionally start, but now it's push start every time i want to ride it. It's like when i press the start button there is either nothing or a very slow turn.
4.) After I got it (about a week in), it started to miss fire and it seems like I am missing alot of power, I don't know if its just that i have gotten used to the bike or not, but when i first got it, it was everything i could do to not to fall off or wheelie when i hit the gas, but it seems quieter and less powerfull now. It seems to backfire and miss and pop alot when it first turns on, also, now if i put the choke on, or gas it it will turn off.
After I let it warm up, (takes about 2-3 minutes) usually there is no more missing or popping, power still is lacking.
5.) gas milleage is terrible, at one point i got 20 miles to a tank, then i realized that the dealer left one of my plug wires undone. Now i am getting about 25mpg.
6.) The airbox is not seating right on the carbs. I tried for around an hour to get the rubber grommets? to fit on the top of the carbs, and i can get the left 2 on but when i put the right 2 on, the left 2 pop off.
7.) Don't know if this helps at all, but last night i rode it home in the rain, and it was like all the problems were on steroids. There was a burning smell, and some smoke floating up infront of the headlight. If i went even 30seconds without giving it some throttle the engine would die.

Anyways, sorry for the length of this, but i figure every piece helps. If you guys have any suggestions, i would apprechiate it. Taking it to a shop is way more costly than i am willing to pay, also, when they do things like leave my plugwires undone, I am just wanting to do it myself. I haven't don't much on motorcycles, but am pretty handy. Thanks ahead of time guys, Joe

Hi Joe, welcome to the forum! It sounds like you have the classic list of VMax issues. You first need to check your charging voltage at the battery at idle and at about 4k. You want at least 13 volts at idle. With the melted connectors you described, I'm pretty sure you are not getting a proper charging voltage. BTW, this is a common problem for that connector to melt so most of us eliminate the connector and solder the wires instead. Also the 86 rectifier uses the plate (back of the passenger footrest mount) as its ground, which sucks, so a quick fix is to run a ground from the battery to the rectifier mounting bolt. There is also a hidden splice in the wire bundle under the seat which a lot of solder to help the charging system. Or, as Jim mentioned, get a rectifier off an R6 or R1.
Fixing above will solve the slow starting/dead battery issue.
The problem with it running bad is, as mentioned, the air box isn't seated on the carbs.

 

[SpecOps13]

Wow, I wish you all the luck. You're where I was with my 89 about 700 hours ago...
Hope we can get you through this quicker...

BTW, Welcome to the VMax Forum too...

 

[sdt354]

Welcome Joe, you're in the right place and got some good great advice already.
Ask away. We've been there.
Steve-o

 

[06VMAXIMUS]

Welcome to the VMF, Joe! That's the great thing about this forum, within 24 hours of posting a problem, you will have multiple good answers to almost any problem you have with your vmax. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[SpecOps13]

And, after you get your bike fixed, hang around. We have a lot of hit and run traffic. People who join to Fix and Run.... People here are worth getting to know too... You could make some life long friends...

 

[Redbone]

Thanks for the thoughts guys. Also, do you have any suggestions on how to get the boots to seat on the carbs? It's almost like they are high centering, but there is nothing under them. I think they are just old and dried up. Could they be soaked in something? Also, how do I tell if it is the starter or the starter clutch that is acting up? there is no grinding noise, just a really slow rev, if anything... -Joe

Hello Joe and welcome to our Vmax corner on the web. I have had this issue with the carbs "teetering" on the boots and what I did to get them to sit properly was to loosen the top and bottom clamps and then set the carbs back onto them. I had to "push" the boots up onto the carbs until they went into place and then tightened the top clamps on the carbs. It was then easy to push the carbs and the now clamped boots onto the manifolds and tighten those clamps.
Your old boots will make it a little more difficult to fit and are more prone to cracking if you have force them into position so new boots may help. Also make sure your all four of your carbs will sit evenly on a a flat surface.

 

[joesteggs]

Hello Joe and welcome to our Vmax corner on the web. I have had this issue with the carbs "teetering" on the boots and what I did to get them to sit properly was to loosen the top and bottom clamps and then set the carbs back onto them. I had to "push" the boots up onto the carbs until they went into place and then tightened the top clamps on the carbs. It was then easy to push the carbs and the now clamped boots onto the manifolds and tighten those clamps.
Your old boots will make it a little more difficult to fit and are more prone to cracking if you have force them into position so new boots may help. Also make sure your all four of your carbs will sit evenly on a a flat surface.

So did you actually unbolt the carbs and push them up into the boots? then bolt the carbs back down?

 

[maxist]

Welcome to the forum! My '94 has a a tube on the bottom rear-center of the air box that also has to be seated, if not it could be preventing your airbox from sitting on the carbs.

 

[Redbone]

So did you actually unbolt the carbs and push them up into the boots? then bolt the carbs back down?

Joe, sorry about this late response. I unbolted the carbs, loosened the clamps on the manifold and fit the boots onto the carbs properly, tightened the carb clamps. I then fit the carbs and attached boots onto the manifold and tightened their clamps down. I have about 500 miles on them and they have not moved.
I hope this helps with your issues.

 

[joesteggs]

thanks guys! I have narrowed it down that I have a bunch of wiring issues, my max goes from running perfectly to missing and doing a bunch of other stuff and my gages go from working to not working and i replaced the regulator connectors and they were better for a bit, they just stopped working again, so I think i need a more permanent fix (soder vs connectors). but I apprechiate all the advice.

 

[Rhoy Carter]

I wound up replacing the air box boots on my 85, the old ones were just to hard to get them to seat good