New to performance and upgrades

[Blurr]

Welcome to the forum BD, Go faster , stop better .........................none of its any good unless your comfortable. I say get a new SEAT!:biglaugh:

LOL, ya the stock seat is a torture device. I think we are all saying the same thing just in different order, according to our own list of priorities. For me it is brakes, handling, power. Ofcorse I did it all at once and as a matter of course ended up losing a riding season as a result. Don't do that.

 

[DMAN999]

Thanks thanks for the reply back guy's.

Man you guy's thanks, Will it be to loud on long trips, Man why did I have to see this. Man man $699.00 Man just bought tunnel ram and to quick fuel 660cfm carbs to. This stuff is killing me. Dman I hate and love you at the sometime funny not a gay thing funny.

:rofl_200:

 

[sdt354]

LOL, ya the stock seat is a torture device. I think we are all saying the same thing just in different order, according to our own list of priorities. For me it is brakes, handling, power. Ofcorse I did it all at once and as a matter of course ended up losing a riding season as a result. Don't do that.

Rick's seats rock! The only stock seat I ever sat on that felt ok was on Mark's 2006. For some reason, it's comfortable. I've also got a Sportmax seat that I used for a long time, it's way better than stock and has a nice height to it. I'm not looking forward to gassing up to get a break like I was with the stocker.
When doing mods. it's good to have a plan. Not like the way I do it. I see something on sale, got to have it. But, outside of the USD forks, my suspension and brakes are about what I wanted. I may link the brakes due to medical issues next season. The forks are next. I saw them on Bill's bike and have to say the pics on Tom's web site don't do them justice.
Steve-o

 

[bumper]

Mod Monkey is on the loose again...:banana:

 

[m-cman]

Thanks guys, Ive been told numerous times to look at the exhaust, im torn apart between looks and functionality, i want perfomance but im hisitant to going balls deep in a nice exhaust and screw myself over if i want to chip the bike or so on. Any suggestions to an exhaust? Thanks again for putting up with us newbies, i needed to start somewhere and i figured a Vmax forum was the best direction.

This is not a bike you can chip if that is what you meant. Old technology, carbs instead of fuel injection, etc.

 

[customizedcreationz]

Honestly , best bang for the buck is serious seat time.

All the mods in the world don't do anything if you can't ride the bike to its potential before you start to do anything.

And of course we all do things differently anyways. I am all about function first. But it has to look good.

I know some guys might not like my opinion on some of the above mentioned mods, but your looking at 30 year old technology. If you want to upgrade to a better suspension, more power, better touring ability... than buy a new bike.

If you want fun on the cheap scale, throw a set of can's on the stock head pipes, leave the carbs alone unless they need work, only put springs in the front if you need fork seals, and only change tires if yours are needing replacement.

I ve owned, 4-5 Vmax's now. And honestly if I had back all the money I put into them to make them "better" I could have bought another bike lol.

Don't get me wrong modifications all have their place and function in the hearts of us all, I am as guilty as the next guy. But I say ride it , learn it, live it, and if you want to make some changes, then go for it. But just realize that tossing on one single part will not show much benefit without putting on a whole bunch of supporting parts, and thats when it gets expensive.

Becareful of 2nd gear problems, and drive shafts. Find a driveshaft, you will probably eventually break one if your hard on the bike. As for exhaust systems, look at cheaper slip ons, entire systems honestly didn't show much improvement in the testing I have done over the years. The biggest thing in exhaust systems is sound.

I ve done alot with a little, if you have any questions you can always email me, [email protected]

Todd

 

[one2dmax]

The right exhaust and jet kit can add about 10%. A very good improvement by any measure.

 

[SFCMcGan]

I picked my vmax up last August, also a 2001 and the first thing in my book was to rebuild and lower the front forks by 1 inch then new progressive shocks out back. You can have all the power in the world but if the bike don't handle, then it's junk IMHO. After the handling then you need good brakes, I upgraded to HH pads up front and it feels a lot better and stops pretty good as well. After that, I then focused on the exhaust and the mod monkey has never left me. I just recently installed a HID kit and LED blinkers, a relay on the horn and sanded and painted everything matte black. Good luck and always check this forum if you have questions, you will find an answer to anything vmax here, welcome.

Yep...my front suspension upgrade made a huge difference in handling....

 

[srk468]

If your just starting out then keep it simple, I didn't read the entire thread but are you doing the work yourself or paying someone else to do it? I'd go through regular maintenance first, make sure the brakes are good, check the steering head bearings ect. After that I'd do progressive fork springs and new OEM seals, next would be tires (I like the Shinko's) but wait until you actually need them. After that I'd upgrade the seat (I have a Morley's Muscle seat and I love it) because that'll make you more inclined to ride more. Unless you really love the Vmax and really don't have much of a desire for anything else then I'd stop there for awhile, make sure you want to do more to this bike rather than move on to something else because you still won't have a ton of $$ into it at this point. Once you start modding the hell out of these bikes they don't increase in value so if your not planning on keeping it forever then your throwing your money away, I'll never sell mine because Vmax's have always been my favorite bike and I've always wanted one and now I have one that I have my own personal modifications that I've done so it's like a part of me. All I'm trying to say is if you truly love the Vmax then by all means do whatever you want but if your just looking for performance then there are much faster bikes out there, just figure out what direction you want to go in before you spend a bunch of money bud.

sent from my HTC Rezound using tapatalk

 

[sdt354]

The right exhaust and jet kit can add about 10%. A very good improvement by any measure.

+1 And sometimes a little more.

 

[customizedcreationz]

10% at $1500 give or take if you do the work and install. Or maybe $2000 if someone else does the work and that's saying you don't need the carbs rebuilt prior to the jet kit. Tack another $400 on carb rebuild possibly. So lets say worse case you have $2500 invested into someone else installing theses parts and purchase price of the parts. New parts btw. You can probably find $500 old used dinged up exhaust if you try.

Bottom line 10 hp for $1500-2500 is A LOT of money for little return. Even $1000 and you do all the work yourself is a lot. 10 hp you can feel but seat time in my opinion is cheaper and nets more fun in the long run.

But if you looked at my past bikes you think I didn't follow what I am saying myself. Lol.

Whatever you do this is the place to find the info.

Todd

 

[Redbone]

A lot of good ideas and thoughts about what can be done to your Vmax. When I first bought mine these were my concerns:
1) Brakes - scary with stock '92 setup made much better with upgrade to HH pads.
2) Tires - they were old and just putting new rubber on helped a lot.
3) Suspension - fork springs were worn and inadequate for my riding habits.
4) Seat - I could hardly go the 100 miles between gas stops and no way could have gone 300 miles on the stock seat.
I have since gone on to mod my Vmax beyond my wildest dreams and spent more money than I probably should have but I now have a motorcycle that is reliable and a lot of FUN to ride! I could have spent less or more but since 2007 I think I have arrived at exactly where my Vmax and I need to be.

I agree with Todd that if all you want to do is go fast there are better bikes to do that on and for a lot cheaper than a Vmax. But if your not looking for all out performance and want a great classic bike that will be reliable, lots of fun and one that you won't see on every street corner when your out riding then this could be the bike for you. Depending on the level of work your bike needs to get where you want using any or all of the aforementioned mod suggestions can net you a bike that will reward you with lots of good fun and joins you into a community of dedicated motorcycle riders. It can also have you working on (and fixing!) parts of motorcycles that heretofore you didn't understand much less have the confidence to even attempt to repair!

What you have found here in Vmax forum is a wealth of knowledge from helpful members, a group of vendors that will go out of their way to provide what you need for a fair price with GREAT customer service, and fellow members willing to go for a ride anytime or to lend a hand fixing issues you may need help with.
Indeed, the Vmax is a iconic motorcycle that will provide you with a level of satisfaction in ownership and most of all as a enjoyable motorcycle to ride.

 

[srk468]

A lot of good ideas and thoughts about what can be done to your Vmax. When I first bought mine these were my concerns:
1) Brakes - scary with stock '92 setup made much better with upgrade to HH pads.
2) Tires - they were old and just putting new rubber on helped a lot.
3) Suspension - fork springs were worn and inadequate for my riding habits.
4) Seat - I could hardly go the 100 miles between gas stops and no way could have gone 300 miles on the stock seat.
I have since gone on to mod my Vmax beyond my wildest dreams and spent more money than I probably should have but I now have a motorcycle that is reliable and a lot of FUN to ride! I could have spent less or more but since 2007 I think I have arrived at exactly where my Vmax and I need to be.

I agree with Todd that if all you want to do is go fast there are better bikes to do that on and for a lot cheaper than a Vmax. But if your not looking for all out performance and want a great classic bike that will be reliable, lots of fun and one that you won't see on every street corner when your out riding then this could be the bike for you. Depending on the level of work your bike needs to get where you want using any or all of the aforementioned mod suggestions can net you a bike that will reward you with lots of good fun and joins you into a community of dedicated motorcycle riders. It can also have you working on (and fixing!) parts of motorcycles that heretofore you didn't understand much less have the confidence to even attempt to repair!

What you have found here in Vmax forum is a wealth of knowledge from helpful members, a group of vendors that will go out of their way to provide what you need for a fair price with GREAT customer service, and fellow members willing to go for a ride anytime or to lend a hand fixing issues you may need help with.
Indeed, the Vmax is a iconic motorcycle that will provide you with a level of satisfaction in ownership and most of all as a enjoyable motorcycle to ride.

Perfectly said Redbone

sent from my HTC Rezound using tapatalk

 

[[email protected]]

Hello guys, Im relatively new to upgrading motorcycles and I took upon purchasing a 2001 vmax motorcycle, im 21 and found this motorcycle a fun project bike. Ive ridden other bikes before and nothing feels like a v max, i joined this forum looking for advice on how to have fun with my bike so heres my question:

Where should i start to upgrade the performance and handling of my bike? whats a good starting point. I dont have alot of money but i want to start figuring out this motorcycle and make it my baby.

Im not perfect but I am seriously interested in learning. Any suggestions would work. Ive seen things from CPU upgrades to Micro machines v boost controller to exhaust systems. Whats my best option? Thanks guys!unk:

No such thing as a chip or CPU upgrade for a gen1 vmax. You can replace the ignition with a Dyna 3000 or Ignitech unit but, don't expect a noticeable power increase. If you are looking for a rev limiter (these bikes do not have one), or the OEM ignition box dosnt work, or you are looking to drag race and use power adders they may be of use, otherwise, OEM is fine.

Its hard to add power without breaking the bank. A full exhaust system and a jet kit (muscle jet kit or dynojet stg7) are about the only options. Look for used parts. Slip ons don't add anything but noise.

Your 01 should have decent brakes. Ebc HH are good pads. Braided lines are great but its not a huge improvent if your lines are in good shape.

Vboost contollers and switches are fun toys but don't add power. You can install a simple toggle switch to turn on vboost full time if you want. Or, you can just unplug the controller when it is cycling and this will lock it in position.

I would say ride for a bit and see what you think needs to be changed. For me, fork springs and a cut down seat were my best mods for the money.

 

[Miles Long]

Perfectly said Redbone

Ah, yes, the loquacious Mr. Redbone - a legend amongst the literary circles.
But his particular style of prose quite often leaves me lacking in concentration - dunno why.
Cheers!