New to the vmax world

[Shredder]

Hey guys. New here. I was sent here by beekeeper. Im not quite yet a owner of a vmax but im looking at one i wanna buy. Its a 2006. Has 23xxx miles.

Ive been riding bikes for a while. Started out with a 1984 kz550 spectre. Then moved to a 94 honda cb1000f. Then moved to a 2008 yamaha fz1. Took my fz1 down to the tail of the dragon the past 2 years before i sold it. I loved that bike but had other priorities and had to sell it.

In the market to buy another bike and wanted something a little more comfortable but had enough nuts to play when i wanted to play so i thought a vmax would be pefect.

What should i look out for on this bike with it having 23 thousand miles on it. What is known for goingwrong on these bikes?

Thanks for your input.

 

[blaxmax]

Check 2nd gear under hard acceleration for popping out of gear and get a seat from twistedmax or sean morley.
Sean is under morleys muscle and ricks seats are under maxgasser at the top and bottom of every page.
23,000 miles means it's 1/2 way from being broken in.
Tom is very valued here on this site.

 

[Shredder]

Good to know. Tom is a good dude. I grew up down the road from him and have rode with him a couple times.

A couple things i forgot to ask. Alot of people say these bikes have abad death wobble. Is there a way to correct it if it has it. Also im planning on going back down to deals gap this may. How should i expect this thing to handle in the corners?

 

[blaxmax]

Good to know. Tom is a good dude. I screw up down the road from him and have rode with him a couple times.

A couple things i forgot to ask. Alot of people say these bikes have abad death wobble. Is there a way to correct it if it has it. Also im planning on going back down to deals gap this may. How should i expect this thing to handle in the corners?

Look up the furber fix. Here you go---
http://www.vmaxforum.net/showthread.php?t=3827&highlight=furber

 

[Dorney]

Look up the furber fix. Here you go---
http://www.vmaxforum.net/showthread.php?t=3827&highlight=furber

Way to go Blaxmax great dig up.

 

[marsmax85]

Welcome to the forum Shredder !!! also in June Thunder in the valley come meet a lot of Vmax owners

 

[DMAN999]

I personally just adjust my steering head bearings every Spring and I've never had any wobble at any speed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW-CmACI5xQ

And I'd throw a Shinko Tourmaster 230 on the back and a Bridgestone Battlax BT-45V up front before heading down to Deal's Gap.
I would have no issues riding my Vmax fairly hard at the Dragon (or anywhere else) with that tire combo.

The OEM Dunlop and Bridgestone tires are horrible for cornering.
They will slip out from under you in a curve if you give it any throttle.

And some frame braces would help too if you have the cash.
I just put on some RMS weld-on frame braces and my Vmax is way more stable in the curves than it was without them

 

[Traumahawk]

The Vmax "death wobble" is 90% of the time caused due to steering head bearings that are incorrectly adjusted. Here is an EASY way to fix that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW-CmACI5xQ

 

[Traumahawk]

LOL....Hey Dennis, great minds think alike.

 

[DMAN999]

LOL....Hey Dennis, great minds think alike.

Yes we do !!!!
unk: :clapping: unk:

 

[Shredder]

Thanks for all the input so far you guys! Greatly appreciated.

 

[Shredder]

I personally just adjust my steering head bearings every Spring and I've never had any wobble at any speed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW-CmACI5xQ

And I'd throw a Shinko Tourmaster 230 on the back and a Bridgestone Battlax BT-45V up front before heading down to Deal's Gap.
I would have no issues riding my Vmax fairly hard at the Dragon (or anywhere else) with that tire combo.

The OEM Dunlop and Bridgestone tires are horrible for cornering.
They will slip out from under you in a curve if you give it any throttle.

And some frame braces would help too if you have the cash.
I just put on some RMS weld-on frame braces and my Vmax is way more stable in the curves than it was without them

I used to run bridgestone battlax s20's on my fz1. I loved them, theu grippe the road awesome and never once thought about then slippin on me in a corner. But im sure you cant get those is the right size for a vmax.

 

[one2dmax]

Lots of things you can do to make the max yours and better. One of them is radial wheels. I only have ONE set of Carrozzeria wheels left. They are one of the more expensive things you can buy for the max but you'll find most of the people who bought a set were more then happy with them.

 

[Fire-medic]

I was gonna mention the radial tire mod, requiring at least a rear wheel, in 17" or 18" & the 18" will get you closest to stock wheel/tire height, while the shorter 17" wheel/tire is like changing to lower (higher numerically) gearing, but it costs you a bit of top-end MPH. How often do you go 140+? Sean beat me to the remark, those wheels are expensive, but help in many ways. Lighter than stock weight, so better handling, and radials I consider to be the #1 best improvement you can make. Plenty of threads, use the advanced search function and "radial" and you should have many pages of winter reading ahead.

Yes, Tom (Beekeeper) is a good riding partner to have. Ply him w/your questions.

Here's another radial solution. 18" X 5-1/2" bolt-into your stock swingarm.

 

[sdt354]

+1 to all the above. Tom is a good source of Vmax info for you. It's prudent to check the head bearings yearly. I make a habit of repacking them every winter. They last a long time though. The Vmax handling myth is usually talked about by those that never sat on one. With a few add- on's your bike will handle beyond the average rider 's skill. Tires, and proper head bearing condition/adjustment are the best place to start. Then suspension improvements will make a big difference. HH brake pads are a good return for the money spent. Welcome to the forum.
Steve-o

 

[sdt354]

I was gonna mention the radial tire mod, requiring at least a rear wheel, in 17" or 18" & the 18" will get you closest to stock wheel/tire height, while the shorter 17" wheel/tire is like changing to lower (higher numerically) gearing, but it costs you a bit of top-end MPH. How often do you go 140+? Sean beat me to the remark, those wheels are expensive, but help in many ways. Lighter than stock weight, so better handling, and radials I consider to be the #1 best improvement you can make. Plenty of threads, use the advanced search function and "radial" and you should have many pages of winter reading ahead.

Yes, Tom (Beekeeper) is a good riding partner to have. Ply him w/your questions.

Here's another radial solution. 18" X 5-1/2" bolt-into your stock swingarm.

FM, can you tell us more about these wheels? They look nice. Price and availability?
Steve

 

[CaptainKyle]

welcome !

 

[liptoss]

I love my 2006. Bought it with 3900 KM's (approx 2000 miles) on the odometer in 2011.
Items I needed to address on it so far have been minimal "so to speak".
I ended up replacings the water pump seal since it weeped occasionally.
I also changed the battery immediately only to find that the charging circuit needed work. I soldered the connection under the seat above the battery and all of the stake on connections in the charging circuit harness. That brought my charging back within spec.
I addressed the steering head bearings, and although lube in there was still ok, I repacked and tightened all back as per above posts. I also changed the fork oil to a slightly heavier weight than manual spec and run no air in the sanctions.
Niceties I've chosen to add on (but keep the bike more or less "stock looking") are as follows:
1) Galfer brakes and clutch line.
2) Ferrodo brake pads all around.
3) Smoked turn signal lenses all around.
4) Stage 7 Dynojet kit.
5) NGK silicone caps and wires.
6) Barnett Clutch upgrade.
7) Corbin seat.
8) Hindle stainless exhaust with 14" and 18" Carbon Fibre baffles.
9) OEM engine guards.
10) Avon grips (these are nice and hard! Love 'em)
11) Sean Ken black tear drop or I call them sperm style mirrors.
Finally...
WELCOME! to the wild world of V-Max monkey!

 

[Shredder]

Well i got it. Phone wont upload pictures for some reason. But its bitchin and i think im in love.

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk

 

[Traumahawk]

Congrats.........you wont regret it.