Project: Tour-Max

[Biker Dash]

Well, with a year's worth of experience on my beloved V-Max, I have come to the realization that, as much as I love my Woona, she does not fit the bill for what I really need.

I need something with decent range, can carry enough luggage for the trips I do, is relatively comfortable, and is still relatively light.

I REALLY hate the thought of giving up my beloved V-Max though.

Looking around, I see many bikes that come close in certain areas to what I want. The closest I have found is the new Honda CTX1300. But the price!

Other bikes have their own failures, and none that I have looked at move me the way the Max does.

Solution; turn Woona into a turning machine!

Okay, so... *waits for the thundering herd of nay-sayers*
Yes, I am serious. I will turn my gas guzzling musclebike into a longer legged touring machine that will fit my needs perfectly.

When I bought the bike, I did have a head start. It already came with a back rest and luggage rack attached.

Thats a start, but the bike is far from what I need. Yes, I do have a throttle lock too, but that will be a topic for another post.

Where as I wish to do some longer trips, wind protection will be kinda important. This is the windshield I had on the bike. It just barely fit with the stock turn signals.

It did okay for short jaunts, but after a hundred miles, I find myself wanting better. Of course, Dave at Starting line just happens to have a Memphis Shades Malibu windshield with the gradient tint to it. He has all the mounting gear I will need as well. AWESOME!!!

Only one problem. The turn signals will have to be moved. Not a problem. I'll find brackets.

Yeah... that was a cast iron bitch of a job. Turns out the ONLY place I could find that I could get brackets from was having the Harley Dealership in Augusta order me some. Closest they could get to a 43mm fork size was 1-3/4". That comes out to 44.45mm... DAMN! SO CLOSE! But wait, they come in black...

SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY, DAMNIT!

Anyways, the clamps came in today, so I was styling. Since the clamps are a bit big for my forks, I gotta make some sizing bands. I cut some double sided seat vinyl (made for a project long ago) into the perfect length strips.

They mounted perfectly! Nice and tight. Thank Luna I never throw **** away!

Bolting on the turn signals was basic as hell. Only issue was the screws for the headlight. I could not get at them with a screwdriver! I ended up using a little screwdriver and a 1/4" wrench to get the screws back in. I think tomorrow, I will stop at Home Depot (Best Store for when you need redneck bike parts!) and replace the screws with something I can fit a wrench onto.

So, now I gotta mount the windshield. I get the clamps for the windshield on the bike, and I get the windshield ready, and I start to position it...
I said I was positioning it...

GET INTO THE POSITION I NEED YOU IN YOU [Cencored out two hours of continuous cussing]!!!!! Well, look at that, it is finally on the bike!

IT'S MILLER TIME!!!

This one sits about 1-1/2 inches higher than the old one, and the upper portion is wider. Also, it even covers my hands, which is an added bonus. Now, it is just so I am looking over the top of it normally, but if the rain comes down, it is high enough for me to easily get a tuck in to stay relatively dry.

Project: Tour-Max is well underway!

Next on Project: Tour-Max, I will hard mount a set of old saddlebags that disconnects with just two nuts.

 

[BLKMAX]

Looks good!

 

[Biker Dash]

Looks good!

Thank you. There are many more mods planned. Some of them will be costly, but they will be well worth the $$$ and time. Good thing I am not afraid to think outside the box lol

 

[Miles Long]

Well, with a year's worth of experience on my beloved V-Max, I have come to the realization that, as much as I love my Woona, she does not fit the bill for what I really need.

I need something with decent range, can carry enough luggage for the trips I do, is relatively comfortable, and is still relatively light.

I REALLY hate the thought of giving up my beloved V-Max though.



Solution; turn Woona into a turning machine!

Okay, so... *waits for the thundering herd of nay-sayers*
Yes, I am serious. I will turn my gas guzzling musclebike into a longer legged touring machine that will fit my needs perfectly.

Turn a perfectly good muscle bike into a TOURING machine?:bang head:
Are you effing NUTS?
You are an odd one, Mr. Bikerdash. Just my opinion.
Cheers! :clapping:

 

[Biker Dash]

Are you effing NUTS?
You are an odd one, Mr. Bikerdash. Just my opinion.
Cheers! :clapping:

Whyes, I am. On both accounts

 

[MtnMax/Magniac]

Gee, that rack and backrest look familiar to me . . . :biglaugh:

 

[Miles Long]

Turn a perfectly good muscle bike into a TOURING machine?

Are you effing NUTS?
You are an odd one, Mr. Bikerdash. Just my opinion.
Cheers!

Why yes, I am. On both accounts

For the record, just messin' with ya, Dash.
I've used mine for touring every year since 2004.
Just returned from Thunder, Skyline Drive, and the Blue Ridge Parkway. I had originally planned on a much longer haul, but had to return home due to personal reasons.
Highway pegs, pull-back handlebars, and a Venture final drive are relatively inexpensive mods that make the bike more suitable for touring.
Cheers!

 

[marsmax85]

Turn a perfectly good muscle bike into a TOURING machine?

Are you effing NUTS?
You are an odd one, Mr. Bikerdash. Just my opinion.
Cheers!

Why yes, I am. On both accounts

For the record, just messin' with ya, Dash.
I've used mine for touring every year since 2004.
Just returned from Thunder, Skyline Drive, and the Blue Ridge Parkway. I had originally planned on a much longer haul, but had to return home due to personal reasons.
Highway pegs, pull-back handlebars, and a Venture final drive are relatively inexpensive mods that make the bike more suitable for touring.
Cheers!

Miles don't forget your vibrating backrest for those long and lonely rides .unk:

 

[Miles Long]

Turn a perfectly good muscle bike into a TOURING machine?

Are you effing NUTS?
You are an odd one, Mr. Bikerdash. Just my opinion.
Cheers!

Miles don't forget your vibrating backrest for those long and lonely rides .unk:

Ha! I knew someone would get a kick out of that "mod"
.......and I'm sure Mr. Dash would consider ME the nutty one.....

 

[Biker Dash]

Welp... one stage of the project got put on hold. Found a Venture differential for sale, in great shape, and for a decent price. And right at the last ******* second, some ******* snipes me. I was not too happy about that, considering that the ONLY other one for sale in the US that I was able to find was going for 4X the price, was rear ended, (you could see damage in the pic) and looked like it had been dragged through a hay field behind a quad runner...

I have Dave at Starting Line watching for a Venture engine for me... If I can score that, then I'll be styling!

 

[Rollie]

Welp... one stage of the project got put on hold. Found a Venture differential for sale, in great shape, and for a decent price. And right at the last ******* second, some ******* snipes me. I was not too happy about that, considering that the ONLY other one for sale in the US that I was able to find was going for 4X the price, was rear ended, (you could see damage in the pic) and looked like it had been dragged through a hay field behind a quad runner...

I have Dave at Starting Line watching for a Venture engine for me... If I can score that, then I'll be styling!

Have you checked with Sean ?

 

[sdt354]

I like the wind shield, for the cold weather rides. If your going to have one, might as well cover the hands too. I'm turned into a bagger when I travel too. On goes the Venture pumpkin, bags, wind sheild. But like Miles said, it's a travesty.

 

[Lew L]

Double post

See below

 

[Lew L]

To make a long story short-----

My zx 11 was not suitable for two-up touring soooo

I bought the V-Max. Tank and soft bags, rack and back rest and a Corbin saddle:eusa_dance:

After a few longish trips my wife was not happy:confused2:

Sooo rather than spend more $$ trying to turn a muscle cruser into a tourer ---I bought a Honda Valkaryi Tourer ( and farkled it up so it a great two up tourer)


Now I've got a great Max and a great Tourer.

Not the soultion for everone but at my advanced age I'll somehow get what I want and need.

Cheers,
Lew


PS: Rack and back rest for sale:biglaugh:

 

[scuff]

I did something similar also, After weighing all my options on turning the v-max into something of a touring bike, I tallied the cost of all the mods and opted to buy an older Venture now the wife is happy and when I wanna act like and f-tard and do wheelie's and burnouts I can. unk:

 

[Biker Dash]

To make a long story short-----

My zx 11 was not suitable for two-up touring soooo

I bought the V-Max. Tank and soft bags, rack and back rest and a Corbin saddle:eusa_dance:

After a few longish trips my wife was not happy:confused2:

Sooo rather than spend more $$ trying to turn a muscle cruser into a tourer ---I bought a Honda Valkaryi Tourer ( and farkled it up so it a great two up tourer)


Now I've got a great Max and a great Tourer.

Not the soultion for everone but at my advanced age I'll somehow get what I want and need.

Cheers,
Lew


PS: Rack and back rest for sale:biglaugh:

Valk is way heavier than I want...

And that blue font color...

STAHP!!!
WAT R U DOIN???

STAHP!!!

 

[Lew L]

In defense of my poor old Valk,

It looses all that weight at about 2 MPH. Handles very well, very steady in the turns and has NEVER had the "shakes".
It also has a boat load of torque at just off idle. Launches quite well with no drama. I have a more sporty windshield that makes the bike look the part of a muscle cruser.

IN fact,
One of the cycle mags did a 6 bike comparo of "muscle crusers. The V-max and the Valk were #'s 1&2



As for the color Is this green acceptable? Or a color that is hard to read

Or Black like the Valk.

It's kinda like a few days ago when a forum member lit up some poor fellow because of his spelling.

Lew

 

[Redbone]

As for the blue text on the Vmax dark forum background, by just highlighting the blue font it makes it white and easily read.

 

[ZackDaniels]

Having just done a tour with some guys rolling a Guzzi Norge and a BMW K1300 I will say that if you're serious about touring something has to be done to address the fuel range.

100-130 miles to reserve depending on the roads traveled and if non-ethanol gas was available. Those guys get double that to their tanks and are annoyed when travelling with a V-Max.

No touring thread would be complete without a mention of http://fatmax.com/vmax/vmax.htm Just talked to him about replacing my bags following a wreck on said trip, and I guess he's getting out of the game. He says he's unloading his existing stock and is done making the stuff. That's sad to me :/

I've got half a mind to save my pennies, unload my touring accessories on the Max, and keep it for the weekend joyrider while getting something like a VFR800 or Sprint ST 1050 for commuting and touring. Two bikes to maintain risk it turning it from a fun hobby to a chore, and then there's twice the annual registration, insurance, and available garage space though... the max will have to work in all likelihood.

 

[Boogieman]

I know this is neither here nor there but I would get her her own bike

My wife actually rode before I met her. She had grown up on bikes.

Anyway, I personally hate having someone on the back. It just feels too cramped. Not to mention, if you get one that rides, they have a tendency to lean in curves, making it feel weird.

As a side note, I tried riding on back for laughs and it is scary as hell after riding on your own

My mother in law always rode on back with my father in law. He talked her into trying to ride on here own after years and years of marriage. I think he talked her into riding a 250 Honda or something at first. She has since graduated to a larger bike and loves it.