To buy or not to buy?!

[Decter]

Good Morning All,

New to the site and hoping you guys can provide some insight from your combined experiences. I was considering buying a Vmax as my next bike.

My background is that I currently own a Triumph Thunderbird Sport, and previously had a Buell 1125R.

I am looking for something which is more comfortable than both, that my wife can easily ride with me on for any distance, has plenty of gut checking power, and has good handling when both upright and in the corners.

Is this the bike for me? I am looking at getting a Gen 1 from the 95-2007 era.

Nick

 

[Traumahawk]

Good Morning All,

New to the site and hoping you guys can provide some insight from your combined experiences. I was considering buying a Vmax as my next bike.

My background is that I currently own a Triumph Thunderbird Sport, and previously had a Buell 1125R.

I am looking for something which is more comfortable than both, that my wife can easily ride with me on for any distance, has plenty of gut checking power, and has good handling when both upright and in the corners.

Is this the bike for me? I am looking at getting a Gen 1 from the 95-2007 era.

Nick

I am a huge fan of the V-max...and wanted one since 99 when I sat on one. First of all, for the seat to be comfortable for you both, you will need a different seat...the stock one is horrendous...2nd, Vmax's have decent cornering ability. a LOT of them will have what is called "the Vmax wobble" Its usually caused by head bearings that are a bit loose. Mine had it when I first got it, caused it bit of a wobble at 45...then at 90. Tightened the bearings up...and it was cured.

These bikes handle decent in the corners...but its not a sports bike, it weighs about 625 wet...but there are things that will take the handling to the next level, if you want to spend the money.

If you want a bike, that is kinda like a unicorn....everyone knows that they exist, but no one has seen them, or remembers them from 20 years ago. Or a bike that people rode ONCE when they first came out, and SWORE that they would never get on again, because they had to change their underwear after the first ride. If you want a bike that idles like a V-8, and that is almost universally despised by Harley riders..then this is the bike for you.

When you looking for a Vmax...get one closer to 07 if you can, it has all of the factory upgrades, but 99 up is ok. When you ride the bike, open it up in 2nd gear, if it pops out of gear, don't buy the bike for anything over 800 bucks. That means that it will need a new undercut transmission...split the cases...etc, and that is EXPENSIVE.

These are GREAT bikes, and I cant see ever NOT having one.

 

[davesax36]

If you want a bike, that is kinda like a unicorn....everyone knows that they exist, but no one has seen them, or remembers them from 20 years ago. Or a bike that people rode ONCE when they first came out, and SWORE that they would never get on again, because they had to change their underwear after the first ride. If you want a bike that idles like a V-8, and that is almost universally despised by Harley riders..then this is the bike for you.

When you ride the bike, open it up in 2nd gear, if it pops out of gear, don't buy the bike for anything over 800 bucks. That means that it will need a new undercut transmission...split the cases...etc, and that is EXPENSIVE.

These are GREAT bikes, and I cant see ever NOT having one.

This...

You should just buy the '98 that Texas-ss-tornado has for sale here on the board in the marketplace. He's bought and sold LOTS of bikes. His current one is apparently amazing.

Also, welcome to the board.

 

[Decter]

Thank you for the input. I took a look at the bike, you were right it is beautiful. I am sadly in San Diego, CA though so...

So, I have found multiple Vmaxs for sale in my area. Please let me know which ones are better choices and what price they should go for.

2004 with 30k on it asking is $4500

1998 with 8k, asking is 4000

1997, need some TLC due to a drop and mileage is at current unknown. Asking 4,000.

Nick

 

[davesax36]

I think there's a thread in the faq that talks about what to look for when searching through used bikes. I'd use that and a big pile of cash to go try each bike out. Like Traumahawk said, if it pops out of 2nd walk away, offer $500,or get ready to spend $2k more. If it starts right up, idles as smoothly as those in videos other guys post, has no visible rust in the tank or fuel filter, and doesn't look rough, you're off to a good start. If the owner won't let you ride it, at least have them make a hard run up through at least 2nd gear to show whether it's good.

From the three you listed, I'd go for the '04. It's been ridden enough and is young enough to probably not need lots of dried rubber parts replaced. Skip the' 97. The '98 could go either way.

If they're Craigslist ads, post links and we'll all look at them for major stuff.

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[Decter]

I will be going to take a look at the 97 tomorrow, hopefully it will be lower miles.

Aside from what you mentioned, why is a low mileage older bike not preferable to a newer bike with much higher mileage?

Nick

 

[KJShover]

Aside from what you mentioned, why is a low mileage older bike not preferable to a newer bike with much higher mileage?

It pretty much depends on how it was treated while it was being ridden and how it was stored.

There are a few things that happen when vehicles sit for a good length of time; Gaskets and rubber bits get dry and brittle, Fuel in the tank could likely be shot and normally carbs gummed up as well, Parts sitting in old oil could be getting damaged, condensation may have occurred in the crankcase so there will be more water where there shouldn't be, Tire's dry rotted, brake/clutch hoses deteriorating, cylinders getting sticky.

 

[Decter]

Here is a link for the 2004 I am looking at.

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/esd/mcy/4267629898.html

Any insight? Bike has 30k on the engine

 

[Traumahawk]

Here is a link for the 2004 I am looking at.

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/esd/mcy/4267629898.html

Any insight? Bike has 30k on the engine

That is a good looking bike...30K isn't too bad, as long as he didn't ride the piss out of it, and if he did, just check out 2nd gear like we had talked about. My 07 when I bought it had 26K on it, and is STILL a great bike. It all depends on how the PO treated it.

4500 isn't a bad price, but see if you can offer 3500, and then settle on 4000. There are people on this forum that might say 4000 is a bit high but is it high to you? A) do you want it....and B) can you afford it? That's all that really matters. I paid 6500 for mine a little over 2 years ago...overpriced? YES (from a dealership)...but was it what I wanted and was I willing to spend the money? YES...and have never regretted it.

 

[Decter]

I hope to be taking a good look at it next weekend. Aside from the way it performs in second gear, anything else I should be taking a close look at?

I tried finding that "buying guide" but was unlucky in the attempt.

 

[Decter]

Another I am considering, and will hopefully be taking a look at tomorrow.

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/mcy/4266753364.html

Also, what type of life span can I expect out of a Vmax with proper maintenance before major rebuilds are due?

 

[davesax36]

That second one has a bunch of cosmetic stuff going on. Scuffed scoops and lots of missing engine paint. Don't know what's going on with the seat, either. If you want a project, offer $2800...Tell him it's $500 at least for engine paint, $250 for scoops, and another $200 for a new seat. Seems to have replacement black pipes, but just painted headers to "match". I would question the "all work done by Vmax specialist" line. Someone on here should know who it was.

You can, however, expect to get 150,000 or more miles out of your bike if properly maintained. The valve interval is pretty good, and other things are easily taken care of (clutch, normal wear items, etc).

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[davesax36]

And here...

http://www.vmaxforum.net/showthread.php?t=20518

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[Fire-medic]

I can vouch for the concept of "coastal outdoor storage," causing "360 degree damage," I face that issue, being a couple blocks away from a salt-water inlet from the Atlantic Ocean. That is mostly-cosmetic, but it can corrode electrical connectors.

It appears the front tire has no tread whatsoever in its center area. It takes a long time to wear-out a front tire to that degree, easily 3-4 rear tires-worth, maybe more, depending on how you use it. That looks like a $3000 bike to me, since you will face numerous $$ issues just to bring it to a safe (tires) and presentable (seat covers, painted and alloy surfaces) condition. Any bike which doesn't run well is immediately 1/2 price on the market, to me. And if it doesn't run at-all, that's a $500-800 'pig-in-a-poke' for me, I would never spend any-more than that because a replacement engine is easily $1000+ in most cases. If it runs well, starts right up, and doesn't overheat after sitting at idle for 15 minutes, does a 'hot-engine start' w/no issues, and doesn't jump out of any (2nd gear is weakest) gears when running hard into the throttle, has no obvious leaks around the cyl head and brakes, has no exhaust leaks (place your hand near all the individual joints, if there are any, you should be able to feel the hot gases, and it probably will be louder) and no coolant leaks, then you should be able to have a reasonable expectation of roadworthiness after replacing serviceable items like tires, a battery, any burned-out bulbs, fluid changes (coolant, brake fluid, oil) etc.

The different header pipes color means they were probably replaced at some time. It appears there is some dirt around the rt. front cylinder head by the cam plug, possibly indicating a leaking valve cover gasket. Your friendly Yamaha shop would probably cheerfully replace that for you for a $200+ bill.

He's asking $4K, but that looks like a $3K bike to me, given its condition. Remember it's a buyers' market and don't be afraid to walk-away. You can always leave him your contact info, and wait for a call. If you do that, then you have to re-examine the bike all-over again, because who-knows who-did-what to it in the interim? And if he gives you static over a re-examination, take that as your Mechanical Guardian Angel telling you to, "RUUNNN!" (away!)

Don't forget to look under the seat to inspect the wiring for spliced wires, over heated wires, wires not secured in-place, indicating work was done, damaged connectors, & non-stock plugs in wires. The connector for the voltage regulator/rectifier, which (the R/R) is on the backside of the left passenger footpeg bracket may very likely show brown discoloration from being corroded, which can be a sign of stator problems and is an expensive fix, if you have to replace the stator and voltage regulator/rectifier. Many people eliminate this as a problem-spot by soldering the wires after removing the plug, using heat-shrink tubing to insulate the soldered splices.

Another I am considering, and will hopefully be taking a look at tomorrow.

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/mcy/4266753364.html

Also, what type of life span can I expect out of a Vmax with proper maintenance before major rebuilds are due?

 

[one2dmax]

ive got a couple available as cheap as $2500 leaving room for upgrades. this wont be a cosmetically perfect bike though we can do about any work you'd want before we shipped it out.

 

[VegasVMax]

If you're interested in a bike that comes complete with a 320 mile first ride, this ones for sale here in Vegas http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/mcy/4188637335.html. ( I'm not sure why its missing the front fender in the last pic.)
Personally of the ones that you posted after a good test ride, I would probably offer $2500 for the 97. Then I would take the money you saved and made it your own.
Low miles isn't always the best bet simply because the the rubber parts and pieces become brittle very easily including tires, seals and gaskets.

 

[jfeagins]

Good Morning All,

New to the site and hoping you guys can provide some insight from your combined experiences. I was considering buying a Vmax as my next bike.

My background is that I currently own a Triumph Thunderbird Sport, and previously had a Buell 1125R.

I am looking for something which is more comfortable than both, that my wife can easily ride with me on for any distance, has plenty of gut checking power, and has good handling when both upright and in the corners.

Is this the bike for me? I am looking at getting a Gen 1 from the 95-2007 era.

Nick

The bike you are describing here sounds more like one of the newer 1800 Goldwings - if you really are that concerned with your wifes' "any distance" comfort. Refer to youtube videos of a guy named yellowwolf for proof of a gw's cornering and acceleration capabilities. Lol.

 

[VegasVMax]

The bike you are describing here sounds more like one of the newer 1800 Goldwings - if you really are that concerned with your wifes' "any distance" comfort. Refer to youtube videos of a guy named yellowwolf for proof of a gw's cornering and acceleration capabilities. Lol.

I'll second that!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nrMQ3QwyPo

 

[cgswss]

One of the best things about the V-Max is the value you normally get when buying used. I have an '97 and love it, but I got mine for $2800 a year an a half ago. And it was in MUCH better shape. I'd take $2500 in cash, if you like the bike show him the money, and when he tries to get more out of you, WALK.

I like the 2004 for you. Looks to be in great shape and best of all its STOCK. It also already has an after market seat, which is a very good move. You can easily go over 100K miles on a V-Max. I LIKE the fact that it has some miles on it because it means its been used on just sitting. Remember if a bike had 40,000 mile on it and is 10 years old, thats only 4000 mile a year! Price wise, I think you can do a bit better, I would think that he really wants to sell that bike for $4k.

As far as how much its going to cost you to ride, well you have had other bikes... did you use up clutches, breaks, and tires on those? You will tend to use up rear tires more on a V-Max, but if you are riding double a lot, I don't think you will you will use up the clutch or breaks any more then the others.

While you are looking at it, check if it has the original battery or how old the battery is. Its impossible for any of us to tell you whats a good buy without seeing the bikes, But honestly I would rater see a bike with 5000 miles a year on it then one the has much lower miles that has been sitting.

Which ever you buy, I hope you will stick with us. You will love your Max, even if you don't go all mod monkey on it!

If you can't get the price down on these, I would think real hard about calling Sean (Morley's Mussel). Of those of us on here, he has about the most experience with the V-Max. If its a bike he has checked out (maybe done some work on for you) I KNOW you would be getting a great bike and he ships bikes all the time so you would not have to worry about shipping. If I had the money to buy any bike, I might call Sean and say,"Hey guy, how about a bike that looks stock but has a 1500 stroker motor..." If only the lotto people would send me that check!

 

[Decter]

Wow, thank you everyone for all of the responses. Based on all the feedback you guys gave, I eliminated most of the bikes I was looking at.

Just came across one more in the area that is an 85, and I cant decide whether or not I should jump on it. Any thoughts?

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/mcy/4273944314.html