Vmax owners age?

[82ndCowboy]

I fell in love with Max when I first rode one. I was 21.

Had to wait till I was 42 to be able to get one!

Got my '86 just a couple of months ago

Damn Naughty...
The similarities are scary. We both live in Florida.
I first learned of the VMAX and Fell In Love with it when I was 21. Cut out the picture from a mag and hung it on my wall, where it still hangs today.
I finally bought my 06 at 41y/o.
So I beat ya by one year! LOL!

Now if you tell me your a registered republican and a member of the RNC and your voting for McCain. I'll buy ya a beer!

unk:

 

[naughtyG]

Damn Naughty...
The similarities are scary. We both live in Florida.
I first learned of the VMAX and Fell In Love with it when I was 21. Cut out the picture from a mag and hung it on my wall, where it still hangs today.
I finally bought my 06 at 41y/o.
So I beat ya by one year! LOL!

Now if you tell me your a registered republican and a member of the RNC and your voting for McCain. I'll buy ya a beer!

unk:

Well being a registered alien (French) I won't be voting :rofl_200::rofl_200:

And you got an '06 when I could only manage an '86 - I'm jealous now :damn angry: LOL

I've been riding in France, then UK, then here since I was 12 (used to steal my sister's moped on saturdays while she was at school :eusa_dance, and the V-Max was a dream since that first ride on a friend's all that time ago.
So glad it's now a reality, but the wobbles are a big let down - hope to get that as fixed as can be soon! How does your '06 behave when you take a bend at 90+mph?

 

[Earlzach]

39 on my first Max. At 19 My first Street bike was the V65 Magna.

 

[82ndCowboy]

Well being a registered alien (French) I won't be voting :rofl_200::rofl_200:

And you got an '06 when I could only manage an '86 - I'm jealous now :damn angry: LOL

I've been riding in France, then UK, then here since I was 12 (used to steal my sister's moped on saturdays while she was at school :eusa_dance, and the V-Max was a dream since that first ride on a friend's all that time ago.
So glad it's now a reality, but the wobbles are a big let down - hope to get that as fixed as can be soon! How does your '06 behave when you take a bend at 90+mph?

Bend? What Bend? There are no bends here in Florida! Only traffic congested 6 lane roads with a lot of stop lights.
Ohh wait... there is this slight dog leg way out in the woods that I almost lost it on once! I Never saw it coming!
Seriously though...
Unfortunately Naughty the Max is my first ride that I've ever had the opportunity to really ride. So I have no experience to compare it to. The few slight curves I've been on I notice a slight wobble here and there, but nothing that scares me because it's all I've known.
And I have to admit... the fastest I've taken any curve is 70. I'm still a green horn.

 

[naughtyG]

Bend? What Bend? There are no bends here in Florida!

:rofl_200::rofl_200::rofl_200::rofl_200::rofl_200::rofl_200::rofl_200:Yea I noticed that and it's bloody driving me crazy!! If you only knew how good it feels flicking a bike from side to side at speed, you'd understand my frustration. But then, being on a Max it may not be such a bad thing..

The few slight curves I've been on I notice a slight wobble here and there, but nothing that scares me because it's all I've known.
And I have to admit... the fastest I've taken any curve is 70. I'm still a green horn.

Ok so it sounds like it's really all Maxes that wobble that bad, and only the full monty (upside down fronts, braced swingarm, solid motor mounts, frame strenghtening, 18" rear wheel etc) will actually make it handle properly :confused2:

To me it's so weird 'cos I've had plenty of bikes that did 100-125 top speed, and on ALL of them I would have taken any bend at 90+ without hesitation.

But with the Max it's a big no-no, as I haven't quite got such a death wish yet :bang head:

:hijacked:

 

[82ndCowboy]

:rofl_200::rofl_200::rofl_200::rofl_200::rofl_200::rofl_200::rofl_200:Yea I noticed that and it's bloody driving me crazy!! If you only knew how good it feels flicking a bike from side to side at speed, you'd understand my frustration. But then, being on a Max it may not be such a bad thing..



Ok so it sounds like it's really all Maxes that wobble that bad, and only the full monty (upside down fronts, braced swingarm, solid motor mounts, frame strenghtening, 18" rear wheel etc) will actually make it handle properly :confused2:

To me it's so weird 'cos I've had plenty of bikes that did 100-125 top speed, and on ALL of them I would have taken any bend at 90+ without hesitation.

But with the Max it's a big no-no, as I haven't quite got such a death wish yet :bang head:

:hijacked:

Well naughty, all I can say is...
The VMAX is a straight line drag bike. It was not designed for taking corners at 90.
Yamaha had one focus when they built her. Blow away anything in the quarter mile drag. And back in 85 they accomplished that.
So if your really hell bent on a bike that goes through corners at 90 with your knee on the ground, maybe the VMAX is not really the bike you want.
Not trying to be an ass or anything...
Just saying...

unk:

 

[naughtyG]

Yea I agree with you on principle. But then again I've never been into crotch rockets, and you'll never find me scraping a knee or hanging off the side anywhere unless someone bought me a track day for my B-day :biglaugh:

Most of my bikes have been big thumpers - dual sports as they're known here. I've had a couple of street bikes too, but more out of despair than by choice - those times when you just have to have a bike but can't afford what you want!

It's true the Max was always a straight line bike by design, and it shows. Prob is I do a lot of miles on mine, about 90 on I4 more often than I'd like to, and I absolutely love it! V-boost rocks, and now that I've got my Tiger 650 bars and windshield on it, it feels like a different bike altogether. So while I'm in love with the power and the looks, and I have no issues with the brakes etc, the hi-speed handling does bother me. I just wish it could be a bit more stable without having to spend another 4k on it. :confused2:

 

[82ndCowboy]

Yea I agree with you on principle. But then again I've never been into crotch rockets, and you'll never find me scraping a knee or hanging off the side anywhere unless someone bought me a track day for my B-day :biglaugh:

Most of my bikes have been big thumpers - dual sports as they're known here. I've had a couple of street bikes too, but more out of despair than by choice - those times when you just have to have a bike but can't afford what you want!

It's true the Max was always a straight line bike by design, and it shows. Prob is I do a lot of miles on mine, about 90 on I4 more often than I'd like to, and I absolutely love it! V-boost rocks, and now that I've got my Tiger 650 bars and windshield on it, it feels like a different bike altogether. So while I'm in love with the power and the looks, and I have no issues with the brakes etc, the hi-speed handling does bother me. I just wish it could be a bit more stable without having to spend another 4k on it. :confused2:

I hear ya...
For what it's worth... I've had mine up to 118 straight line and not had any issues with wobble.
Just outta curiosity...
Have you tried taking your windshield and bags and anything that's not stock off and see how it handles?
Also I noticed since I put the Metzler on mine rides a lot better. I had both a bridgestone and dunlop on before and both those had a grove in the center of the tire. And I noticed on things like grooved pavement and steel grate bridges, those tires were a lil squirely. The metzler doesn't have a grove in the center. And I find it feels a lot more solid in steering.

 

[Shuriken]

My bike has a nasty headshake. Haven't even started to address handling yet. +1 on getting a tire that doesn't have a center groove.

 

[naughtyG]

Well here's my Max story so far..

On the first day I rode it, I took it to 125 mph, and it started wobbling so bad (in a straight line) I thought I was dead! Did manage to hold it unk:just, but wasn't far off shitting me pants :whistlin: That was without windshield - just the FatMax hard bags but I find it hard to believe these would do anything like that.

Then I found out that my rear wheel assembly was missing (!!!) the collar that goes between the caliper bracket and the bearing - nice one Mr PO :2gunsfiring_v1:as the wheel was able to move sideways about 1 inch!!

I also, thru this site, found out more about wobbles causes and possible fixes, so I also performed the Furbur fix after checking my head bearings out. They looked ok, so I put them back on, but might replace them yet.
I also have a bold squared off Dunlop Qualifier on the rear, and the front loox ok but is prolly a bit cupped too.
So the tires are next - been waiting for funds and Shinko stock at BikeBandit, then as soon as the two come together new tires will be fitted! I have high hopes for those to be a great help!
Since the rear wheel and furbur fixes, I've seen 135 mph in a straight line and it still felt 'ok', but I didn't :duck:and what's really freaking me out is the way it twitches over every highway lane change and other such bump. I love speed, and would love to push my Max to its limit, but it ain't gonna happen until it feels safe to do so!
Since fitting the higher and wider bars and windshield, I sit up a lot more without my arms so stretched, and that seems to help stability a lot. My arse hurts cos that Corbin was made as low as poss (shortarse PO I guess), so I might dig into it to add some gel..
I also found out that my rear shocks are some aftermarket shorties that are making it impossible to get the bike on the center stand, and I have no idea how that affects my handling. I have a pair of OEMs on their way from a very nice man from this site, and am 50/50 as to whether this will be an improvement or not. Right now, I can't wait for the new tires! :worthy::surf:

 

[Shuriken]

...and what's really freaking me out is the way it twitches over every highway lane change and other such bump. I love speed, and would love to push my Max to its limit, but it ain't gonna happen until it feels safe to do so!

+1 to that. Holy crap... changing lanes is one of the scariest things to do on my bike!

 

[Palli]

I'm only 29 .. You have to honor these senior members because they do have the experience in repair and tuning department that we can use :biglaugh:

 

[m-cman]

Plus we are still alive (me after 50 years of riding) so obviously we have excellent survival skills....:worthy:

 

[Jayhawk]

Plus we are still alive (me after 50 years of riding) so obviously we have excellent survival skills....:worthy:

Nah, it's that special Egyptian riding gear you guys are wearing...

:biglaugh:

 

[naughtyG]

WOW I want one!!!

:clapping::clapping::clapping::clapping::clapping:

 

[Nicki66]

Almost 42 years old & just bought my first Max. I love my 06!

Hey Cowboy, I'm a registered Republican voter, So how about that beer?

 

[naughtyG]

LOL I'm not, but I'll have that beer anyway!

:icon_jook::icon_jook::icon_jook:

 

[RazoR333]

42 in November..first saw the Max the year it came out ,...lusted for it since ,...bought the 95 Max this spring; 15,367 on the clock,.put 8500 k on it since 1st of May.
Picked up the 86 Fazer 4 yrs ago cause i thought I'd never get the chance to own the Max,....Been smiling ever since.
Love the response I get ,..even from the Harley guys,..unk:
RESPECT,.. the original "big block"boulevard rocker.

 

[lankeeyankee]

I bought my VMAX when I was 29, and today at 36 I am still saying " I am tired of this thing I am selling it" and still 8 yrs later I here people telling me "You need to sell that beast before you hurt yourself"

Its been a love and hate relationship but I still work on it and spend money on it.

 

[Thevmaxrider]

Old enough to know better, but young enough not to give a damn...... bought Snowmax when I was 36, now 40 and going faster than everunk: