- Warp12's 1989 V-Max Adventure -

[Warp12]

In keeping with the 1985 "tribute" theme, I grabbed these off of Ebay:

Once they arrive, I will have all of the paintable pieces I need in order to pretty closely replicate the color scheme of my dad's 1985. Since the scoops are carbon, I will be painting those along with the side panels. Some bright metallic silver, I imagine. I will have to look around at options for that.

 

[Warp12]

It was a great morning on the V-Max!

Yesterday I pretty much had the bike in good enough shape to go for a ride, but the weather wouldn't cooperate. I was dodging raindrops with every little test ride. So today I decided that I would get out early and cruise some backroads with my gf, Racheal. I taught Racheal how to ride about 10 years ago, and now she drag races and Land Speed races as a hobbies, as do I. But anyway, the old Yamaha was looking pretty darn good, if I do say so myself:

I found myself really riding this V-Max like I was a kid again! It doesn't stop too well, it's powerful, heavy, and it can get you in trouble quick! I remember reading about a lot of "close calls" on V-Maxes, and I see why. It is quite tempting to v-boost it up all of the time, and the motor sounds great. I think I have it running better, because it pulled strongly through the upper gears, to high rpm, even with very windy conditions.

After about 50 miles we stopped for a break:

Racheal was riding her 2003 GSXR 1000. It is really a fun bike, and it has some bolt-on mods. She has been 9.49 in the 1/4 on it, and 182 mph in Land Speed trim. Of course, she has been quicker and faster, but for a 10 year-old 1000, that little bike gets up and goes, with 22k on the clock. I figured this was as good a time as any for my first burnout on the bike:

She snapped a quick pic, and I let off and took it easy on the bike. The brakes really need some work (I had practically squeeze the lever to the bar), and I think I would like to change the clutch too...the diaphragm doesn't have very good feel for what I intend to do at the track. Next up was a stop for lunch:

MMMMMM Boy!!! I have been on a bit of a diet, so this was a nice change of pace. I've lost over 12lbs since March, comfortably, with more to come. But today I treated myself! After we had lunch, I decided that it would be a good time to swap machines, and let Racheal ride the V-Max:

I knew the bike would be like nothing she had ridden before. We took it easy for awhile, and then I told her to pace me in 2nd gear, and at my signal to let it rip! That she did, and it was really cool to see her scream away on the old V-Max. She had a great big smile on her face after the ride, and she could definitely feel that v-boost kick in. Yes, the V-Max is fun.

Tripped it over 3k miles on the way home (on the v-boost too, lol):

That was the gist of our morning. There were a few other fun bits, some wheelie practice, including a howling 20 ft light skid mark trying to stop it after one said wheelie (very controllable, but the darn thing just won't stop!). Time to start looking at the tires and brakes. :biglaugh:

 

[Warp12]

After yesterday's fun I decided that a clutch setup change is in order. Before I ever take the bike to the drag strip I want to get the diaphragm spring out of there. I ordered a Barnett coil spring conversion, and other parts today. We used to run a coil spring conversion in our big FJ Yamahas, and it was a big improvement in feel and linearity. I am not 100% sure if it comes with the center bearing or not? I hope so!

The conversion kit:

I also ordered new friction plates and a gasket. The frictions in there may be fine, but I don't want to get inside and find out they are not:

I also picked up a set of used steel plates for $30:

Used steel plates don't bother me at all. I like that they have been heat cycled already. As long as they are flat, I'm happy. This combination of clutch pieces should line me up with a solid clutch and some good spares. I will probably pick up a new braided clutch line too.

 

[tothemax93]

Sounds like a fun day. There's lots of brake upgrades for the vmax. You can get it so it stops on a dime, but it might cost a little more than that :eusa_dance: Heres a thread thats a good read,
http://www.vmaxforum.net/showthread.php?t=24444&highlight=brake+upgrade

 

[Traumahawk]

One of the things that I did to MAJORLY improve the brakes was to go the the 6 pot calipers from the mid nineties FZR1000/YZF750R. I also went with steel braided lines. I didnt have to change the master cylinder.

Here's a pic and it made a HUGE difference!!! Thats just one option for a brake upgrade.

 

[Warp12]

One of the things that I did to MAJORLY improve the brakes was to go the the 6 pot calipers from the mid nineties FZR1000/YZF750R. I also went with steel braided lines. I didnt have to change the master cylinder.

Here's a pic and it made a HUGE difference!!! Thats just one option for a brake upgrade.

I think the 'Busa setup is about the best I can fit to a 1989 without changing up the forks? Is that a Shinko 230 front tire? What size, it sure looks wide for a 110.

 

[Warp12]

Sounds like a fun day. There's lots of brake upgrades for the vmax. You can get it so it stops on a dime, but it might cost a little more than that :eusa_dance: Heres a thread thats a good read,
http://www.vmaxforum.net/showthread.php?t=24444&highlight=brake+upgrade

That setup looks pretty stout. I am somewhat leaning towards a setup like that. Of course I would love to have the ZX-14 USD front end, those brakes are incredible. I even have some spare 14 forks and wheels. I have heard that Cycle One Off triple clamps will work, not sure if they still make them? I didn't have any luck with their email address.

 

[Traumahawk]

I think the 'Busa setup is about the best I can fit to a 1989 without changing up the forks? Is that a Shinko 230 front tire? What size, it sure looks wide for a 110.

Your right...I had forgotten that yours is an 89. That is a 230 tire, and still the stock 110 mm. You can look at it and see that I use all of the tread..lol.

 

[Warp12]

Holy Crap!!!

I have never ran into a tire this hard. I threw it up on my changer to lever it off, and it required about 150 lbs of weight standing on it just to press it down to get the wheel in the rim clamp. I can't get under it to lever it off the wheel. It is about 80 degrees here, so it is not like the tire is cold. I am either going to have to take it into the shop, or heat it up, or something.

Now I am exhausted from fighting this thing, and it sits and mocks me...:bang head:

 

[Warp12]

I am thinking of using a little heat on the tire to soften it up...

That oughta be the perfect amount. :biglaugh:

 

[gamorg02]

yea the vmax wheel being so narrow doesn't help either.

 

[Warp12]

yea the vmax wheel being so narrow doesn't help either.

That's for sure! I just spent the best $10 ever, getting that tire removed.

It's raining like mad here, of course....which means no trip to the dyno today. Besides, I'd really like to get the clutch in beforehand, and my new pressure plate setup has not arrived yet. I did get the rest of the clutch parts, and even the 1985 side covers arrived from Canada. All very nice!

You may recall that I stated that I liked to weigh parts on my scales. Let me show you why. I am very interested in saving weight on the bike, but it is also very hard to tell just how much you can save, without accurate comparisons. One thing I have found is that when it comes to weighing wheels, always do it without the tires if possible. Especially if the tires are different sizes/models. So, I did quite a bit of research on front tires. My research indicated that the Bridgestone BT45 would be one of the lightest bias ply tires you could get. It looked to be about 4 lbs lighter than the Dunlop F20 that comes standard. Now, 4 lbs off the front wheel is HUGE! And losing it in the tire will make the biggest difference of all, because of the location of the weight. Well, with some aftermarket wheels showing 4 lbs of or more weight loss (but compared with different tires), I was anxious to see if I could really save 4 lbs of weight just by going with a different front tire. The answer is YES!:

Btw, both tires are the oem 110/90/18 size, and V-rated. I'm not saying that this is as good as an aftermarket wheel setup, but for $110 this is a great improvement, imo. I will have handling feedback once I mount it, but everything I have read on the BT45 is very positive.

 

[Warp12]

 

[CrackerRican]

Holy Crap!!!

I have never ran into a tire this hard. I threw it up on my changer to lever it off, and it required about 150 lbs of weight standing on it just to press it down to get the wheel in the rim clamp. I can't get under it to lever it off the wheel. It is about 80 degrees here, so it is not like the tire is cold. I am either going to have to take it into the shop, or heat it up, or something.

Now I am exhausted from fighting this thing, and it sits and mocks me...:bang head:

Did you ever get tire off

 

[Warp12]

Did you ever get tire off

See above post, with tire weights:

That's for sure! I just spent the best $10 ever, getting that tire removed.

 

[CrackerRican]

See above post, with tire weights:

Must have missed that one

 

[Warp12]

The V-Max rims aren't as heavy as you might think. Here is a comparison between the 1985 V-Max front rim and a 2006 GSXR 1000 front rim. The GSXR rim is very light for oem, and lighter than many aftermarket wheels. You have to be careful with manufacturer quoted wheel weight, because they often use the weight of the bare rim, without spacers or bearings.

11.8 lbs for the V-Max rim and 9.2 lbs for the GSXR rim. Yes, 2.6 lbs of difference....but simply swapping tires just saved me over 4 lbs. So you can see how the little details are important. I have also weighed the rear rim, but I will get to that in another post. Captain Kyle has sold me a nice 1985 rear rim (thanks!), and I want to be able to compare early and late model rims side-by-side. I will also do that with the fronts when I get a chance. There is more to rims than just weight, as you can read about here:

http://www.sportrider.com/gear/146_0402_motorcycle_wheel_comparison/viewall.html

As I say, aftermarket rims are a different story. In fact, my 14R rolls on BST Carbon Fiber rims. But it never hurts to cut weight when you can do so, especially on the cheap (like a tire)!

 

[minicopilot]

GREAT story!!! I havent been this interested in a story since the TV series "Rich Man Poor Man" and "The Shield". That bike was clean from the start and just keeps getting better. Thanks for the awesome info and pictures!

 

[Warp12]

GREAT story!!! I havent been this interested in a story since the TV series "Rich Man Poor Man" and "The Shield". That bike was clean from the start and just keeps getting better. Thanks for the awesome info and pictures!

I'm glad you like the thread! I am really having a ton of fun, and getting to have some experiences that I dreamed of as a teenager. Back then I wanted a V-Max so bad I could taste it! Speaking of my teen years, I stumbled upon another piece of personal history today. I was cleaning the garage (and it is a big job), and I found my original 1986 V-Max fold out poster/brochure. The same one that I had on my wall as a teenager! A little tattered, complete with thumbtack holes, but rich with memories!

I had to laugh when I read, "It's got big everything". That's one way market your bike, I suppose. :biglaugh:

 

[Warp12]

And if you have a soft spot for Kawasaki's (like I do), then you will appreciate this bedroom-wall survivor. The 1990 Kawasaki ZX-11:

Another classic that I would love to own!