What did you do to your Vmax today?

[naughtyG]

Damn no more getting drunk on SF then..

 

[ssnsltd]

Don't put seafoam in unless you actually need it - it's mostly alcohol and will eat your inner rubber parts eventually.

the MSDS sheet for Sea foam says it is only 10-20% IPA (ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL)
the rest is,
25-35% Naphtha (solvent mostly)
40-60% Pale Oil

 

[Boomer]

Ok next task is definitely the "easy" steering head adjusment. Question, the hex bolts on my top triple clamp have some chrome covers over them, how are these removed?

2nd, looking at the castle nut, it seems to be two nuts stacked on top of each other with some kind of device in a groove locking them together? (I haven't really looked CLOSE yet.)

So do I tighten this whole castle-nut assembly slowly while checking the "bounce" or does just half of the nut turn? Hope this makes sense...

 

[44 magnum]

Ok next task is definitely the "easy" steering head adjusment. Question, the hex bolts on my top triple clamp have some chrome covers over them, how are these removed?

2nd, looking at the castle nut, it seems to be two nuts stacked on top of each other with some kind of device in a groove locking them together? (I haven't really looked CLOSE yet.)

So do I tighten this whole castle-nut assembly slowly while checking the "bounce" or does just half of the nut turn? Hope this makes sense...

The chrome covers are like little snaps. If you (carefully of course) use a small knife or jewler's screwdriver, you can pry them off fairly easily.


The two nuts are to be tightened as follows (from the Yamaha manual) when re-assembling.


Tighten ring nut (bottom one) to 36 ft/lbs
Loosen completely
Re-tighten to 2.2 ft/lbs


Then you place the rubber washer on (unless you wish to do the Furber Fix). Next is the locking washer thing, then finger tighten the second ring nut.
-

 

[[email protected]]

So do I tighten this whole castle-nut assembly slowly while checking the "bounce" or does just half of the nut turn? Hope this makes sense...[/quote]


I tightened up the whole assembly using a wide, flat, drift.

Unless you plan to tear off your bars and the top triple clamp you have to do "the whole assembly" at once because the nuts are locked together with that "special washer" or whatever you want to call that cheap POS that has the tangs on it that lock em together.

1. Loosen top nut with big ass wrench (I used standard, not metric, and I lined the jaws with tape so I didn't mar the finish of my sweet chrome nut)
2. Loosened lower triple tree pinch bolts
3. Bike was on center stand and I put a jack under the front part of the frame to get the front wheel off the ground just a bit.
4. Tightened both nuts at the same time.
5. Let the bars drop to either side to see how they fall.

I had to give mine just a wee, tiny, tap to make them fall off center. When they went left, they fell harder. Just a tiny spec of a bounce to the left. When they went right, they seemed tighter due to the controls. No binding at all, just no bounce, sometimes I even had to give them a love tap in the middle to make em go to the stop.

Since then, no weaving at low speeds (too tight) or wobble on decleration (too loose). I have not tested it above 120 yet this year though. I've only been out twice. Once with the wife.

Oh, and the standard wrench fit to top nut great, no slippage or scuffing. I think it was 1 1/16 or 1 1/8.

This is what I take to be Sean's method of the "Bounce Technique" I apologize if what I wrote is wrong but I must say it has worked for me!

I think I need to check the swingarm next. I was feeling some kind of flex through the turns but wasn't sure if it was my fat ass and my wifes skinny one, the bias tire, a flexing swingarm, loose swingarm bearings, or a combo of all the above. Oh, and contributions from the stock shocks possibly too.

 

[vmax190]

rode the hell out of it, hit 150 a couple of times on rt.62 here in ohio, anyone want a great ride through ohio, pm me, there some great roads in this state, if you don't mind horse shit and scaring the hell out of some amish:clapping:

 

[gamorg02]

So do I tighten this whole castle-nut assembly slowly while checking the "bounce" or does just half of the nut turn? Hope this makes sense...

I tightened up the whole assembly using a wide, flat, drift.

Unless you plan to tear off your bars and the top triple clamp you have to do "the whole assembly" at once because the nuts are locked together with that "special washer" or whatever you want to call that cheap POS that has the tangs on it that lock em together.

1. Loosen top nut with big ass wrench (I used standard, not metric, and I lined the jaws with tape so I didn't mar the finish of my sweet chrome nut)
2. Loosened lower triple tree pinch bolts
3. Bike was on center stand and I put a jack under the front part of the frame to get the front wheel off the ground just a bit.
4. Tightened both nuts at the same time.
5. Let the bars drop to either side to see how they fall.

I had to give mine just a wee, tiny, tap to make them fall off center. When they went left, they fell harder. Just a tiny spec of a bounce to the left. When they went right, they seemed tighter due to the controls. No binding at all, just no bounce, sometimes I even had to give them a love tap in the middle to make em go to the stop.

Since then, no weaving at low speeds (too tight) or wobble on decleration (too loose). I have not tested it above 120 yet this year though. I've only been out twice. Once with the wife.

Oh, and the standard wrench fit to top nut great, no slippage or scuffing. I think it was 1 1/16 or 1 1/8.

This is what I take to be Sean's method of the "Bounce Technique" I apologize if what I wrote is wrong but I must say it has worked for me!

I think I need to check the swingarm next. I was feeling some kind of flex through the turns but wasn't sure if it was my fat ass and my wifes skinny one, the bias tire, a flexing swingarm, loose swingarm bearings, or a combo of all the above. Oh, and contributions from the stock shocks possibly too.[/quote]

much easier than tearing the whole thing down..

also for what its worth, i'm 99.9% sure that nut is the same size as the rear axle, 27mm. just so u have the tools ready. i tore my hole handlebars off so i could use a socket and tighten it to spec... its on there pretty good i think like 80 ft lbs

 

[dannymax]

Ran both bikes through NYS inspection....always a 'tongue in cheek' thing (like going to the DMV)...but no problems or surprises! :clapping:

 

[forestdaledave]

Took my Bike further apart. Drained coolant and oil. Parts are soon to arrive. Rebuild waterpump and replace all the coolant hoses. Sent my holeshot exhaust out to be jet coated. I'm going to remove my Vboost switch for kicking it on at 3000 RPM.
Dave

 

[vmax626]

I went to Pep Boys to get those nice L.E.D.`s that I`ve looking at for a while now , came home and took off the seats and the rear fender.
Then I tore out that big tounge looking tail light and threw it in the storage room to rott.!!!
Then I removed the reflector mount and the reflector and bored a couple of holes in the mount (after painting it black) and painted the rear under fender support .
While those were drying I made a harness using the same connectors to wire in the L.E.D.`s and made my own custom tail and brake light assembly.
I have to say that it looks really good and those bulbs are brighter than the stock ones (way brighter). I don`t know how to post pics yet but, I will put some in my gallery tomorrow when I finish putting it all back together.
There is something else that I would like to say,
I would like to say THANK YOU to all of you who have helped me out with your knoledgable advice, ideas and respectful critcisim. You all have been a great help and inspiration to me .I didn`t know much about the vmax but, now i`ve lost my fear ofdigging in and doing all these mods that I never even heard about let alone doing them myself.(although I`ve always been a tinkerer)
. This a great site and you are all good people (no I`m not drunk or high) and I greatly apprecieate every thing that you all have done for me and max. So, I think i`ll hang around here for a while.
Once again I say thank you.
<<Dave>>

 

[gamorg02]

Dave,

I feel the same way man.. this site has definitely given me the confidence to work on my own stuff more.



As far as what I did to my vmax, actually yesterday.. i put about 80 miles on her and halfway thru my clutch lever felt kinda loose. so i pull over and both pivot bolt nuts on both levers were almost finger loose!! no idea how they loosened but glad i had my toolkit on me. tightened 'em up and we were good to go. strange thing is the clutch lever doesn't feel any tighter now but thats crazy that they both loosened...

anyone know if they are supposed to be locknuts?

 

[vmax626]

here are some pics of my tail and brake light conversion .
I also moved the lic. plate up a bit.unk:

 

[naughtyG]

great mod i like it - loox well different.

What are those shocks you got on there - are those the Honda air shocks you were talking about?

Bike loox well mean like this!

 

[vmax626]

great mod i like it - loox well different.

What are those shocks you got on there - are those the Honda air shocks you were talking about?

Bike loox well mean like this!

Yeah those are them, they fit right on the bike (got luky I guess)
I just learned how to post pics so there will be more as I continue beasting it out.
It`s lowered almost 3" in the front and 2 1/2" in the rear but even though I let out the air in the front the shocks are still stiff:ummm: I would like to know how I can soften them up a little bit tho.
<<Dave>>

 

[naughtyG]

are you talking about the front forks? If so, thinner (lighter weight) fork oil may help you.

 

[vmax626]

are you talking about the front forks? If so, thinner (lighter weight) fork oil may help you.

Yeah it`s the front forks that are stiff.
The previous owner put the oil in but I think that maybe he put regular oil in them or maybe too much.:ummm: I just wish that they had drain plugs at the bottom but they don`t (kinda makes it a hassle to do that job):bang head:
along with only having a carport and not a garage to work in, no work bench or a good table to work on, I have to use my friends and he is 25 miles away from me so, any job I do has to be a quik one.:bang head:
<<Dave>>

 

[naughtyG]

It's not a bad job at all - takes about 20mns to take off the front wheel and brakes, then loosen the triple tree clamps and remove the fork tubes. The fork caps come off easily too (make yourself a tool with a bolt and a couple of nuts), then you just invert them let the oil drain and replace with the right amount of 10w fork oil (that's OEM recommendation)

 

[vmax626]

It's not a bad job at all - takes about 20mns to take off the front wheel and brakes, then loosen the triple tree clamps and remove the fork tubes. The fork caps come off easily too (make yourself a tool with a bolt and a couple of nuts), then you just invert them let the oil drain and replace with the right amount of 10w fork oil (that's OEM recommendation)

I think it`s a little more than that as the air valves are under the fork cap.
Do I remove the valves and just invert them to drain and then replace the oil or do I have to take them apart to do it ??:ummm:
<<Dave>>

 

[RagingMain]

Yeah it`s the front forks that are stiff.
The previous owner put the oil in but I think that maybe he put regular oil in them or maybe too much.:ummm: I just wish that they had drain plugs at the bottom but they don`t (kinda makes it a hassle to do that job):bang head:
along with only having a carport and not a garage to work in, no work bench or a good table to work on, I have to use my friends and he is 25 miles away from me so, any job I do has to be a quik one.:bang head:
<<Dave>>

Dave, give me a call, I got a garage and some tools to help out :eusa_dance: PM sent.

 

[02Moneypit]

Just came in from the shop and being installing the front end from coo with the steering stabilizer from tom as well.Have to paint the lowers gold to match the forks and then im done after some pics of course try to get to it tomorrow.:biglaugh: