What to do... what to do...

[a113ycat]

Ive owned both. And its comparing apples to oranges. Both are fruit and then the comparison stops. The Blackbird is an awesome machine with all the performance and speed that anyone could ask for from a stock sport bike. But the Vmax has that & everything else. What it all boils down to is rider preference. I liked my Blackbird but prefer the Vmax...

 

[Barry barker]

Dont mean to change (not really LOL) the subject but how do you like the ZX rims? Looks good on your bike but it adds some style to it. Where/who did them up for ya?

Thanks, they are Carrozeria wheels and the rear wheel is no longer availble for the Vmax. Glad i bought them when i did.:eusa_dance: I like them a lot. A little hard to clean, but very lite. i can not remember exactly but i think the front tire and wheel is aboout 3 # lighter and the rear is about 8# lighter. Keep in mind I am running much wider rubber than stock.

 

[Ford428CJ]

Dont mean to change (not really LOL) the subject but how do you like the ZX rims? Looks good on your bike but it adds some style to it. Where/who did them up for ya?

Thanks, they are Carrozeria wheels and the rear wheel is no longer availble for the Vmax. Glad i bought them when i did.:eusa_dance: I like them a lot. A little hard to clean, but very lite. i can not remember exactly but i think the front tire and wheel is aboout 3 # lighter and the rear is about 8# lighter. Keep in mind I am running much wider rubber than stock.

Your Welcome! Once again..... Very Nice!

 

[RaWarrior]

If there's one word to describe the XXs, it's "generic". Are they a good motorcycle? Yes. They're like the "silver Honda Civic" of the motorcycle world. Technically a good, well built machine. But painfully boring in the style department. Just every aspect of them is neutral, conservative, boring. Been done a million times before. All you need are a sheepskin seat pad and big stupid hard panniers and you'd fit right in at the BMW old-fart club. Biking is to get away from it all, not bring it all the **** with you.

I'm not one who's a whore for attention or "look at me" doodads. I didn't buy the Vmax for it's appearance, honestly I didn't really feel one way or the other about it's looks initially. But it looks different, it looks fast, and the engine just looks intimidating. It gets you fired up to ride before you even leave the driveway. Ditch the stock muffler and it sounds like a big-block V8 with a hot cam. You could build the fastest, best handling bike that gets 100mpg in the world and if it was shaped like a giant turnip nobody would buy one regardless of how technically proficient it was. I could never own a Blackbird just because of how boring they look. My truck is generic, fairly slow, utilitarian. My motorcycle is my escape from the ordinary. Fast, aggressive, a true road warrior.

It's rider preference. You can poll opinions all day long, but stuff like a motorcycle is just by nature intertwined with your soul, so you really just have to ride both and decide which you prefer.

 

[mdrsk]

Well after much deliberation and gnashing of teeth, I finally made a decision and will take delivery of a 2002 BB on Thursday. Turning point was really a combination of a few things: Owner of the VMAX was not as responsive as the BB owners seemed to be. Of course this could mean that VMAX owners are just that much more emotionally connected to their bikes and I would completely understand that. However as a buyer I needed a bike that I felt I could get a decent deal on. The one that I eventually selected was a later model one with fuel injection to avoid carb rebuild$/cleaning$. It has 39K miles, but that is still only about 4300mi/yr. Ironically, it is also a silver one like the VMAX I was considering. That was a negative as I wanted either a black BB or black VMAX. This one was also a bit scraped up on one fairing and stator cover but I think I can live with that for a while. Final cost ended up being $3300. KBB is listed at $4820. Just wanted to let you all know and say thanks for the input. Maybe one day down the road I will get the VMAX.

 

[KJShover]

You won't be dissapointed. I spent a summer on one and had a blast. They are anything but "generic". If there would have been one for sale when I was looking for a bike, back in '07, I would have bought one. but I saw the Vmax, at the local dealer's first. :eusa_dance:

There are plenty of goodies you can buy for it, as well as cosmetic changes. I think you'll have a good time with it, it's got plenty of power, and I found it pretty comfortable due to it's decent sized windshield and predictable handling, the smooth power goes without saying. Slap some bags on it, and it would make you a fine sport-tourer.

When you get a chance post some pictures :clapping:

 

[mdrsk]

You won't be dissapointed. I spent a summer on one and had a blast. They are anything but "generic". If there would have been one for sale when I was looking for a bike, back in '07, I would have bought one. but I saw the Vmax, at the local dealer's first. :eusa_dance:

There are plenty of goodies you can buy for it, as well as cosmetic changes. I think you'll have a good time with it, it's got plenty of power, and I found it pretty comfortable due to it's decent sized windshield and predictable handling, the smooth power goes without saying. Slap some bags on it, and it would make you a fine sport-tourer.

When you get a chance post some pictures :clapping:

Thanks, KJ. I thought I may get a flogging from the board for picking the "wrong" bike :bang head:

Here is a public FB page I made with pics of all three bikes I was considering:
(1) the VMAX is the 1997 with 12K miles that was/is being sold for $3500, but whose owner was not very responsive;
(2) the Black BB is the 1998 with 17K miles for $3700;
(3) finally the Silver BB is the 2002 with 39K miles, scrapes, but fairly modern with fuel injection, ram air, LBS, etc. $3300.

<https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2236430782822.2115223.1009544487&type=1&l=0e9bba3938>


Cheers.
Joe

 

[KJShover]

Looks good unk:
I think you made the right choice.