V-MAX

snowman

Registered
Has anyone here owned/ridden a V-MAX?  I'm thinking of picking one up later this year and was wondering if you all had any opinions on this bike.  

thanks..
 
I've rode one. Nice bike. The one I rode was in the 90's. lots of torque. Tire spins easy. Comfortable position for sitting up. At the time, I liked it ,but my Old Honda Hurricane would tear it apart racing though. I don't know how it would feel riding one now after owning a Busa but If you are looking for a good midbike with a good sitting position it is great.
 
i had one for 6 years...loved it...my brother still has one with velocity stacks and tuned by ufo cycles in cleveland....the only part i didnt like was there are a bad tank slap due to the suspension going in or out of curves and the amount of torque....most fixed with a steering stabalizer....lots of fans and vmoa is a riders group he belongs to....great bunch of mods and excelent ideas and stable platform with lots of goodies......there is not much you cant do to personalize it!!!
 
Never had one -- was one bad muther back in the day tho (84)
From what I understand tho frame flex is a huge problem and it costs a bit to make it stable at the speeds of which it is capable.
I would buy one tho for sure if the price were right
 
Stoplight to stoplight they are an absolute blast, and as mentioned, very comfortable. I would consider it a cruiser and probably the most desirable one. The problem is in the twisties...very disjointed and not confidence inspiring at all. If I had one it would have to be a second bike, maybe for in-town cruising on Saturday night
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Great blvd. Bruiser! Timeless looks with those scoops! Wish I had another one.
 
its still the fastest cruiser bike from what i have heard. it is a awesome looking bike with those scoops. the only negative i have is the gas tank under the seat similar to the vrod, those 4 gallons of gas seem to go real quick.
 
Had a 2000 & loved it. Had it not been for a friend who MADE me ride his new Busa I would still have the Max. Traded in the Max on the Busa.
Here's what you need to make it handle.
Race tech cartridge emulators for the forks with progressive front springs installed with 2" drop. Have recently heard that FZ1 front forks will bolt up but am not sure about it.
Works/progressive rear shocks 1 & 1/2" shorter (11&1/2)
Kosman modified stock wheels so you can put good 17" tires on it. You can get a 190 on the rear without moding the swing arm in the driveshaft housing area.
BTW, the stock tires are stones, hated them.
R1 front calipers & SS braided brake lines
solid motor mounts.
Frame bars
Steerimg stabilizer
Get your rider seat redone by Blue Ridge sport max. Gets you about 2" deeper in the bike & is the most comfortable seat I ever had on a bike.
For about 30.00 you can get a 3-6 V-Boost switch, Hang on!!
 
I have a friend who has one. I love it! I keep taking it away from him. Its a great cruiser/muscle bike to ride around town. My only complaint is the small tank.
But for my riding style (long distant on freeway), I need a big tank, nice suspension, windscreen, and be able to lean forward a little to get some weight off my back. Thats where my 'Busa (which replaced my zx11) steps in.
Keep in mind, VMAX is still carb
 
OK, I've got a different opinion of the VMax. I had one last year. I sold it in March to get the Busa. The one year that I owned it, I logged 11K miles. That included plenty of straight roads here in TX, one trip to the Ozarks, and one trip to the Smokies.

I never liked that bike. It won't turn, suspension is terrible, poor breaks, and not as comfortable as my busa. It was fast... back in the 80's and early 90's. The only good thing about that bike was that it got a lot of compliments. It seemed that everyone else liked it. Well I was very happy to get rid of it, and on to the Hayabusa.

Paul Steen
 
It has a great engine but like the others have said it handles poorly and the tank range isn't that good. The motor deserves a new home in a modern sport bike.
 
Had an 85 with a few mods. Fun but sucky on high speed turns. Hit 3rd hard around 70 and break tire loose. Hooked up a couple times instead of breaking loose. Went straight up. When it jumped like that, you get dumped back and roll the throttle to hang on. People probably thought I was showing off. Hell, I was just trying to stay on the bike. Had to stand up and pull the seat out of my butt. If I get another cruiser, it would be another V-max or maybe V-rod.
 
(xzvs @ Sep. 09 2006,06:08) Never had one -- was one bad muther back in the day tho (84)
From what I understand tho frame flex is a huge problem and it costs a bit to make it stable at the speeds of which it is capable.
I would buy one tho for sure if the price were right
It was a much badder muther in 1985. (First year of production.) I owned an '85 for 12 years and put 85k on the odo. Lots of commuting and even two cross country trips -- on the stock seat. Ouch! Despite its many shortcomings, it is still one helluva ride. I'll get another one someday when a deal presents itself. I love the Busa, but miss the Max.

Here's my stable once upon a time... circa 2000 near the end of the V-Max's life.

bikes.jpg
 
They are kind of small and stubby for tall riders. That's what turned me away from them. I have always wanted one and I just don't fit on it. Also, make sure you find a good shop that will work on it, alot of shops run in the opposite direction of those bikes. It's amazing, after 21 years with nearly the exact same look, it still looks BAD A$$. Get a copy of the European mag Streetfighters, there are always Vmax's featured in it with turbos and nitrous. They are HUGE in Europe.
 
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