Added a Vmax to the fleet

[Bellerophon]

Along with the XS1100, the other Yamaha that really floats my boat is the Vmax.

I bought my first Vmax brand new off the show room floor in Roseburg, Oregon in 1987. It was a brand new non-current 1985 model. I sold the bike in the mid-90s and always regretted it. The gen 1 Vmax is without question one of the greatest bikes ever produced, in my mind a true living legend.

Now that I am a bit older, and more importantly a little bit more financially stable, it is time own a Vmax once again.

This 2001 is an eBay purchase, with a little over 7000 miles on the clock. There are some problems that were not disclosed by the seller.

Both fork seals are shot, and the forks are virtually empty of oil.

The fork oil leaked on to both front brake calipers and the pads are soaked in fork oil, and the front brake is useless.

The carbs are a mess. The bike will not run without the choke partially on. Even then it pops and sputters.

The battery is shot and will not hold a charge.

The steering stem bearings are loose and need to be adjusted.

All of that said, the bike is in great cosmetic condition, and I cannot wait to get the other problems taken care of. I have asked the seller to help pay for repairs that could have and should have been disclosed....we'll see. All I can say is buyer beware on eBay.

Here are some pictures.

[Gallaecus]

+1 on the VMax bro....very nice

[jjz28]

Beautiful bike. I would love to have that in my stable.

[DGXSER]

My best friend bought an in the crate 85 V-Max in 87. That thing was an absolute Rocket!! He put Kerker system on it and rejetted the carbs. I clearly recall doin 130 with me on the back of it on windy back roads.

That is a beautiful bike for sure!! Hope the seller works with you, but reality is if he sold it to you wihtout disclosing those issues, he is probably not the type of person who is going to help pay for repairs on a bike he no longer owns.

[Bellerophon]

Hope the seller works with you, but reality is if he sold it to you wihtout disclosing those issues, he is probably not the type of person who is going to help pay for repairs on a bike he no longer owns.

I agree, but it's worth a shot. In any case I'll have it up to snuff in no time. I like to think that most people are honest and fair and am always suprised by those who are not.

[jimbilton]

Added a V Max to the fleet

That's a great looking bike. I wish you'd included a photo of the rear view - I love those short, fat, splayed out mufflers, especially when seen from the back!
I'll be interested to hear what you think about the engine's characteristics when you get her running right.
Good luck!

[Bellerophon]

That's a great looking bike. I wish you'd included a photo of the rear view - I love those short, fat, splayed out mufflers, especially when seen from the back!
I'll be interested to hear what you think about the engine's characteristics when you get her running right.
Good luck!

Thanks Jim. Ask and ye shall receive.



I also decided to clean up some of the unseen grimey bits yesterday.

[jimbilton]

Added a V Max to the fleet

Well now I wish you had NOT added those extra photos - I'm even more envious of your mighty V-Max! It certainly looks in great condition, far better than my seven year old XJR1300.
I'm also jealous of your garage/ workshop. Due to lack of garage or workshop, I am likely going to have to sell my XJR - and I've only had it three months. Very depressing. I was looking forward to renovating it as a winter project...
Anyway, good luck with the V-Max, and please keep posting about it.

[Bellerophon]

Well now I wish you had NOT added those extra photos - I'm even more envious of your mighty V-Max! It certainly looks in great condition, far better than my seven year old XJR1300.
I'm also jealous of your garage/ workshop. Due to lack of garage or workshop, I am likely going to have to sell my XJR - and I've only had it three months. Very depressing. I was looking forward to renovating it as a winter project...
Anyway, good luck with the V-Max, and please keep posting about it.

Yeah Jim but we can't buy cool bikes like the XJR1300.

I will say one of the cool things about living in Idaho is that most homes are built with 3 car garages.

[Bellerophon]

Just a quick update. The bike is at the dealer. They of course corrected the fork seals and the brakes. The carbs as it turned out had been removed at some other time, and were re-installed incorrectly. The carb boots were cracked and broken. They also found the pilot jets occluded, so the carbs were cleaned.

The PO said he would consider paying for part of the repairs, so we'll see.

[jimbilton]

Added a Vmax to the fleet.

Glad to hear you are making progress. Did you not feel like tackling the repairs yourself?
Looking at that picture of your bike without the bodywork on really shows how tightly packed with components the frame is! I like that - wires, pipes, electronics everywhere.

[Old Red]

They are amazing rides. I had a 96 yellow one for a short time. It was scary fast!!! I hope you are on the road with yours soon.

Earl

[Bellerophon]

Glad to hear you are making progress. Did you not feel like tackling the repairs yourself?

I like working on the bike myself, but my job has me traveling a lot. I am also just anxious to get it done.

[Bellerophon]

One more quick update. I picked up the V-max from Snake River Yamaha this weekend. They did a great job correcting the issues I detailed earlier in this thread. Video attached.

http://youtu.be/cW7EboXFJEg

[Bellerophon]

I did get resolution with the previous owner, he wrote me today, and has agreed to send me roughly $240 of an $800 repair bill. I'm happy with that, because he could have told me to go fly a kite, and I would not have much recourse.

I will say that if you are contemplating buying a bike off of eBay, and it's not possible to inspect the machine yourself, hire an inspection firm to look at it and send you a report.

Any time you are buying something used, you expect to find a few problems. At the end of the day I knew I was buying an 11 year old bike. My issue here is that these were things that should have been disclosed in the listing. I do not believe the previous owner was purposely trying to deceive anyone with the listing, but simply was not as comprehensive as he could have been with the description.