V Max technical Tips & Accessories

&
all sorts of other Mr Max Mods
- Improvements - Specifications - Technical Data -

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FORKS SPRINGS
----- Original Message -----

From: "Carel van Niekerk"

Sent: Thursday, September 03, 2009 7:06 PM

Hi Hans
This is the parts I have fitted into my front forks from Race Tech in
the States.
I had to lower my stanchions by 1 inch through the triple T to give me
the same riding height
It really firmed the front as the old springs was too soft for my riding
style

carel

----- Original Message -----

From: Blainetupper@aol.com

To: mail@awol.co.za

Sent: Sunday, August 10, 2008 8:15 PM

Subject: 1999 Vmax

Hello

Love your website. Thank you for providing all of this info.

I have a problem

My recently purchased 99 Vmax with only 8k miles. Was only starting with full choke, and would not idle.. Carbs right.

Well the people I bought it from had the carbs rebuilt by a reputable Yamaha dealership four months previous, but had let it sit again after. I figured, new plugs, drain fuel, add good stuff, and run it hard..nope.

I would start a lot easier,and run very strong at high revs, but would back fire every time letting off the gas.

I just had the carbs cleaned by a good mechanic friend of mine. He pulled them, and did a thorough cleaning, but it still backfires, and does not want to idle correctly unless we turn the idle up, but then it keeps high rpms when you let off the gas, and hen eventually go's down again. Could it be the mixtures need to be messed with? is there something on paper I can show him to help? He ran the ohm's on the spark plugs, and they seemed to be all equal. CDI maybe?

This is very frustrating.

Blaine in San Antonio Texas

Thank you for your time

8/10/08

----- Original Message -----

From: Blainetupper@aol.com

To: mail@awol.co.za

Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2008 7:27 AM

Subject: Re: Fw: 1999 Vmax

thank you

In a message dated 8/13/2008 12:11:30 A.M. Central Daylight Time, mail@awol.co.za writes:

Hi Blain

You seem to have a mysterious problem.

I will publish you letter in our next eNewsletter, maybe one of our members can help you.

Vmaximus greetings
Hans Knop
Chairman Vmax Owners Group South Africa
Tel/Fax: +27(0)31 572 2680.
Cell: +27(0)82 830 1243.
La Lucia, Umhlanga Rocks.
South Africa.

----- Original Message -----

From: Blainetupper@aol.com

To: hansknop@awol.co.za

Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2008 6:08 PM

Subject: Re: BLAIN San Antonio Texas - eNEWSLETTER # 56 - MAX FOR SALE - A PLEA ...

Thank you once again

I really appreciate your help

Blaine

In a message dated 8/13/2008 6:31:14 A.M. Central Daylight Time, hansknop@awol.co.za writes:

----- Original Message -----

From: JJ van Zyl

To: mail@awol.co.za

Cc: Blainetupper@aol.com

Sent: Friday, August 15, 2008 2:38 PM

Subject: Blaine's problem

Hi Hans,

Blaine probably has the same problem as me, the airscrew on one of my carbs seized which results it in idling more-or-less ok, but as you accelerates slowly – run only on 3 cylinders and when the main system takes over, it’s OK. On deceleration, it backfired since then. He must just set his airscrews to factory standard and it will be OK

I still have to get a way to remove that screw, but the bike is not here yet and I shall do it in good time.

Regards to all my Vmax friends and will be in my dreams with you on the rally!!

Vmaximus from Australia

EMAIL: jjvanzyl@optusnet.com.au

----- Original Message -----

From: Blainetupper@aol.com

To: mail@awol.co.za

Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 4:47 PM

Subject: Re: One of our Members residing in AUSTRALIA

You guys are the best.

Thank you

Blaine

In a message dated 8/18/2008 3:30:06 A.M. Central Daylight Time, mail@awol.co.za writes:

Morning Blaine

One of our Members residing in AUSTRALIA (yes we got members MOLTO INTERNATIONALE) responded to your problem.

Hope this will help you......!!!!!

Kind regards
Hans Knop
La Lucia, Umhlanga Rocks.
South Africa.

----- Original Message -----

From: Hans Knop Bamminger

To: BLAIN San Antonio, Texas

Sent: Tuesday, August 19, 2008 10:56 AM

Subject: Please keep me informed

Hi Blaine

Please keep me informed of any progress you have made with the problem........!

Hans

P.S. Did you perhaps contact JJ>>>>>>>>???????

----- Original Message -----

From: Blainetupper@aol.com

To: mail@awol.co.za

Sent: Saturday, October 04, 2008 9:47 PM

Subject: Re: Please keep me informed

Was the carbs.

The asshole I had do the work before jipped me.

Blaine

DUE TO A FAULTY RECTIFIER

BE WARNED.........!!!!!!!
Just make sure that your RECTIFIER is working properly.
CHECK THE VOLTAGE output, with your engine running stationary, and a multimeter attached to the poles of your battery. REV THE ENGINE TO appr. 4000RPM. THE VOLTAGE shouldn't be more than 14.6

REMEMBER.....as your Max is getting older the RECTIFIER whishes to retire and instead of sending you an email or flashing your lights it starts sabotaging your system by making the alternator putting out a voltage of 19 + , which means your battery will be cooking all the time and throwing-out acid as a warning, however, with a sealed battery, the battery will expand, as the acid cannot find a way out, and eventually will explode.

Hans Knop
aug 2008

From: Mekennell@aol.com

To: mail@awol.co.za

Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2008 8:56 AM

Subject: carl clamps

hi there

i cut a spare bottom yoke across removing the steering bearing part, then fitted it as a fork brace 2 1/2 ins down the tubes from the bottom yoke, this work well and stopped the 115 mph shake, it also stops any twist that the carl clamps dont

all the best

uglymick

england

----- Original Message -----

From: Hans J P Knop Bamminger

To: Mekennell@aol.com

Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2008 3:04 PM

Subject: YOUR FORK BRACE

Hi Uglymick

Thanx for your interesting tip. Yes.........I understand that what you did is a much better improvement than the Carl Clamps. Was that your own idea or got it from somewhere else........??????

Is it possible to send me a Pic of the fork brace you fitted on your Max..........???????

I will place your mail on our web and also in our Members eNewsletter for the benefit of all Vmaxers. Vmaximus greetings

Hans Knop

----- Original Message -----

From: Mekennell@aol.com

To: mail@awol.co.za

Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2008 8:04 PM

Subject: Re: YOUR FORK BRACE

YES IT WAS MY IDEA I DID THE SAME THING YEARS AGO ON AN OLD TRIUMPH BONNIE TO GET THE FORKS TO STOP FLEXING, IT ALSO WORK ON THE BSA GOLDSTAR I HAD IN THE 70S AND NOW ON THE VMAX, I WLL TRY A GET SOME PICCY FOR YOU SOON AS I CAN

ALL THE BEST

UGLYMICK

HASTINGS UK

ABOUT JAP MAXES

(1)
----- Original Message -----

From: "Jaco Van Zyl" <acdcelectrical@bluebottle.com>

To: <mail@awol.co.za>

Sent: Sunday, December 23, 2007 2:10 PM

Subject: Boost or no boost

A question (or 3) me and a friend have been debating is that jap import max's as all know puts out a lot less kW than the Canadian and us max's. And some jap models even does not have v-boost. Now for the real question .1 If there is no v-boost why 4 carburetors. Or is the carbs detuned to be only as good as 2 on a us model or are thy as good as all 4 , which would mean that it is actually on permanent v-boost. 2 If you have a jap model with no boost or low kW or both ,what needs to be done to upgrade to the full 120kw monster. And finely who in SA can do it or supply the parts.

Jaco Van Zyl

(2)

----- Original Message -----

From: Ray Clark

To: 'Hans J P Knop Bamminger'

Sent: Monday, December 24, 2007 2:39 PM

Subject: RE: Boost or no boost.........................???????? (L-W)

Hi Hans

As a reply on Jaco’s questions. I have a Jap Max and yes there is a big difference:

1 There is a solid block between the two joined carbs where usually you have the butterfly operated by the V-Boost servos.

2 The slides on the carbs also have an extension piece behind them, this limits the travel on the slide.

3 The jets are also a lot smaller and the needle and seats also does not allow a high inflow of fuel.

4 This is probably the biggest issue, there is a governor in the speedometer and this kills it at 185 km/h

Now I had the blocks between the carbs removed and now I constantly have two carbs feeding one piston at the same time.

Then I had the carbs modified, the extensions removed the jets done and larger needle and seats installed.

And finally I had the speedometer opened (not a small job) and the governor disabled then I had a unit installed in the wiring harness in the headlight to override the rest of the governor.

On the dyno my bike went to 109 kw then my clutch started slipping (guess what I will do next)

The total cost of the conversion cost around R4200.00 at Reht Butler (Roc Racing).

Kind Regards

Ray Clark

Cell +27 82 856 5885

Office +27 18 462 2015

Fax +27 18 462 9797

E-mail ray@safe-t-pack.com

(3)

From: Hans J P Knop Bamminger [mailto:mail@awol.co.za]
Sent: 24 December 2007 03:15 PM
To: RAY CLARK
Subject: Boost or no boost.........................???????? Ray Clark

Hi Ray

Thanx for your quick response.

Do I understand correctly............ you didn't install a Vboost but the conversion you made ....means you now have a permanent Vboost.........?

Vmaximus greetings
Hans

(4)

----- Original Message -----

From: Ray Clark

To: 'Hans J P Knop Bamminger'

Sent: Monday, December 24, 2007 6:26 PM

Subject: RE: Boost or no boost.........................???????? Ray Clark

Yes Hans

Both carbs feed one cylinder it is not ideal for fuel economy, but it makes the horses. I am building a electronic fuel injection kit to fit all Maxs’ it will be bolt on and will have a fifth injector to simulate the V-Boost but you will be able to activate it at will.

Kind Regards

Ray Clark

Cell +27 82 856 5885

Office +27 18 462 2015

Fax +27 18 462 9797

E-mail ray@safe-t-pack.com

(5)
----- Original Message -----

From: Hans J P Knop Bamminger

To: JACO van ZYL

Sent: Tuesday, December 25, 2007 4:34 PM

Subject: VBOOST more

Hi Jaco

· Carl Talbot one of our most knowledgeable members posted a very interesting article about the V Boost on our website...... check-it-out www.awol.co.za/AirboxAirfilterExhaust.htm (at the bottom of that particular page)

· You can also contact Exactrep in England. They specialise in Vmax and most likely have all the parts you need in stock, and will be able to answer all your questions.
Contact info: Henry info@exactrep.com
(But those parts don't come cheap; for example, on the 2004 US price list I have got, the Servo Motor US $180, electrical Control Unit Assembly US $270)

· I also got a reply from Ray Clark. Instead of installing a V Boost he made a conversion that gives him a permanent V Boost. Copy emails below.
(One of our other members, with a original V Boost on his bike, changed his set-up to a permanent V Boost instead of installing a T Boost switch)

I hope all this info will give you a very good idea what-to-do........

Vmaximus greetings
Hans

(6)

----- Original Message -----

From: "Jaco Van Zyl" <acdcelectrical@bluebottle.com>

To: "Hans J P Knop Bamminger" <mail@awol.co.za>

Sent: Tuesday, December 25, 2007 10:26 PM

Subject: RE: VBOOST more

Hans I can't thank u enough for the info . Atleast now I can start looking at options.I don't like fixing things that are not broken so I will probably take of my stock carbs and replace it with boost ready carbs and do it the right way with servos and all. On the other hand the fuel injection sounds grate. A couple of years ago before I had my max I spoke to a engineer on a forum, he works at EGLI or something like that. That was the first time I heard of a max with f/injection and turbo. Needless to say the kw was ridiculous. Thank again , I think I'll be mailing ray now to thank him and so how his f/injection is doing.

Jaco Van Zyl

(7)
----- Original Message -----

From: "Eddie Kings" <Eddie.Kings@eskom.co.za>

To: <mail@awol.co.za>

Sent: Wednesday, January 02, 2008 10:11 AM

Subject: Jaco's Saga

Hallo Hans,

Compliments of the season.

In response to Jaco's saga I would like to add what I experienced with my Jap import.
Engine and chassis number 3UF 001238.

I found that a pipe had been fitted between the front and rear carbs thus permanent Vboost. The carbs had been modified to open fully and there was no limiter in the speedo, yet it rev limited at 6000rpm in all gears except first.

I suspected that the CDI unit was to blame so I borrowed a unit off a friends max and to my surprise BINGO rev limiting was gone and max performed like a stallion.

I then parted this info to another friend of mine who also had this problem and sure enough it worked here as well.

Now don't go out and buy a CDI from Yamaha. They will charge you 3 to 4 G's for a new one. We found a local supplier (Lance) who imports second hand CDI's for all makes of bikes and you can expect to pay between R1200 and R1500. Quite a saving!!!
The only tiny snag is you may have to wait 3-4 weeks for delivery as he only imports on demand, they are not off the shelf.

Lance can be contacted on 0837774982 or "e" mail lancem35@yahoo.co.uk

Here are the CDI unit details:

The original restricted one is: TID14-95A 3UF-10

The one fitted now is: TID14-93B 3JP-11

I hope this helps.

Kindest Regards

E J Kings
ESKOM Telecommunications
Engineering Division
Western Region
37 Market St
George
6529

Telkom: 044 - 801 2618
Telkom fax: 044 - 801 2626
Pax: 8822 - 2618
Fax: 8822 - 2626
Cell: 082-6689 729
E Mail: eddie.kings@eskom.co.za

(8)

----- Original Message -----

From: "Jaco Van Zyl"

To: "Hans J P Knop Bamminger" <mail@awol.co.za>

Sent: Saturday, January 05, 2008 10:15 PM

Hans I think were doing a first for any v-max website ever. The info I received so far is not available any were on the web. I first wanted to mail Ray and Eddie direct ,but I think there is a lot of max's that can benefit from the info. How ever I still need a bit more info and if possible some pics, so I can try it and give you the before and after info with what was needed what the costs was and of coarse the before and after dyno print outs. So here we go again .1 I need to now if eddies friends max also limited at 6000rpm after carb pipes were instaled.2 If so , was it also cured by installing a US max`s cdi unit.3 Was there any changes done on stuff like new jets.If so what,and were can it be bought .4 what was done to make the throttle open even bigger.5 if there is any pictures it would be of great help. If it gets faxed I will scan it and make sure its put to use.6 was there any noticeable difference in performance after the permanent v-boost was done.

Well that's it. I was also thinking that if it works as good as I think it will ,I will experiment with solenoid controlled aftermarket throttle bodies . Witch would mean boost at the touch of a button, at any RPM.
Thanks to all for the info so far.
Jaco Van Zyl=

(9)
----- Original Message -----

From: "Eddie Kings" <Eddie.Kings@eskom.co.za>

To: "Hans J P Knop Bamminger" <mail@awol.co.za>

Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2008 8:48 AM

Subject: Re: Fw: EDDIE - VBOOST 06

Hallo Hans,

to be honest I don't recall this letter, but let me answer the questions.

Both our bikes, Billy and I had the pipes fitted between the carbs with no Vboost. Both bikes rev limited at 6000rpm. They both had the same CDI units. Both engine numbers are 3UF****. Neither had limiters in the headlights. The slides in my bikes carbs had been replaced but on Billy's you could see had been modified so as to open fully - piece of plastic sawn off the slides on the bellows end or the outside.

Other than replacing the CDI's nothing else was done.

I experimented with a stage one jet kit but removed it almost immediately because of the fuel consumption. It reduced my tank range from 160km to 100km which is a no no with the current price of fuel.

I have heard that some guys get up to 180km on a tank but it must be remembered that on our bikes the carbs are permanently joined and thus the consumption will be higher. When a bike with Vboost cruises at 140km/h @ about 4000rpm the Vboost is off and thus one carb per cylinder but on our bikes its two carbs per cylinder continuously.

By the way, I discovered that the bit of electronics found in the headlight of my bike was actually the indicator cancel sensor and had no effect on the engine performance.

I don't know if you know this web site. I found a lot of interesting info here but remember this in the USA and they do not have restricted bikes there, thus they don't mention this problem.

www.vmaxoutlaw.com/tech/

I hope this helps Jaco - good luck.

Regards,

Vmax Toppie....

oct 2007

DON'T ALWAYS BLAME YOUR BATTERY OR THE REGULATOR.......

Did I have REAL battery charging problems...................

As the battery on my Max is of an excellent quality and only a few months old, I took the Max to Greg, my favorite mechanic at CYCLE CRAFT Yamaha, here in DBN. He checked the charging amps, which went only to a maximum of 2.2 , and immediately pinpointed the problem; earth connections..........probably corroded. So he made extra earth connections to the regulator and to some other sections of the electrical system.

..... this really has done wonders. Now......the amps go up to ± 4.5 and the charging voltage to 14.2V at 3000 revs.

Previously, when the engine was turning at 1500 rpm, the charging voltage only went to a maximum of 13.2V and decreased to 12.8V at higher revs. With the result that it kept the battery just about charged at it lowest operating voltage.

Just a week before Greg did the improvements I came back home from a long distance drive ± 600 kms, killed the Max engine...... 10 minutes later it wouldn’t start………. not enough power in the battery. It only took 10 minutes of recharging at 4 amps to bring the battery up to 12.5 volt to restart without problems. Clearly the battery was not being charged at all during normal cruising speeds.
Hans Knop

BE WARNED.........! ! ! !sealed batteries available in SA
oct 2007

----- Original Message -----

Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 7:18 AM

Subject: Radar Jammer

Hi Hans,

I was entering XXXXXX. I was traveling behind a bakkie that was well within the speed limit. I was not speeding but the jammer was on. I did not see the speed trap at all as I was concentrating on the bakkie in front of me, which was pulling over to the side of the road. Suddenly a speed cop jumped out into the road and stopped me. I immediately switched off my jammer (as we had heard that the police in XXXXXXX and surrounds were aware of the jammers) and waited for the cop. His opening statement was “Sir, it is my belief that you have a speed trap jamming device in your vehicle. You have committed a very serious offence by preventing me from doing my duty, and I regret to inform you that I am placing you under arrest for interfering with the duties of a police officer”. By that time he had walked to the front of the bike, saw the jammer, and actually pointed it out to me. I told him that I had no idea what he was talking about as I had bought the bike “as is” and have no idea what the jammer unit was. He was not interested, asked me for the bike keys, which I handed over. He asked me to accompany him so that he could show me how they detected the device.

Their speed trap radar was a unit manufactured by Truvello of Pretoria. I think it is one of the Denel divisions. They manufacture devices that are attached to traffic lights that take photos when you cross a red light and also record the speed as you cross the red light. They also manufacture automated speed trapping devices which you see a lot of these days on the Gauteng freeways.

Anyway, he indicated to me that there were 3 small screens on their radar gun. First screen reflects the target speed limit (set on 69 k / hr) the second screen would show the actual speed of the vehicle. The third screen showed the word JAMMED. This he indicated to me was as a result of my radar jammer. He then took my license and ID and asked me about my personal details – where I worked and so on.

He then asked his colleague to call for their towing vehicle, whilst informing me that my vehicle was being confiscated pending an investigation. He then informed me that I could call my lawyer to see me at the Police Station where I would be charged with Obstruction of Justice. He also told me that as it was Saturday; that there was no possibility of a bail hearing until Monday and that I would be detained in jail until the Monday bail hearing. By this time I had had enough and asked him what the likely fine would be. “Sir, you have committed a very very serious offence. It is a criminal charge. I do not know what the fine will be but it will surely be very very high.” His colleague agreed with him on this. I told them again that I had no idea what the device was, that I would definitely have it removed, and thanked them for pointing it out to me. I then said that I did not know what the “protocol” was, but is there perhaps a spot fine that I could pay? They scoffed at the idea, but I could see from their body language that I was on the right track. I then asked them if I could perhaps make a donation to their children’s’ school fees. They spoke to each other in their own language. The one got up and walked away whilst the other backed off about 2 meters. He asked me what my donation would be. I asked him whether R 200 would be OK. He told me to put the money into a crack that was in a wooden pole in front of me and to then walk to my bike. He followed me and gave me my license and ID and told me in no uncertain terms that the unit had to be removed. They now had my name (easy to remember) and there would be no second chance.

These guys knew their jobs. They had obviously been very well briefed by a departmental head that knew his story.

I discussed this issue with XXXXXXX, him being an attorney, and also he too has a jammer fitted to his bike. XXXXXXXX was not certain that they could have made it stick as there were no cases that he was aware of where convictions had been obtained on the basis of obstruction of justice. Never-the-less a weekend in jail could not have been prevented as the arrest would have been for obstruction of justice – not speeding. The case would have hinged on whether the device was actually the cause of the Truvello jamming, which clearly was the case.

I have decided that I will rather face and pay a traffic fine than even a few hours in jail. In a way I am quite happy that this has also reminded me that I should perhaps ride a bit slower and smell the roses; see the scenery; keep one wheel on the ground so to speak.

I have since then discovered that Denel also manufactures radar jamming devices for aircraft which allows the jamming of missile radars and so forth. I have also in the past seen on movies certain scenes where aircraft pilots maintain that “they have been jammed”. I therefore conclude that Denel are now using this same technology to enhance their speed jamming product by providing the info on the screen that the unit has been jammed.

Regards,

XXXXXXXXXXX

----- Original Message -----

From: Gary van Niekerk

Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2007 9:26 AM

Subject: V-MAX Problem

Hi All,

I have been very busy with a Project for the last 5 months and haven't had much time for anything else. I went for a ride

on the 21st of January and my Max was cutting out at every stop street and the power delivery was eratic.

When i got home I noticed that there was blue fuel smoke when I reved it and I had done 110Km on a full tank. I thought that

maybe the V-boost had stuck open and was causing the overfueling. I finally got time to work on the Max on Friday afternoon

and desided to try the cleaning of PAJ 1 and 2 as described on the web page under Cleaning Pilot Jets as this was easyer than

stripping everything. This only took about 2hours and was well worth it. I found that 1 jet passage was compleatly blocked and

the others were very dirty. Carb cleaner melted the dirt and and I could blow it out.

I went for a ride on Sunday, and I now know what a Max should pull like. The responce is instant, the V-Boost kicks and My

Bike felt so smooth it didn't even wobble.

Thanks

Gary van Niekerk

078 451 6778.

Vmaxers response to Derek Mabin's "Running on 3 Cylinders Problem"

THANX-A-LOT to all Vmaxers who responded so quickly to Derek's CRY for help ! !

---- Original Message -----

From: Derek Mabin

To: Hans J P Knop

Sent: Monday, February 26, 2007 1:50 PM

Subject: Re: RESPONSE RUNNING ON 3 CYLINDERS

Thanks Hans

I have tried a few of suggestions, so far so good.

Let see what happens in week or so.

Speak to you soon.

Derek

----- Original Message -----

From: Derek Mabin

To: Hans J P Knop

Sent: Friday, February 23, 2007 1:00 PM

Subject: Re: RUNNING ON 3 CYLINDERS

Thanks Hans

I have already had a huge response from the Vmax team.

Much Much appreciated.

Have a nice weekend and I will let you know when the problems is solved.

Derek

Derek's problem:

Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2007 5:01 PM

Hi There

I have, hopefully, a small problem with Max, every so often I seem to run on 3 cylinders. If I clean out the plugs and re-set the gaps, she is ok for a time. I had to clean the plugs again today and found that the rear right cylinder plug was a bit oily. Could this be the problem and if so what is the solution?

Can you suggest any course of action?

Derek

Vmaxers response:

*1 ----- Original Message -----

From: Graeme Fisher

To: Hans J P Knop

Sent: Friday, February 23, 2007 7:48 AM

Subject: RE: running on 3 cylinders

Dont panic yet. I would follow the following theory. The plug is wet because it is not igniting the fuel. Therefore I would suspect the following. Spark plug Spark plug cap Spark plug lead. I would not suspect a coil as each coil services two cylinders and your problem is on one cylinder. Do this change one lead complete with cap and plug from a good cylinder to the suspect cylinder and see if the problem moves from the one to the other. If so then change the lead if problem persists change the cap. Process of elimination. If this doesnt solve the problem then I would suggest taking it to a reputable bike shop because then it is going to get complicated. Hope this helps and I think this will solve it. Graham Fisher

*2----- Original Message -----

From: Ian.Murchie@za.nampak.com

To: mail@awol.co.za

Sent: Friday, February 23, 2007 8:42 AM

Subject: RE: running on 3 cylinders

Hi There Hans

Had the same problem and found one of my plug leads was not screwed in properly.If you run the bike and then when its running on 3 feel which pipe is cold,that will tell you which plug lead to look at.Hope its not the front one like mine it is a bitch to get to.

Good luck

Ian

----- Original Message -----

From: Jacobus Byloo

To: Hans J P Knop

Sent: Friday, February 23, 2007 7:50 AM

Subject: Re: running on 3 cylinders

HI HANS KE AGAIN

I DO NOT HAVE AN E-MAIL FOR DEREK.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO HIM.

I HAVE ON SOME OCCASIONS HAD THE SAME PROBLEM.WHAT I HAVE FOUND, THAT THIS WAS CAUSED BY THE VACUUMSLIDE OF THAT CARBURATOR , OF THAT CYLINDER, BECOMING STICKY, CAUSING IT TO FLOOD AND WET THE PLUG.

CLEANING THE SLIDE AND LIGHTLY OILING IT HAS WORKED FOR ME.

CHEERS KOBIE

----- Original Message -----

From: JJ van Zyl

To: 'Hans J P Knop'

Sent: Friday, February 23, 2007 7:24 AM

Subject: RE: running on 3 cylinders
Hi Hans,
I’ve got the same problem when idling. I cleaned out the jets with no result.
Vmaximus
JJ

*5----- Original Message -----

From: Trevor Bruce

To: Hans J P Knop

Sent: Friday, February 23, 2007 9:55 AM

Subject: RE: running on 3 cylinders

hi hans, ------------------------------------ ........................... ----------------

by the way the problem with that guys v-max sounds like ti cld be a cracked or broken ring. cheers, trevor bruce

*6----- Original Message -----

From: Gerrit Dokter

To: 'Hans J P Knop' ; "Undisclosed-Recipient:;"@srv2.dorukusai.net ; derekm@absa.co.za

Cc: Carl Talbot

Sent: Friday, February 23, 2007 7:32 AM

Subject: RE: running on 3 cylinders
Hi Derek,

The probable reason why your spark plug would be oily is because the spark plug has not been firing; when it fires it will burn off all the oil. I therefore conclude that you should not have an oil ring problem.

The search should perhaps be around the reason why it is not sparking. I have had similar problems in the past (and so has Carl – I have forwarded your email to him and I am sure that he will respond separately). I enquired from Exactrep in England what the possible source of the problem could be and their response was to “check the coils, spark plug leads and caps”. I replaced all of the spark plugs, caps and leads but the intermittent problem did not go away. I had not checked the coils, and asked them how to do that. Their response was to first swap them around from one piston to the other and to check thereafter whether the problem had then moved to the other piston.

In the process of doing this I removed all the coils from the bike and noticed that the area between the bike frame and coils was filthy and grubby, so I cleaned it all off and spray-painted the area. Something then told me to put everything back the way that it originally was – and my problem was gone. I do not know why – I can only assume that perhaps it was an earthing problem?

Carl can tell you more about his solution.

Regards,

Dok

*7
---- Original Message -----

From: Carl Talbot

To: Gerrit Dokter

Cc: Hans ; Sarge Armstrong ; Derek Mabin

Sent: Friday, February 23, 2007 9:11 AM

Subject: Re: running on 3 cylinders

Dok and Derek

I agree totally with what Dok stated .

Also fault finding can sometimes be a pain.All bikes must have new clean air and feul filter and plugs and be well maintained.

Derek seems to have an electrical fault-either there is no spark or there is intermittent spark.

When Derek says that the problem improves after cleaning the plug it leads me to deduce that it is intermittent spark.Intermittent spark probably causes the plug to become gummed up until it eventually cannot fire as well,even if the cause of the intermittent spark ceases.

Start with the coils-check that all electrical couplings are clean and not corroded-clean with electrical parts cleaner in aerosol can-even silicone spray has worked and it coats the electrical parts.I have generally found that:

-the two point plug that connects to the coils generally are the culprits-they become corroded and therefore interupt(intermittently)flow of current or they make bad(or no contact).

The accepted numbering of cylinders are;

- left rear no 1.

-left front no 2,

-right rear no 3

-and right front no 4.

The coils are situated as follows ;

-the coil for no 1 the left one above the battery,

-the coil for no 3 the right coil above the battery ,

-the coil for no 2 is the coil on the right front of the bike

-and the coil for no 4 is on the left front of the bike-yes 2 and 4 coils are on the opposite sides.

I am 99% sure that it could solve the problem.If not check the spark plug supressors themselves.The ignition wires themselves are quite tough.

Regards

Carl

----- Original Message -----

From: David V Davy

To: 'Hans J P Knop'

Cc: VO Deon van Wyk

Sent: Sunday, February 25, 2007 9:34 AM

Subject: RE: running on 3 cylinders

Hi Hans
I would say that one needs to check the battery first. Under 8.9 volts it will not fire the igniter (CDI) so that is a starting point in case we are getting close to deadline voltage. Then check the CDI unit. An oiled plug is obviously the culprit cylinder (check fuel is getting thru to that cylinder and there is spark on that HT lead)
I have copied our Deon van Wyk here, as Deon experienced an unusual problem on his VMax recently. It may be a pointer.

Hope your friend comes right!

Warm regards

Dave

David V.Davy (XVO 001)

Founder & Administrator

V-OWNERS GROUP (V.O.G.)

PO BOX 12805
QUEENSWOOD 0121
PRETORIA
TEL. 083 722 4958
FAX. 086 612 9912

EMAIL: info@vog.co.za

WEBSITE: www.vog.co.za

SUPPORT PROFILE:

www.bikeclubsonline.co.za/vog/index.html

Love it, Live it & Ride it!

----- Original Message -----

From: Deon van Wyk

To: Hans J P Knop

Sent: Monday, February 26, 2007 8:43 PM

Subject: Re: VMAXWORLD eNEWSLETTER No 15 - Vmax Engine Running on 3 Cyl. Responses - SEALED BATTERY - (a-i)

Hallo Hans

One thing I know for sure is that to look for a problem on the max is a huge exercise.I picked up a problem with my bike with it all of a sudden starting to misfire,jerk and backfire like it's going out of fasion.When the bike misfires and backfires ,the revcounter hits the maximum solid and then all of a sudden everything is back to normal(revcounter back to its original position) and running like a bom,just to start the nonsens again.

With an electical problem in mind I started looking for loose connections-plugleads,coilscrewcaps,killswitch, fuelswitch,lightswitches,vboost,etc.....After this the bike would go well for 10-20km and then just start to play up again.At last somebody told me that the cdi unit was at fault and I took it out,just to find that a new unit costs R4600.00 from Yamaha!!!If you think that getting to the front coil is a mission,try and get the cdi unit out.Luckily I didn't buy a new one.Unfortunately this all happened in December and I couldn't get somebody to check the unit and the bike had a nice rest over the christmas holiday.

At last I took the bike to racepreparations in Hatfield in January and after they took the bike to pieces (for a second time!!) and 3 weeks later they found water in the petroltank!!!

After draining the rubbish from the tank,the bike is going like a rocket again.No misfire,no backfire,no jerking!

Simple solution to what I thought was a major problem.

Regards

Deon van Wyk

----- Original Message -----
From: 3dza
To: atkinso@vwsa.co.za ; pata.maritime@galileosa.co.za ; oberh04@vwsa.co.za ; nickbuk@absamail.co.za ; Kevin Grimbeek ; Hans J P Knop ; erick@shatterprufe.co.za ; christo (christo.steenberg@umicore.com) ; jjvz@aviation.denel.co.za ; christo (christo.steenberg@umicore.com)
Sent: Wednesday, November 08, 2006 9:49 AM
Subject: intercom for rider and pillion.
Hi guys this biker intercom is R425.
I bought this intercom and tested it.

For:

The unit is the size of two match boxes side by side very light with a belt clip.
It needs no fitting to the helmet or bike.
The earphone and mic is the type you hook over your ear and you can bend the mic to suit you.
The sound is very clear and you can adjust the volume for rider and pillion separately.
It comes with an audio cable for a walkman, cd or mp3 player.
I had no problem putting on my helmet and it didn’t feel uncomfortable.

Against:

It is not wireless, you and the pillion is connected to the unit with a cable to your belt.( watch the wire when you get off the bike ouch)
It has only one earphone not stereo.
Depending on your speed and helmet the air noise can be transferred to the earphone and you can’t communicate clearly.
It is not water proof.
Don’t know how long the AAA batteries will last.

Some guys say they don’t want to talk to the missus and enjoy a quiet bike ride, but after 12 hours talking to your self and humming that same song stuck in your mind gives you or the missus verbal diarrhea at the next stop, so this can be a good gadget. Or your missus could tell you about that sexy babe to the left while you are admiring the scenery to the right.
3D DESIGN SERVICES
Mike van Rensburg
TEL/FAX: 041 9924559
MOBILE: 0782563245
E-MAIL: info@3dza.co.za

Durban
Vmaxers
OIL FILTER BOLT ON earlier model Vmaxes(pre 1993 models)

To: mail@awol.co.za

Sent: Monday, February 05, 2007 4:33 PM

Subject: FW OIL FILTER BOLT - earlier model Vmaxes(pre 1993 models)

From: Carl Talbot [carlstalbot@absamail.co.za]

Vmaxers
Take note on pre '93 models.

On the exactrep web page a replacement bolt is available for the bolt that fastens down the oil filter housing. Exactrep warn that the original is like toffee.

I have done plenty of oil changes without problems....until yesterday when the bolt stripped....that bolt is really like toffee...soft.

Now what to do.I tried everything even a vise grip which made it worse.The thing is that there is no real space to manoevre down there.

Since I did not have an "easy out" broken bolt remover I had one last choice.

I steel welded a socket onto the stripped bolt.First I welded it on the inside however when fitting a ratchet it turned the welding off.Now I started

to become concerned and very worried.Fortunately the bolt was part of a one piece flat washer.I tried again welding the inside of the socket and also tacking the outside of the socket to the washer.

Much to my relief I was able to remove the oil filter housing and do the oil and filter change.One does not really notice the socket welded onto the bolt and after spray painting it black it blends in with the oil filter housing.Be carfull with the original , mine worked fine until it stripped.

Vmaximus

observed by Cartl T at the 2006 Vmax Odyssey Rally
----- Original Message -----
From: +27824156752

To: mail@awol.co.za

Sent: Wednesday, January 31, 2007 11:37 AM

TECHNICAL TIPS-HANDLING Noticeable at the Vmax rally was that many Maxers had done fewer combinations of the handling mods.Only one Vmaxer at the rally(John from PE) had a complete set of mods(except for a steering damper) namely he had :radial tyres,solid engine mounts,swing arm brace(no one else had this) & frame brace. At that stage I was quite happy with the improved handling I got from the radiaI tyres and solid engine mounts. I have recently done the swing arm and frame brace mod and fitted a steering damper.These mods really added even better cornering and I highly recommend that you do all of them.In combination they really work.I also found that 20 wt fork oil and suspension set to maximum with tyre pressures of 240 Kpa(cold with nitrogen in tyre) works well. Vmaximus Carl Talbot

Does your oil light come on under hard acceleration, even though your oil level is ok? - GOOD ! Yes ... this tells you that your motor is running at full power.

Don't worry, the light comes on because the sensor that detects the oil level is in the front of the crankcase, and under hard acceleration, oil is pushed back and away from the sensor. Luckily, the intake for the oil pump is in the rear, so oil pressure is maintained.

Courtesy of http://users.pandora.be/pianne/technical/A-Z.htm#O

available in SA
The story so far.....

----- Original Message -----
From: John van Nieuwenhuizen
To: Hans Knop
Sent: Thursday, February 01, 2007 9:37 AM
Subject: Battery
Hi Hans,
I trust you and the wife are well. Hans, I recently read an article regarding a sealed replacement battery for the VMAX. The Americans use a Panasonic LC - XB1220P. I have not done any research locally but I believe that this unit is widely used in the BMW in the States.

I have with the help of Hilton found a sealed, maintenance free battery supplied by Probe Electric that fits snugly in the VMAX. This is an 18 amp unit compared to the 16 amp of the standard unit. The extra amps will obviously be welcome to all that have a starting problem.

Mario cell no 0828208076 - 011 873 5753 trading from Rombo Mtrs Rietfontein road Primrose can be contacted and will supply this unit DELTEC BK12-18 . I paid R300.00 vat Inc.
(AS FROM 1 March 2007: R360 incl Vat - Editor)
I fitted one last night and did not experience any problems. Minor adjustments to the connector cables are required

I am sure that our members will find this replacement maintenance free battery amust do. We all know what a mission it is just to check the water level of the unit.
Cheers
Maximus greeting
John

February26, 2007
Thanx for the tip John.
It came exactly at the right time as my ordinary battery, only 15 months old, was giving problems.
Interesting to mention that I originally suspected the Rectifier being the culprit. On the morning of our 1st Durban breakfast run Mr Max started quickly, no problems. Arrived 30 minutes later at Amanzimtoti, and stopped for petrol. Full tank ja....? Mr Max now happy! But...nie-kan-start-nie, not enough umph in the battery, push start and drive 50 meters to meeting place with other Maxers. Switched off engine. 30 minutes later, all Maxers have arrived ready to go, and can you believe it, Mr Battery got his ampy powers back again to enable Mr Max happily firing-up his cylinders again.

Thereafter during a period of about 10 days only short distances were done without any problems of Mr Battery.

During that period I monitored the voltage of the battery every day. Also had the Regulator checked at my favourite Yamaha dealer, and was found to be in perfect working order.
Final conclusion, the battery is the real problem.

During my observations of the voltage

Then the same problen as in Amanzimtoty after riding a distance of about 30 minutes.

I bought the sealed one from Mario, and I must say he was right on the job with my order and mailed the battery at the same day he received my fax confirming payment in his bank account. Mailed by ordinary post on Thursday and arrived at our local post office the next Monday.

I paid R342 inclusive Vat + R50 postage.

The new DELTEC sealed battery is now sitting nicely in the Max and the difference is very much noticeable.

Hans Knop

March 22, 2007.

DELTEC SEALED BATTERY
imported from France

One month ago the 15 months old battery of my Mistress was getting tired and wished to be retired. At the same time John van Nieuwenhuizen informed us about a company that supplies a DELTEC sealed battery that fits our Max snugly, and at a really low price .

I fitted one to my Max, and I must say this battery not only holds 2 more amps, but is much much more powerful, and of a much much better quality than all the other open batteries I had used previously in my Max.
Hans Knop
P.S.
BE WARNED.........!!!!!!!
Just make sure that your RECTIFIER is working properly.
CHECK THE VOLTAGE output, with your engine running stationary, and a multimeter attached to the poles of your battery. REV THE ENGINE TO appr. 4000RPM. THE VOLTAGE shouldn't be more than 14.6

REMEMBER.....as your Max is getting older the RECTIFIER whishes to retire and instead of sending you an email or flashing your lights it starts sabotaging your system by making the alternator putting out a voltage of 19 + , which means your battery will be cooking all the time and throwing-out acid as a warning, however, with a sealed battery, the battery will expand, as the acid cannot find a way out, and eventually will explode.

CONTACT Mario, the importer and distributor of the DELTEC BK12-18 battery,
at Rombo Motors Rietfontein road Primrose . 011 873 5753 - Cell 082 820 8076 -
Mario is on the ball and will help you quickly.

Durban
Vmaxers

Get a small #6 or equivalent self tapping screw (like a sheet metal screw) and a drill bit that is equal to the "root" diameter of the threads.
Drill a small hole through the cap only. Be careful, the cap is only ~2mm thick and the head of the fuel screw is right below it - if you go through the cap, it's easy to ruin the head of the fuel screw!
After you drill the small hole, thread the tapered profile screw into the cap until it catches.
Gently twist the screw with pliers while pulling and the plug will come out.
jan07

Durban
Vmaxers

jan07
from VMAX OUTLAWS
By Terry Hayden

Exhaust Flow and Noise

Flow and noise do not have to be synonymous. According to my calculations, for best performance a muffler on the Max should be able to flow at over 300 cfm with a backpressure of no more than 0.2 psi.

Unfortunately, the straight through perforated bore with absorption wrap (eg glass wool jacket) that appears to be the most common free flow performance silencer is also one of the poorest designs for a motorcycle. This is due to the intermittent nature and high velocity of motorcycle exhaust.

To improve the effect of this type of exhaust it is recommended to have a smaller outlet than inlet. This encourages the wave motion in the jacket. It is also recommended to have a minimum of 1.25 inches of absorption material surrounding the bore. This equals at least a 4.5" can diameter for a 2" bore. If the reduction is kept reasonable (8% or less) there should be no noticeable loss in performance. So if considering a new exhaust, you might want to match the bore close to your collector/ tail pipe and chose a size of outlet tip slightly smaller to match the desired noise level. You then have the option of switching out tips vs. cans for performance changes...

If noise is a real problem, for now keep on the stock dual exhaust vs. restricting the single can. Yamaha did a good job on its design despite having to keep within noise restrictions. The collector box fools the engine into thinking the primary pipes are dumping into open atmosphere and smoothes out the pulses allowing a more continuous flow through the mufflers. The stock exhaust is heavy but it works fairly well....better than a choked off single can by far...(Creating just a single (1) additional pound of pressure, eg with too small of an silencer outlet, would reduce hp by 10 to 15%).

Having said all this, there is a real need in the motorcycle world for a free flow low noise silencer. A lot of work is being done in the automotive field directing exhaust sound waves through a muffler in a manner that they cancel each other out. Although more difficult some of this technology could be used for a m/c. As a minimum, a dual silencer system will provide the best opportunity to combine performance with real world daily street use.

Exhaust Design

The topic of m/c exhausts can fill books, but here is my theoretical two bits to the 4-1 vs 4-2-1 discussion.

There are two primary considerations involved in designing/choosing an exhaust. The first deals with the exhaust gas that travels at 200-300 feet per second. Here we are concerned with reducing the back pressure while maintaining flow velocity to get the best cylinder exhaust purging. The second is exhaust pulses or finite-amplitude pressure waves which travel the speed of sound or at about 1700 feet per second. These pulses can be tuned to create an effect known as scavenging (sucking additional exhaust out and intake charge in, with a properly timed negative pressure pulse).

Exhaust gas - General rule of thumb, a narrower diameter pipe will improve low rpm flow hence torque but may limit top end. A wide diameter pipe will enable top end power but have poor low end velocity (eg great for the track but lacking on the street). So choose the where you want your power band and set diameter accordingly. Increasing or decreasing pipe diameter 1/8th will move the torque peak about 500 rpm up or down. Varying the length of the pipe will fill in the power curve around the torque peak. Shorter pipes fill above and longer pipes below. A good starting point for exhaust pipe area is the circumference of the valves times the maximum lift plus about 15%. A good starting point for the length of the primaries is 28-32 inches.

Exhaust pulses - When a positive exhaust pulse traveling down the pipe reaches an opening or increased diameter it is reflected back as a negative pulse. This negative pulse can be timed to reach an open exhaust valve to provide scavenging. The rpm's that this occurs is at peak torque and continues in the upper portions of the bike's power range. However, there is a trade off. In the lower rpm's the valves are open longer and thus also allow a positive wave to hit. This usually occurs around 2/3's - 3/4's of the torque peak (between 4000-5000 rpm range on the Max) and is why you see a lot of dyno dips in the power band in this range. The positive wave pushes exhaust back into the cylinder and in some cases, if there is enough valve overlap it will travel up the intake track and cause triple loading of the intake charge (air is drawn through, pushed back and drawn through again.) Here is where the 4-1 versus 4-2-1 make a difference. The 4-1 will have a STRONG tuned pulse. Therefore it will have a higher top end (strong negative wave) but a bigger hole in the mid range (strong positive pulse hits while valve is open). A 4-2-1 will soften and lengthen the pulses, as the 4-2 connection provides an interference wave in addition to the primary waves. A similar effect can be done with stepped pipes. The top end effect won't be as great but it will be longer. The mid range dip will also be shallower hence, the adage that a 4-2-1 improves mid-range.

In a nutshell, the biggest decision for power is the diameter of the pipe and then the length. Choose these based on where you want your power band. Tuning the exhaust pulses with a 4-1 or 4-2-1 then should be done with the idea to compliment your first choice....and of course always have a high-flow muffler.

Durban
Vmaxers
dec 2006

The following statement shows my personal experience about front end shakes in the V-Max under full power speeding, why they happen and how to control them.
In NO WAY my purpose is to blame about specific aftermarket products ( frame braces, front plates, fork spring, etc ) or the bike itself.
The cause of the high speed front end shakes in stock V-Max's comes basically from these two settings: the wrong aerodynamic configuration and the rider position.
We have to remind that the V-Max is a comfortable daily run bike with much-much more power than a regular cruiser.
At 130 mph or even lower speeds, the aero-shape of the stock V-Max plus the rider offer a totally wrong aerodynamic configuration, loosing down-force ( depression ) over the front wheel and making the front end shakes.
It is impossible to achieve high speeds stability with a square front section bike, a raised handle bar and and a well stand rider position.
Just take a look at any racing bike and you will get the same conclusions I got:
1.- The handle bars are almost at the same height of the pilot seat.
2.- Racing pilots need to bend their body over the fuel tank to complete the aerodynamics of the bike, in fact, the aero-design of racing bikes consider the pilot as an integral component of the bike.
3.- Racing bikes have very sharp front plastic body works including the plastic screen, all of them pointing to the ground creating a BALANCE between the depressive down-force over the front wheel and the air drag resistance. ---This is the most important thing.---
If you create excessive down-force over the front wheel you will have amazing "straight run stability " but you will crash the bike at the next curve because when you bend the bike over the asphalt, the down-force will make the front wheel over- steer in excess.
I made these simple modifications on my own 1995 V-Max and the results "are" impressive.
1.- Installed a super sport handle bars sets, at the same height of the side scoops ( or lower if you want ).
2.- Lowered as much as I could the front headlight, the front turn-lights, the spedo, installed a very curved wind screen over the headlight, ( similar to the Monster Ducati´s ).
3.- ( This is important ) Bend your chest over the dummy tank and tight your arms around the side scoops to complete the aerodynamics of the bike.
These simple and cheap modifications allows me to have total control over the front end shakes, and the proof is that, when I run at 130 mph (with the body bend over the dummy tank!!) the bike turns into a totally different bike, feels very safe, solid and stable, the visual through the wind screen is perfect, you can see any obstacle approaching from so far, no vibration on your helmet, ( I can even read the plate of the cars being surpassed ).......but, as soon as I lift my head-chest just couple inches over this racing position and the stability of the bike begin to change...the more I stand my chest the more the bike loose straight-run stability.
Hope these simple statements help other riders to have a safer and more enjoyable rides.
Franco Ferrara ...member 122 US VMAX CLUB

----- Original Message -----
From: John van Nieuwenhuizen

To: Hans Knop
Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2006 12:45 PM
Subject: Steering head

Hi Hans,

I trust that you are well, I am counting the days to the Rally. Cannot wait.

Hans I have to thank JJ van Zyl for sharing his problem with us and Carl Talbot's subsequent advice.

I was at the Dolphin Rally in Graaff Reinet this past week end and while driving slowly down the main street I experienced the weaving that JJ referred to in his letter. At first I thought I had a puncture. But after checking realized something else was wrong..

On my return home I stripped the front end and removed the steering and behold the top bearing was so full of gunge that it could not rotate. I have subsequently bought new bearings and replaced both top and bottom.

So full marks for the "Tips" and Forum pages, had I not read them I would not have known what the problem was.

I have now put in a home made "O" ring beneath the washer that covers the top bearing. There is a gap there that allows dirt into the housing. This "O" ring is available at any clinic. HIV organizations are giving them away free at all clinics

Cheers

John

PS Keep one wheel on the tar.

----- Original Message -----

From: +27824156752

To: mail@awol.co.za

Sent: Wednesday, July 19, 2006 6:51 PM

JJ handling problems - Try cleaning(withought removing)the steering bearings and grease.You will probably find them rusted, dry and gummed up with brown sticky gunk.Do not overtighten(or undertighten) the bearing nuts before you lock the lock nut.The tightening procedure known as the Furbur fix generally works. Regards Carl T.

From: Hans J P Knop

To: Carl Talbot

Sent: Wednesday, August 09, 2006 8:13 PM

Subject: My V-Boost doesn't kick in....

Carl

You previously had a problem with your V-Boost when the motor was not working due to a bad connection and solved with contact cleaner spray. My V-Boost stopped cutting-in at 6000 rpm but I can hear the servo motor making it's usual whining 3 to 5 second noise when I switch the ignition on. Have you got an idea what could be wrong?
Vmaximus greetings
Hans

-----Original Message-----
From: Carl Talbot [mailto:carlstalbot@absamail.co.za]
Sent: 10 August 2006 12:53 PM
To: 'Hans J P Knop'
Subject: My V-Boost doesn't kick in....

Hans
Regarding your Vboost you do not say if the cleaning of the electrical
couplings worked.You must distinguish between
-switching the ignition on and hearing the Vboost servo opening and closing
which sounds like a long whining"tweeee....tweeee" and
-switching on and hearing the servo making a whining "twe..twe".In this
condition it is misleading insofar that you think Vboost works-but it does
not.

So remove the left faux air intake ,remove the electrical couplings,clean
and you should be ok.If the problem persists let me know and I will fax to
you pages from the workshop manual that you can check and test the rest of
the V boost system with.

Incidentally my bike started again to run on 3 cylinders yesterday and after
cleaining the electrical couplings of the underseat coils that feed 1 and 3
cylinders the mighty Max was running smoothly again.

Vmaximus

Carl Talbot

Wednesday, 09 August 2006

Vmaxers
Technical Tips Michelin Radial Tyres

For those who have done the 17" rear wheel conversion and are running radial tyres here follows my personal experience and observations.

FIRST SET
My first set of radial tyres where Michelin Macadam 100 in 180/55 rear and 110/80 front.The rear was retired at 9600 km(6000 miles) with 1mm tread remaining.This rear tyre I worked harder than the tyre that it was replaced with.

NEXT TYRE-REAR
The tyre to follow was a Michelin pilot road also of 180/55 size.

The pilot road seems to be a different rubber compound than the macadam 100 and I found it to be better in the corners as far as outright grip and cornering confidence goes.I have now run 6480 km on the rear pilot road together with front macadam 100.The front macadam 100 at that stage had 16 000 km on and would probably still run another 4000-5000 km.

NEXT TYRE FRONT
I next replaced the front Macadam 100 which is a 110/80 X 18" with a Michelin pilot road 120/70 X 18".

MY CURRENT TYRE SET UP
What are my personal experience with the pilot road 120/70 and 180/55 combination.Well very good in fact.The steering in corners has become lighter.It seems as though the lower profile and wider width of the 120/70 front make cornering easier.By this I mean that I now do not need to throw my body weight as much anymore into the bike to get it to lean over more in corners.Maybe also the wider 120/70 tracks better with the 180/55.This is the tried and tested combination on most sport and touring bikes and is used in particular on the new Yamaha FZR 1.According to Michelin , the pilot road is a good tyre for Fazers ,Bandits and VFR's.Michelin indicate that the front pilot road has a semi elliptical rounded profile that offers progressive steering.What was also visible was that both front and rear tyres are being utilised more on the outsides than previously with the 110/80 front tyre.Seems like pilot road does exactly what Michelin claims it does.

MY NEXT REAR TYRE
I expect to retire the rear pilot road before the Vmax rally in October 2006 and already have a new rear tyre waiting in the garage ,being a 180/55 X 17" Michelin pilot sport.Why a Michelin pilot sport-well according to Michelin it is a good tyre for a high performance bike like the Blackbird and the Hayabusa.If its good enough for them its good enough for Mr. Max.What I like about the pilot sport is that it has more rubber on the road.By this I mean that there are less grooves cut in the tyres and hence a bigger contact patch on the road.Michelin claim that the pilot sport offers excellent grip in the wet and in particular sport performance,handling , stability ,durability and mileage. We will see when I change to this tyre although ,based on my previous experience on Michelin tyres ,I am sure that the tyre will live up to the manufacturers claims.

NITROGEN,TYRE CHANGES AND WHEEL BALANCING,TYRE PRESSURE
I have always run nitrogen in my tyres .I change my tyres myself at home and balance them myself on an old school static wheel balancing device .The static balance method is favoured by moto GP teams and once again if it it good enough for them its good enough for Mr. Max.The tyre changing and balancing is however another topic and maybe the subject of a future letter.

Vmaximus
Carl Talbot

----- Original Message -----
From: Graeme Fisher

To: mail@awol.co.za

Sent: Saturday, July 22, 2006 10:20 AM

Subject: oil cooler
This might be of interest.
When I purchased my V Max I was a little concerned at the small amount of oil it takes.I believe that the more oil for heat dissapation as well as keeping the oil as cool as possible can only be a good thing. How to fit an oil cooler. More oil-cooler oil Bargain. This is what I did. I got hold of the following bits. Honda CB 900 +- 1980 model oil cooler and pipes. Yamaha XS 1100 oil cooler adaptor fits behing the oil cooler housing ( remember to get the mounting bolt as well). XS 1100 uses the same oil filter as the older maxes. Four hose clamps some stainless steel hose sheathing. Some aliminium plate.(Go to a place that makes signs.They use it and usually have old signs lying around and you can get the plate for next to nothing). Two 90 degree elbows to fit the adaptor.( A brake (lorry air brakes supplier) is where I got mine) The CB 900 cooler is long and narrow and fits nicely under the radiator. The Yamaha adaptor needs to be machined slightly as well as the Vmax oil filter housing needs its fins machined off so as to squeeze behind the frame support pipe in the front. Make brackets to fit the cooler from the frame mounting on either side.I used the hose mounting bolts on the cooler to attach the cooler to the brackets. Fit the XS 1100 adaptor with the elbows coming out the bottom. Cut the hoses to suit remember to wash them out slide over the stainless sheathing slide over the elbows and clamp with the hoseclamps 2 either side for peace of mind. It is easy once you have the bits it is self explanatry what to do. Oil pressure up by 0.5 bar which says the oil is cooler and an additional half liter of Castrol RS racing.Stay away from Castrol Edge it will eat your clutch.I found out the hard way. Another Monkey trick I did was to preload the front springs.I got sick and tired of trying to get air in the forks.Tooo muuuch Tooo liiiiiittle. Ag kak. I got some pipe from an exhaust place the same size as the present pipe in the forks and cut 2 X 2.5 inch pieces and installed them in the forks preloading the springs some more. It worked and let me tell you the road from Pietersburg to Tzaneen is not for Moffies and my Max goes like the wind corners and all. Gives the superbikes a big skrik in the corners. Graham Fisher

Electrical problem-running on 3 cylinders 3 and faulty V boost

Hans and fellow Maxers

On my '88 Max I experienced a recurring problem: the bike would run sometimes on 3 cylinders and it always seemed to be one of the rear two( numbers 1 and 3).The first sign of running on 3 is that the revs drop at idle below 1000rpm.This symptom must not be confused with blocked pilot air jets or a bad spark plug or a bad spark plug suppressor. At higher engine speeds you could feel it too and it was very irritating. Strangely this mostly occurred after I washed the bike. When starting the bike again it would run on 3 cylinders (intermittently). The problem would sometimes stay for a few hours or days and then "dry up". I always suspected it was water getting into the spark leads, spark plugs or where ever ? Blowing these parts with compressed air did not work either. I never use strong detergent soaps or degreasers when washing my bike ,however I always dreaded washing the bike for fear of causing the running on 3 cylinders again.

When my friend Dok experienced the same symptoms he, after plenty of trial and error checked the ignition coils for the two rear cylinders (no 1 and 3).These are placed under the seat in the wiring harness above the battery. Resistance and voltage tests on them with digital micrometer showed no problems. There is however a two point electrical coupling leading to ignition coil. Each cylinder has its own ignition coil. After opening the coupling and cleaning it with electrical parts cleaner (available at most DIY stores in aerosol can), the problem was solved. It seems that tap water has plenty of chemicals and residues that remain behind after the water dries. This causes bad electrical breaks which over time cause all sorts of problems.

I found a similar electrical problem with my Vboost system. When you switch on the ignition the V boost servo motor should go through an entire cycle of opening and closing which takes approximately 3-5 seconds and you can clearly hear a whining sound. I found mine was no longer doing this and there was only a short 0 .5 sec sound. I expected the worst namely that the vboost electronic control unit had packed up. Those units however are not prone to failure. Chances are once again that the electrical couplings to and from the V boost control unit (located inside the left air intake) has become fouled up .The solution once again is to spray electrical parts cleaner in all the electrical couplings. It solved my problem and V boost works as it should. Routine maintenance , particularly the electronics is highly recommended. Vmax is a very open and naked bike so the electrical wiring couplings can sometimes become compromised. Newer model Vmaxes are normally not affected (yet) but chances are that you might experience one of these problems for which the solution is simple enough.

Vmaximus greetings
Carl Talbot

Carl

Your letter about the various electrical problems one can encounter makes one think.

Having lived for 12 years on a sailing boat, in a salty environment causing electrolysis and corrosion on all metal parts including electrical instruments and its wiring systems, has taught me to take preventive measures.

Silicone seal and Vaseline helped a lot to prevent possible problems to happen.

Simple things like globes in waterproof navigation lights eventually started to corrode in its fittings. In the beginning I used to spray Q20 on certain fittings but learned the Q20 dries up or gets washed away by rain after a while, I then tried Vaseline, that works fantastic and stays on all the time.

Cheers
Hans Knop

LEADED or UNLEADED FUEL

Yamaha states the following in the Vmax owners manual:

"Your Yamaha engine has been designed to use regular unleaded gasoline with a pump octane number ([R+M]/2) of 86 or higher or research octane number of 91 or higher. If knocking or pinging occurs, use a different brand of gasoline or premium unleaded fuel. Unleaded fuel will give you longer spark life and reduced maintenance cost. If unleaded gasoline is not available, then regular leaded gasoline can be used.

Many Vmax owners have reported good performance using standard unleaded gasoline of 87 or so pump octane number. Although this seems to be adequate for the vast number of Vmaxes, some, depending on location and modification levels, seem to require gasoline with a slightly higher pump octane number. I personally have several Vmaxes and in my location (Arizona) I've noticed that my 1996 model particularly seems to require higher octane in order to reduce detonation possibility. However we are blessed with additives in the fuel which tend to reduce it's overall performance, which is also a contributing factor.

"The key point of all this is you should use the minimum pump octane (AKI) fuel that will run in your engine without knocking. You're wasting your money on higher octane fuels if there aren't needed to control knock. The two most common myths regarding pump octane (AKI) are that it will increase performance, and result in better fuel mileage. You may see improvements in your bike due to the cleaners in higher grade, higher quality fuels. However octane by itself will not have any effect."

Gasohol

There are two types of gasohol; gasohol containing ethanol and that containing methanol. Gasohol containing ethanol can be used if ethanol content does not exceed 10%. Gasohol containing methanol is not recommended because it can cause fuel system damage or vehicle performance problems."
Jerry Ferguson

-----Original Message-----
From: MAIL AWOL [mailto:mail@awol.co.za]
Sent: 26 January 2006 05:50 PM
To: Carl Talbot
Subject: Tyres

Hi Carl
My previous Pirelli rear tyre, which I replaced with a Bridgestone, lasted 17 330 km . That's a lot more than you got with the Bridgestone on your bike, I am wondering why? Could it be that perhaps the Pirelli might be a better quality tyre, it's more expensive to start off with. But of course we all treat our tyres differently and that can make some difference too.

I don't know how many kms I will get out of my Bridgestone front tyre as the previous one was still on when I bought the bike.

You have done quit a few kms since you bought your bike.

I get more or less the same fuel consumption as you with your Max.

I bought my bike, a 1995er, in March 2002 with 9637 miles on the clock, now close to 26000. I suppose the bike was manufactured in the US. When I bought the bike the previous owner, who had a bike exhaust and silencer business, had a specially designed single pipe fitted. It gave a rough unsophisticated sound. Luckily they still had the originals which they then put back on the bike for me. Afterwards I drilled five 13 mm holes at the end of each silencer, which gave me, in my opinion, a nice sophisticated sound. Although it is all a question of taste. Some people like Chopin music and others like hip-hop or whatever.

Cheers

Hans

----- Original Message -----

From: Carl Talbot

To: 'MAIL AWOL'

Sent: Friday, January 27, 2006 12:24 PM

Subject: RE: Tyres

Hi Hans,

The tyre life from that cross ply tyre (Bridgestone Excedra 170/80 X 15)was acceptable to me considering my riding style etc .I also replaced the tyre before all the tread had worn off. Some guys ride a tyre until the canvass appears-that can add a couple of thousand more kilos to that tyres life. This tyre is not V rated as the Standard 150/90 X 15 is. I am aware that some riders can use up any tyre within 2000km with hard braking/acceleration/speed etc.

Availability of a specific tyre is not always there at a time that you require it. Be that as it may it is rider input that largely dictates how regularly a tyre needs changing. Tyre life is not now the biggest factor to me-safety and handling are more important to me. As I said earlier it is great to utilise the Max as a slow cruiser without ever going beyond 4000rpm.Under those conditions tyres can last very long.

High speed riding (beyond the speed limit for long distances) is also a known factor accelerating tyre wear. Tyre pressures also have an effect. In summary tyre life and mileage are probably very subjective to the rider. Brand name loyalty and perceptions are also a big factor. Price of tyres are probably too. This coupled to the fact that people like to justify their choices could lead to non scientific results and deductions.

In any event I believe that although some tyres may or may not be better than others I try to not make too much of an issue of it. Some tyres (like clothes and fashion) just seem to fit better and work better .Rubber compounds also degrade after several years so I would be very loath to ride a bike with tyres that are very old in age even though they have sufficient tread left-once again I feel safer on new rubber ,particularly if you ride Mr Max in hot rod mode. Point in issue for example is my opinion of Mr Max-there are other bikes but to me Vmax is king. Others probably don't think so. Tyres are very important-they are all that keeps your bike on the road and I try never to compromise this aspect of my bike. My philosophy is fit the suitable tyre that matches the function that you utilise the bike for-eg would one use truck tyres on a racing car ?For most of above reasons I changed to radial tyres -I expect the same ,if not better mileage as the cross ply with safer and better handling.

As far as pipes go this also is a personal issue-customise it to suit your fancy. I would never dream of changing the pipes on my car for noisy ones. I just feel that quiet pipes on a Vmax do not do justice to that Mighty V4.The noisy pipes also act as a auditory warning to pedestrians and cars that a fast accelerating bike is in the vicinity and I feel it has safety advantages. Before with standard pipes in traffic more cars would not see me and accident situations where frequent. Since I have louder pipes I never use the hooter/horn anymore. Conversely the louder noise mostly keeps me from being to eager to rev the engine too high-Stupid arguments I know but ultimately it is my preference.

In response to ps.

I found your particulars in the letters column of Bike SA-Feb 2006 and although I have not corresponded with John ,I did read his interesting articles on your site and look forward to contact with him as a fellow Vmaxer that he is. As regards the frame brace I think it looks great-two of my Vmax mates have them. Prior to solid engine mounts and on cross ply , my Max (and two others belonging to friends of mine that I did ride) was mushy in corners with lots of flex in the frame (all front and rear suspension adjustments never cured the problem). I fitted solid mounts (still cross ply tyres then) and the change was immediately much better-no more flexing and cornering that held a line without wrestling it to follow your line .Thereafter the radial tyres followed and that was a huge improvement in handling and cornering-safer ,faster, easier ,more confidence, no more soiled underpants.

My internet readings on frame bracing lead me to believe that it works as part of a list of changes that provide incremental improvements. Swing arm bracing will too. Frame bracing and swing arm bracing seem to work best on hotted up Maxes that have big bore(1500 cc kits fitted and turbo ,nitro etc). Basically 150 and more rear wheel horsepower bikes. There is no denying that frame braces and swing arm braces look good and work as intended on standard Maxes. I note that the new concept Vmax does not (visibly) have these. Maybe these changes have been engineered into the new bike.

On hotted up chain drive converted Vmaxes I would personally not ride it unless it had solid engine mounts ,frame bracing and swing arm bracing. There is a documented case of a Vmaxer on a hotted up chain drive who had the chain come off at high speed. The cause was observed on the dyno bench to be that under high revs that the engine actually twists by as much as an inch in the frame due to torsional forces causing the rubber mounts to twist. On a drive shaft this is not a problem as with chain drive however it contributes to flex and twist in the frame which leads to bad handling in corners. Am I going to fit a frame brace ? With my present set up no-solid mounts and radials work extremely well and I prefer the exposed open look of the V4 without the frame brace. This is my personal opinion and I reiterate that bracing does and must work. The only reason for now that I have not done it is that I prefer the open look and no other valid reason.

Regards
Carl

My New Headlamp
imported from the UK

Hans
What do you think of my new Head Lamp?
I have not been out at night with the head lamp as yet but even in the daylight standing in front of the bike with the high beam on gives an indication of the difference that it will make compared with the original
John van Nieuwenhuizen.

P.E.
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carlstalbot@absamail.co.za
RADIAL PLY TYRES ON A YAMAHA Vmax ?
Old school muscle on modern tyres?

Dynamics , sidewall , rubber compound

Cross(bias) ply tyres are still used generally on cruisers and older motorcycles. Cross ply tyres are available only in certain sizes and mostly appropriate size substitution radial tyres are not manufactured at all. Cross ply tyres have significantly different dynamic properties when compared to radial tyres. Cross ply tyres generally carry more weight, run hotter, deflect differently, create different cornering forces and require a higher side wall. The advent of the high performance low profile radial ply tyre in the motorcycle industry has enabled motorcycles to reach higher levels of straight line and cornering performance when compared to that of cross ply tyres. No motorcycle championship has been won on bias ply tyres for ages and radial tyres are the new technology ticket to superior road handling and cornering. A wider selection of tyre profile and rubber compounds make it possible to utilize the radial tyre in almost any application for e.g. touring, sport or racing.

Vmax-21 years on cross ply

Since the advent and further development of radial tyres these have reached the level of refinement enjoyed today. The process of developing better tyres continues all the time. The Max was born on bias(cross)ply tyres . In 1984 the rear tyre on a Vmax was the fattest rear tyre to be found on any mass produced bike. Furthermore the entire and absolute goal of Yamaha was to build the ultimate accelerating mass produced straight line hot rod-something it still does very well. Cornering was never the goal. So even after 21 years in production the Vmax has remained unchanged by still running on cross ply tyres namely a rear 150/90 X 15"VR and a front 110/90 X 18"VR.This is probably by far the biggest cause for the Vmax being labelled as a bad handling bike when compared to modern standards. Other aspects like suspension and weight are definitely a factor however it is the rubber on the road that is the final link between the machine and the tarmac. No one would today ever fit cross ply tyres to a modern high performance bike even if it had the best suspension etc.

Cornering / handling; The radial tyre option ?

Most modern performance motorcycles are also measured by their cornering and handling ability. In this regard tyres are the biggest limiting factor for Mr Max. Although cross ply tyres are by no means inadequate, they are really outdated in terms of the performance offered by radial tyres. Now I can probably anticipate the argument "Do you want a cruiser or a sport bike ?" My answer is foremost a sit up straight and comfortably power cruiser that handles and corners well. Consider that the HD VRod was released in 2001 with radial tyres. Similarly the Triumph Rocket 3 was released in 2004 also with radial tyres. So is the solution for the Vmax to simply fit radial tyres? Unfortunately the Vmax runs on a 15 inch rear wheel for which no radial tyres are manufactured. For the front tyre being 18 inches, radial tyres are manufactured. Most tyre manufacturers strongly advise against mixing bias ply and radial tyres.

17" radial tyre solution

Many Vmax owners have since the 90's had special rear rims machined to accommodate 17" radials and many Vmax enthusiasts have testified to the major increase in handling and cornering. After serious conversation with other Vmax owners who had done the conversion to radial tyres and further internet browsing, I was eager and willing to give it a try.

17"rear wheel and radial tyres

I fitted a 17" rear wheel with 180/55ZR radial tyre and front 110/80 X 18"ZR radial tyre to my Max. The change was stratospheric. My Vmax is now Y2K spec-it rides softer on straight roads soaking up bumps-is very stable at high speeds and handles corners hugely better than bias ply tyres will ever be able to do. The Vmax has now lost that raging buffalo, muscle car chaos in corners. In the past fast cornering was not for the novice let alone the experienced rider-many experienced riders have returned from a ride with pale faces and almost soiled underpants. The new bike now inspires confidence instead of terror and the radial tyres can match the engine performance better. The Vmax now can and does corner superbly well. Another definite advised modification is to replace the rubber engine mounts with solid metal mounts. The metal mounts make the engine part of the frame and the ride is rock solid. Since the engine is counterbalanced the added vibration is not noticeable. Of course other modifications like frame bracing ,improved suspension etc. will all enhance the experience .Bang for buck the radials and engine mounts are the best modifications to drastically improve handling .In summary the future is radial tyres .For the Vmax enthusiast who considers these modifications I endorse them totally as well worth the effort and expense . I have experienced the cornering confidence and improved handling that radial tyres provide. Believe me a Vmax fitted with radial tyres does corner well. All aspects of enjoyment, be it straight line or cornering are enhanced. On radials the Vmax is capable of modern handling standards. This heavyweight brawler can still run quarter mile times in the tens and when on radials can handle corners like an agile middleweight on steroids. Vmax packs 21 years of the hardest heavyweight punches and now it does” float like a butterfly –sting like a bee.”

ps TOKYO SHOW 2005 Concept new Vmax

At above show Yamaha unveiled a concept “new” Vmax that is not yet to be released for production .My calculated guess is that if it is ever released that it will definitely be fitted with radial tyres. There will probably also be improved suspension and brakes, lighter overall weight and a revised V4 1800cc engine that hopefully will exceed the performance and attitude of the 21 year old legend it is intended to update. I use the word update instead of replace. V max cannot die and is the American V8 in two wheel form. The new son of the original Max will be welcomed-who’s your daddy ? The king of hotrods of course !

My VMax fitted with Modern Performance Radial Tyres

The king is alive-long live the king
Carl Talbot-Pietersburg
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IMPROVE YOUR STEERING THIS is what the Dustmax owner did with his fork tubes. To make the bike steer faster and improve responsiveness, I lowered the front end 1.25" by sliding the fork tubes up in the clamps. This in effect, de-rakes the front end a bit. The steering reacts much faster now!

http://www.musclebike.com

Spark and Fire

We are all searching for more performance out of our V-max. Changing your plugs and wires are an easy way to improve your bikes overall performance without going broke. Recently I installed the Nology Hot wires. These wires have a built in capacitor integrated into the plug wire and have a braided stainless steel ground wire attached to every wire requiring it to be grounded to the engine block. Very trick. Easy install it took 45 minutes. The bike started faster, ran smoother and seemed to come out of the gate a little quicker. After doing this I pulled the plugs and they looked o.k. but being the perfectionist I am newer is better. So I went to the store and picked up a set of NGK DPR8EIX-9 Iridium plugs gapped them to .032 and installed them. Big difference. Much smoother Idle, better gas mileage and the bike screams. Granted, you may not see the difference I did but, this is a great way to get more out of your bike and preventive maintenance is always a good thing. Ride Safe.

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Fuel Filter

Tank rust can be a real hazard for older motorcycles that have not been used for long periods of time.

Tank Rust Sucks.

If you have an older Vmax - it might be a good idea to check out the fuel tank for rust. It might be a good time to replace the Fuel Filter under the seat regardless of the condition of the tank. Some of the signs of bad rust might be an intermittent loss of power during specific RPM ranges, or a sputtering under engine load. This could be a sign that your Fuel Filter is clogged with rust, or your Carb Bowls are dirty. Start with the cheap and obvious first. Check the tank for Rust and Replace the Fuel Filter.

Just a tip from your friends at MuscleBike.

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Stage 7 Jet Kits

How to avoid common problems and install them correctly!
I've heard alot of people talk about the shortcomings of the performance from the Dynojet stage 7 jet Kit. There seems to be a common issue that the jet kit will screw up the carbs - and leave holes in the power curve. In fact, I have an '85 that came with a screwed up stage 7 jet kit - and it's been a nightmare to repair. So - I understand the issue. Brien has put in many of these kits over the years, and has developed a secret to DOING IT RIGHT. In fact, my silver bike is absolutely perfectly tuned - With the Stage 7 kit. So - I asked Brien to publish his secrets to help the Vmax community install these kits without screwing up their carbs (ever see Vmax carbs w/ stage 7 kit installed on Ebay? Ever wonder Why?)

Therefore - I'm proud to present.. -
Secret Stage 7 tech tips from "The Man".
The installation of the stage seven kit from Dynojet has some problems caused by certain steps in the process.

1) when you come to the part of the installation of the new carb springs do not do so - leave the stock ones instead. (The stock are heavier springs, which allow faster throttle response than the heavier DynoJet springs in the kit)

2) When you get to the step were they have you drill the slides on the carbs do not do this either. (If you do so - you permanently destroy the carb set.)

3) There is a note in the kit to resolve a stumbling problem referring to an air jet do not put this jet in. (If you notice a stumbling problem after installation and tuning, consider using the air jet - but chances are you don't need it).

4) Install the 175 main jet at sea level to adjust for altitude times this jet by how high up you are. (the equation is 100% is sea level subtract 1% per thousand feet higher in altitude and times this number by the jet size and round down to the nearest jet always to the large size jet. example 100%-6%=94% 175X94%=164.5 the actual jet size would be 165 this example is 100%-6%=94% 175X94%=164.5 the actual jet size would be 165 this example is as the instructions tell you to and the bike will have crisp throttle response and good fuel economy.
Note: Don't want to mess with this mod yourself? Let the Expert do it!
OR - if you've already screwed up your carbs.. how about a 40mm TDM Carb kit?

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Second Gear Issues

Problem: THE SECOND GEAR POPS OUT OF GEAR OR THE SECOND GEAR SLIPS IN AND OUT OF GEAR.

THE FIX:

1. CHECK THE SHIMMING OF THE STATIONARY GEAR.

2. CHECK FOR BENT OR WORN SHIFT FORKS.

3. CHECK THE DOG ON THE SLIDING GEARS FOR WEAR OR ROUNDING.

4. CHECK THE STATIONARY GEAR SLOTS FOR WEAR.

Replace any worn gear and shim the stationary gear to the correct spec

(0.08MM/0.0003" TO 0.13MM/0.0005") CLEARANCE.

IN ORDER TO EXPLAIN THE CAUSE AND SYMPTOMS: SEE THE ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION FROM YAMAHA.

In many cases this second gear problem does not appear until the motorcycle has been upgraded to an aftermarket exhaust system or slip on kit, which will create more torque on the transmission. It is quite possible that the transmission may have been slipping before the installation of the new exhaust system, however; this problem may have not been noticeable prior to the modification.

If you are experiencing this problem, which may include the transmission popping out of second gear, and consequently - getting worse every time you ride. Do not continue to ride the motorcycle.

In time, the problem could worsen so that the transmission will pop out and stay out rather than sliding around to the next slot. If you catch the problem early it may just be a bent shift fork (check both forks on the counter shaft). Since you are already have the transmission apart, check the dog and slot gears for wear and the lateral movement on the slot gears.

If you decide to have a shop fix this problem, be sure to print the tech bulletin from Yamaha so the service department will be aware of these specific issues. NOTE: most Yamaha dealerships will not have this information, due to the fact that the bulletin was originally published in 1985.

Special thanks to Stan (the man!) at Yamaha technical support for his assistance in providing this bulletin!

Good luck from your friends at the muscle bike company

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Starter Problems with later model Vmax's

Here at Musclebike, We're now working on two '85 V-Max's. We choose the 1985 model because they are - (some say - we agree) the fastest year model ever produced. .

However - we've noticed a similar problem between both bikes, and further research into the issue has show that many early model V-Max owners with early model motorcycles have the same issue - so it seems to be a common problem.

THE PROBLEM: When attempting to fire up the motor, the motor will turn over slowly several times - and eventually fire. Another symptom is battery charging - many people will keep these bikes on chargers to maintain the proper voltage to the battery because the bike usually starts right up when the voltage is peaked. So - it may appear that the battery is old, dead, etc.. usually owners will replace the battery - and find that this doesn't fix the problem. Consequently - when riding the bike you may notice the that battery will drain, so that after a few hours of riding - the motorcycle won't start.

We chased down this issue, beginning with the starter - it didn't fix it. We ran tests on the electrical system - everything passed. We looked at the battery, it was charging, but draining when in use.

Finally we looked at the regulator/rectifier under the left rear passenger peg. On earlier model V-Max's, the regulator/rectifier is much different than the later model. The new model is much more heat tolerant and has a ground that connects directly to the negative battery post. The older model appears to be an inferior design that adversely affects the charging system. Consequently - a bad rectifier will fool the tech into thinking that the battery is charging - when it isn't charging under normal usage (when the motor is under sustained - running load) The V-Max charges when not under a load (under 2000 rpm); However - when an engine load is applied to the motor (above 2000rpm), the battery will drain.

THE FIX: We replaced the stock 1985 regulator/rectifier with a regulator with a regulator/rectifier from a 1997 model. The bike fires up instantly - and - runs like it should because the correct amount of voltage is passing through the system when the motorcycle is running. If you've beaten your self up trying to find the solution to this issue, check out the newer model regulator/rectifier. (SECRET TIP = 1996-2003 year model regulator/rectifier. (part number 3JP-81960-01-00).

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