1994 Vmax

Well I have had all the V4's from the 80s that were muscle bikes....but this one. And finally found one that was a good price and within a good driving range.

So proud new owner of this good looking bike. She is still on the trailer and is tucked away in the garage. I will take her to the warm little shop tomorrow and start to go over here. Looking forward to learning this bike as I have worked on the others:
Honda Magna and Sabre V65
Suzuki Madura 1200
Aprila Futura RST 1100
And now I get to work on the VMax so I am happy.

Looking forward to seeing if I will keep the Sabre V65 or the VMax....more to come.

 

Assuming this is the full power version? If so you will learn to time your 1st to 2nd gear changes either side of the power valve opening, just in case you fail to hang on....
Madness bonkers straight line machine, and going up in value all the time over here.

 

Congrats on the new to you VMax. How goes the Kawaski engine swap project? We have not seen an update in a while.

 

28 Dec 2022 I put an update post on that Thread. Mean Steak is running fine. Waiting on title paperwork and then have to do something with the seat.

1994 Vmax 1200 by Tim Brown, on Flickr

Going to order the manual for this one today, then start to go over the bike. Safety first and as you can see from the background of in the Pic, lots of time to check over the VMax. It is a cold one out there. VMax was in Iowa (2 hr drive) on the ridge and man that wind was cutting right through us. Good ride home and still make bike night with the guys for some food and shop talk.

 

Jealousy kicking in...

 

Well it is not all good news. I found out today that the engine was seized. Not too hard to find out and a lot of the other V4 bikes I have done had the same issue. But at the end of the day the Right Rear connecting rod is one. I can turn the bike over by hand 19mm on crank and that piston does not move.

So my small project just turned into a bigger one. The parts are still out there and cheap. I could always just blow another $1k on a engine....time will tell.

 

After looking at some engines on ebay just went for it. I am not going to take the time to break down the engine and then find out that I need a new one anyway. So engine is on order and will be shipped close to me.

I can now look at removing the engine, and have some nice spare parts for any future issues I might have. Bikes in my area are getting hard to find in my price range for a hobby. So this is the second bike and as many engines this winter. As this bike is on my bucket list of bikes to have in my stable, it will get the extra money and time needed to put her back on the road.

 

Temps are okay to work in the shop this week. A little wood heat and good to go. Replacement engine is on the way. Have the Vmax in the shop pulling carbs off and removing hardware from the bike to remove the engine. Looks to be a lot like the Kaw Vulcan or Mean Streak engine swap. The right lower frame comes off the bike and the engine lowers and moves forward.

The bike will be braced in the "T" chalk so I can get a engine jack under it. Looking forward to getting the replacement engine this week.

 

First motorcycle I ever rode (just around a parking lot) was my buddy's '85 Vmax. They've got a special place in my heart. Their sound is incredible.

And yes, after I got some miles on my Seca, I took it for a proper spin to feel the V-boost before he sold it.

Best of luck w/ the project. I might have to swing through Tomah some time to see it.

 

This bike has been interesting that is for sure and the story continues. I had a big day yesterday, got my new tractor (Branson 3515H) delivered in the morning and then headed down to see some friends in Albany WI. They live a few miles away from the "Yellow" trucking company that said the engine was in. I checked it on line and sure enough said it was there.

After a nice visit with my friends, I put the address in my Waze app and headed down the road. Pulled up the office and all was good. Found the engine on a small pallet and that was even better. Then the young lady asked me how big my truck was. I said I have a 4x8" trailer, she didn't like that. She told me we don't have a loading ramp. I was not a happy camper.

After looking around with the forklift operator we found a long heavy chain and did a little McGyver work on the pallet, chain and forklift. This allowed us to control the pallet and motor to the bed of my trailer. Trip home was a good one as more of the rush hours traffic had passed.

Had more apt today and the weather turned to rain so I will get out there tomorrow to finish up pulling the bad and in with the good.

 

Even if you had a truck and not a trailer, how did they plan on loading it in a truck?

 

Ya I know, so I will let the seller know that they need to take that into consideration when they sell on line. The seller might think it would have been a full service freight area as most would think. Either way it worked out and now time to get busy.

 

The Vmax engine is a beast. I owned a 85 Venture Royale with basically the same engine in it, just slightly de-tuned. Surprised a lot of people with the power of that bike ,even at close to 800 lbs Sold that bike in 2012

 

Read the chapter in the manual removing the motor. Took my time and it was just so hard. Removing the engine by myself with the help of two floor jacks and a chain hoist from above. That has worked before so many different makes and models of bike. After hrs and hrs of working on removing the motor I did get it out.

Went to the Vmax forum and asked what did I miss. Had a member sent me a link and has 20 steps. Almost all those steps are not in the manual. The best way to do it is to remove the swingarm of the bike. Yes, strip the rear of the bike and that way it will walk out sideways.

That will be my next step once the snow storm passes.

 

Just wanted to update as the weather for a day was nice enough. I removed the head from the old engine and sure enough #3 piston had some colition marks and for sure he connecting rod is broken.
3 by Tim Brown, on Flickr
Then came the next big step and this was a first so took the old motor one off first to do a test removal. The output U bold has to be removed. This is what gives you the extra space to be able to pull the engine out with ease. NO place in the manual does it say this for engine removal or install.
1 by Tim Brown, on Flickr
2 by Tim Brown, on Flickr
Just wanted to share this so if anyone get their hands on a Vmax and has engine issues. They will not have the pain I did.

Removal of the rear of the bike to include the swing arm is how you get the U joint back on the engine once in place. So yes is it a pain in the a** yes, but worth knowing that you can do it with a few more steps.

Have freezing rain here this morning, so hope to get to it by noon.

 

As of yesterday the Vmax lives. Took about two days to fully put her back together and get her running. The carbs go on so nice and really no issues working on the bike, besides the engine removal. But knowing what I know now, I would do another Vmax.

The bike has a 4 into 1 and sound very nice. Need to put the air box back on and get one rubber grommet for the air box cover, besides that she is done. Lots of ice on my shaded road still so still looking for spring temps to help that out.

 

Road ready if the roads were not covered with nasty ice. May in Wisconsin, warm enough to ride, cool enough to get killed on ever part of a road that is shaded. Need to find a good left rear turn signal, head over tot he Bay I guess.

 

Congrats for your new toy, its cruiser and sports bike's fusion with futuristic features as well, absolutely perfect choice you have made.

 

Got the title back yesterday. I also got two rubber mounts in the mail, one for the right top air box cover and one of the side cover. Still waiting on the turn signals to make it all street legal. Oh ya and for all this F snow to go away...lol

 

Congrats on your purchase. I own a 1993 VMX1200 with a Stage 1 jet kit and 4 into 1 Hindle exhaust. While overall they are very solid and reliable bikes, there are a few weak spots with them that are better to address upfront rather than later. If you haven't already looked into the Furber Fix, the charging fix (splice solder with Venture rectifier), and the better-than-stock starter clutch fix, those would be well recommended before you put it all together. Some other worthwhile ones are the headlight mod and the relay ignition switch mod.

 

I took it out today for the first real ride besides the shakedown ride. I can tell the carbs are not perfect yet. I would guess they need a sync. That and I an not too sure if the Vboost is stet up correctly either. That being said, what a ride. It sounds like a corvette with my 4 into 1 and is almost too loud, but in a good way.

A friend of mine has my sync tool so I will have to wait on that. Good to just run some good gas through it and have a little additive in the gas to help with any leftover cleaning.

 

Yeah - just like the inline 4's, the carbs on these V4 bikes really benefit from a good cleaning. Good idea to run 1/2 can or so of seafoam through in the first tankful before you get into the tuning. These carbs are downdraft style and a bit more complex than the XJ's but have the same basic operation and circuits. There are good articles on Vboost diagnostics and setup on the Vmax forums; some guys elect to run them open but IMHO they are best operating stock.

 

@4nik8r,

Thanks for the info. I will keep her stock for sure. I just got my gauges back from my friend and this week the weather should be getting warm enough to turn her. I will be reading the book and watching some vids on both the carb sync (should be the same as all other carbs) and also make sure I have the Vboost set up right.

Removed the cable and that little box when I swapped the blown engine, 1994 to a 2004. Have to make sure that is set right for the 3k vboost effect. Great little bike.