V Max purchase update. Great decision.

[Grindle]

In a world of £20,000 litre bikes and £20,000 Harleys this £2,600 to buy plus £250 just spent is a cracker. New coolant was added yesterday after the major service Thursday and i gave it another big clean today, well, best i could. Old alloy isn't going to shine too much i fear.
Engine starts instantly and ticks over at 900 rpm happily. The V Boost is great fun at 4 and then especially 6 thousand rpm and whilst not as fast as my last sports bike, it's plenty fast enough for UK roads. I'm enjoying it. I'd love a lighter and fruitier exhaust but they are a lot of money so we'll stick with the stock pipes. Still sound nice. But heavy as hell. I removed them to give them a good clean and omg they weigh a ton.
All in all, a lot of motorcycle for under 3 grand and it's in great nick for 28 years old.
Any V Max fans out there?

[Jazoli]

Grindle said:

Any V Max fans out there?

Nope, not me I'm afraid, I thought they were very much a one trick pony, I rode a couple when they first came out and thought they were an ill handling under sprung under braked load of crap, sure they are fast in a straight line and looked different to everything else but I was never a fan, but each to their own, if you are enjoying it that's all that matters

[RemyMartin81D]

I love the new version.

One day maybe.

[moto_traxport]

Grindle said:

Any V Max fans out there?

Ran a tuning shop that had a reputation for tweaking them as well as the normal GSXR, R1, ZX10 etc etc.

We would quite regularly have a dozen of them in, most with seized brakes and pushing them in and out every day did my stomach muscles in.

We would frequently do 1300cc big bores on them, 4 into 1 thinwall systems and flat slide carbs and set up like that it remains the best sound I've heard on a bike - sounds like a small block Chevvy on acid! The twin pipe wooofley set up doesn't sound anywhere as near as good.

Chassis wise they benefit massively from 17" dia wheels (without going wider than 5.5" at the back), suspension upgrades and keep the standard slightly odd handlebars - never found another set that worked as well.

I do fancy one now I'm getting on a bit and this despite them being a bit rubbish in all measurable ways!

Edited by moto_traxport on Saturday 15th June 21:09

[srob]

I’ve never ridden one but but suspect they’re one of those machines you get or don’t. Couple of mates at work have them and in a lineup you could pick them out, both deranged

[Turn7]

moto_traxport said:

Ran a tuning shop that had a reputation for tweaking them

PDQ ?

Larry, is that you ?

[moto_traxport]

Turn7 said:

moto_traxport said:

Ran a tuning shop that had a reputation for tweaking them

PDQ ?

Larry, is that you ?

Yes PDQ and no to Larry.

I was the general manager there for half a dozen years when Larry worked out he wasn’t customer facing material. Working there was a mild challenge at times.

He’s chilled out now - far fewer customers / mechanics / office staff / neighbours murdered these days apparently.

[Turn7]

moto_traxport said:

Turn7 said:

moto_traxport said:

Ran a tuning shop that had a reputation for tweaking them

PDQ ?

Larry, is that you ?

Yes PDQ and no to Larry.

I was the general manager there for half a dozen years when Larry worked out he wasn’t customer facing material. Working there was a mild challenge at times.

He’s chilled out now - far fewer customers / mechanics / office staff / neighbours murdered these days apparently.

Ah ok,,,what sort of years ? I was Parts manager at On Yer Bike from about 97-12, but worked in Slough bike shops previous to that.....

Larry was always cross in those days lol

Did you work with Robbie ?

[moto_traxport]

Turn7 said:

Ah ok,,,what sort of years ? I was Parts manager at On Yer Bike from about 97-12, but worked in Slough bike shops previous to that.....

Larry was always cross in those days lol

Did you work with Robbie ?

2001 - 2006. ish.

Rob - maybe but which? One emigrated to USA and one still works there.

[Turn7]

moto_traxport said:

Turn7 said:

Ah ok,,,what sort of years ? I was Parts manager at On Yer Bike from about 97-12, but worked in Slough bike shops previous to that.....

Larry was always cross in those days lol

Did you work with Robbie ?

2001 - 2006. ish.

Rob - maybe but which? One emigrated to USA and one still works there.

I cant remember Robs surname, but he left PDQ to work at Sid Morams,along with Paul (Sandzee) Sands.. and I ran the parts side there......

[moto_traxport]

Turn7 said:

I cant remember Robs surname, but he left PDQ to work at Sid Morams,along with Paul (Sandzee) Sands.. and I ran the parts side there......

A-ha! Possibly yet another Rob before my time. Larry did tend find people’s sense of humour limit and staff turnover was high mid - late 90’s / early noughties.

[Turn7]

moto_traxport said:

Turn7 said:

I cant remember Robs surname, but he left PDQ to work at Sid Morams,along with Paul (Sandzee) Sands.. and I ran the parts side there......

A-ha! Possibly yet another Rob before my time. Larry did tend find people’s sense of humour limit and staff turnover was high mid - late 90’s / early noughties.

haha, ge did have a bit of a rep lol....Pretty sure we will have met or spoken in those days.....

Did you know Rico with the Nitroused Vmx?


Anyways - apologies to the OP for the hijack....

[Grindle]

Jazoli said:

Grindle said:

Any V Max fans out there?

Nope, not me I'm afraid, I thought they were very much a one trick pony, I rode a couple when they first came out and thought they were an ill handling under sprung under braked load of crap, sure they are fast in a straight line and looked different to everything else but I was never a fan, but each to their own, if you are enjoying it that's all that matters

You buy them for the bike they are though. I have just sold a 185 bhp/195kgs sports bike which was massively quick and did almost 100 mph in first gear and was the most comfortable of all the litre bikes in it's class (2017 Fireblade with full Akropovic) but it was ultimately less fun than this because there was nowhere to use the real performance other than on a track day. The same as you could write off every H D for being heavy and unwieldy in the turns.
It simply misses the point. Street hooligans are for straight lines and cruising.

[Grindle]

RemyMartin81D said:

I love the new version.

One day maybe.

I rode one in France in 2018 and omg they are powerful. From 3,000 rpm they simply launch at the horizon and a simple exhaust swap which the guy in Lyons had done made a big difference, the stocker weighs a ton and is very restrictive.

[Grindle]

Someone mentioned ''crap in all measurable ways''. It's true i agree. I have no particular bias for this bike but i would point out that my old Kawasaki H2 (widow maker) sold for £20,000 last year and is awful in almost every way! Crap brakes, crap suspension, crap tyre sizes, terrible handling, poor steering, unreliable engine, weak power at just 74 bhp, But then and still now people love/d the things.
The very first GSXR1100 was hailed as a race bike with a number plate when they came out. It wouldn't see which way for example the current R6 went!
I also have a Suzuki RE5 rotary. Try riding that thing hard in the turns! I bought these bikes knowing their strengths and weaknesses.
I am out of the very quickest bikes now, having seen 7 bike mates lose their driving licences for speeding since 2016. If i sell one of my bikes this year the next bike will be a Suzuki B King. Ugly in many ways but the sort of bike i want nowadays.