Mornin' all. My name is Lou and I am from outside of Denver.

I have joined up here because I am finally at a stage in my life where I can afford to finally get a VMAX and... have the time to enjoy it.

I was a dirt bike rider as a young man and never owned a street bike. Matter of fact, I never even considered one until I saw a new 86 on the floor at the Exchange at Clark AFB in the Philippines way the heck back then.

All I can say is that from that time on I have wanted one of these unique bikes.

Back then, pregnant wife, and poor-ass broke... was not gonna happen.

Anyway, I am now shopping and am about a month or so away from buying a 2012. I have some questions and figured this is a good place to connect with on the VMAX owners and get some no BS feedback.


First off, I am interested in the wide wheel, anybody here got one and do you really need to remove the swing arm inspection plate to run a wide wheel/tire combo?

Next, I ave heard that somewhere out there... a larger fuel tank is available... anybody have any pointer to such that are actually available on the aftermarket?

I have heard over the years about the front steering squirliness of the bike and the need some say for steering dampers etc... I have also read / been told that the new gen 09-12 does not have this issue any longer due to the re-designed front end.

I am pretty stoked about finally getting the bike, I known the type of riding I will be doing, and this bike fits that... like my '73 Challenger, I want something with power, excellent torque and serious attitude.

Looking forward to connecting here with other VMAX riders and learning the ropes on this bike.

Thanks in advance.

Welcome to the site! The new Vmax is so much better than the previous model,, and it's not just the front end. The entire bike has been redesigned to make it handle like a race bike. Yes, the inspection plate has to be removed if you use the Yamaha wide wheel kit, but that's no big deal. A small piece of metal tape suffices instead and the looks of the 240 speaks for itself. Plenty of info here, just ask & good luck with your purchase!

Welcome from South Dakota. If your ever in the Black Hills area let me know and we can get together for a ride! Your gonna love your VMAX!

G'day Lou and welcome to the forum

This place has all the answers to your Vmax questions.

Welcome Lou. Looks like you've waited a long time to get your new toy and going about it the right way.

I have the wide wheel on mine. It looks sick, but does have its cons like the inspection plate removal, little loss of handling and a power loss of about 7hp. All which I am willing to live with for the type of riding I do. Handling loss is minimal, power loss I can't notice any more as it has so much grunt and some tape will take care of the plastic cover removal.

There is a 24L tank you can buy from Europe for a cool 1050 Euros plus shipping and fitting labour

www.optimalcarbone.com/reservoir-vmax-21-24l.html

It's no sports bike on handling, but then again it was never meant to be.
I can keep up with intermediate riders on their sporties and they can't get away as any short stretch of straight and I am right back on their tail
The pros are another story, but the point is you are not buying it as a track bike

You are buying an icon and it is respected on the street.
Those that don't soon get their ass handed to them

Hope it's everything you expected it to be once you get it

Welcome to the site!!! You definitely came to the right place! I run the wide wheel kit and I do remove the inspection plate cover. Unless you are riding on unimproved roads, dirt or gravel, you should be fine. I've had about 10,000 miles on my wide wheel with no issues. As previously stated, you do lose a little bit of handling and a little HP. But I think it's worth it in take off traction and looks.

You'll want to look into two other mods, too.... The "Nash Flash" ECU re-flash and the double spring clutch mod. You can do searches for them on this site and pull up all the info and details.

You won't regret it if when you get one.

WELCOME MAX50BMG,

You are going to love the GEN II, your new best friend will take you anywhere...strip, street, twisties, sweepers, bike meets and cross country.

This site will have the best information, via search or simply asking...they're great folks with specific knowledge you won't find elsewhere.

BTW, I'm running the 240 AVON Cobra's with the inspection plate removed with aboslutely no issues.
(I live on a country road and ride the Rocky mountains...still no issues)

Maybe see you out there some day......ride on, be safe and enjoy your VMAX

----PeaDawg

Hi, I like you already , I make quick work of unused propane tanks at about 800 yards with my BMG and lived in the Boulder area for many years .

You have chosen wisely with the Gen 2 Max their is not another street bike that can match it for macho personality

Make sure your are lined up straight first time you pin the throttle it will surprise you as well as plant a permanent grin on your face

I have 26 K on mine and still feel like a kid every time I push the starter and raise the kickstand

240 is great adds to the charisma of the beast for sure and the mods Joey (medic) mentioned are profound and the Flash can be upgraded as your bike evolves with intake/exhaust modifications .

Make sure you post up pics when you get the beast.

Good morning all..

Thanks for your cool responses to my first post here. No_Max, Gbrown, J.D., VmaxOZ. medic981, peadawg and Capt Bob. I appreciate the welcome and the info. Gotta make time to mine the site for knowledge and get to know folks.

Sunday morning here and slept like a baby after hiking the mountains with my better half yesterday. As we drove up into Rocky Mountain National Park yesterday I was chatting up my wife, subtly suggesting how much fun it might be to do this ride on a bike.

Woke up after dreaming about doing Trail Ridge Road on my "soon to be" new VMAX... LOL..

Glad to hear that the inspection plate thing is handled with some muffler tape or similar, The GM of the shop I am thinking about buying from has his setup with the big rear and has dropped his ride about 1.5 inches or so.

Gonna look in to your suggestions medic.. but will likely not push into that realm too quick, will want to get comfortable with the stock setup first. at least a week or 2.

Nice pointer to the 24 L tank, that will be nice for driving the beast back to Raleigh / Durham where I work and when I go to visit my paintball buddies in Rawson next year out in OZ. Now i just have to figure out how to get the bike OVER there..

Thanks again !

Lou

Welcome to the site. in my experience: truly amazing site with truly amazing members who share an even more amazing machine! Ebi.