Contact the VMOA. Vmax owners association. I had one of these bikes murder to work on unless you know what you doing. My friend and I got rid of the boost and just ran it straight. I also have a on how to tighten the headset and progressive springs for the fork if you’re interested. The bike was great on the freeway, but could not corner. Apple cider vinegar is a good replacement for acetone
Take this piece of late advice, that you probably figured out by now. When restoring an old bike: carefully remove and catalog everything, destroy nothing, and throw away NOTHING, until the project is done and you move on.
@@someguy4708he's used to Harley's where you can get parts easily for 70 Yr old bikes Small production Japanese bikes are are a different set of rules. Though the V max has a GOOD aftermarket
Retired motorcycle mechanic of 38years here..this guy does not know enough to make this a profitable endeavor but hey there is only one way you truly learn.Keep plugging away my friend.If you can do virtually all the work yourself that bike at $700 isn't a bad deal.
@@jameshisself9324also he's been spoiled by Harley and being able to get parts easily Small batch Japanese bikes are a whole different game but the VMax has a great aftermarket and tuner community
@@jameshisself9324 in fairness he's had a VFR and a Hornet and you don't keep those running without doing your own work. Both of those are however well supported and the parts were used in so many things that you have options for parts. Jap bikes are weird you can either keep them running forever OR the parts are so rare they are unobtainable and there is ZERO middle Ground
I too, have been a motorcycle mechanic for 38 years (unretired), and Yamaha Gold Star Certified. You're being Extremely kind here. First thing on any unknown bike is: pull the spark plugs and turn the engine over by hand with a breaker bar on the crank nut. Any notchiness felt, or clunking heard= Don't buy that bike!
@@keithbellair9508 I can get them all day long for between $4000 and $13000 depending on year and mileage One example a 99 yr model with 11K miles I can get for around $5500 in excellent shape. This is in the USA in the State of NC. There is zero reason to buy a new one.
Still a bargin... guy is a bit clueless there's specialist shops you can get the cables from or a specialist shop that'll make them for you... it fires on bodge, can't be that bad. Could have got the original pump rebuilt rather than replaced....
Pro Tip: Clean before you start. Clean as you go. The cleaner the you get everything the easier it is to work on, the cleaner you are while working on it. It's well worth the extra time to keep everything clean as you work.
@@keithbellair9508 Yep. There are a lot of problem a little dirt can hide. I got in the habit of washing everything before it goes into the shop with off road vehicles. Metal fatigue marks and cracks can easily be hidden by a little dirt. Now I clean everything because it keeps the shop cleaner as well.
yep. before i rebuild a motor it takes me a solid few hours to re-arrange the shop and get it to where everything is comfortable with plenty of space. those cheapo fold out walmart tables are a godsend for laying everything out too
I sometimes see older V-Maxes for sale and a small part of me considers buying one. This is the type of video I need for my future financial security. Thank you.
As an owner of a 93, my advice is don't mess with them! go get a 2010 or newer, they are fuel injected. the V-boost system is a bear to get right. The newer ones are so much better in every way. Plus the newer ones are 1700 cc compared to 1200. They also do 2 things that the old ones struggled with, they turn and they stop!
@kylecoss1764 yeah, they're spendy. But look at it this way, if you buy an older one and then pour more money and time in it, that's time you're not riding it. Rather make a payment on something I don't have to fix, if you get my meaning
I had to remove my tank on my "87 Vmax ... remove rear tire , take off the shocks and the axle will drop far enough down to get the tank out . Any time that I get a new ,( to me ) , vehicle I immediately go to the forums . There is always a wealth of information from people that have already found easier ways to do things .
Pro tip: get a manual, and disassemble in the proper order, and dont go cutting things and trying to rush. You need to take your time to learn the proper way, and then your work will be so much more efficient and effective
No reason to use acetone on the tank. Drain it. Let it dry. Then use Muriatic Acid, 1 part acid to 3 parts water. Make sure anything aluminum is removed. The acid will make short work of any rust in the tank. If it is really bad put a cup of finish nails in it and rotate the tank around until you have bare metal. The acid can be safely poured down the drain. Then coat the inside of the tank with kerosine, before it even dries. 1 cup kerosine, slosh it around. Leave it in there it will not hurt anything. Then fill your tank of with fuel. Another thing you can do with an old bike that has been sitting is poor Marvel Mystery oil in the carbs and cylinders and let it sit for a few days. It will loosen everything up.
I think the lesson is to choose an easier bike to work with. The Vmax was a engineering wonder on 85, when it was made, cause no one had done something like that before. Well, if it doesnt work, you can clean it, paint it, make it shiny and use it a decoration in your living room. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
For the love of all that's holy man, get some kind of rubber work gloves! If for no other reason than the woman in your life will appreciate not being touched by dry, cracked and greasy hands. It took me a couple years of wrenching to figure that one out.
I own a 1997 Vmax 1200 and a 2012 VMAX 1700 (plus a Fatboy and a GL1800). I work on my bikes. You wanted a project bike and you got one. Trying to start a bike without first checking for gas in the tank pretty much says it all.
I’ve seen one of those Ariel’s before. They were in a riding group riding all vintage bikes across the entire Route 66. They were using nothing but paper maps trying to be as close to the time period their bikes were made in. Was pretty cool.
Every now and then one of these pops up for sale and I’m tempted. I’ll make sure to bookmark this video to ensure sure I never make such an terrible error. 😁 Impressed with your perseverance though!
Reminds me of the "85 Kawasaki Vulcan 700 I am TRYING to work on. Replaced cables, rebuilt master cylinder and calipers, replaced tires, replaced spark wires and modified ignition wiring to coils, cleaned and sealed tank, replaced starter, ditched dual carbs for single Sportster carb (setup sourced from Europe). Got everything together, installed new battery, added gas, hit start and engine fired up and ran, only to find stator is dead and have front cylinder blow head gasket. Now I have to pull the motor and replace stator and head gasket. Finding parts for an almost 40yo bike is an adventure. Fun times.
That's it, man. It's got to a labor of love, like a hobby, really. Takes a long time to get everything together. And a fair amount of money. I was tempted to buy a nice 1983 Suzuki GR650. Wonderful bike, really. But I didn't buy it. It was only made for 2 years. Good luck finding parts for that. Like where are you going to get brake pads and gaskets and valve shims for something like that?
@@CyberChrist I don't have the next-level kind of passion for a 1983 Suzuki to put myself through that kind of thing. If I owned a 1953 Vincent, I'd be willing.
Usually not into these types of series, but this was super entertaining. You are great in front of the camera, Spite. I look forward to the next videos!
Cannot believe that you ran that without changing the oil first as an absolute minimum! Those pistons scrapping up the bore with no lubrication after sitting for so many years! And so much more 😢
No way I have enuf patience to do a restore on an antique bike, that has been sitting for a long time. I could see stripping it for parts, and selling parts to others. I would much rather be out riding, or at the beach, the gun range, the bowling alley, or fishing. Good on you Spite for attempting the such a feat!!
No it won't be boosted if you delete it. The V-boost opens butterflies to allow two carbs to feed the firing cylinder starting at 5,750 RPM instead of a single carb per cylinder. This a method of supercharging the cylinder with fuel. Delete it and there will be just a single carb feeding a single cylinder. So no boost.
This was soooooo hard to watch from a mechanic’s point of view. This guy does not follow any basic safety rules, and makes all the classic errors. He has so little experience of working on bikes and has so few clues on diagnosing mechanical and electrical systems it’s just so hard to watch. Good luck man, you’re gonna need it! 😅😢
At least he's getting his hands dirty and doing it! I have respect for what he's doing. Because he's not just running to the dealership for them to fix it for him, doing the store-bought perfumed asshole thing. He'll get better at it, by reading the manual, reading the forums, and DOING THE WORK!
Once you get on the road it'll all be worth it. It's an incredible ride. They used to make a simple plug n play override for the vboost. Just a toggle switch n resistor that turned it on at 3k rpm instead of the factory 6k. Instant torque. I'm 5'9...lowered the seat, shorter shocks in back, drag bars, brought the forks up in the front to decrease the rake a bit n put a low profile tire up front. Carved backroads n scraped pegs fur 12yrs w that setup. The scoops polish up to a chrome finish if you spend a few days stripping, wet sanding n polishing. Best piece of advice I have for ya, they were notorious for head shake. Mine wanted to spit me off at around 120 a few times. In Europe they actually started swapping in the r6 forks to solve that issue. Lastly, the supertrapp slipons w removable baffles is as close to v8 rumble as you can get. GL.
Something about a fool and his money... 🤣 LOL well, we've all been there. I did have a Bandit 1200 with this problem (standing for years not running), I cleaned that fuel system out stem to stern, replaced a few parts, sonic cleaner etc, then it ran like a Swiss watch. Had another TS185 that "just needed a new alternator"... kept blowing the replacements, so I sold it as spares. Man's got to know when to walk away.
The reason you could only get the throttle cable from Germany was because this bike was a huge hit there! Super popular so I imagine they still have great after-sales support for these bikes. Great video. I do hope that you get it running and that you change those damn tyres.
I bought a 1984 Honda Sabre V65 and it was very much like this. An absolute nightmare 😂 I probably spent 80 hours on it and finally took a loss. It was the only bike I was happy to see leave when I moved it.
V boost works when the engine goes above 6500 rpm that servo opens and allows the cylinder on its intake stroke to draw air and fuel from 2 carbs instead of just 1.
@@spitescorner I'm feeling this one particularly close. I have a Vmax and I'm having a pain with the clutch hydraulic system. New line, new slave cylinder, rebuilt master cylinder now I think it's leaking air in from the fitting off the slave to the line 🤦♂️ until I get her rocking I'm stuck on my winter beater cbr125r. I miss horsepower 🤣
@lovelessissimo onishi titanium exhaust, FJ1300 calipers, brembo masters x 3, bodywork due to aftermarket fiberglass i didnt want, and basics. Tires Plugs fluids intake boots etc etc.
@fastbysal8797 how many of those were upgrades and how many were needed replacements? I'm considering doing a rebuild to celebrate my midlife crisis, and I need to know what I'm getting into.
Proud of you spite you wrestled with one of the toughest bikes from Japan there's so much bull hanging off this horse , oh I like that one tee you had on with the rising sun like to find one , thanks later kid'o .
LOL! Been there, done that! I really understand your frustration!! Brave man!😂 The thing is that when you start you won't give up! But this one was a special horse! I probably would not have bought it...🙄
I'm very surprised no one's talked to you so far about the Venture pumpkin swap. It's an absolute must if you are going to do a lot of highway driving. I have put over 70,000 mi on my 86 VMAX. I got mine it was crashed 1,500 mi on it. It was sitting in a garage for over 20 years when I got it. I put lots of mods into it. First mod was reducing the butterfly valve from 6,000 to 3000 RPM. Second was the diff swap. That will help keep the front end down. And save you some gas mileage on the highway. Be careful they don't call this bike the widowmaker for nothing.
@@spitescorner Ah OK it looked like it was like $200 (video was a bit out of focus there). That still doesn't sound "expensive" for what they did, but no longer what I'd call cheap.
There are a few guys in my area that are at one lunch spot or another most nice Saturdays - between them their bikes must be a collective 300 years old. One of them is a pristine almost showroom Square Four. One of the others has a very old Ural. Can't recall the others, those two take all my attention whenever I see them.
Nice work, but please let me point out one (important?) thing. I used to use the red scotch-brite to clean up surfaces, too, before i noticed thin red dust inside an intake manifold I just cleaned up. It's the aluminium oxide particles, that separate from the pad when rubbing across edges...very bad for cylinder walls. So, please pay attention when working on channels you can't clean up afterwards, and maybe use some other material that can't loose abrasive dust in those areas.
The only mistake you made spike is when you get something that has stood for so long and thats of a certain age is we strip it right back down to engine and frame and then start the rebuild that way you can iron everything out in a line from top to bottom i have learned this from buying old motorbikes time and time again 😂
Oh, I've fixed my 1991 Vmax in very bad state back in 2008. If this gas tank has some rust, just replace it. I was trying to fix it with bolts/nuts and rust converter. It is a waste of time. I had issues with my carburators next 60000 miles. You can buy a 20L aftermarket alternative. Those spark coils and high voltage wires are also pain in the butt. I've replaced my using GSXR coils over plugs, soldering custom low voltage wires for them. Another problem is a starter clutch. It is unscrewing because of hard starts with weak battery. The first sign is knocking on idle. At this stage you can screw it back. But if you continue ride like this it can crack and destroy the engine. The frame is weak too, so the bike handles bad. The cheap and easy fix is replace ruber engine mounts with metal. It will make engine part of the frame. The vibrations, are ok with metal mounts. But bike will be much more stable at high speeds. And one more thing. This bike hates hard engine braking. It is very easy to destroy final drive this way.
My first bike in 2019 was a honda cb750 nighthawk that hadn't had an mot since 2006. The tyres were from '94 and '97 needless to say they got renewed before its mot with me in 2020. I had to sort the brakes and fork seals but otherwise it was just a major service including cleaning the orangeade fuel out of it. Ive still got it now and it rides amazing. Feels solid on the road and rides so smooth. Just a shame its a bit small framed for me
I love the idea of this project... but I'm glad you are the one suffering the practical reality of it and not me... Looking forward to the cost breakdown video... I have my lucky number (cost estimate) picked out already. I really do like the idea of a trading up video arc to get an "ultimate" bike... hopefully you'll get this beast running and ridable so we can hear it make the thunder music!
Hah, funny, I bought my 1981 Yamaha XS1100 midnight special in December 2023 that was supposed to be an easy fix. Bought it for $1k, and I’m only just now getting to tune the carb, it took me until 4 days ago to get it running on all 4 cylinders. I have also rebuilt the brakes and adjusted the valves as well in that time. Sweet Vmax man, I love big power cruisers (78 Goldwing was my first bike lol) and I’m hoping to get one of those at some point. Edit: limey bikes has actually worked on my XS1100, the previous owner got worked on there 2-3 years ago, carbs were gone through there which made me cleaning them out a lot easier.
Respectfully Spite, what was the thought process on cutting the throttle cables? Were they already damaged somewhere? Met ya at Handbuilt last year, wish I could be there this year. Cheers!
As a backyard mechanic the complexity of modern bikes is quite apparent often even when doing general maintenance. Thank Heavens for modern reliability (if properly maintained 😎). But I am really attracted to brands like Royal Enfield just to return to the basics to enjoy riding and not always wrenching.
It wasn’t so much the bike but your approach to it that was substandard. You really could have noticed all this when you looked at it. I’ve never seen anyone cut throttle cables like that. You deserved this hassle.
Very useful and interesting, thanks! Mines a stock 2007 "Tribal" with only 16K miles (one of the last ones made) but stored for 10 years after a starter clutch failure (cracked), happens before 20k usually. Ordered a beefed up 6 widget starter clutch from ebay US, installed by official Yamaha Barcelona.. then the carb problem appeared, happily resolved (tank is clean fortunately). Working again.. Since then front forks redone. Finally some minor leakage at thermostat and O-rings lead to hot running, but resolved fairly easily. Now perfect. Getting 39mpg 6l/100km (important at 8$/gallon) Just a few cosmetic items to retouch and polish up now. Hope my little story is useful for someone.
@@spitescornerso harder to pull because a couple carbs are more shut than the others? Never heard the term dragging before, unless it's literally dragging the pistons up the bores...
@@Legotruck82v engines need balancing else one piston drags the other,can check the temp of the cyls/exhaust for it.goes for any v config.v is basically 2 separate engines that's why the cost of it is significantly bigger than a parallel in every way
I'm impressed that it runs at all at 72 k miles. bench synching the carbs is a bear but I've done it. gonna guess you'll need a new clutch and quite possibly some gears. the rear tire alone is gonna be about 350 bucks. had to buy new rubber boots to go on top of the carbs as well for mine. they actually have to be on and in good shape for it to run properly. Honestly, you might as well finish the project and keep it, you'll never get your money back out trying to flip it. The suspension is a kidney killer and yes , the brakes suck! But that being said, you cant beat the rush when grabbing a handful of twist and thank God the seat is notched !
Electronic contact cleaner is really good if you're worried about rubber or plastic around what you're cleaning. Similar to nonchlorinated parts cleaner, but a little gentler to non metal surfaces
Hey there man, I was wondering if you still had that 509 Mach V commander wit the blue visor? I was wondering if instead of it not being in use with you, I could take it off your hands?
channeling as much pateince and fortitude towards you as possible - hell of a project picking a carburated V4 as the first bike to resurrect - maybe a simple single or parallel twin should be next lol
I don't mean this in a bad or snarky way but do they still make Clymer manuals for these? Maybe I'm just an old fart but every time I work on my bikes I always have a physical paper copy of a Clymer manual right there in front of me. Maybe you did have one there but it just wasn't on camera. I love seeing you work on the old girl. Definitely an ambitious project. I hope everything works out well with the rest of the build.
Take it as a learning experience. The first thing you should have done is flush tank and lines. Change motor oil. The $700 was really a fair deal. If the gas tank is full of crap, so are the carbs. Never, never, take a bike that has been sitting for 10+ years and try to start it without cleaning EVERYTHING!
My 3 boys and I restore lots of vintage bikes, mostly 70s thru 90s Hondas, but there's a few we pass up, even for free. This would be one of those. BTW, denatured alcohol is surprisingly better than anything else on fuel varnish. Keep pluggin away.
I completely removed the V boost system. It was a lot more abrupt at low RPM. But otherwise. I didn't lose anything. Later I did a simple draw through turbo with a Webber. Eventually I started building a new chassis with a 15" x 10 rear with a Micky Thompson tire, wheel before it was a thing. That thing was an animal. Could easily blow the tire off at 70mph if it was damp. I used to torment the local Harley riders. That bike was truly scary. The wastegate had a mind of it's own. Sometimes 10-12 psi, sometimes it would spike to 20 psi. Just shift and hold on. Ahhh, the good ol days 😎
I'm taking suggestions, what should I do with the Vmax?
Contact the VMOA. Vmax owners association. I had one of these bikes murder to work on unless you know what you doing. My friend and I got rid of the boost and just ran it straight. I also have a on how to tighten the headset and progressive springs for the fork if you’re interested. The bike was great on the freeway, but could not corner. Apple cider vinegar is a good replacement for acetone
Fix it with only yourube knowledge
Ride it to sturgis
Fix it, do burnouts.
SEND IT TO CRAIG FROM BEARED MECHANIC TO FIX LIKE THE YAMMIE BOOSA. PLEASE!
Take this piece of late advice, that you probably figured out by now. When restoring an old bike: carefully remove and catalog everything, destroy nothing, and throw away NOTHING, until the project is done and you move on.
what was up with cutting perfect looking cable tho
@@someguy4708 My guess is he assumed they were gunked up shitty old cables and that they would be easy to replace
@@someguy4708he's used to Harley's where you can get parts easily for 70 Yr old bikes
Small production Japanese bikes are are a different set of rules. Though the V max has a GOOD aftermarket
big talk no substance
@@jediknight1294 LOL joke was on him😁
Retired motorcycle mechanic of 38years here..this guy does not know enough to make this a profitable endeavor but hey there is only one way you truly learn.Keep plugging away my friend.If you can do virtually all the work yourself that bike at $700 isn't a bad deal.
I agree strongly, has to learn sometime but he has a lot to learn for sure
@@jameshisself9324also he's been spoiled by Harley and being able to get parts easily
Small batch Japanese bikes are a whole different game but the VMax has a great aftermarket and tuner community
@@jediknight1294 Well if that is the case any Japanese bike will make his head spin. If all you know is HD you don't know bikes.
@@jameshisself9324 in fairness he's had a VFR and a Hornet and you don't keep those running without doing your own work.
Both of those are however well supported and the parts were used in so many things that you have options for parts.
Jap bikes are weird you can either keep them running forever OR the parts are so rare they are unobtainable and there is ZERO middle Ground
I too, have been a motorcycle mechanic for 38 years (unretired), and Yamaha Gold Star Certified. You're being Extremely kind here. First thing on any unknown bike is: pull the spark plugs and turn the engine over by hand with a breaker bar on the crank nut. Any notchiness felt, or clunking heard= Don't buy that bike!
$700 was a great deal for the guy who sold it.
If the moron who sold had taken care of it, it would have been worth a lot more.. they are $25,000 new now a days..
@@keithbellair9508 I can get them all day long for between $4000 and $13000 depending on year and mileage One example a 99 yr model with 11K miles I can get for around $5500 in excellent shape. This is in the USA in the State of NC. There is zero reason to buy a new one.
just in part it worth way more than 700$.....did he expect a brand new bike for 700$ hahahahahaha
Still a bargin... guy is a bit clueless there's specialist shops you can get the cables from or a specialist shop that'll make them for you... it fires on bodge, can't be that bad. Could have got the original pump rebuilt rather than replaced....
@@keithbellair9508I paid £2000 for my 1985 5 years ago. It was mint.
Pro Tip: Clean before you start. Clean as you go. The cleaner the you get everything the easier it is to work on, the cleaner you are while working on it. It's well worth the extra time to keep everything clean as you work.
I couldnt agree more. I was amazed how much easier my new project is that I cleaned and detailed everything before working on it
Yes.. maybe he should have started spraying all the hardware in penetrating oil and then the whole thing in degreaser and pressure washed it..
@@keithbellair9508 Yep. There are a lot of problem a little dirt can hide. I got in the habit of washing everything before it goes into the shop with off road vehicles. Metal fatigue marks and cracks can easily be hidden by a little dirt. Now I clean everything because it keeps the shop cleaner as well.
yep. before i rebuild a motor it takes me a solid few hours to re-arrange the shop and get it to where everything is comfortable with plenty of space. those cheapo fold out walmart tables are a godsend for laying everything out too
@@keithbellair9508 I did dawn and hot water, scrubbed everything with various brushes, then hose, then power wash. Worked wonders
I sometimes see older V-Maxes for sale and a small part of me considers buying one. This is the type of video I need for my future financial security. Thank you.
As an owner of a 93, my advice is don't mess with them! go get a 2010 or newer, they are fuel injected. the V-boost system is a bear to get right. The newer ones are so much better in every way. Plus the newer ones are 1700 cc compared to 1200. They also do 2 things that the old ones struggled with, they turn and they stop!
I had a '98 same year as this one, wish I hadn't sold it. It was a nice running and very fast bike.
@@Jimmyz96 yeah that's what I read but the newer ones always seem overpriced. Maybe it's just my area.
@kylecoss1764 yeah, they're spendy. But look at it this way, if you buy an older one and then pour more money and time in it, that's time you're not riding it. Rather make a payment on something I don't have to fix, if you get my meaning
@@Jimmyz96I mean when you get it running the old original is gorgeous and especially with a turbo or supercharger
I had to remove my tank on my "87 Vmax ... remove rear tire , take off the shocks and the axle will drop far enough down to get the tank out . Any time that I get a new ,( to me ) , vehicle I immediately go to the forums . There is always a wealth of information from people that have already found easier ways to do things .
Pro tip: get a manual, and disassemble in the proper order, and dont go cutting things and trying to rush. You need to take your time to learn the proper way, and then your work will be so much more efficient and effective
No reason to use acetone on the tank. Drain it. Let it dry. Then use Muriatic Acid, 1 part acid to 3 parts water. Make sure anything aluminum is removed. The acid will make short work of any rust in the tank. If it is really bad put a cup of finish nails in it and rotate the tank around until you have bare metal. The acid can be safely poured down the drain. Then coat the inside of the tank with kerosine, before it even dries. 1 cup kerosine, slosh it around. Leave it in there it will not hurt anything. Then fill your tank of with fuel.
Another thing you can do with an old bike that has been sitting is poor Marvel Mystery oil in the carbs and cylinders and let it sit for a few days. It will loosen everything up.
These tanks are known to rust through on the top. Best solution is to replace it which is actually pretty easy.
I think the lesson is to choose an easier bike to work with.
The Vmax was a engineering wonder on 85, when it was made, cause no one had done something like that before.
Well, if it doesnt work, you can clean it, paint it, make it shiny and use it a decoration in your living room.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Nah, its working well now. I need to get some more work done but it's happy.
@@spitescorner The true idle was the wrenching you did along the way ;)
For the love of all that's holy man, get some kind of rubber work gloves! If for no other reason than the woman in your life will appreciate not being touched by dry, cracked and greasy hands. It took me a couple years of wrenching to figure that one out.
You are with the wrong lady's if they care about a man's hands more then the stuff the man does with his hands.
Get yourself a tub of Fast Orange and some gold bond.
@@infesting But he meant ... oh never mind, you'll never get it 😂
Don’t be a bitch about you hands
Shes gonna care alot about what hes doing with those hands @@infesting
I own a 1997 Vmax 1200 and a 2012 VMAX 1700 (plus a Fatboy and a GL1800). I work on my bikes. You wanted a project bike and you got one. Trying to start a bike without first checking for gas in the tank pretty much says it all.
At least replace the gas in the tank 🙂
I was thinking the same thing and I'm not a mechanic. Just seems like the obvious thing to do.
Old V-Maxs are AWESOME! When they first came out, I was blown away. They are so nice to ride, have great power and the sound is to die for.
I’ve seen one of those Ariel’s before. They were in a riding group riding all vintage bikes across the entire Route 66. They were using nothing but paper maps trying to be as close to the time period their bikes were made in. Was pretty cool.
"Vintage" would include my 04 Buell now... I wonder if I can find a Motorola Rzr with early maps on it
Every now and then one of these pops up for sale and I’m tempted. I’ll make sure to bookmark this video to ensure sure I never make such an terrible error. 😁 Impressed with your perseverance though!
Reminds me of the "85 Kawasaki Vulcan 700 I am TRYING to work on. Replaced cables, rebuilt master cylinder and calipers, replaced tires, replaced spark wires and modified ignition wiring to coils, cleaned and sealed tank, replaced starter, ditched dual carbs for single Sportster carb (setup sourced from Europe). Got everything together, installed new battery, added gas, hit start and engine fired up and ran, only to find stator is dead and have front cylinder blow head gasket. Now I have to pull the motor and replace stator and head gasket. Finding parts for an almost 40yo bike is an adventure. Fun times.
Make your own if you can ;)
That's it, man. It's got to a labor of love, like a hobby, really. Takes a long time to get everything together. And a fair amount of money. I was tempted to buy a nice 1983 Suzuki GR650. Wonderful bike, really. But I didn't buy it. It was only made for 2 years. Good luck finding parts for that. Like where are you going to get brake pads and gaskets and valve shims for something like that?
@@skymningforelsket1302 Find equivalents, or make'em ;)
@@CyberChrist I don't have the next-level kind of passion for a 1983 Suzuki to put myself through that kind of thing. If I owned a 1953 Vincent, I'd be willing.
@@skymningforelsket1302 Hehe, I understand ;)
What a mix of feelings and obstacles to face with this VMax, damn. Glad to see it being on a good way back. Well done!
Well watching you work on this beautiful classic I love these and have had many, as a mechanic you would make a brilliant lavortary attendant
This thing's gonna be badass when you're done, looking forward to it!
I am amazed that the starter clutch didn't fail
Amazing Bike, took me a couple of years to have mine the way it deserves!
Oh, the starter clutch WILL fail😂
Love the series idea and even the individual video. Huge fan of your resto-projects.
Usually not into these types of series, but this was super entertaining. You are great in front of the camera, Spite. I look forward to the next videos!
Cannot believe that you ran that without changing the oil first as an absolute minimum! Those pistons scrapping up the bore with no lubrication after sitting for so many years! And so much more 😢
You had me at "the seat is under the gas tank"
No way I have enuf patience to do a restore on an antique bike, that has been sitting for a long time. I could see stripping it for parts, and selling parts to others. I would much rather be out riding, or at the beach, the gun range, the bowling alley, or fishing. Good on you Spite for attempting the such a feat!!
I just remembered how much i hate wrenching on crappy old bikes
I wonder what happens if you delete the Vboost? will it be Vboosted always?
Yes, but runs really rough and burns alot of petrol. I have an 85 😆
No it won't be boosted if you delete it. The V-boost opens butterflies to allow two carbs to feed the firing cylinder starting at 5,750 RPM instead of a single carb per cylinder. This a method of supercharging the cylinder with fuel. Delete it and there will be just a single carb feeding a single cylinder. So no boost.
This was soooooo hard to watch from a mechanic’s point of view.
This guy does not follow any basic safety rules, and makes all the classic errors.
He has so little experience of working on bikes and has so few clues on diagnosing mechanical and electrical systems it’s just so hard to watch.
Good luck man, you’re gonna need it! 😅😢
At least he's getting his hands dirty and doing it! I have respect for what he's doing. Because he's not just running to the dealership for them to fix it for him, doing the store-bought perfumed asshole thing. He'll get better at it, by reading the manual, reading the forums, and DOING THE WORK!
Hey man, that's vintage. I really enjoyed this one. Good series name.
I was waiting for the Bearded Mechanic to pop up lol
V4 muscle No mistake!
Once you get on the road it'll all be worth it. It's an incredible ride. They used to make a simple plug n play override for the vboost. Just a toggle switch n resistor that turned it on at 3k rpm instead of the factory 6k. Instant torque.
I'm 5'9...lowered the seat, shorter shocks in back, drag bars, brought the forks up in the front to decrease the rake a bit n put a low profile tire up front. Carved backroads n scraped pegs fur 12yrs w that setup.
The scoops polish up to a chrome finish if you spend a few days stripping, wet sanding n polishing.
Best piece of advice I have for ya, they were notorious for head shake. Mine wanted to spit me off at around 120 a few times. In Europe they actually started swapping in the r6 forks to solve that issue. Lastly, the supertrapp slipons w removable baffles is as close to v8 rumble as you can get. GL.
Should never be allowed to be anywhere near a motor bike. Especially a Vmax.
I'd love to see you make a video of you restoring a bike, I'm sure I'd pick up some tips. 👍
Something about a fool and his money... 🤣 LOL well, we've all been there. I did have a Bandit 1200 with this problem (standing for years not running), I cleaned that fuel system out stem to stern, replaced a few parts, sonic cleaner etc, then it ran like a Swiss watch. Had another TS185 that "just needed a new alternator"... kept blowing the replacements, so I sold it as spares. Man's got to know when to walk away.
suggestion: do a collab with the bearded mechanic channel he loves stuff like this.......
I bought a V Star from 1998 and it came really nice
I work on helicopters, and we never put o-rings in dry.
yea a thin layer of waterproof grease does wonders!
The reason you could only get the throttle cable from Germany was because this bike was a huge hit there! Super popular so I imagine they still have great after-sales support for these bikes.
Great video. I do hope that you get it running and that you change those damn tyres.
Tires are getting swapped before it goes for a ride. They're rock hard and have no grip
@@spitescorner Perfect. Looking forward to subsequent episodes
I bought a 1984 Honda Sabre V65 and it was very much like this. An absolute nightmare 😂 I probably spent 80 hours on it and finally took a loss. It was the only bike I was happy to see leave when I moved it.
A 1985 Honda Magna V30 just showed up on our local FB market place for a mere $750. And the ad states needs some LOVE. 🙂
V boost works when the engine goes above 6500 rpm that servo opens and allows the cylinder on its intake stroke to draw air and fuel from 2 carbs instead of just 1.
Mine opens at 5500rpm. My Vboost controller has dip switches, so I can set it between 2000 and 5750rpm
V-boost starts opening the butterfly valves at 5,750 RPM.
@@norwichscott I had T-boost with the 3-position switch.
Love the Deathklock profanity edit sounds🤘
Ahh the part where the cheap bike ain't cheap. Well done staying persistent.
It will be on the road this summer, come hell or high water, it's going to ride.
@@spitescorner I'm feeling this one particularly close. I have a Vmax and I'm having a pain with the clutch hydraulic system. New line, new slave cylinder, rebuilt master cylinder now I think it's leaking air in from the fitting off the slave to the line 🤦♂️ until I get her rocking I'm stuck on my winter beater cbr125r. I miss horsepower 🤣
Had a 85. Chronic hydraulic clutch issues but still really miss that bike
Always been a fan of YOU, glad you’re making content
Paid $500 for mine, same story different vin, $4800 later...yeah runs not rolls....but im all in. Couldn't be happier to finally have a V max.
4800?!
@@lovelessissimo yep. And we didn't get to powder and paint yet
@@fastbysal8797 what were the costs?
@lovelessissimo onishi titanium exhaust, FJ1300 calipers, brembo masters x 3, bodywork due to aftermarket fiberglass i didnt want, and basics. Tires Plugs fluids intake boots etc etc.
@fastbysal8797 how many of those were upgrades and how many were needed replacements? I'm considering doing a rebuild to celebrate my midlife crisis, and I need to know what I'm getting into.
Love the genuine joy right there - "It's Alive".
Seeing as it has already ballooned out of control, you may as well make the thing as mint as possible.
That's the plan.
Proud of you spite you wrestled with one of the toughest bikes from Japan there's so much bull hanging off this horse , oh I like that one tee you had on with the rising sun like to find one , thanks later kid'o .
Yeah I learned a whole lot working on this thing. There's still so much to do but it's officially hit the part where it's fun, not miserable
I was looking at a Vmax project but thanks to you, I think I have dodged a bullet.
Congrats and keep it going! Restoration is very rewarding.
Love my '96 Vmax! Totally worth the restoration Spite!
LOL! Been there, done that! I really understand your frustration!! Brave man!😂 The thing is that when you start you won't give up! But this one was a special horse! I probably would not have bought it...🙄
I'm very surprised no one's talked to you so far about the Venture pumpkin swap. It's an absolute must if you are going to do a lot of highway driving. I have put over 70,000 mi on my 86 VMAX. I got mine it was crashed 1,500 mi on it. It was sitting in a garage for over 20 years when I got it. I put lots of mods into it. First mod was reducing the butterfly valve from 6,000 to 3000 RPM. Second was the diff swap. That will help keep the front end down. And save you some gas mileage on the highway. Be careful they don't call this bike the widowmaker for nothing.
That bill for the carb rebuild? I can't believe it was that cheap. Money well spent.
The carbs were $800 for the rebuild plus another $150 for the sync
@@spitescorner Ah OK it looked like it was like $200 (video was a bit out of focus there). That still doesn't sound "expensive" for what they did, but no longer what I'd call cheap.
You should try a ultrasonic parts cleaner. Made my old bikes carbs (17 years old varnish) look like new
I think the Polishing a Turd would be a great series of videos. But seems like it ould be a lot of work!
At least it's work I really enjoy. There's nothing more fun than that moment when it cranks for the first time.
@spitescorner oh yeah, I can imagine. The evil laugh really comes through in the video. Love your work man, keep grinding!
A lot of work for Spite, but not for me! But, when this awesome badass of a bike finally runs, I don't get to ride it, Spite does.
Good for you man. Way to jump in and tackle a crazy project.
You know, a shop manual works wonders. I was able to repair a V-Max with the aid of one...just saying..
There are a few guys in my area that are at one lunch spot or another most nice Saturdays - between them their bikes must be a collective 300 years old. One of them is a pristine almost showroom Square Four. One of the others has a very old Ural. Can't recall the others, those two take all my attention whenever I see them.
Please get yourself an inexpensive ultrasonic cleaner. Even I have one. Saved my life.
Nice work, but please let me point out one (important?) thing. I used to use the red scotch-brite to clean up surfaces, too, before i noticed thin red dust inside an intake manifold I just cleaned up. It's the aluminium oxide particles, that separate from the pad when rubbing across edges...very bad for cylinder walls. So, please pay attention when working on channels you can't clean up afterwards, and maybe use some other material that can't loose abrasive dust in those areas.
Venture differential swap is a must. I'm a big guy like you and it is hard to keep the front end on the ground.
The only mistake you made spike is when you get something that has stood for so long and thats of a certain age is we strip it right back down to engine and frame and then start the rebuild that way you can iron everything out in a line from top to bottom i have learned this from buying old motorbikes time and time again 😂
Damn Spite! What a garage! On a scale of 1 - 10 how much joy do you get opening that door?
Oh, I've fixed my 1991 Vmax in very bad state back in 2008. If this gas tank has some rust, just replace it. I was trying to fix it with bolts/nuts and rust converter. It is a waste of time. I had issues with my carburators next 60000 miles. You can buy a 20L aftermarket alternative. Those spark coils and high voltage wires are also pain in the butt. I've replaced my using GSXR coils over plugs, soldering custom low voltage wires for them. Another problem is a starter clutch. It is unscrewing because of hard starts with weak battery. The first sign is knocking on idle. At this stage you can screw it back. But if you continue ride like this it can crack and destroy the engine. The frame is weak too, so the bike handles bad. The cheap and easy fix is replace ruber engine mounts with metal. It will make engine part of the frame. The vibrations, are ok with metal mounts. But bike will be much more stable at high speeds. And one more thing. This bike hates hard engine braking. It is very easy to destroy final drive this way.
My first bike in 2019 was a honda cb750 nighthawk that hadn't had an mot since 2006. The tyres were from '94 and '97 needless to say they got renewed before its mot with me in 2020. I had to sort the brakes and fork seals but otherwise it was just a major service including cleaning the orangeade fuel out of it. Ive still got it now and it rides amazing. Feels solid on the road and rides so smooth. Just a shame its a bit small framed for me
I love the idea of this project... but I'm glad you are the one suffering the practical reality of it and not me... Looking forward to the cost breakdown video... I have my lucky number (cost estimate) picked out already. I really do like the idea of a trading up video arc to get an "ultimate" bike... hopefully you'll get this beast running and ridable so we can hear it make the thunder music!
I bet you my number is higher. It's still climbing lol
2:19 I used to think that I might be Murphy..... who originated that "Law", but apparently it's actually you, Spite! 👍
Dude loved this video... This bike will be worth it, its a cult classic and will reward you.. She's a keeper. Vmax Baby got to love it..
Hah, funny, I bought my 1981 Yamaha XS1100 midnight special in December 2023 that was supposed to be an easy fix. Bought it for $1k, and I’m only just now getting to tune the carb, it took me until 4 days ago to get it running on all 4 cylinders. I have also rebuilt the brakes and adjusted the valves as well in that time. Sweet Vmax man, I love big power cruisers (78 Goldwing was my first bike lol) and I’m hoping to get one of those at some point.
Edit: limey bikes has actually worked on my XS1100, the previous owner got worked on there 2-3 years ago, carbs were gone through there which made me cleaning them out a lot easier.
The mad scientist revives a beast 😂
Had my Vmax since new, 03
Keep up on maintenance, wicked fun for the price when i got it, sill riding
Seat is under the tank?
Well done man u learnt alot done great work .my gl 1200 gw tank horrible take out so i havent i got work out my fuel pump working .
What possible reason could there be for you to cut a throttle cable?!
It was supposed to make it easier to get the carbs out. It did but it cost more in the long run. Lessons learned.
Respectfully Spite, what was the thought process on cutting the throttle cables? Were they already damaged somewhere? Met ya at Handbuilt last year, wish I could be there this year. Cheers!
As a backyard mechanic the complexity of modern bikes is quite apparent often even when doing general maintenance. Thank Heavens for modern reliability (if properly maintained 😎). But I am really attracted to brands like Royal Enfield just to return to the basics to enjoy riding and not always wrenching.
Love to see a guy knowing what he is doing. I will try to find one now.
K, bye.
It wasn’t so much the bike but your approach to it that was substandard.
You really could have noticed all this when you looked at it.
I’ve never seen anyone cut throttle cables like that.
You deserved this hassle.
Very useful and interesting, thanks! Mines a stock 2007 "Tribal" with only 16K miles (one of the last ones made) but stored for 10 years after a starter clutch failure (cracked), happens before 20k usually. Ordered a beefed up 6 widget starter clutch from ebay US, installed by official Yamaha Barcelona.. then the carb problem appeared, happily resolved (tank is clean fortunately). Working again.. Since then front forks redone. Finally some minor leakage at thermostat and O-rings lead to hot running, but resolved fairly easily. Now perfect. Getting 39mpg 6l/100km (important at 8$/gallon) Just a few cosmetic items to retouch and polish up now. Hope my little story is useful for someone.
Shadetree would have red-necked that thing to life in 3 hours mate. 😂
Love the idea for the channel in all seriousness. Good luck in the future.
Only just started watching, but hearing it crank, it sounds like 1 cyl has low compression? Unless you had a plug loose?
At the end, it's dragging two cylinders because of the carbs being out of sync.
@@spitescornerso harder to pull because a couple carbs are more shut than the others? Never heard the term dragging before, unless it's literally dragging the pistons up the bores...
@@Legotruck82v engines need balancing else one piston drags the other,can check the temp of the cyls/exhaust for it.goes for any v config.v is basically 2 separate engines that's why the cost of it is significantly bigger than a parallel in every way
Is there any update on the bike?
I'm impressed that it runs at all at 72 k miles. bench synching the carbs is a bear but I've done it. gonna guess you'll need a new clutch and quite possibly some gears. the rear tire alone is gonna be about 350 bucks. had to buy new rubber boots to go on top of the carbs as well for mine. they actually have to be on and in good shape for it to run properly. Honestly, you might as well finish the project and keep it, you'll never get your money back out trying to flip it. The suspension is a kidney killer and yes , the brakes suck! But that being said, you cant beat the rush when grabbing a handful of twist and thank God the seat is notched !
4:30 seat's under the tank?
14:48 blow it out
rub it out?
Freudian Slips the video
Electronic contact cleaner is really good if you're worried about rubber or plastic around what you're cleaning. Similar to nonchlorinated parts cleaner, but a little gentler to non metal surfaces
I bought a 1999 1200c last year. It had good looking tires on it too they were from 99. Bike had 5257 miles on it.
Worth it for the content and the chance to ride a legendary bike
Hey there man, I was wondering if you still had that 509 Mach V commander wit the blue visor? I was wondering if instead of it not being in use with you, I could take it off your hands?
The sales ad - Bike like new - NEVER been beat !!
channeling as much pateince and fortitude towards you as possible - hell of a project picking a carburated V4 as the first bike to resurrect - maybe a simple single or parallel twin should be next lol
23:02 What’s that sound????
The clicking is the fuel pump.
@@spitescorner is it ok? I don’t think I’ve ever heard that except maybe from a bad battery
Down the rabbit hole!
I don't mean this in a bad or snarky way but do they still make Clymer manuals for these? Maybe I'm just an old fart but every time I work on my bikes I always have a physical paper copy of a Clymer manual right there in front of me. Maybe you did have one there but it just wasn't on camera.
I love seeing you work on the old girl. Definitely an ambitious project.
I hope everything works out well with the rest of the build.
I have a digital version of the service manual. It's quicker to search for torque values.
I just bought one of these with the same situation, let's hope it's not the same to get it running.
Take it as a learning experience. The first thing you should have done is flush tank and lines. Change motor oil. The $700 was really a fair deal. If the gas tank is full of crap, so are the carbs. Never, never, take a bike that has been sitting for 10+ years and try to start it without cleaning EVERYTHING!
My 3 boys and I restore lots of vintage bikes, mostly 70s thru 90s Hondas, but there's a few we pass up, even for free. This would be one of those. BTW, denatured alcohol is surprisingly better than anything else on fuel varnish. Keep pluggin away.
I like this content spite the adventure alone is worth the watch.
Here, even a rough one but running and holding the inspection is worth 3500€ minimum. Cheers from France 🇫🇷
I completely removed the V boost system.
It was a lot more abrupt at low RPM.
But otherwise. I didn't lose anything.
Later I did a simple draw through turbo with a Webber.
Eventually I started building a new chassis with a 15" x 10 rear with a Micky Thompson tire, wheel before it was a thing.
That thing was an animal. Could easily blow the tire off at 70mph if it was damp.
I used to torment the local Harley riders.
That bike was truly scary. The wastegate had a mind of it's own. Sometimes 10-12 psi, sometimes it would spike to 20 psi.
Just shift and hold on. Ahhh, the good ol days 😎