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first time out on the bike!


Steve Butters

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Wrong time of the year to get started. I know this, but my insurance is 12 month coverage, so I guess it doesn’t really matter as long as I avoid the bad weather days, and bundle up lol.

My dad’s friend came over and test rode the bike for me (it needed to be going 60-70 to check for the wobble, and I wasn’t comfortable enough to do that on the back roads around here). He hit 90 and said it was steady, so its fixed!

Now I'm wondering about the brakes. I know it needs pads front and back because they’re almost bare, but what about rotors? Is there a certain width I should be checking? Or should I just replace them or what? They have grooves in them moderately heavy but I’m not sure what they’re supposed to look like. They’re thin like cardboard, but I've never looked at rotors on a bike so idk if they’re just supposed to be that thin or what.

I took the sissy bar off and swapped the old rear stay into it, going to work on detailing it since its been sitting a year, fix the brakes, get the inspection done, and hit the streets. Rode out in traffic for the first time tonight; it’s a lot more nerve racking than putting around the neighborhood, or riding a dirt bike off road. I took my dad’s friend’s sportster and he rode the vmax. We rode down to a park a few miles away, switched and headed back home. For some reason I was MUCH more comfortable on the vmax, even though it’s bigger. He had forward controls on his harley and it was just a lot different than anything I’d been on; I didn’t really like it! lol...Also it didn’t have smooth throttle delivery at all, very lumpy bike. The max was smooth as butter and was a nice ride! I was shocked how perfectly it ran and drove even after sitting for a year without really being ridden.

I don’t really have a point to this post...Got my first real world experience today, and now I’m hooked, thought I'd share. I’m starting off on a pretty large bike, but I’m taking it slow and it’s going pretty good. I have a little experience on a dirt bike, and I've taken the BRC.

Any advice on the brakes would be appreciate...I've got a hookup on pads and rotors, but if there’s anyone here who knows where I can maybe find some please let me know (the guy who usually gets me parts has helped me out a lot lately, and I don’t wanna come across like I’m taking advantage of him)...I don’t wanna spend 200 per rotor for those wave rotors, just want stock style replacements, its not a race bike. I can’t wait to get out on the road!

Bike is a 97 vmax, since I forgot to add that into my post somewhere.

***i added the < br /> s myself to get spaces...is there a way to make these automatically come up when i hit enter?

Edited by Steve Butters
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You can always have your rotors machined to help get rid of the grooves. Ebay is often your best friend when ordering parts (you could prolly find those wave rotors for purdy cheap too) or just search for stock ones. I'm not a brake expert and I don't know the stock width of a vmax rotor, but you can always have your friend look at it and see if it needs replaced, or compare it to one of your harley buddy's bikes, to at least give you an idea. Congrats on the ride, be safe out there and when it comes to brakes I wouldn't spare any expense because you're talking about your safety... and being a new rider there's a good chance you'll end up locking them up and you don't want to fishtail (not trying to scare ya) just trying to give you good advice. Good luck!

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Congrats on getting out there!

thanks!

You can always have your rotors machined to help get rid of the grooves. Ebay is often your best friend when ordering parts (you could prolly find those wave rotors for purdy cheap too) or just search for stock ones. I'm not a brake expert and I don't know the stock width of a vmax rotor, but you can always have your friend look at it and see if it needs replaced, or compare it to one of your harley buddy's bikes, to at least give you an idea. Congrats on the ride, be safe out there and when it comes to brakes I wouldn't spare any expense because you're talking about your safety... and being a new rider there's a good chance you'll end up locking them up and you don't want to fishtail (not trying to scare ya) just trying to give you good advice. Good luck!

i dont really want to cheap out, i just dont think i need to upgrade from stock style, i would be alright with OEM rotors...i will check out ebay, but is ebay decent quality usually? i always think of cheap when i think of ebay lol and i know all about locking up the brakes...locked them on my dirt bike and bit it hard...tore my rotator cuff pretty good

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yeah you can get great stuff on ebay at good price. Just check the persons feedback and the product you're buying. OEM is OEM no matter where you buy it. I've also bought yamaha parts from Ebay from Yamaha dealers in other states that closeout stuff online they can't move in their store. Saved me 30% or more from ordering it through my local yamaha dealer or from a reseller's website.

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yeah you can get great stuff on ebay at good price. Just check the persons feedback and the product you're buying. OEM is OEM no matter where you buy it. I've also bought yamaha parts from Ebay from Yamaha dealers in other states that closeout stuff online they can't move in their store. Saved me 30% or more from ordering it through my local yamaha dealer or from a reseller's website.

gotcha, ill check it out...thanks man

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Glad you finally got her out man.

Go here and download the factory service manual.

http://vmaxoutlaw.com/main.html

It has the tolerances for the rotors and most any other thing you need to know about the bike.

If you have any more questions, let me know. I have a ton of sources for Vmax info.

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lol i love the truck... most comfortable vehicle ive been in, and factory supercharged, with 4 doors and captains seats throughout...mpg is the suck though

and thanks max power, ill keep in touch if i need any more advice, ive been cruising that forum you linked me to a little bit whenever i need some info

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maybe this sound clip will work?

wouldnt let me upload to photobucket or youtube...kept getting network errors

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=63962231

my point and shoot camera didnt really capture the deep sounds very well...but its the best i could do lol

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