Dusty's 1997 Vmax
(now known as "The DustMax")

Powerful Toys - 2006 Lotus Exige and 1997 Yamaha Vmax

This whole saga began one sad day, riding my beloved 1986 Kawasaki Vulcan 750 across the Howard Franklin Bridge that connects Tampa and St. Petersburg Florida. Traveling about 70mph I heard a knocking begin, shit! I looked down, saw oil on my left shoe and immediately pulled over. Looks like I threw a rod and punched a hole in the crankcase. Stopped dead in a terrible spot on a very long bridge, right in the middle of Tampa Bay...

After a tow and estimate from my favorite motorcycle mechanics, I decided not to fix my best toy of 13yrs. The hunt for a new toy was on! Visited many of the motorcycle shops. Online classifieds seem to be the way to go, I can check all the local newspapers, Motorcycle Trader, Excite and Yahoo... 

Then it hit me... The Vmax!! I always liked cruiser bikes and liked to ride them fast (110mph was no problem for two on the Vulcan). Everyone always respected the Vmax, they are cool and fast, perfect!

One look at the Vmax engine should tell you to beware of this beast!

The best deal in the classifieds was on a stock 1997 Vmax with only 3800 miles! Sweeet... Easily the best deal around on a Vmax.

A long drive was rewarded when the previous owner opened the garage to reveal a beautiful Platinum Silver bike that was perfect, yea! In speaking with him, I casually asked him how fast he had gotten her up to... He replied that he didn't usually ride fast but did go over 100mph once (and he was actually serious!) I had to laugh and quickly sign the papers! Little did he know that in less than an hour MY new toy and I were cruising up to 125mph (gotta love that acceleration!) 

The "DustMax" is christened

Vmax enthusiasts know about the cool feature called Vboost. Above 6000rpm or so a valve opens to allow the cylinders to breathe from two carbs instead of one. Instantly you have arm stretching, scare your passenger, wake the neighbors, embarrass the sportbikes, pass a Testarossa on the left, break the law kind of acceleration. HTFO is the saying, Hold The *#$% On!

Diagram showing Vboost valve open

"It's like driving a Dragster on the street!" is my description of riding (rather piloting) the Vmax. The bike has a 1200cc 4cyl engine with 4 carbs and a shaft drive that runs 0-60mph in 3 seconds and the quarter mile in 10.5 seconds! The top speed is 150mph+ or is realistically limited by your good sense... Many modifications are available to make the bike much quicker due to restrictions by the EPA and import/export laws.

The stoplight to stoplight king... It is great fun to hand out spankings to those that don't understand hp/weight ratios!

The Dustmax is ready to spank the next stop light victim...


Current Setup
(Click Image for a large 1024x768 Version)

My Car - The DustMobile

 

Email the Dustman

Now that I have ridden over 500 miles and bonded with my new buddy, it is time for some modifications... :-)  The VMOA tech list, various websites, and Vmax enthusiasts world wide have documented great upgrades.

These are some minor things that I have done so far:
Joined the Vmax Owners Association - #1305 Joined the Vmax Club - #32 Member of the Vmax Technical Discussion list Member of the Vmax (social) list Member of the Yahoo Vmax Riders Club	V.M.O.A Website Vmax Club Tech List  "Virtual Pit Crew" Vmax Discussion List Yahoo Vmax Group
The first thing I did was change the oil and gear oil (rear differential). I added some X-1R to both the engine oil and about 1oz to the gear oil. Wow, what a difference! The gearbox is so much smoother, neutral is easier to find, and the bike rolls easier in neutral. I don't believe most of the additive hype, but this X-1R stuff is used by NASA and endorsed by the American Motorcycle Institute.
The bike had 3800 miles on it and the original back tire needed replacing. A new Dunlop K591 grips great and can handle the speed and torque that the Vmax is capable of. Update: The Dunlop K591 has been discontinued in the size needed for the Vmax. I just bought a Metzeler 170/80 big wide rear tire. Looks nice and beefy!	Metzeler ME880
To make the bike steer faster and improve responsiveness, I lowered the front end 1.25" by sliding the fork tubes up in the clamps. This in effect, de-rakes the front end a bit. The steering reacts much faster now!
The exhaust sound was too mild. I drilled out the rivets, drilled five 3/8" holes in each can, and re-riveted the caps with some stainless steel spacers. Looks like stock, sounds great, rumbles and allows more flow. Makes me grin every time I start the bike! Note: This mod has been superceded by an aftermarket slip-on exhaust by Marving, see below.
Had to drill the brass plugs to access the mixture screws and richen up the carb pilots to makeup for the increased exhaust flow.
The Vboost servo has been disabled and a switch added to open or close the Vboost valve. This allows the Vboost to be closed during warm up or while in stop/go traffic.	Pull off the tank cover and left scoop, the round connector is the Vboost connection. Turn the key on and off a few times and you simply pull the connector apart when the Vboost servo is cycled open!
The carbs needed to by synched as the previous owner thought that one of the sync screws was the idle adj. I bought a CarbTune II so I could sync the carbs myself. This is a very nice tool, uses solid rods instead of Mercury. I used it to sync the carbs and now the DustMax hums!  Check out this link for great directions from Barry.
Found a great deal on a windshield, Florida does not have a helmet law now and 150mph bugs hurt the face! Cost was only $50 from JC Whitney, the comfort increase is priceless... The CyberMax headlight is very cool, the mean "No Fear" eyes scare the cage drivers out of the fast lane! I purchased it from Exactrep.	Click Image for more detail
I installed a Marving exhaust, a fork brace and chromed frame braces from Exactrep in the UK. The turn out exhaust is made in Italy. It has a great muscle bike look and sounds super! The frame braces and fork braces make the bike much more rigid. It now launches better and feels more solid in high speed turns. Video of the Dustmax running open header pipes!
Marving Turnout Exhaust installed also purchased from Exactrep. Gives the bike more of a muscular look! I have always loved sidepipes... Behold the new improved sound of "The DustMax": Sound #1 - Sound #2 High Quality Longer File	Click Image for more detail
Two tone Fiamm AM80 Hi/Lo Horns - very loud. Gives off a nice two tone warning!  The stock horn didn't mean business... These are LOUD - Click Here to Listen
DynoJet Stage 7 Jet Kit - This kit removes the airbox, has 4 individual high flow K&N cone air filters, lighter diaphram springs, more aggressive needles, a high flow crankcase ventilation system, and larger fuel jets.	DynoJet Stage 7 Jet Kit Vmax Instructions
Dynomometer testing/tuning - a rolling platform that measures Horsepower, Torque and exhaust air/fuel ratios. My setup is currently 3.5 turns out on the mixture screws, 2nd clip position on the needles, DJ190 behind the diaphrams and DJ170 main fuel jet.	Results: 120 Rear Wheel HP @ 8500rpm 80.0 Ft/lbs of Torque @ 6500rpm
VTAC shift light and RPM limiter - look straight ahead and shift at peak power! Anyone who has ridden a Vmax knows the tach is in a dangerous place to look (down)! This model has a feature that allows full throttle clutch-less shifts. Preload the shifter by pulling up on it slightly, at a preset RPM the unit momentarily disrupts the ignition, removing the load from the transmission, and the bike shifts hard and fast!
The most current picture of The DustMax. Now featuring a lowered front end, polished CyberMax headlight, small windshield, chromed frame braces, loud dual Fiamm horns, a polished fork brace, the popular SportMax seat (weave pattern on all three sections), Vboost switch, DynoJet Stage 7 Jet Kit, individual K&N cone air filters and Marving slip-on exhaust.	Click Image for more detail

Results:
The modifications have all been a great success.
The bike is tight and fast with no hi/lo speed wobbles :)

Future Plans:
None for now... It is time to enjoy the bike!
I am waiting to see the newly designed replacement for the Vmax from Yamaha.

I found an abandoned warehouse - the perfect setting for a hooligan. The exhaust and tire squeal echoing indoors sounded awesome!	Gotta love those signature Vmax Scoops.
Dusty's Biker Party Pictures and Video	Daytona Biketoberfest 2000 Pictures and Video Clips