1988 Yamaha Vmax 1200 restoration

A true cult classic, the Yamaha Vmax 1200 gen 1

V4 1200cc 145 Hp ( 106 Kw ) of V boosted beast that left all other road bikes for dead in a ten year span. 

The true king of the road in the 80's and 90's until the release of the Yamaha Superbike R1 with 148 Hp.

We imported this low K's running bike from Canada ( only way to get a Kph speedo )

The American spec 2LT engine is rated at 145Hp & 125 Nm with full power V boost

I am a huge fan of the Vmax Gen 1's, yes they can be tricky to restore due to the sheer size and complexity of the components but the bikes are incredibly bullet proof, with many owners claiming over 200,00 miles on the engines life span. A true testament to Yamaha innovation.

Example: A full carburetor rebuild will set you back 7 hours, but the quality and design is a marvel of engineering master craftsmanship.

I have rebuild over twenty sets of the V4 carburetor banks in my time and it never gets old. Parts are still readily available due to the long production run the Gen1's and now Gen2's have seen. The earlier 80's bikes are fast approaching the forty year vintage era and I honestly believe the Vmax is a bike everyone should own at some point.

The fun factor and styling like nothing else. A head turner and crowd pleaser at any club meeting or ride. The old school cool that only a cult bike can give.

To do list:

• Rebuild carburetors, sync and retune
• Fit standard exhaust ( for emissions ) ~ came with a Kerker 4 into 1 and the OEM pipe
• Recover seat ( had tear on tank cap access seat panel ~ very common )
• Replace tyres
• Service brakes ~ new pads , flush and fluid
• Service clutch ~ inspect seal/slave, flush and fluid
• Service V boost module ( re point all 200+ solder joints on board )
• Paint requires full respray in 2K ( old paint sun damaged and cracked )
• Engine repaint ~ factory paint in the 80's was terribly short lived as they never used primer or 2K paint, same for Ducati, BMW, Motoguzzi etc, paint tech was awful in the 80's
• New sparkplugs, new HT leads 
• Radiator inspection, replace O rings, flush, new coolant
• Fit OEM turn signals for compliance
• Full compliance and road registration 

So after a two month restoration, we returned another great classic bike to the road. Currently enjoying front row seat in my own personal collection for now.

Grin factor 12 out of 10