The Yamaha VMX-12

Changes/Tweaks/Mods

TODO wish list:

Winter 2005/2006:

Picture	Change
	Headwinds 2" Mariah Concours Turnsignals with 35W narrow beam floodlamps to serve as highway lights. Very bright when mounted on its own circuit - I have a two second window of strong illumination at 80MPH, over two lanes wide, when they're on.
	An AutoSwitch relay controller that lets me toggle the highway lights by flashing the high beams.
	Metzeler ME-880 rear 150/90/15 tire. After picking up a nail, I went back to the stock profile tire. As much of an improvement as the 170 ME-880 was over the stock 150, this tire is a better choice. It weighs less, it feels a lot better on rougher surfaces, and it feels better cornering.

Summer 2005:

Picture	Change
	Red Five LED step lights from Custom Dynamics, mounted the same way the 3-LED array was. Once I got the bike out and saw the lighting, I decided the 3-LED setup was a little too subtle. Since I don't have side lights or reflectors, I wanted the indirect lighting on the wheel to serve that purpose.
	1993 fenders and faux tank cover. The black w/dark blue metal flake is a look I have liked for years, and it will serve as an adequate substitute for new paint until I can afford custom paint.

Spring 2005:

Picture	Change
	A Raptor Performance shift light in Mario's shift light cover.
	Red 3-LED step lights from Custom Dynamics, mounted inside the rear fender. They light up the rear tire, wheel, and swing arm.
	"Magic Blinkers" from Custom Dynamics. They're relays that go in-line with running lights so the running lights can switch off when the turn signals switch on. I have them wired into my scoop LEDs, so the left LED array turns off when the left turn signal turns on, and so on.
	Galfer stainless steel braided clutch line to go with the brake lines.

Winter 2004/2005:

Picture	Change
	Billet Aluminum sport footpegs from F. Marz, ordered through Boxenstopp in Florida. I'm not as keen on the looks, but they really hold the feet in place. And, once I have matching grips, they won't be so bad. I haven't replaced the rear pegs yet, although I have them as well. I may add rubber o-rings in the grooves, so they'll be a closer match to the grips I have.
	Kellermann Micro 1000 turn signals (for the back) ordered from Boxenstopp. These are chrome with a rubber vibration-damping mount. One of the original Kellermann signals got bumped over the winter, and it snapped. The previous ones were hard to keep aligned, since vibration would loosen the stalk from the turn signal, but these do not have that problem.
	A Vmax logo'd yoke bridge from Motoboutique to replace the Yamaha logo lower headlight mount/brake line junction cover. It will not fit with the original brake junction without modification.
	Galfer stainless steel braided brake lines (front and rear) ordered through Cyclebrakes.com for an excellent price. I'm using the two-line setup on front, instead of the three-line (stock) setup. The brakes have much better response under moderate or heavy braking.
	A replacement scoop grill with LEDs from Vmaxbitz.com. The grill is pretty thick (much stouter than I expected), and it has a clear plastic panel behind it.
	A 7" headlight from Vmaxbitz.com. The headlight mounts to brackets attached to the stock turnsignal holes. This light lights up the road better than stock, especially with the high beam. It is brighter, even with the stock wiring and a 55/60 bulb.
	Mario Aguiar's chromed torque arm for the rear brake.

Summer 2004:

Picture	Change
	Race Tech fork springs and cartridge emulators. A big improvement in front end dive behavior and bump absorbing. While I was at it, I installed lowering blocks from PCW Racing. The ride is much improved, and the lowering blocks reduced trail, which gives the bike quicker cornering.
	Works Performance Racer piggyback shocks. I could have gone with a less expensive option, but, by the time I added the billet cups (an aesthetic requirement for conventional shocks in my opinion), the price was in the same neighborhood as the piggybacks. I like the looks of the piggybacks better.

Spring 2004:

Picture	Change
	One-off tail running/brake light from Gary Spradley. Very cool, with three horizontal LED arrays. All three are running lights, and the upper & lower are also brake lights. I wanted an asymmetric brake configuration. The LEDs are installed in an aluminum bracket that replaces the plastic assembly that holds the stock rear reflector. Thanks, Gary!
	Metzeler ME-880 tires. The 170/80/15 on the back is wider than stock, and I'm running the 110/90/18 up front. Even though it's a wider tire, these Metzeler tires are more sure-footed than the OEM tires. The one problem I had towards the end of the 170's life was that it was rubbing the left side swing arm - just enough that I could see it was happening, but not enough to cause problems.
	Radiantz 1.75" billet Tokerz LED arrays for the front running lights. Bright, and I could have set them up as turn signal/running lights.

Winter 2003/2004:

Picture	Change
	Kellermann Micro 1000 turn signals (for the back). Much smaller than stock, but brighter. They take a little bit of work to get them lined up right, but it's worth it.
	MEK carburetor diaphragm covers.
	Drag Specialties 2" x 4.25" clamp on mirrors with 8" stems, positioned below the grips so I could clean the front-end lines up a bit. It took a while to get used to the placement, and the fact that they're flat mirrors, not wide angle, but I like the look. The biggest drawback is that they're very sensitive to the relative placement between the head and mirror -- if they're lined up for leaning forward highway speeds, they're not quite right for sitting up at the light.
	Flanders 31" drag bars, Pro-grip grips, and Kellermann BL-1000 bar-end turn signals. The bars put me in a slightly more forward position, but they put my hands in a neutral position relative to my arms, so they are actually a better ergonomic configuration.

Fall 2003:

Picture	Change
	Rejetted the carbs so the bike would run better here in Colorado, where rides can range from 4500' to over 14000'. The throttle response is much crisper, but my mileage at normal cruise speeds (70-80mph) has suffered a little bit. I have some more tuning to do. Main Jet: from 152.5 to 145 Fuel Jet: from 32.5 to 42.5 PAJ1: from 90 to 95 PAJ2: from 170 to 160
	MEK crash sliders: Supposed to protect the crank case in the event of a slide. I like the looks of them better than the traditional "engine guard" bars, but they don't make good highway pegs.
	MEK Fork stabilizer: Replaces the stock "fork brace", which is really little more than an attachment anchor for the front fender. I felt an immediate improvement in handling when I was leaning through a turn on an uneven road.

Summer 2003:

Picture	Change
	Radiantz Vmax LED Taillight/license plate holder: A very clean taillight that looks like it belongs on this bike.
	Supertrapp slip-on exhaust: They give the bike a small block rumble at idle, and a more aggressive sound that is fitting of the Vmax attitude and reputation. I also installed the exhaust deflectors to keep soot from blowing onto my rear wheel and brake. I like that I can play around with the exhaust sound by adding and removing discs, even though it means having to adjust the carbs to keep the mix right.
	Nelson-Rigg RTB500 tail bag: I put it on my back seat for the work commute. It's big enough to carry all the stuff I need to take to work, including a bike cover and rain gear. The downside is that there aren't good ways to anchor it to the seat. I end up using a tie down strap to make sure it stays in place.
	Memphis Shades Shooter windscreen in gradient black-to-clear: It's at the right height to push the windstream up to the top of the helmet, giving me plenty of room to tuck under when I'm up to speed. It may not be as flashy as the sport flyscreens/windscreens, but it still looks good on the bike. During colder weather, having that windblock is nice, but it'll probably be coming off during warm weather.
	Corbin Vmax street fighter seat: It's more comfortable than stock. The passengers I've carried also appreciate the wider rear seat, as well. It's lower than the stock seat, but it's also wider, so it doesn't give better foot contact at the light.
	Sargent Metro Tank Panel and Tank Bag: The tank panel has been invaluable. It gives me a place to keep the garage door opener, and the net is just the right size for a cell phone. And the Tank Bag only takes a couple of minutes to install or remove.

Spring 2002 - Spring 2003:

NOTHING! My Vmax was completely stock!

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This page was last updated 24 February 2006

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