Guest JGorom Posted August 27, 2007 Share #1 Posted August 27, 2007 Well tomorrow the wife and I are headed to PA. to visit our daughter for a few days. She lives in Northampton which is right around the corner from Catasauqua, PA (home of SportMax). I've been communicating with John (the owner) the past few weeks on changing out my Venture to the VMax final drive next time we came down to visit our daughter...I've never liked the top end gearing in the Venture, so hopefully this will move 5th gear more to my satisfaction. Hopefully, the wife and I can make a couple of day trips Thursday and Friday before we come home Saturday. I'll try to give a report once I return on the difference. Later... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brainfart Posted August 27, 2007 Share #2 Posted August 27, 2007 have a safe trip - looking foward to hearing the result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JGorom Posted September 2, 2007 Share #3 Posted September 2, 2007 The wife and I got back from our Pennsylvania journey last night and the results of changing out the Venture final drive to the VMax are in. It works...and it works well...and it is by far the best investment one could make on this bike for driving performance. Why Yamaha set the 5th gear so high in this bike is a mystery to me...but the bottom line here is that the VMax change out fixes this well known dilemma. The area we were in was perhaps one of the best to test out this change as it is filled with hills with steep grades, lots of curves, and on our trip home...some mountainous terrain. Our trip home took us through the Jim Thorpe area (which has been called the Swiss Alps of PA.) to Hazelton, PA., for any familiar with that area you know there are many steep inclines between these two locations. Overall I felt more torque on the bike in all gears, and when riding two up I found a huge improvement over the stock set-up. We did not bring our trailer for this trip but while riding two up we did some rides into NJ and throughout Eastern, PA before we headed home through the Jim Thorpe region. All told I have approximately 800 miles on this bike since the change and I can tell you it is well worth doing. I can now reach 5th gear as low as 45 mph (with power) and the bike just purrs while in 5th between 60 and 75 mph, which is purrfect for my riding style. What really surprised me was that I had a bit of a chirp on this bike (even after having the I-basket changed out)...and now it is non-existent (sure wasn't expecting that). The work was done by John at SportMax, as my daughter (who we were visiting) lives approximately 15 minutes away from his shop. John is quite a guy and if anyone is looking for a VMax he has probably 20 or so sitting in his shop, along with a very special custom bike (car engine) that you can see on his site and in his shop, provided he hasn't sold it yet! I highly recommend this change out as it does what it is supposed to do and makes the bike so much more enjoyable to drive. Later... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gibvel Posted September 2, 2007 Share #4 Posted September 2, 2007 Did you notice a gas mileage change at all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JGorom Posted September 2, 2007 Share #5 Posted September 2, 2007 Did you notice a gas mileage change at all? Because the terrain I was driving in after the gear swap out was steep and curvey, and very unlike what I typically ride in, I wanted to wait until I got home to compare the miles per gallon changes. However, I did record the data, and I was getting at times as low as 35 mpg and as high as 40 mpg on one tank. A lot of these differences of course are due to how I drove the bike and the driving conditions I encountered. Mileage was good under these conditions. One thing we all should be aware of is the fact these speedometers are not properly calibrated...and because most are showing around 10% higher speed, I would assume that the mpg is really aroung the same percentage lower than what we think we are getting...but that is another issue. Overall I thought I was getting about the same mpg under the driving conditions I found myself in. Later... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squeeze Posted September 2, 2007 Share #6 Posted September 2, 2007 my guess ... NOT ... not to notice at all I'm sure there is in Fact a small Drop on the mpg, but you only notice that if you're riding on Freeway or Highway at constant Speed until the Tank is empty, fill up and ride it empty again. Once you're in need of moving the Throttle while riding, break, accelerate, break, full throttle, zero Throttle, the drop in mpg does not occur, because you need shift downwards less often and stay in same Gear more often and just let the Engine take it on. Sorry, i was too slow on typing .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowa1 Posted September 2, 2007 Share #7 Posted September 2, 2007 Glad to hear the swap worked out for you. I actually like the stock gearing on my Venture....5th gear is overdrive and that's how I use it. When I need power I leave it in 4th, just cruisin' down the highway I'll drop it to 5th. Out of curiosity, what exactly didn't you like about the stock gearing? Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V7Goose Posted September 2, 2007 Share #8 Posted September 2, 2007 Glad to hear the swap worked out for you. I actually like the stock gearing on my Venture....5th gear is overdrive and that's how I use it. When I need power I leave it in 4th, just cruisin' down the highway I'll drop it to 5th. Out of curiosity, what exactly didn't you like about the stock gearing? Larry I am in full agreement with bowa1. I do NOT find the stock gearing lacking in any way. My mind may change some day, but I wouldn't count on it. After 35,000 miles on QuickSilver, both solo and two up, commuting and long distance touring, I think the gearing is really spot-on. I think it is great you found something to improve your own ownership. Goose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freebird Posted September 2, 2007 Share #9 Posted September 2, 2007 I guess we all want something a little different out of our bikes. I absolutely love the VMAX rear in my bike. There were just so many times riding two up and sometimes pulling the trailer that 5th gear was just way too high but 4th was a bit too low. Now it is pretty much perfect. Much more responsive through the gears and cruising in 5th at 65 - 70 MPH just puts it in the perfect RPM range. I just don't see any way that I would ever want to go back to the stock rear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROG MAN Posted September 2, 2007 Share #10 Posted September 2, 2007 I need a lower 1st gear. The 99 voyager kit riding two up with trailer is lacking on take off. I find myself in the friction zone to keep from stalling. The max rear may help this to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freebird Posted September 2, 2007 Share #11 Posted September 2, 2007 It should absolutely help that. Just do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JGorom Posted September 2, 2007 Share #12 Posted September 2, 2007 Out of curiosity, what exactly didn't you like about the stock gearing? Larry Fifth gear (overdrive) was set too high for my liking (from day one with this bike) and the range I like to drive in it lacked power. If your going to sell me a bike with five gears...I like to use them all without having to get speeding tickets. Now if speeding tickets and other drivers were not a concern then fifth gear would not be a problem. With the VMax gearing I now have much more torque and power in all five gears, and I can drive this machine now using all five gears getting all the power and speed I need. The power band in this bike is so much sweeter with the VMax gearing that I would be surprised if anyone switched and wanted to go back. But as Don has already stated...everyone has their own preference and this change to me is the best upgrade anyone can do. Later... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JGorom Posted September 2, 2007 Share #13 Posted September 2, 2007 my guess ... NOT ... not to notice at all I'm sure there is in Fact a small Drop on the mpg, but you only notice that if you're riding on Freeway or Highway at constant Speed until the Tank is empty, fill up and ride it empty again. I agree that the drop, if any, will be small. But because the terrain we were riding in was so different from what we are use to (flat roads, rolling hills) I want to wait and see what I'm getting back home. I really think it might end up about the same and I was really shocked that I was getting the mileage I was with all the steep hills and curves I had to negotiate. Later... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now