--------------------------------------------------------------------------------just bought a 94 yamaha V max - has 4100 miles on it- very clean and starts right up - idles good - and very snappy.. Looking to find a repair manual or ownder manual as it didnt come with one - and also the rear shock / suspension seems shot- any aftermarket shocks or others i could swap in there? Anything else i should know?
thanks
Throttle Junkie35
New member
Looks like a nice, clean sled. If the shocks are indeed shot in the rear skid, be prepared to pay almost as much as you probably paid for the sled to replace them.
You can likely buy your manuals still from Yamaha, either online or your local dealer, or try one of the Yamaha dealers that advertise on this site. You can also become a VIP member of this site, and then request the service/repair manual from one of the moderators, there is a thread to guide you in the VIP section.
Unless the complete rear suspension has been rebuilt recently, the whole thing should come out for a thorough disassembly, cleaning, and inspection. It's very common for some of the pivot points to get stiff due to corrosion, especially those that don't have grease fittings or take grease very well. You may be surprised at how much this frees up the suspension, and it may make the shocks seem like they are in better shape than you think, although after 20 years the shocks certainly can't be expected to perform anywhere close to when they were new.
If you are really looking for a better rear suspension with more comfort and travel, don't even mess with the original. Find one from a 96 Vmax XT, it is the first go at the proaction suspension that is also found in the 97-up trailing arm Yamahas. I believe the 96 XT suspension will bolt right in to your sled, but will also likely need a rebuild as noted above. You can also install the 97-up version, but the tunnel width is a little narrower on these sleds so you will need spacers to make up the difference on your 94. It may be as simple as that, but do a search on here to find someone who has done it for more thorough information. Another option would be to install an aftermarket suspension such as M10, or even another manufacturers suspension, but that is more involved than using one of the Yamaha versions. I know the M10's were a fairly popular install in these sleds back in the 90's, and they show up for sale in wrecked/blown up sleds or already taken out fairly often, just try to get all of the installation brackets and tunnel measurements if possible.
Unless the complete rear suspension has been rebuilt recently, the whole thing should come out for a thorough disassembly, cleaning, and inspection. It's very common for some of the pivot points to get stiff due to corrosion, especially those that don't have grease fittings or take grease very well. You may be surprised at how much this frees up the suspension, and it may make the shocks seem like they are in better shape than you think, although after 20 years the shocks certainly can't be expected to perform anywhere close to when they were new.
If you are really looking for a better rear suspension with more comfort and travel, don't even mess with the original. Find one from a 96 Vmax XT, it is the first go at the proaction suspension that is also found in the 97-up trailing arm Yamahas. I believe the 96 XT suspension will bolt right in to your sled, but will also likely need a rebuild as noted above. You can also install the 97-up version, but the tunnel width is a little narrower on these sleds so you will need spacers to make up the difference on your 94. It may be as simple as that, but do a search on here to find someone who has done it for more thorough information. Another option would be to install an aftermarket suspension such as M10, or even another manufacturers suspension, but that is more involved than using one of the Yamaha versions. I know the M10's were a fairly popular install in these sleds back in the 90's, and they show up for sale in wrecked/blown up sleds or already taken out fairly often, just try to get all of the installation brackets and tunnel measurements if possible.