VX800

The Things We Ride
Billy Bananahead
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VX800

Post by Billy Bananahead »

So i bought this bike off ebay last week for not a bad price. The seller said it would suit someone who likes tinkering and knows one end of a spanner from the other. Doing some general maintenance and decided to service the swingarm bearings just to be on the safe side. First the rear wheel wouldn't come out and i had to remove the final drive to enable wheel removal. Turns out the bloke had made a right pigs ear of it and managed to wreck the bevel gears completely, i'd never seen a final drive like it in that condition with chewed up spines and oil came out with one of the bevel gears, jeez, anyway new one arrived today as it was cheaper to buy secondhand than replace with new parts. Looking forward to riding it and just waiting on some new Hagon Nitro shocks.
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catcitrus
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Re: VX800

Post by catcitrus »

whats a "good price"?--I would estimate about 400 quid in that state?--don't be offended but with that description its like a box of dodgy chocolates!
Billy Bananahead
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Re: VX800

Post by Billy Bananahead »

You know as well as me that you won't get much for £400 these days.
The bike came MoT'd until next November, virtually new tyres, new air and oil filters, oil and plugs, some spares, some service history and i paid £1085.
The spare final drive i bought was £70 posted and the Hagon Nitros £370, so for about £1500 i think i've got a quite nice bike judging by the present dogs and overpriced ones on ebay at the mo'. It's a shame the guy wrecked the final drive but there you go.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from ... _sacat=422
dodursley
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Re: VX800

Post by dodursley »

I noticed one on Ebay recently, possibly that one, wondered about the engine balancing noticed it is stagger crank as Honda Transalps, XRV750 etc, thought it was only Honda that used that balancing method in recent years.
daveuprite
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Re: VX800

Post by daveuprite »

I like that. Always been a sucker for V-twins. The thing about the VX is it's all about that engine - it looks great. Lots of them are getting pulled apart as donors for urban café bobber beard projects.

The Honda Bros was similar in a way, nice bike, but the engine wasn't shown off as well as in the suzuki.

I have one of those ridiculously dull factoids cluttering my brain which may be useful: I seem to remember that a Suzuki GS500E front wheel slots straight into the VX800 forks and that would get you down to a 17 inch front wheel which is obviously much better for tyre choice. I will now go and thrash myself with birch twigs for knowing something so monumentally boring.
Billy Bananahead
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Re: VX800

Post by Billy Bananahead »

Interesting about the front wheel.
I'm always looking for ways to improve the braking power of bikes but whether a twin disc set up would be worth it on the VX i don't know because it's only 63bhp. I was always led to believe it's the torque not hp in a v twin :?:
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mark vb
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Re: VX800

Post by mark vb »

I think that's the engine out of the Intruder factory custom albeit I think the Intruder has a bit more chrome on the rocker covers, crankcase covers etc. One thing in common then with the MT01/Warrior 🙂
daveuprite
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Re: VX800

Post by daveuprite »

Billy Bananahead wrote: Thu Mar 25, 2021 9:03 am Interesting about the front wheel.
I'm always looking for ways to improve the braking power of bikes but whether a twin disc set up would be worth it on the VX i don't know because it's only 63bhp. I was always led to believe it's the torque not hp in a v twin :?:
Well you can't have too much braking power IMO, so that's another reason to change the wheel. Also moving to 17 inch would slightly shorten the wheelbase and give you a little bit less rake, which might make it handle better (might....). However this isn't a Ducati Superleggera we're talking about so there's a limit to how much point there is in trying to improve a VX800. Probably best to just lope about on it as a nice lazy cheap road bike and forget ambitions of entering it in the Pro-Twins Cup.
Billy Bananahead
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Re: VX800

Post by Billy Bananahead »

daveuprite wrote: Thu Mar 25, 2021 10:11 am However this isn't a Ducati Superleggera we're talking about so there's a limit to how much point there is in trying to improve a VX800. Probably best to just lope about on it as a nice lazy cheap road bike and forget ambitions of entering it in the Pro-Twins Cup.
That's exactly what i was thinking. 8-)
Jak*
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Re: VX800

Post by Jak* »

The VX was always rather under appreciated in the UK. Sachs did a rather nice version of it.
https://www.motorcyclenews.com/bike-rev ... /800/2000/
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