by Tony Pace, 1998
To understand the "I-Max," one must first know the Vmax. Most anyone that has a clue about motorcycles should know the V-Max
name. Since its debut in 1985, that motorcycle has ruled the muscle bike
category. Its reputation is entrenched, and it's rarely confused with anything
else.
The "I-Max" started life as a V-Max. A wounded V-Max crashed,
crippled, and abandoned in a Pennsylvania salvage yard. It became the property
of a growing group of true believers, who gave it a purpose for being. The story
of how the I-Max came to be represents all that is good within our diverse
motorcycling community. This is a tale of how that special bike acquired its
soul!
It is common knowledge that motorcyclists share in a euphoria non-rider's are
loath to understand. They look at motorcycles as an unnecessarily risky mode of
transportation. We know a bikes main purpose in life is to stimulate its
operators erogenous zones. Permitting its owner to ride away from the rat race,
even as they commute to and from its daily battles. We thrive in that freedom
from the mundane.
On the V-List we celebrate it.
In conversation with non-riders we defend it.
With the I-max, we share it !
The I-Max story begins in Germany in 1992. Our friend Ingo is helping his
father battle cancer. They struggle and fight but the disease proves a
formidable foe. Problems with his girlfriend make matters worse. Unemployment
takes its swings. He separates from his girlfriend, and in 1993 his father
passes away. Feeling punched out by the game of life, he found himself lying on
his back with nowhere to look but up.
When he focused upward, it was on one very special motorcycle . . . the Yamaha V-Max. He obtained a loan and purchased a 1993 V-max with only 500 miles on it. From that point forward his life changed. It worked its 1198 cc's worth of magic, and Ingo rode far away from the gloom that had taken over his life. The only glitch was the constant financial struggle. His solution was to sell off nonessential (read that non-motorcycle related) items!
Ingo even found a new girlfriend.
Life was Good.
Long ago Lord Acton observed, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute
power corrupts absolutely"
By 1995 Ingo was absolutely corrupted. Unable to resist twisting the throttle
to its stops he had wrung the V-4 motor out. A sick ticking sound proved to be a
problem with its rods. Repair costs for stock parts was high. The recommended
aftermarket Carillo pieces were even more! Its tires were worn and also required
cash he didn't have for their replacement. Worse of all it was time to submit to
a two-year German Technical Institution safety inspection!
Without funds for repairs Ingo was forced to sell his beloved bike. Life
rarely misses an opportunity to provide a swift kick just about the time you hit
the ground, so to make matters worse, his girlfriend left him too!
Fast forward to 1996,
Ingo discovers computers and the Wide World Web! The first thing he searches
for is information on his lost true love.
No not his girlfriend, but the V-Max.
Not satisfied with what he found, Ingo becomes a man with a mission. He
creates and nurtures his very own V-Max site.His web page centralized the
activities of V-Maxer's from all over the world. He satisfies his need for speed
vicariously, managing what becomes the Mother of all V-Max Pages!
While this is taking place, a computer savvy group of V-Max fanatics on the other side of the ocean are coming into their own. Their list shares modifications, trials, and tribulations as they ride through their different lives on the same motorcycle. Both the V-List and the V-Max Owners Association were growing. Just when everything started to peak the, it was announced the V-List lost its sponsored space on the Wide World Web. That started the clock started ticking, and its membership scrambled to find it a new home. Some suggested a fee could be collected, and many volunteered cash pledges to keep the list alive! No one ever had to pay a cent as member Mike Sayers saved the on-line day by providing a new home at MyList.
Once again the V-List is thriving and V-Max banter flows freely!
That brings us to John Furbur. Not just an enthusiast, John is involved with
the business of V-Max's through his Rocky
Mountain SportMax Company. He crawled onto the internet with his first
computer in January 1997. True to the nature of the beast, his first search
mission was targeting the V-Max! He discovered Ingo's web page, and was hooked.
He found himself surfing back whenever he had ( and too many times even when he
didn't have) free time.
It really bothered John that the guy who ran the most comprehensive of all
V-Max pages, lost his own V-max due to financial considerations! He imagined his
own pain of waking up some day without a Max. The emptiness had to be multiplied
by hosting a never-ending stream of stories celebrating other folk's V-Max's!
Now a light bulb went off in John Furburs head! Having just witnessed the
panic and consequent scramble to save the online V-List, he hatched a plan.
Surely the same group willing to pledge hard earned dollars to keep the list
alive, would respond to a campaign to bring a V-Max back to Ingo! What more
appropriate way to demonstrate their appreciation for all that Ingo had done,
freely and selflessly, for V-Maxers worldwide! The proposition was made and
everyone agreed.
The campaign to get Ingo mounted back up had begun.
In November 1997 a buyer friend contacted John in Colorado, and explained he knew of a wrecked V-Max sitting in a salvage yard in Pennsylvania. A telephone call to his brother (Jim Furbur, a fellow V-Maxer of Lunatic Fringe Racing fame) arraigned for its examination.
Jim certified the bike as repairable and the I-Max was purchased.
Ingo knew of our efforts but was rather busy preparing for the birth of his first child. On December 2nd, it was time to go to the hospital. There Sarah was born.
As soon as the tired and happy new father walked in the door to his home he was greeted by a ringing phone. It was V-Lister Lee Roberts offering his congratulations.
Ingo was amazed.
How could the computer people have learned of the birth of his daughter? Lee
assured Ingo he was delighted with that news, but the purpose of his call was to
tell him the I-Max had been purchased! So on that very same date two of Ingo's
fondest dreams had come true.
Back at the ranch, the I-Max was transported to the Lunatic Fringe Racing
Garage and its rehabilitation begun. Armed with donated parts compliments of
Rocky Mountain SportMax, John and Jim put it together. The parts that had to be
purchased new were had at cost plus 10% from Links Cycle, a V-Max friendly
Yamaha shop just down the road in Coopersburg, Pa. It's front forks were
straightened, scratched pieces were sent out to be polished. Soon it was shaping
up nicely.
In December with the magic of Christmas swirling around, the I-Max was coaxed
to life for the first time. Having brought many a salvage bike back to life,
John knew its first few moments of internal combustion would be very telling. He
spoke of apprehension as the battery charger brought electrics back on line.
That apprehension gave way to sheer joy as the motor roared to life making some
of the sweetest V-Max music ever heard.
John described that moment as the best Christmas present he could ever
remember getting! After gathering all his brothers around for an earful, he even
telephoned Colin Cunningham . It was
Colin who first called Ingo's bike "The I-Max"! He was busy gathering
donations far away in New Mexico. Must've been what they meant when they coined
the phrase . . . "long distance, the next best thing to being there."
The body parts were shipped to Cory Frost in Saint George, Utah.In April 1998, they were treated to Ingo specified Viper Blue paint. Also in April John finished assembly to the point where the bike was able to be ridden for the very first time. He gleefully reported back that it ran as strong as any fairly stock ( Pipe and Stage 7 Jet Kit) V-Max he had ever ridden. He envisioned Ingo pulling second gear wheelies with no problem!
So there you have it.
The evolving I-Max story to this point in time.
©
1997-2002
