93 Kawasaki Vulcan 1500

I am looking at buying one of these, the only known issue is that apparently some of the cogs on the 1st gear are broken off, causes it to kind of lurch and then run smooth and repeat when in 1st gear. As long as you only use 1st to get the bike moving, the rest of the gears shift fine.

It's a 4 speed but at highway speeds on in 4th, it sounds and rides really good.

Anyone know of any major issues with this series bike, or what kind of price I'm looking at to fix the gear down the road? The PO (according to the dealer) drove it for several years in this condition and said he never had any issues.

The dealer's estimate would be $400 in parts and $700 in labor. Is this something an ordinary person could do? I know the basics of mechanics, I've rebuilt the carbs on my XJ and some other minor work, but never got that far into the engine.

It's a shaft bike just like my XJ and I am hoping similar enough that other than the number of cylinders, they are similar in ability to work on in ones own garage.

They are asking less than 50% of bluebook, and have offered to do the work for less than they would charge someone else because of buying it from them, but $1100 in repairs is troubling to me in case it breaks worse in the first month or two of ownership.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

BTC

 

Walk away.

The cases on that bike split VERTICALLY not horizontally like the XJs. The cylinders will have to come off first; you can't just flip it over and split the cases with the top end intact like you can an XJ.

The repair would require a FULL teardown of the motor; for the price you're being quoted the likelyhood that the motor will ever be the same again is highly unlikely; and I also highly doubt they're going to hone the cylinders, install new rings, lap the valves, etc.

It's a potential "money pit." I'd pass.

 

Not what I wanted to hear For $1295 the bike looks very nice, just a few minor scratches...

What are the odds that gear would hold up for a few more years if I am extremely easy on it? I realize without knowing it's history it's a hard guess. But any experience with a bike with that kind of issue? Do they really hold up for a few years like the PO claimed? Or do you think once it happened thats why he traded it in.

BTC

 

I think he offed it as soon as he found out what it would take to really fix it. If the gear-ring breaks up completely, it could wreck the gearbox; you also have NO WAY of knowing (until apart) exactly what, if anything, is already damaged in the gearbox. The potential exists for it to be a much bigger problem than just replacing one gear. And to be much more expensive than the original estimate.

POTENTIAL MONEY PIT. And certainly no "bargain." I think you'd be asking for trouble.

 

"What are the odds that gear would hold up for a few more years if I am extremely easy on it? ".
slim to none, surprising a dealership would even sell it as anything but a parts bike

 

Ok, you guys talked me out of it

They claim if they fixed it they would be asking $3400ish, that should have been a clue that the $1100 estimate they gave me was probably low.

I guess I'll just keep looking. I love my XJ for in town driving, just not a big fan of it on the highway. Maybe once I get everything completely up to specs it will do better on the highway.

Their next cheapest bike tho is $5000. So won't be shopping for a bike there.

Thanks for the info guys, you probably saved me a ton of cash.

BTC

 

What's the issue with the XJ at highway speeds? Not used to cruising at 6000 rpm?

 

yeah I ride my XJ650 to work every day on the interstate 55-70 MPH no problems at all. In fact usually I have trouble keeping her at posted speed limits she like to ride with the wind. So yeah I have to ask the same question as bigfitz, what is the problem at highway speeds?

 

Just not used to the high rpm on a bike. I had never ridden a bike on the highway before getting my Maxim, and at 55+ it just sounds like I'm running in the wrong gear, I know now that I'm not, but just need to get used to it I guess.

The Kawasaki sounded great on the highway because it was only at about 3k rpm or less (no tach, so guessing), but it just didn't whine like the Maxim.

Still slowly getting the Maxim up to specs, maintenances done, etc. Rebuilt the carbs again this week, put them back on tonight, and seem to have a gas leak, I checked my floats with the clear tube and they all looked either right on or maybe a tiny bit low, but no where near flooding up in the main air passage, so no gas should be coming from there, but the bottom rail that keeps the carbs straight kept dripping gas from near carb #1. Wondering if maybe they are leaking from the shaft seal, but again, without the bike running, no gas should be getting out of the bowls. It's on the front of the carbs, where the fuel rail is on the backside.

So need to figure out that one this weekend.

I'll post more about it in the XJ Chat forum if I need more info on this issue.

Thanks again for the info on this Kawasaki tho, I probably would have bought it had I not received your input on this bike.

Thanks,

 

How fast are you going that you've got the thing wound out to 6000?

 

on my 650 6K would be around 75 - 78 MPH somewhere in there. I run about 5500K at 70 MPH. Power band really for these bikes at least my 650 starts at 7K runs to about 8.5K. That bike will fly in that zone and pull like mad...

 

"Wound out?" That's the beginning of the fun part of the powerband. That works out to around 75~80mph, same as with the bigger bikes. The bike is just cruising at that rpm; livin' large and laughing easy.

On the 550 Seca, the powerband starts a serious climb at 6K and peaks at redline; torque gets fat around 4K and starts to taper off slightly at 8K. Even though they have a six-speed gearbox, overall rpm at road speed in top gear is about the same as with the bigger bikes; pretty much 5K=60mph.

 

My bike also suffers from the 5k vibration blues. Clear before 5k and after 5k, but since 5k is roughly 55ish, you either have to exceed the speed limit, or ride in a lower gear.

BTC

 

You could try filling your handlebars with plaster & bird shot, and buy bar end weights, too.

On the Vulcan - a guy coulda bought it, and waited for a deal on a replacement motor.