kawasaki VN 800 Vulcan Classic - Recent Questions, Troubleshooting & Support - Page 9

If the bike was built after 1980 it should have a 17 digit VIN number stamped on the steering head.
Copy it down, then count off the 10th character from the left.
The year will be....

A=1980 B=1981 C=1982 D=1983 E=1984 F=1985 G=1986 H=1987 J=1988

K=1989 L=1990 M=1991 N=1992 P=1993 R=1994 S=1995 T=1996

V=1997 W=1998 X=1999 Y=2000 1=2001 2=2002 3=2003 4=2004

5=2005 6=2006 7=2007 8=2008 9=2009 A=2010 B=2011

As you can see...they went back to reusing letters in 2010 again

If the bike was built after 1980 it should have a 17 digit VIN number stamped on the steering head.
Copy it down, then count off the 10th character from the left.
The year will be....

A=1980 B=1981 C=1982 D=1983 E=1984 F=1985 G=1986 H=1987 J=1988

K=1989 L=1990 M=1991 N=1992 P=1993 R=1994 S=1995 T=1996

V=1997 W=1998 X=1999 Y=2000 1=2001 2=2002 3=2003 4=2004

5=2005 6=2006 7=2007 8=2008 9=2009 A=2010 B=2011

As you can see...they went back to reusing letters in 2010 again.

The VIN number is stamped on the offside of the steering bearing post.

under the radiator

Check battery connections. If O.K., the battery needs a charge or be replaced. Napa or another part store can test it for you. Good luck!

If you unbolt the fuel tank and place the bike next to a table of the correct height, rest oneside of the tank that you need to get access to the underside for the plugs and the tank will rest, still connected up, on the tabletop.
Saves hours!

The mechanic should have given you some idea what was wrong.
The low compression is probably the reason it wont start.
This is usually an exhaust valve not sealing or burnt., or a head gasket blown

Check the valve clearances, if they are adjusted correctly and there is still no compression, the heads will need to be removed and the heads reconditionned and valves refaced, new head gaskets will be fitted when the heads are replaced.




These ideas and also assuming the bike didnt blow smoke or use oil, when it last ran, or make any unusual noises, knocking etc. Which may require further rebuilding of the pistons,rings and bearings.
There can also be other worn or damaged items that cause this , but unknown until the engine is being stripped.

What is the compression comparisons between the cylinders? Are your valves seating and sealing fully and have you tried changing the plugs around. Plugs can work in the open but will not fire under compression.

Bad switch,Bad relay,bad solenoid the solenoid may need cleaning.
For troubleshooting remove the positive wire from the starter.
That is the biggest one. on the starter.
Now place a load on the wire say a headlight or 12 volt fan

On most of the older Kaw's they had a plastic oil gear and when this brakes then you will have no oil pressure. You can go here http://www.gadgetjq.com/gadgetsfixitpage.htm , his page has all the information on Vulcan Motorcycles that you would ever need to know. There is information on there on how to replace the plastic oil gear or the POG as we Vulcan riders call it. I’m happy to help further over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/al_e83b1941f9c0f302

That is the first thing that I would do. If something came loose just replace it unless something broke then you have to replace the whole switch. If it was just a spring or bearing you should be able to put it back in unless something broke like I stated earlier. I’m happy to help further over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/al_e83b1941f9c0f302

That could be from the crank case breather pipe. It may need cleaning.

Under your left side cover there is three yellow cabels witch is connected together.Probably a connectingproblem here.Clean it and reconnect it and check it with a multimeter.

the pilot(idle) jet is clogged,need to do a good carb clean/rebuild(carb kit).that should take care of your problem.hope that helps.

If you go to colorite.com you can order matching paint for your cycle. They should have color patches you can see with the name or color code on them.

check your side stand safety switch. if the kick stand is down the engine will shut off. if this switch is stuck then the bike thinks the kick stand is down. clean out the switch.

there sould be a black plastic screw in plug on crank case should have a dip stick on it middle of motor make sure its motor oil not gear oil

Check battery connections , inline fuse,, ground connection.

remove the 3 screws around bezel remove plate disconnect wiring turn over replace bulb

Adjusting valves on these motorcycles is effected by replacing shims situated between the rocker and the top of the valve stem. It is not a job for the impatient. It can also turn out to be quite expensive as shims sell for around $10 and there are 8 of them.
Remove the seat,fuel tank and air cleaner assemblies.
Once you have the valve covers off you will need to measure the valve clearance. This is done by inserting a feeler guage between the valve and rocker arm when the particular cam lobe for the valve is pointed away from the rocker arm. Refer to the diagram. Measure at points 1 and 2 when the cam lobe is pointed away from point 3. Do this by inserting consecutively thicker blades into the space until a slght resistance is felt when moving the blade into and out of the space.



Record the measurement for each of the valves by rotating the engine each time to get the cam lobe pointed correctly.
Compare these values to the manufacturers specs.
Intake : 0.10 to 0.15mm (0.004 to 0.006 inches)
Exhaust : 0.20 to 0.25mm (0.008 to 0.010 inches)
If the measurements are out of spec you will need to replace shims for the affected valves.
Remove the camcaps by removing the bolts in a criss-cross pattern. Do not disassemble them as this is not nescesary if you only need to replace shims. Do not remove or disturb the heads or you will need new headgaskets. If you are going to re-use a shim it needs to go back on top of the valve where it was removed from. Do not turn the engine with the camcaps removed. Remove only on camcap at a time.
Remove the shim for a particular valve and measure its thickness. Use a micrometer as a most verniers are not accurate enough.
Subtract the highest manufacturers value for a particular valve clearance from the actual measured value. Add this value to the measured value of the shim for that valve. This is the minimum thickness of the shim needed. You may find that that exact number might not be available, so take the next thicker size available.
Example.
Measured clearance value for an exhaust valve = 0.29mm
Measured value of the shim for that valve = 2.69mm
Minimum shim size needed : 0.29mm-0.25mm+2.69mm = 2.73mm
So 2.73mm is the smallest size needed to get back to spec. However this will put you at the largest allowable clearance and a couple miles down the road you will need to replace the shim again as it will have worn down out of spec.
Calculate the largest size shim needed for that valve.
Maximum shim size needed: 0.29mm-0.20mm+2.69mm=2.78mm
It would therefore be best to take the 2.75mm shim to get the clearance back in spec.
On reassembly note that the locating dowels for the cam caps are refitted. Retighten the cam caps in a criss-cross pattern.