20 Most Recent 2003 kawasaki EN 500 Vulcan Classic Questions & Answers

The gas mileage I get with my 2004 Kawasaki Vulcan 500 ranges from about 55 to 60 MPG.

http://www.repairmanualclub.com/motomanuals/index.php

Hi ,
The thermostat may be playing up and will need to be replaced .
Bare in mind that any liquid cooled motor will need the coolant to be replaced and cooling system flushed out on a regular basis especially while riding in city as the engine is constantly in the high temperature .

Warm or cold?
Possibly a jetting problem , too lean, possibly a vacuum leak. Might also be a plugged line or dirty carburetor or if it's fuel injected possibly a sensor fault, In either carb or injection it could be a throttle positioning sensor. Loads or neat possibilities and impossible to narrow down on the internet.

http://www.pdfmotomanual.com/index.php?r=site/page&view=manuales&order=t&key=K&make=1815&lang=ENG You can find downloads here for free. The EN500 (1985-2004) is on there, Haynes Manual.

You must first drill out the covers to reach these. There is one on each float bowel. Suggest reading the HOW-TO wiki on the site www.ex-500.com. These should not normally need to be adjusted.

Crankcase breather hose most likely. Excess pressure due to engine wear blows oil vapor into air box. Do not overfill with oil. But may just be due to wear

You need to have a special jack to lift the back of the bike. Since this involves the use of special tools and could be dangerous if something is not installed right, I would take it in.

The float needle is not stopping the fuel flow. This is what you suspected. Why not is the question. Three things can cause the problem. 1 ) There is trash from the gas tank stopping the needle from closing; get an inline fuel filter and flush the tank. 2 ) The float tang needs to be adjusted to shut off the gas sooner, before the carb fills too full. 3 ) The float is leaking and no longer floats as it should. If it doesn't float there is no way the needle will close. By the way, there should not be any oil in the gas. Are you certain this is the case? If so, the oil would have to be coming from the crankcase breather. Check the oil level in the gearbox. Chances are that compression is getting past the rings and the fuel in the air / gas compressed mixture is mixing with the gear oil and raising the level in the box.

the lever sits aprox level, but can be adjusted up or down on the splines to make it comfortable.
There is no real wrong position, as long as the lever doesent touch the frame or casing, up and down gears.

This is the best I can offer. Please rate my answer. Thanks.

3 quarts of 10-40.

new piston and rings required I would say but get a leak down test to confirm before you comit to that - the leak down test confirms just about all issues internally
if the smoke is dark and bluey it burning oil so piston rings (or valve stem seals if a four stroke) if white and cloudy could be over fueling or head gasket blown so it's burning water
leak down test is the simplest tell all test

any kind of antifreeze, most want you to mix half with water