20 Most Recent 2004 kawasaki VN 1500 Vulcan Classic Tourer - Fi Questions & Answers

clutch plates need replacing , I would replace the steels as well and also change the oil and filter as it will be polluted with clutch dust. Would also help to flush clutch fluid as well.

Always start with the easy (read cheap) stuff first. Make sure that the clutch is fully disengaging when in gear and engine running. If bike 'clunks' and lurches forward as soon as you shift into any gear, it may simply be that your clutch needs to be bled and/or adjusted so that you are fully engaging/disengaging the gear. More likely, however, the shift lever was subjected to a heavy foot resulting in the shift fork being bent. This prevents full engagement of the gear resulting in it popping out under load. Unfortunately, this repair requires a teardown. Continued operation with the tranny popping out of gear will round off the shift dogs and create an even more very expensive repair.

your getting water in a place thats shortting a circuit do not use a lot of water when cleaning the bike

the tach comes off the negative side of the coil.

go to gadgets fix it page, they have diagrams and step by step instructions to do this, i use his site religiously you can find anything there about your vulcan

I think Fixya Motorcycle Expert Gregg Mahin can answer this.

1100

Try sitting on the bike with the engine off, put it in gear and push the bike forward or backward with the clutch lever pulled, to free clutches.

All Kaw v-twins have sloppy gear boxes. You have to isolate where the vibes are coming from, the steering, the motor, the gearbox, or rear wheel. If you think it's the motor, is it doing it parked? If it's the steering, are your tires cupped? If it's the rear, can you raise the rear tire and replicate the vibe with the wheel spinning?

i would suggest s trip to your local auto parts store and pick up a haynes for your truck. there will be step by step instructions in there with pictures for around $25. You may find it cheaper online. just go to search engine and type in the vehicles info and put repair manual behind it.

No, a failed bearing would be way more audible when the lower gears are used.
Your bike has a worn out gear or dog collar /shifter ring at the 5th gear. You will have to dismantle the gearbox to check the components and find out which of the 2 is the failing one.

Hello and welcome to FixYa!

Two things... If you have a cable type clutch then the problem will surely be on the clutch cable. If it's worn out it tends not to engage. If you have a fluid type clutch, I suggest that you have the system bleed to flush out air and this can resolve the problem.

Hope this helps and thank you for using FixYa! Have a good one!

An easy way to do this is take the end of the exhaust pipe/s off and take then to a muffler shop and have them make you a set of 3" or 4" echo tips that ar the same length and degree of bend and split the the end that goes over the pipe still on the bike and then bolt the new tips on you may need to have them put some sort of mounting bracket on the new tips to keep them from drooping and rattling.

regular gas will not hurt your bike but the higher grade you put in it the better it is for it, but it is not a performance motor or a race bike so you will be fine with a lower grade fuel.

On many motorcycles the odometer clicks when the front wheel is turned. To check if it is just your odometer try to just turn the wheel that is connected to the odometer (usually front wheel). If the odometer is the cause you have no need to worry, it is meant to do that. Another possible thing to check would be your chain rubbing on something as it turns.

Make certain you leave expansion room for the fluid in the reservoir so as the lines are heated the fluid can expand back into reservoir.
The reservoir usually has a flexible diaphram and the lid has a vent so the space above the diaphram is exposed to outside air pressure...and since the diaphram is flexible the surface of the fuid is at the same pressure....if the diaphram is incorrectly installed and blocks the lid vent...the fluid will pressure up and slip the clutch.

Hi, rear wheels are basically the same as front wheels except now you have some sort of drive like a chain, belt, or shaft. Simply remove the axle nut, loosen any pinch bolts and pull the axle out. On shaft drives and some chain drives the wheel will pull loose from the drive and come off leaving the drive portion attached to the swing arm. On others you have to remove the chain or push the wheel far enough forward to slip the chain off the sprocket. Now the wheel should come off to the rear and slip past the fender, at least sometimes it does.....

backfiring is fuel in the exhaust due to over rich mixture (perhaps too much choke) or valve clearances too tight etc

This is caused by the positive netural finder,its normal

If you replace the fluids, remove the spark plugs and pour some light oil into the cylinders to free the rings.
Check tyres, battery and brakes.

After it has had oil in the cylinders for a day or two, spin the engine and wait for oil pressure to build up. Check for compression and fit new spark plugs then start her up!