20 Most Recent 1996 kawasaki VN 1500 Vulcan Classic - Page 7 Questions & Answers

Hydraulic lifters on your model, there are cam chain tensioners sometimes those go bad, I would go by a Kawasaki dealer and get a product they brand under the Kawasaki name called carbon clean, you might have a carboned up engine, stuff really works, Yamaha also sells the same product there’s is called ring free.

The fuse box is located in front of the battery, you'll have to remove the front seat to access it, its about at the rear of the fuel tank just under that.

could be 2 problems, the carb float needle should stop the flow before it floods into cylnder, so it may need a clean or replace. If it floods when engine not running, the fuel tap may need cleaning or a repair kit, as it should stop the flow when the engine stops

lite may be burnt--is batt ok chec connecs make sure they are tite--also do an ign inspect for spark if needed

Maybe side stand sensor not working Is rear brake locked by something putting tension on brake cable?does it roll if you just push it?

most gear shafts usually have a small replacable seal, that can be hooked out and replaced simply, I am not familar with your bike, but seals have a number on them like 10 20 8 which are the actual dimentions in mm 10mm shaft 20mm outside 8mm width, clean it up and have a close look, the sizes are sometimes available from bearing shops for a few dollars, compared to OEM bike shop prices

Fuel bowl needle is bad and not seating properly to seal the bowl when enough fuel has entered, thus it overflows out of the vent tubes.

hi,bike is still running to lean,the 170 main is probably close,the needle on the carb slide is wrong,all the way down restricts the fuel supply(effectively leaning it out),lift the needle all the way to the top(the clip should be on the very bottom position),try that,next thing,air/fuel,turn your air/fuel screw right in untill it bottoms,then back it out 1.5 turns,the bike should fire up,once it is running simply turn the screw in or out untill the bike settles into a nice even beat,that will be fairly close,take her for a ride,see what happens should be fairly close,there is a lot of mucking around to get aftermarket pipes to work well,but patience is often rewarded...hope this helps..cheers

hello, you may need to check float in carb, could be sticking or bad, make sure plugs aren wet with gas insted of oil, you can smell gas fouled plugs, than oil, gas coming out of breather sounds like float needs to be adjusted or floats bad or trash in carb, may have broke ring also

If you are getting 13volt output and it revs and gets 14.5volts it would appear to be charging. As you would get a drop in voltage if it were not. Stator is there for working. Check your voltage relay as it may be sticking which would cause it to run on system and not be sending charge to battery. Poor ground would also keep battery from being properly charged

it sounds like the float bowl on the carby is stuck tap the carby bowl it should stop if it does not then check the the needle and seat which sounds like it is stuck open, hope this helps

Check that your caliper is running free and that you have the wheel spacers in the correct sides of the wheel ..If your disc is badly worn throw it away a buy a new one .replace all pads and recheck that the disc is in line with the caliper .Don't risk a break failure through a badly worn disc .

clean out the carb it may need just a tune up

there should be a sticker under your seat or attached to the bottom of your seat with this info on it

All I can give you is the specs- 5degrees BTDC ( F mark) at 800 RPM and 25 degrees BTDC (in double marks) at 3500 RPM

These are difficult covers to remove but it is possible to do without removing the engine. You will need to remove ALL of the engine mounting bolts. I have always found it easier to maneuver the engine if the carburetor has been removed as well. You will also need to remove the exhausts including the header pipes. Carefully lift the front of the engine a little and slightly rotate it counterclockwise. Then you should be able to carefully leverage the entire engine forward slightly. At this point you should have just barely enough space to unbolt and remove the valve cover in order to repair your valve cover gasket. Make sure you get a new gasket and cam end plugs. It is recommended by Kawasaki to use "Three-bond 1211" liquid gasket sparingly on the gasket and cam end plug mating surfaces. Carefully replace the valve cover paying special attention to the position of the rubber components before securing the cover. Then simply follow the instructions in reverse to reposition the engine. Have fun ... I too have had a lot of choice words for Kawasaki during these types of repairs, good luck

tap the bowl with a block of wood. Eventually you will need to take off the carb, diassemble it, and soak all the parts in solvent for an hour

For the gears:


Gear ratios:1st 2.500 (40/16) 2nd 1.590 (35/22) 3rd 1.192 (31/26) 4th 0.965 (28/29) 5th 0.781 (25/32) Final Reduction Ratio 2.619 (15/21 x 33/9) and the final drive is a shaft drive.

u cant rebuild a bike without a repair manual-clymer and haynes

your carbs are dirty. and probably need to be balanced also... bring the bike bto a garage and have them cleaned by a profesional.... also after market pipes don't give your bike the proper back pressure .. that can mess up your carbs timing