Getting a new-to-me '95 VN500-A6 on the 1st!

[Leaf]

Greetings earth creatures! :O

Just put down $200 on a Maroon '95 Vulcan 500 A6 with 7k miles on it. Going to pick it up and pay the remaining $1200 on the weekend of the 30th when my friend is off work again to give me a ride... There was a massive thunderstorm and tornado watch going on when I test rode it, and I didn't want to ride an unfamiliar bike 2.5 hours through that all the way home lol.

I've been riding since '89 or '90 (though mostly off-road), with a little break during college. I started out on a '68 Honda Trail 90 when I was 12, then graduated to an '80 XR200. I also rode a PE250 2-stroke while the XR200 was broken down, and owned a '78 GS1000 for about a week several years ago, but returned it because I didn't like the way it handled (and it was thrashed and there were no parts to be found). At the moment, my primary transportation is an '05 CMX250, which I'll be selling to a friend after I pick up the Vulcan and get it tuned up.

The Vulcan is in good shape for its age. PO says that the nicks are all a result of tipping over while stationary and it's never been "wrecked". The clutch lever is a little bent, but I think a piece of pipe and/or BFH will fix that. There's also a scuff on the right sidecover and the carbs need cleaned and synced.

It's actually kind of nice that there are so few aftermarket accessories available for these things. It'll get me off the computer and into the welding shop...

Vulcan Projects that I hope to get into and yack about on here:

- Home-built luggage rack, a biggun. Or possibly different size racks/luggage fitted to the rack frame with clevis pins depending on what I need.
- Some kind of easily removable pilot backrest (more clevis pins, yay!).
- Grafting on a 454 centerstand eventually, maybe.
- Home-built bag brackets, with some canvas bags fashioned from military surplus gear. Hopefully OD won't look too terrible against maroon...

Anyway! Nice to meet you all! Here's to hoping that this Vulcan and I have a long and mutually enjoyable relationship.

[Triangles]

welcome to the forum. I've been toying with making something for a luggage rack on my '94. keep us informed on your projects

[BillInGA]

Welcome aboard! I moved up to the Vulcan last year after riding a GZ250 for 5 years. Love the Vulcan! I'm sure you will too.

[fastpakr]

Last you posted elsewhere, you were picking it up today. How did that go?

[Leaf]

Swimmingly!

I'm quite pleased. It's nice enough to be pretty but not nice enough that I'm afraid to get it dirty lol.

Pulls like a freight train (after some seafoaming), and the top speed must be incredible. I hit 60 mph at the top of 2nd gear on an interstate entrance ramp. Highest I had it was 90, and the RPMs still had a ways to go and I still had a whole gear left (was in 5th)... O_o

It's running a little rich after the seafoaming, though. I suspect exhaust issues, as it's a bit louder than I think it ought to be when I crack it open. No evidence of tampering, but maybe the baffles are a bit rusted out just from age...

Rear tire is also a bit flat in the middle, despite having lots of tread left. I suspect that the PO didn't do much leaning (unless Avons are just like that). Hopefully it will wear back into roundness pretty quickly.

Question on the oil sight glass: PO said it was supposed to be checked when the engine was running, which seems strange to me. Sight glass is half full with engine running and hot, completely full when cold. Does it have too much oil in it?

[fastpakr]

Should be half full when vertical with the engine off. Glad you like it!

When you change the oil, you can grab a filter at Wal Mart. The SuperTech 7317 is cheap and one of the better filters available.
http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/FilterXRef.html

[Leaf]

Ah cool. That's the exact filter I bought and took with me in case the PO oil was too dirty to ride home on. :3

Am I gonna be blowing any crankcase seals or anything running it with too much oil? I was going to wait until this weekend to change it and service everything per Ye Ole Shop Manual (I'm riding it to work every day though), but if this overfilled oil is Bad News, I guess I can come in late tomorrer. :3

[fastpakr]

My first guess is that you're probably fine, but you ought to be able to drain off a small amount of fluid quite easily at home if you want to be safe. Just loosen the drain bolt enough to let it slowly seep out and periodically check the level, or you can siphon it out through the fill plug.

[Leaf]

Well!

I figured out what the exhaust issue was....

Left header was so loose that one of the nuts had fallen off and the other one was about to. Fortunately the missing nut was laying down in that crossbar across the front of the engine. Right side header was pretty loose too....

'Splains the jangly sound, too..... I don't know why I didn't notice this before I brought it home... Dumb, I guess. Hope I didn't burn any valves.....

Gremlin #1 squished!

[BillInGA]

It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to go ahead and change the oil. Fast and easy, plus you'll exactly what you've got in there.

[Leaf]

Well, it was raining hard this morning on the way to work, and had been drizzling all night, and I'd forgotten to cover the bike.

I fired it up and it was missing a little, but I figured "Meh, it'll clear up once it finishes warming up, or maybe the crappy gas from Harry's store collected some water..."

It kept running rough, and then suddenly one cylinder cut out. I limped up the road a little ways on one cylinder to a good place to pull over.

Turns out that the right-side spark plug cavity was full to the brim with water. I assume the drain hole is plugged, but I didn't have anything appropriate to poke it out with. So I wicked most of the water out with a rag and started it back up.

Still not firing on that side. Loose spark plug cap. Pushing down on it makes it start firing. Pulled it. Looks a bit burned on the inside. Compared it to the other side. Rubber boot is missing.

Plugged it back in and started towards my friend's house on one cylinder, figuring I'd leave the Vulcan there and pick up my old Honda (that I gave to her) and ride it until I could get a plug cap. About half way there, the right side cut back in and I laid a patch, lol.

Ran fine for a quarter mile, so I turned around again and headed to work. Parked inside the building so it won't get rained on between now and quittin' time.......

Gremlin #2 found (but not squished yet)!