new to kawasaki's and this site, so far, great bike, and absolutely fantastic site ! lot's of info, thanks to all, '96 750 with 6,300 miles, any and all comments/suggestions welcome what should be done fist? bike is stock

People will chime in and rember things I forget, First read the Vulcan Verses, Then check your splines(will tell you about that in the Verses).
Then make sure you have a Maint free Batt.
Third Ride and have fun:motorcycl

thanks, bought a mf bat. today and buying plugs tmrw. what about the r/r relocation and better to replace GB or v&h cruzers?

Personal choice to remove the Goatbelly or pipes. Alot cheeper to remove.
Reloce the R/R great Idea, I did you can see in my picts where. Bulldog makes a great bracket for that.

Ccspinner is right. The 1st thing you'll want to do is check your driveshaft splines to ensure they're adequately lubed. Plenty of info here on that, in both the Vulcan Verses and in some of the archived threads.

The "weak links" on this bike appear to be its stator and r/r. With 6,000+ miles on your bike, you would do well to consider relocating your r/r while you are swapping out the battery (since the r/r is under the battery tray). Again, see the Verses/other threads/listed pics for how best to do the r/r move.

Another thread here posted recently discussed ways to make life easier for your stator.

If I remember right, you can extend the life of your stator by (and I think these were straight from "mama Kaw"):

1. Frequent oil changes.
2. Don't overload the bike's charging system with the wrong added accessories.
3. Don't overheat the bike (minimize those times your stuck in bumper-to-bumper, rush-hour traffic--especially in the summer).

Be careful redoing the goat's belly--if not done right, this can really hurt low rpm power. Other threads here talk about that, too.

Good luck with your new bike....the 750 is the last of its kind.....

Yeah, what they all said !!
Seeing as ya got the battery already, I'd say first thing to do would be the splines.
Also, put a dab of silicone adhesive on the nut holding the toolbox lock, as well as the two plastic chrome swingarm caps. (if they're still there)
Otherwise, you'll only notice they're gone when ya have no clue where they might have fallen off at.

And Welcome to the site. :smiley_th

welcome to the forum! You're already aware that there's lots of great folk here to help you and answer questions. We're all learning together so ask lots of questions and speak up when you have an idea. Enjoy the bike!

Welcome to the site.

any one on tonight?

Yep I'm here

If you go to the Quick Links tab at the top, when you open it there is a "Who's online" on the bottom.
Hope that helps

question for ya, new mf bat., new iridium plugs, still HARD to start,?

OK, question time for you ....


What's the inside of the gas tank look like?
Did you check the air filters?
Did you get the bike started?
If yes: How'd it run?
If no: Did it seem like it might start?
If no to that: Did you smell gas?
If yes: You're getting close, don't give up now!!

ok to answer in order:
gas tank looks fine, ownwer said he only ran 93 octane, 1/2 tank in it at present, i added a little sea foam to it.
air filters are clean, foam band is comoing apart, due to age most likely
yes, finaly got it started, at least 20 minutes, on full choke, it acted like it was not getting enough gas, with no choke, spun much faster and tried several times to hit, and then it would putter for 2-3 seconds and die, and after adjusting idle mixture knob it hit and ran, very cold natured, some backfiring on let off of throttle(guessing reed valves)

Sounds like clogged pilot jets to me.

That's what I'm thinking Spriddle. Did the bike sit for a while before you bought it? In wet conditions? Are the caps gone from over the pilot screws? Maybe o-rings are hard and old on the pilots.

ok, to start it I hold throttle WO, like it is flooded, spin till it starts, 10-20 seconds. after its going for 10 minutes i can shut er down and she'll fire right back, every time.As far as trying to start it normal, choke on, push start, you will be there for 20-30 minutes, no joke Appling choke seems to HURT, not help, acts like it can't spin to easdy at all and seldom acts like it wants to hit. As far as sitting, yes it did , in a non-heated garage since last october 30th , or around there. caps are still on pilot screws. I am new to bikes, have built and painted many cars, and painted several bikes, but never wrenched on one, so thanks for everyones patience and thanks in advance for any and all help

Not wanting to turn over with choke on is wierd. Having to hold throttle wide open to start it is wierd. Certainly seems like pilot jets are clogged, but I don't know what would make it not want to turn over with choke on. I'd drain the tank, and go straight seafoam into the carbs and let them sit overnight soaking, then drain them and put fresh gas/3oz seafoam mix in and see if it starts to straighten out.

ok, i'll try it. keep in mind, once it starts, she runs great !!, i have been reading in the service manual, and have not come up with anything, thanks for all the help. i have no experience with the "pilot jets", any help there would be great

You can always check the pilot jets by counting the turns as you turn them in-clockwise until it seats (lightly--don't tighten them as they are easily damaged) then remove them and inspect for doodoo on the ends. While they're out, you can shoot some B12 in the pilot holes to maybe help clean out there some. Then put them back in and lightly screw them all the way in, then back them out the amount of turns you counted. They have light springs around them so be careful not to lose the springs as you remove them.

thanks