The last motorcycle I owned was an '86 Honda Magna. While I have always driven Hondas, the '05 Vulcan 750 really appealed to me as I want back in! It has shaft drive, cast wheels, liquid cooled, full gauges and that low rider chopper look, not the 50's James Dean retro style, and at a great price.
Before I bought an '05, I wanted to read as much about this model, the kind of info the sales dept. will not share. I found this site and am glad I did. I am reading horror stories of hundreds of dollars spent due to lack of a special lube on the rear end splines. A big job to do and expensive to fix (Maint. free?) A barely adequate charging/electrical system that is super expensive and difficult to replace, which is common. It is recommended to discard a brand new battery and buy one that is permanently sealed so it will not leak acid all over the wiring and connectors. If not, make sure I check the water level very, very often. This may be partially due to an exhaust pre-muffler located so close to a charging system componant that it too overheats. It is recommended I buy aftermarket metal plates to block a factory emission system or take marbles to block hoses to stop exhaust backfires off throttle! These sound like major issues. I understand the Vulcan 750 has been around for many years (with a few upgraded tweaks). Have none or some of these issues been addressed by Kawasaki? What has changed to eliminate these problems for the '05 model? I am NOT attemting to downgrade Kawasaki. Kawasaki products have always enjoyed a good reputation. I am sure ALL makes and models have some issues. I am no where as knowledgable as you out there on this subject. Hopefully you can fill me in on all this so I can make the best decision. I would greatly appreciate you input on these or other related topics..... THANKS!!

Well I could use my standard line and say.. "If it were easy even a man could do it" but you have no idea who I am in order to know that it was said in jest.. BUT
My husband has owned several bikes, the ones in the last few years Honda Goldwings and we even have a old Hondamatic we are restoring.
I have the VN750 and I love it. A bike that he highly reccommended. Yes there are some problems but you have to remember that in a large group of owners in a forum you are going to hear about the problems and what can be done to "Prevent" them. Doesn't mean it is the norm, just things to look out for.
That is the beauty of these forums, you can be informed and take preventative action so they won't be a problem for you.
If you look further in the discussion about that simple lube to the spline you will see that it appears to have been in a streak of the newer models. I have yet to hear of a 2004 or 2005 that had dry splines. Maybe Kawasaki did take some quality check measures but ultimately it is a dealer check that could easily be done at the 500 mile warranty check or even the 6000 mile maintenance and was not done.. by the dealer. Seems a lot of dealers don't even know what the spline is and confuse it with the final gear oil thinking we are dumb customers and don't know our final gear from our spline. Nor are a lot of them aware that you are suppose to use moly for the spline and not last week's bacon grease!
Personally I prefer having the maintenance free battery in so I don't chew up a half hour of ride time by taking the seat off and checking the battery. Plus I have better starting and if I happen to dump the bike I don't have to worry about battery spills. If you are buying a new bike from a dealer having them throw in a maintenance free battery is a win/win for them. They can easily sell the stock battery as new so they are out very little if anything.
Stock mufflers with the pre-exhaust or goat's belly are extremely quiet. Chances are you are going to replace the exhaust system with something else a bit throatier and that eliminates the problem of the R/R being on top of the pre-exhaust chamber. If not, it is a simple procedure to relocate it for better cooling. Note, not all R/R's have gone bad. There are many bikes out there still running strong with stock pipes and R/R in the original position. Things that may be more of a factor are running the bike at a non-charging pace, such as in a parade, several short jaunts continuosly (Usual recharge isn't going to happen in the 5 mile runs to the store, 15 to 20 is a surer bet to charge rhe battery)
I only installed the coasters with the ear shave. Once again, personal choice and many do still have the "ears" on. Marbling or Coasters is a choice, not a problem. The stock is fine.
I guess overall what I am trying to say is the VN750 is fine if properly maintained by you and the service done. Many bikes have bordeline electrical problems but there are measures that can be taken to better them. I bracket for the R/r to be placed back by the left passenger foot peg might cost you $2 at Lowe's and an hours time tops. Get the maintenace free battery with the deal and leave the ears and forget about coasters or marbling and make sure the splines are lubed correctly and you have a great bike at a very reasonable cost.

Yes you do and should buy this bike.Mine is an '86 with 30,000 miles.this bike has seen snow ,heavy rain,to blistering heat on the interstate all day mostly over 70 mph and I must say it is one reliable machine.This bike can be used as a stock cruiser or easily converted to a sport tourer or it also makes a great canyon blaster because of it's narrow design and lighter wt.It is a versatile bike and Kaw. has decided to keep it for yet another year! Unfortunatly, it's not available in Canada.I have encountered only one problem with hard starting and back firing at start-up.This was solved with a new battery.I wish I had noticed this o.group last year!! No other problems have arisen.Oh, sure you'll get the popping when throttling off, but that is the nature of the beast.Don't be concearned about the ear shave and degoating because those things are designed to be there .[Mine is altered simply because I can't help looking for ways to suit me]This bike has changed little from '85 and the reason is that everything has been proven to work well.If you like the bike for a daily ride to work, keep it stock.If you want to suprise a Sportster in the twisties,consider installing 6 inch bars and lowering the forks 2 inches and adding a fairing.Same for touring ,but bars you decide.Mine is shaved and goated,with MAC exhaust and the largest Memphis Shades fairing ,smoke colour and matching lowers.Add a sheepskin under your butt to help relieve saddle soarness on long trips.A great one-up low maint. ecom. ride...

Well, Dianna said most of what I would have said in response, so I won't repeat most of it. I would just emphasize a couple of things. The first being that most of the folks here and over on Yahoo! (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VN750) don't post messages like
Well, another month went by and I did absolutely nothing to my bone stock 199x VN750 and everything is running fine. About the closest I've seen is a few hardy souls jumping in and admitting they have been running with a wet cell battery for three years without problems. (of course, as soon as they do, they jinx themselves and seem to start having electrical problems!). In fact, there is a poll over on Yahoo! about the stator and R?R issue that (as I recall) shows that the overwhelming majority of folks have NOT had a problem!

Most of the posts on both forums are from the proportionately few who have a problem in one area or another, OR from folks who just can't help themselves from tinkering with and tweaking their scoot. I daresay most of the active posters (only about 10% of the total forum members on both sites) would find mods they "had" to do to their bike, no matter what make, model, or year they bought.

As for why KAW doesn't address some of the things that we find as recurring issues, I suspect it's because they don't really have to. Almost everyone that's posted on the two sites would buy another VN750 in a second (in fact, many have!) even knowing all the "issues" with the bike. The positives (which you listed) far outweigh the drawbacks, so KAW can sell these bikes without investing anything into re-engineering the bike or the manufacturing process.

JMO

All I have to say is if I lost my VN750 in any way I would have to find a nother one , as soon as could . Love mine , Bike is stock . Best ride for the buck you will find.

Take a test ride first. I believe the magna was/is a faster bike than the vn750, you may not like difference.

RB

I'm coming to the party a little late but I still wanted to chime in. Lucky's my first and only bike. I've had him a whole 5 months now so I'm not talking from years and several bike's worth of experience. Lucky and I didn't start out on the best of terms. Seems he had a bum stator in him right off the assembly line! That doesn't sound like a great sales point, but I'm done yet. Only thing I've added is the maintenance free battery (because I thought the problems I were having were due to the battery, didn't really think the stator could be bad on a brand new bike) and now that Lucky starts each and everytime, it's a terrific bike. I mean, I still think it's super after the initial trouble I had. I have to add the caveat about the seat though. I can ride for about an hour on the stock seat before looking for a rest stop. But my main use is for commuting, and boy is it great for that! Handles great around town and plenty of power for the freeway too. I go four times as far on a gallon of gas than in my truck and I really like that. If I didn't have this group and the Yahoo group, I might have soured on the 750, but I know just about everything good and bad about Lucky now. I know if he starts to act up again, I have a terrific resource to help get things right. So I'd say the good out weighs the bad.


Whichever way you go, let us know what you get.

Just to put my 2 cents in, I inheriated my '86 VN750 from my brother. He totalled in 1994 when the girl he was dating at the time decided she wanted to drive from the back seat (don't drink and ride). It sat under a camper shell until I decided to fix it up. I spent most of last summer acquiring parts and getting the bike back together. My brother had the for-thought to leave gas in the tank so it was not rusted. I, being the impatient person that I am; didn't take the time to change the oil, anti-freeze, or gas, though I did purchase a new battery. Again, being impatient, I had to see if it would start. I choked it, hit the starter for a few seconds and varoom. The thing started up like it had just been ridden. I of course have done fluid changes and several add-ons (just for my amusement) and now have around a 1000 miles on it with absolutely no problems. It has been the best experience and I have learned alot from this group and the Yahoo group.

I rode all summer with my friend who rides a 1999 magna including a 2000 mile long haul. I have a 99 vn750. Both are great bikes the magna is faster no question (not by much) and alittle smoother being a 4. Around town we get about the same mpg but on the long haul I did way better. I've ridden both bikes and they ride very different it comes down to prefrence. Before i started customizing mine he got more looks and coments where ever we went. Another big bonus to the vulcan is having the good people at vn750.com to help with any questions or problems (saved my a** a few times). In short it's a great bike and lots of fun with more options than much higher end bikes and with a few personal touches can turn as many heads as anything on the road. Good luck let us know what you do.

I live in southern california.

Someone might think... "It seems like most of the threads I've read about R/R problems have happened in a state/city other than southern california. And a lot of what I read has happened to riders who only use the bike for a couple months, then store it for winter. Or worse, they don't ride the bike for years, then fire it up."

Is there any truth to this??

I believe it's safe to mention that there are two types of 750 riders. Those who ride for fun and pleasure, and those who use the bike day in and out to commute to work.

Are there a lot of R/R problems with people who commute every day?

How bout the cam chain tensioner problem?

I'm going to start a new poll. The statistics are driving me nuts. lol