750-ers:
thank u good folks for being such a wonderful source of information.
you've heard the tale before:
i haven't ridden in 30yrs (had a wonderful yamaha 650 way back when). a buddy of mine rides with a group twice a month on sunday mornings. he's been urging me to look at used honda shadows as a decent bike for my return to cycling.
i'm not really looking to ride w/a group of guys. i'm more into driving around, dashing downtown and finding easy parking, maybe even taking the wife and the daughters for a ride. i really don't see myself touring. i just wanted to feel the wind and take some turns. (i guess it sounds silly but what the heck...)
i've been reading websites since last spring and stopping folks and somehow i keep ending up at the kawa vulcan 750. i like the looks, feature set, power specs, size and insurance cost.
i have surmised all of the above w/o actually riding (though at 6'/200lbs someone let me sit on their vulcan and the fit was fine). i plan on taking the course in april.
so this past weekend while scouting the local craigslist, i found a nearby 750 and this is what i found out:
1999 vulcan, 2 owners, 10k miles, no drops. owner used to ride it alot but typical story, now has kids and rides less. he's owned it 4 years. a local dealership did the maintenance on the vulcan.
seller mentioned carb needed to be cleaned. when i asked why, he said "float gets stuck at high rpms, when your up on the rpms the float bowl sticks and then if you wait a few minutes the gas goes down and the bike runs perfect again"
other than above "issue", bike is described as running great. last spring he had the dealership do a full fluid and check and they said the bike was great.
there is some slight rust on back spring and minor amount on speedometer
the only mods are: it has jets and a aftermarket pipes and highway bar.
last we emailed, he was charging the battery. (it probably needs to be replaced)
i searched this forum archives about the float/carb issue and found:
"Q: I have recently had a unique stalling problem with my bike. I ride it about three miles to work. It sits all day. I come out, start it up, let it warm up, take off. Get about half a mile, it begins to sputter, then dies. I pull over. When I attempt to start it, it sounds like it wants to turn over, but doesn't. I don't crank it so as not to run down the battery. It seems all I have to do is let it sit for three minutes, then try to start it, at which time it will hesitate or kinda be sluggish just a moment when I first begin hit the start button, and then fire up.
Could not letting it warm up enough cause this?
BTW, FWIW, both time this happened, it was on really hot days with the bike sitting all day, sunbathing.
A: Sounds like vapor lock Stewart. With the hot days we have had pressure can build up in the tank. A full tank sitting out in the sun will even leave a little puddle under your bike thanks to that vent tube. Next time you ride in, try just opening your gas tank and closing it to relieve the pressure before you start it up. Those of us down in the Suthern states have to contend with this every so often *S* One additional thing..you might want to check that vent tube too and just run a wire through it to make sure the tip isn't clogged with a bug or road crud. You Yankees just never had to deal with hot that much!
A: Make sure you have your tank vent checked. It sounds like your tank vent is not working causing a pressure build up. This condition is not vapor lock. Freak
A: I spoke with my trusty tech at Action Kawasaki, Bradenton, FL last week on this very issue. The problem, he says, is the size of the friggin float bowls in the VN750. Because of an obvious lack of space, they are tiny. Therefore, after the bike is hot and is shut down with no air flowing that hot air just cooks the gas out of the float bowls. Now, you turn the gas back on (I usually shut mine off if I'm gonna be away from the bike for any longer length of time) and they refill, but if they're still hot, it takes a few moments for the bowls to cool from the gas coming in and kinda stablize. Makes a lot of sense, actually. I agree with the information provided below on the tank heating due to the sun beating down on it."
so, is the carb/float a potential headache/issue?
bottom line, aside from this being maybe the longest 1st post :blah:, do i want this 1999 vulcan 750?
if so, what is a great price i should run to grab?
as i said way above, thank you folks for sharing your obvious knowledge.
be well
rob
thank u good folks for being such a wonderful source of information.
you've heard the tale before:
i haven't ridden in 30yrs (had a wonderful yamaha 650 way back when). a buddy of mine rides with a group twice a month on sunday mornings. he's been urging me to look at used honda shadows as a decent bike for my return to cycling.
i'm not really looking to ride w/a group of guys. i'm more into driving around, dashing downtown and finding easy parking, maybe even taking the wife and the daughters for a ride. i really don't see myself touring. i just wanted to feel the wind and take some turns. (i guess it sounds silly but what the heck...)
i've been reading websites since last spring and stopping folks and somehow i keep ending up at the kawa vulcan 750. i like the looks, feature set, power specs, size and insurance cost.
i have surmised all of the above w/o actually riding (though at 6'/200lbs someone let me sit on their vulcan and the fit was fine). i plan on taking the course in april.
so this past weekend while scouting the local craigslist, i found a nearby 750 and this is what i found out:
1999 vulcan, 2 owners, 10k miles, no drops. owner used to ride it alot but typical story, now has kids and rides less. he's owned it 4 years. a local dealership did the maintenance on the vulcan.
seller mentioned carb needed to be cleaned. when i asked why, he said "float gets stuck at high rpms, when your up on the rpms the float bowl sticks and then if you wait a few minutes the gas goes down and the bike runs perfect again"
other than above "issue", bike is described as running great. last spring he had the dealership do a full fluid and check and they said the bike was great.
there is some slight rust on back spring and minor amount on speedometer
the only mods are: it has jets and a aftermarket pipes and highway bar.
last we emailed, he was charging the battery. (it probably needs to be replaced)
i searched this forum archives about the float/carb issue and found:
"Q: I have recently had a unique stalling problem with my bike. I ride it about three miles to work. It sits all day. I come out, start it up, let it warm up, take off. Get about half a mile, it begins to sputter, then dies. I pull over. When I attempt to start it, it sounds like it wants to turn over, but doesn't. I don't crank it so as not to run down the battery. It seems all I have to do is let it sit for three minutes, then try to start it, at which time it will hesitate or kinda be sluggish just a moment when I first begin hit the start button, and then fire up.
Could not letting it warm up enough cause this?
BTW, FWIW, both time this happened, it was on really hot days with the bike sitting all day, sunbathing.
A: Sounds like vapor lock Stewart. With the hot days we have had pressure can build up in the tank. A full tank sitting out in the sun will even leave a little puddle under your bike thanks to that vent tube. Next time you ride in, try just opening your gas tank and closing it to relieve the pressure before you start it up. Those of us down in the Suthern states have to contend with this every so often *S* One additional thing..you might want to check that vent tube too and just run a wire through it to make sure the tip isn't clogged with a bug or road crud. You Yankees just never had to deal with hot that much!
A: Make sure you have your tank vent checked. It sounds like your tank vent is not working causing a pressure build up. This condition is not vapor lock. Freak
A: I spoke with my trusty tech at Action Kawasaki, Bradenton, FL last week on this very issue. The problem, he says, is the size of the friggin float bowls in the VN750. Because of an obvious lack of space, they are tiny. Therefore, after the bike is hot and is shut down with no air flowing that hot air just cooks the gas out of the float bowls. Now, you turn the gas back on (I usually shut mine off if I'm gonna be away from the bike for any longer length of time) and they refill, but if they're still hot, it takes a few moments for the bowls to cool from the gas coming in and kinda stablize. Makes a lot of sense, actually. I agree with the information provided below on the tank heating due to the sun beating down on it."
so, is the carb/float a potential headache/issue?
bottom line, aside from this being maybe the longest 1st post :blah:, do i want this 1999 vulcan 750?
if so, what is a great price i should run to grab?
as i said way above, thank you folks for sharing your obvious knowledge.
be well
rob