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20 Posts
So, out of the blue, my '94 Vulcan's temperature guage starts to climb. Now, I've had my share of issues with this bike, all expensive, of course, but this is a new one. We limp home as she's scraping the bottom of the red, not overheating but not far from it.
When I first bought the bike, it seemed to have a coolant leak, but the guy at the shop tightened something and it seemed to be fine. So, remembering this, I top off my coolant, hoping that's it. It's impossible to tell my fluid levels from the dark, murky, weatherbeaten white plastic windows I am supposed to read.
Anyway, I ride to work this morning-- not as bad, but still at least 3/4 in the hot zone! I get worried after work when she sounds different and seems sluggish to catch on, I'm convinced I'm going to seize the engine, so I take a chance and dump a quart of oil in. I started slowly, with a flashight, in the afternoon sun, trying to read that gross little window where the oil is either HIGH or LOW, but I can't see a damned thing. I know the oil was changed when I got the stator replaced about 7-8 weeks ago, so it isn't running with the factory 10w-40 from 1994.
The bottom of the bike looks like it's been to an orgy-- all grimy and oily, and near the front wheel, next to what I believe from the manual to be an oil line, slimmer and more tied down, is a black hose, coming from somewhere inside the bike, just loose and flappy as can be. I don't know where it comes from, and I've been poring over the manual for the last couple of hourse trying to figure it out without taking the bike apart (have to get to work in the morning somehow...)
Anyway, I get home, one eye constantly on the temp gauge, and it sits more or less happily at the halfway, normal running mark, until the very end of my ride (about 20 miles) when it creeps up a little high, close to the 3/4 mark.
On a side note, I get terrible gas mileage-- average around 30 mpg, probably because I go 70+ on the highway for about 15 miles to and form work each day, about 5 miles on normal streets, and I weigh about 230. Even so, it seems... uneconomical.
My questions are:
1) What is this hose?! Where does it plug in?! I didn't see anything within easy sight/reach of where it seems like it should go
2) Is it the cause of my oily bottom? The manual thinks there is a mechanical gasket leak, which is why the channels on the south end are wet
3) Is it why I am overheating all of the sudden? Could that be something else entirely?
4) Why do I continue to pour money into this bike, and have such a weird emotional attachment to it?!?!?! :loser1: She has a name and we have conversations. I know when she's having fun, or having a bad day. I know this is impossible, but I swear it seems to make sense when we are riding together...
When I first bought the bike, it seemed to have a coolant leak, but the guy at the shop tightened something and it seemed to be fine. So, remembering this, I top off my coolant, hoping that's it. It's impossible to tell my fluid levels from the dark, murky, weatherbeaten white plastic windows I am supposed to read.
Anyway, I ride to work this morning-- not as bad, but still at least 3/4 in the hot zone! I get worried after work when she sounds different and seems sluggish to catch on, I'm convinced I'm going to seize the engine, so I take a chance and dump a quart of oil in. I started slowly, with a flashight, in the afternoon sun, trying to read that gross little window where the oil is either HIGH or LOW, but I can't see a damned thing. I know the oil was changed when I got the stator replaced about 7-8 weeks ago, so it isn't running with the factory 10w-40 from 1994.
The bottom of the bike looks like it's been to an orgy-- all grimy and oily, and near the front wheel, next to what I believe from the manual to be an oil line, slimmer and more tied down, is a black hose, coming from somewhere inside the bike, just loose and flappy as can be. I don't know where it comes from, and I've been poring over the manual for the last couple of hourse trying to figure it out without taking the bike apart (have to get to work in the morning somehow...)
Anyway, I get home, one eye constantly on the temp gauge, and it sits more or less happily at the halfway, normal running mark, until the very end of my ride (about 20 miles) when it creeps up a little high, close to the 3/4 mark.
On a side note, I get terrible gas mileage-- average around 30 mpg, probably because I go 70+ on the highway for about 15 miles to and form work each day, about 5 miles on normal streets, and I weigh about 230. Even so, it seems... uneconomical.
My questions are:
1) What is this hose?! Where does it plug in?! I didn't see anything within easy sight/reach of where it seems like it should go
2) Is it the cause of my oily bottom? The manual thinks there is a mechanical gasket leak, which is why the channels on the south end are wet
3) Is it why I am overheating all of the sudden? Could that be something else entirely?
4) Why do I continue to pour money into this bike, and have such a weird emotional attachment to it?!?!?! :loser1: She has a name and we have conversations. I know when she's having fun, or having a bad day. I know this is impossible, but I swear it seems to make sense when we are riding together...
I did notice that 2 of the old plugs were pretty runny with oil when I replaced them, and had developed some rust.
