Shellbird asked...
Need help understanding the controls for the gas tank on the Vulcan...  

I'm not familiar with that exact model, but the Vulcans I have ridden have a three position petcock valve that also has a vacuum operated valve built into it.

The three positions were ON, PRIme and REServe. ON is for normal riding, RES gets you the last little bit in the bottom of the tank, when you run out of gas using ON. PRIme is for bypassing the vacuum operated valve, so you can fill the carb bowls back up if you run them dry, since the vacuum valve shuts off the gas any time the engine is not running.

Shellbird said...
One thing...  dealership said it had a full tank, I only did about 50 miles on it - well I didn't realize I was riding on reserve so luckily my first trip was to the gas station, ran out of gas as I was pulling in -literally- a great learning experience that I will not replicate again.  

Salesmen... some of them will say anything they think might persuade you to buy the bike. I don't think anyone ever made a buy/don't decision, based on the amount of gas in the tank, but they still say that.

You might want to take a look at the techtalk forum at the Vulcan Owners and Riders website, www.vroc.org

There's a lot of helpful people there who enjoy informing new Vulcan owners, how to best maintain their bike.

regards,
Joe  

The 500 has 3 positions (get out a magnifying glass, they are labeled in faint etchings. They are either on or primary, off, and reserve.

When you do the MSF, they will pound FINEC into you. Fuel, Ignition, Neutral, Engine, Clutch.
Most people in the beginner class forget at least once to turn the fuel back on. Did it at least once.
When your bike is turned off, you should have it in the off position. It's a gravity feed system, and it does leak a little when it's not running.

If you get a bike that doesn't have the off position (most EFI, and some carbed bikes don't), then, you're golden.

Lubing a chain is easy. Lightly spray lube over the length of the chain, pausing to roll the bike to get at the rest.
Which lube to use.... Well, that could start Flame wars on choices (serious). Just go with Kawi's recomendation for now.  

I'm a 5'2 female and I found the 883 to be uncomfortable, the seat too high (yes, even the low model) and the bike top heavy.  I've also read that the low has very little travel in the rear shocks and the ride is very harsh.  You might also consider that the tank isn't very large so if you do much traveling on it (which I don't think it's meant for) you won't go far before you need to stop for gas.  I also worry you would get blown around on the highway.
I started out on a Kawasaki Vulcan 500.  It's got a much lower seat and is lighter.  I've since moved on to a Honda Aero 750 which is much more stable and comfortable on the highway.  Either one would be a good choice but what you really need to do is go sit on a bunch of different bikes and decided which one is comfortable for you.
Don't get sucked in by the 'women's bike' tag.  They are built by men for average women.  At 5'2" that doesn't include us.  So go sit on some and decide for yourself.
Donna in Nebraska  

shellbird,congratulations on youre first SOLO.hope you enjoy youre time learning.