Help! Conflicting advice for new rider bike selection

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.  

Ok, so now it's 10 months and 6500 miles later and I LOVE my Vulcan 500...  It keeps up with the bigger bikes NO PROBLEM...  I have become addicted to riding and I attribute that to this bike being just excellent...  I am an American Legion Rider and also a Patriot Guard Rider.  I ride as much as possible and aside from dropping it in a parking lot on a poker run in front of everyone while backing it into a parking spot (slippery surface)...  I have kept the shiny side up!  I must say again, this bike is a great bike, I'm SO GLAD I DIDN'T GO WITH A SMALLER BIKE!!!!!!  A 250 about now would suck...  the 500 I'll probably keep...  So for my next question, my friends are concerned I need help, anyone know where the Motorcyclist Anonomous is?  I'm an addict...  and loving it...  
Shellbird
Kawasaki Vulcan 500

Excellent, welcome to a happy addiction :-)

Okay, you've had it long enough to be really disgusted at all the chain lube on the rear wheel, if you follow the directions on the can. Here's what I do for my chains.

Suzuki Chain Lube w/Moly... The moly is black and you can easily see when it's time to add a little more. Do *NOT* follow the directions on the can. Those directions are for oldtech chains that do not have O-rings.

The only place the lube does any good on an O-ring chain is, between the rollers and the sprocket teeth. Lubed sprockets will last through several O-ring chains if you replace the chains at the first sign of O-ring failure. That first sign is a slapping chain that can not be adjusted properly because of uneven wear. I replace my chain whenever I replace the rear tire, but I buy rear tires that I can expect to get 20,000 miles on and high quality X-ring chains to match.

I carry the chain lube, a few disposable 2oz plastic cups and some Q-tips in a ziplock bag. When I pull into a gas station, I stop well away from the pump area and get out my ziplock. I shake up the chain lube, then squirt a half second stream into a plastic cup. Then I use a q-tip to apply several dabs of lube to the rollers of the chain, on the rear of the wheel sprocket. That's it, discard the used cup and q-tip in the gas station trash can, then roll the bike to the pump and fill the gas tank. By the time you're done getting gas, the lube has dried enough to resist being thrown off and as soon as you start down the road, the chain and sprockets will distribute it evenly.

It only takes a few times doing it to get used to squirting just the right amount into the cup, so the lube lasts to the next gas fillup. One can of lube will last through several chains at roughly 18,000 miles per chain and your rear wheel will stay clean, too.

I almost forgot... The reason you want to carry the can of chain lube in a ziplock is, in about 6 or 8 years, the seal on the can will start to fail before you use up all the lube and you don't want it to make a mess in your tool bag :-)

regards,
Joe  

It's a good technique, just ignore his comments about o-ring or x-ring getting special dispensation. I had a premium o-ring(Tsubaki Omega) go from pristine to bad in 3 days.  The o-ring only protects the lubricant on the inside of the chain. The tropical storm didn't attack the insides of the chain, just the outside.

I have seen bikes with dripper's /pad attached. they drip a little oil at regular intervals (gravity feed). If you remember to turn them off when parked (just add it to FINEC) you won't have a motorcycle that marks it's territory.

If I ever go back to a chain again, I'll find one for my bike.
As an example, here's one designed for off road use
http://www.happy-trail.com/Products/Scottoiler---Chain-Oiler-Device__MCY-MK7.aspx

BTW,
Congrats on the bike, and the addiction. Yeah, the 500 engine is free revving, and can easily keep up with the big bikes. Truth be to tell, I think it'll take most big bores in the quarter mile.  

Well it can take an 883 easily I found out recently...  go figure.

I need to lube chain so I will try the technique.  BTW, a smaller sprocket was mentioned... something about helping with the highway speeds...  any elaboration on this and how does it affect overall performance?  gas mileage?  etc...  
Shellbird
Kawasaki Vulcan 500

I'll give you my experience on a Vulcan 800. I went from a 17/40 to 17/38 (front/rear). That pulls the rpms down about 10% at all speeds. From a practical standpoint, it means that you have to work the clutch and throttle a little better at takeoff. Outside of that, and figuring out your new shiftpoints, it's transparent (unless you go so radical that the chain length becomes an issue...).

The real beauty of the chain (only one from my standpoint) is that you can change your final ratio for 20 to 40 bucks. Add 1 more tooth on the front, drop one on the rear... All of a sudden, your engine runs 10% slower at the same speed. This usually generates a bump in gas mileage (depending on terrain... your actual mileage..)

My only advice is read what other people have done, and go with the consensus, not the extreme. Usually, that's the person that went too far.  

I doubt the gas usage would change significantly. It never has for me when I changed the final gear ratio. I expect most people that see a change are accelerating more gently after the change. As you reduce the engine rpm, the motor makes less power, so it takes slightly more throttle to get the same power from the lower rpm, to maintain the same speed against the same wind resistance. Slight ratio changes, basically have little affect on gas mileage.

The main purpose that I have changed ratios for, is to alter the peak vibration speed slightly, to smooth out the bike at my normal cruising speed. If the bike feels smoother 2 mph below my cruising speed, I reduce the size of the wheel sprocket by a couple teeth. If the bike feels smoother 2 mph above my cruising speed, I increase the size of the wheel sprocket by a couple teeth. If I need to change by more than 2 mph, I usually don't bother because experience has shown me that the results of trying to change the vibration speed by more than 2 mph usually aren't very satisfying.

As for performance, minor changes of ratios really don't have much affect. On the drag strip, you might see a change of a couple tenths of a second in the quarter mile, but unless you have been drag racing for quite a while, you wouldn't be able to do it consistantly enough to see the difference. On the street, you are not trying to get up to the bike's maximum speed, but rather trying to jump into and out of traffic. That usually means you are simply downshifting to an appropriate gear and accelerating for a few seconds, then upshifting and holding your speed steady again. The change is not nearly as noticable in the lower gears, unless you are pushing the engine to the rpm limiter before upshifting.

regards,
Joe  

Actually, I got about 4mpg more at highway speeds or almost 10%. Most other Drifter owners had similar results, so, unless we all had a mass halucination...

When I changed the final ratio, the amount of throttle goes down for a given speed- at least on the Kawis, throttle determines engine rpm, not speed. Once you get on highway, at some point, the main jet in the carb comes on....there goes the mileage. In my case it pushed the breakpoint from 70 to almost 80mpg. Did thousands of miles with each gearing, and I was no slouch on the throttle in either condition.

Now, if we're dealing with a fuel injected bike, I'd agree, you may not see much of a change. But, I've never had FI on a chain driven bike.  

Personally, I would start small. I have a V Star 250, and she picks up and goes. People say that the 250's have to work to get to freeway speeds. Not true. I would not say that if you buy a 250 you will regret it later, because you won't. I never regret buying my Star. Get the experience and learn the gears and shifting and such, THEN if the HD 883 is what you really want, trade the 250 in for the 883. The 250's of today have plenty of power.