Vulcan 1500 Classic, blocking air intake valve...

[CruiseRider]

I installed the V&H Classic II pipes last week and had the carb rejetted. I'm getting popping in the pipes from air. I am following Gadget's instructions on this web page:

Smog Stuff Removal

to marble the reed valves. The two reeds valves on the cylinders have been marbled, and the pipes are still popping. Gadget told me via e-mail I should marble the air intake valve on the 2004 Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 Classic (VN1500E7).

I took off the gas tank today and wanting to marble the air intake valve. I found the two hoses going to the two reed valves and another slightly larger hose going to #1 cylinder. I don't want to put the marble in the hose I disconnected because it is bigger than a 1/2" marble.

Any ideas, suggestions, etc.?

Thank you.

[captain Rando]

Use two marbles, one at each reed valve. These tubes are smaller. That's what we did with my friends 1500 because I was too lazy to pull off the tank or the air box back plate. Or since you are right there already you can put the marbles in the other two hoses that connect perpendicular to the one you have pulled off. It's just easier to remove them later if you must if they are at the reed valves.

[Classic]

As I recall the larger hose goes to the air intake for fresh air so I'm not sure there's much point in blocking it off though it would do no harm to do so. Your exhaust popping could also come from an exhaust leak at the heads. Did you use new exhaust gaskets when you changed the pipes? Did you re-use the chrome acorn nuts for the new V&H exhaust flanges? If you did, they have probably bottomed out without snugging up the header pipe to the exhaust port because the V&H flanges are thinner than the stock flanges. DO NOT tighten the acorn nuts. Take one off, go to the local hardware store in their metric fastener section and get four new stainless steel flange nuts, not acorn nuts, then go to the nearest HD dealership and get two of their exhaust gaskets. The HD gaskets work perfectly and seal better. The flange nuts can't bottom out so you can get a good seal with proper torque, about 15 ft. lbs +/- and I bet this takes care of the popping. Make sure to torque the flange nuts evenly a little at a time and after riding the bike a few times, re-check the torque. You can find the HD gasket part number by using the search function of this forum or over on the Delphi Vulcan forum.

[Classic]

Here's the HD exhaust gasket part number and as I recall they come two per bag:
17048-98

[CruiseRider]

Originally Posted by Classic

As I recall the larger hose goes to the air intake for fresh air so I'm not sure there's much point in blocking it off though it would do no harm to do so. Your exhaust popping could also come from an exhaust leak at the heads. Did you use new exhaust gaskets when you changed the pipes? Did you re-use the chrome acorn nuts for the new V&H exhaust flanges? If you did, they have probably bottomed out without snugging up the header pipe to the exhaust port because the V&H flanges are thinner than the stock flanges. DO NOT tighten the acorn nuts. Take one off, go to the local hardware store in their metric fastener section and get four new stainless steel flange nuts, not acorn nuts, then go to the nearest HD dealership and get two of their exhaust gaskets. The HD gaskets work perfectly and seal better. The flange nuts can't bottom out so you can get a good seal with proper torque, about 15 ft. lbs +/- and I bet this takes care of the popping. Make sure to torque the flange nuts evenly a little at a time and after riding the bike a few times, re-check the torque. You can find the HD gasket part number by using the search function of this forum or over on the Delphi Vulcan forum.

I used two new Kawasaki gaskets when I put the new V&H pipes and added two washers on each acorn nut. I may put a third washer on per nut to see if that helps or whether it is too much.

I may order or go by a HD shop to get the HD gaskets and get four of the stainless steel flange nuts to see if this helps.

John "Gadget" Lawrence has been a tremendous help on this problem and I appreciate his efforts and patience with me.

[CruiseRider]

Update...

I went out to AutoZone, bought some M8-1.25 strainless steel flange nuts and removed the chrome acorn nuts. I kept the two washers on the exhaust screws, and put on the flange nuts.

No more popping from the pipes!

I plan on getting the HD exhaust gaskets for assurance and probably take off one washer each to make sure the flange nuts hold tight.

Thank you!

[RichLockyer]

The HD gaskets are THICK... you will not need any washers and can go back to the stock acorn nuts without a problem.

Put a dab of grease on the gaskets to hold them in position in the ports while you mount the pipes up... unless you have 4 extra hands.

[Z-In-Jax]

Why not blow $25 bucks and get the coasters and get rid of all the plumbing and save your marbles? Removing the Reed Valve hoses really cleans up the motor, you'll be able to see across the top of cylinders, not to mention it makes cleaning easier... my .02..

[RichLockyer]

When (not if) annual or bi-annual smog testing becomes a requirement, we will need a way to return our engines to the stock configuration in an evening or two for the inspection.

Those who have installed coasters, sold their stock pipes, and installed aftermarket intakes have made that job a lot harder.

[CruiseRider]

Originally Posted by RichLockyer

The HD gaskets are THICK... you will not need any washers and can go back to the stock acorn nuts without a problem.

Put a dab of grease on the gaskets to hold them in position in the ports while you mount the pipes up... unless you have 4 extra hands.

I like the stainless steel flange nuts compared to the chrome acorn nuts. After getting the HD exhaust gaskets, I plan on using the stainless steel flange nuts.

I added the new Kawasaki gaskets without using any grease. Several people told me not to use anything on the gaskets when putting them in. They were sort of easy to get in and they never really fell out when putting the pipes in.

[CruiseRider]

Originally Posted by Z-In-Jax

Why not blow $25 bucks and get the coasters and get rid of all the plumbing and save your marbles? Removing the Reed Valve hoses really cleans up the motor, you'll be able to see across the top of cylinders, not to mention it makes cleaning easier... my .02..

I thought about remove the reed valves, but I rather leave them there for now in case I need to revert to stock exhaust for some strange reason.

[Z-In-Jax]

Originally Posted by RichLockyer

When (not if) annual or bi-annual smog testing becomes a requirement, we will need a way to return our engines to the stock configuration in an evening or two for the inspection.

Those who have installed coasters, sold their stock pipes, and installed aftermarket intakes have made that job a lot harder.

Yet another reason I left California 12 years ago and have never looked back... I still have everything except for that stupid crossover tube, it didn't survive the surgery when I installed my BAK... can't imagine putting all that "crap" back on... thankfully FL isn't even close to doing smog testing like CA does, I used to hate those annual rip-offs....

[RichLockyer]

Originally Posted by CruiseRider

I added the new Kawasaki gaskets without using any grease. Several people told me not to use anything on the gaskets when putting them in. They were sort of easy to get in and they never really fell out when putting the pipes in.

They don't need any kind of sealant, that's what people are normally referring to, but the Harley gaskets are a touch smaller than the ID of the mounting ring portion of the port, so they can't be "pressed in" and will fall out while you are mounting the pipes. Even the grease only holds them for a couple of minutes. I'm not talking "glop it on" like sealant... I just mean put a small dab with your fingertip at 3 or 4 places.

Originally Posted by Z-In-Jax

I used to hate those annual rip-offs....

They've eased up a bit on cages... New vehicles are given a pass for 5 years, then it's every other year.

But the EPA (Federal) is working on adopting national standards that are either as tough or even tougher than what California currently has on the books. That was the reason given for the EPA denying a waiver allowing California to enforce it's new "greenhouse gas emission" law against the automakers.

[CruiseRider]

I picked up the HD exhaust gaskets (17078-9 today, they were $7.95 each, and will probably put them in soon.

Thanks for the HD gasket part number.

[Deeppurple52]

cruise.... Good post. The popping is quite common and almost always the result of pipe installation. A lot of riders do a lot of unnecessary tinkering to fix this problem. Everyone considering changing their pipes should read this carefully.

[RichLockyer]

+1

"Marbling" and a properly mounted exhaust system will not produce loud pops on decel on most bikes. Too many people start futzing with the fuel mixture to try and cure a symptom of a mechanical problem.

[NCDave]

Do yourself a favor and do a couple more things.

First, yank out the rest of the EPA stuff and block everything off.

Second, cut out the crossover tube, block the back of the right side cover and add a coyote kit or some other air intake.

Glad you figured out the exhaust problems! The Gadget site and the VROC folks can be invaluable!