500/750/800/900cc

[nc vulcan 800]

Originally Posted by woodchucks800

v Congrats on the A you'll like it. I posted a link in the sprocket thread. Go with the V & H cruizers for the pipes ,best sounding pipes for the 800 . Others will agree when the get home by the weekend. If chabnging the pipes is all your doing right now ,you don't need to rejet,just turn the A/F screw out a half of turn. You ought to take the epa cr*ap off while your doing the pipes an carb adjustment . It will stop the decelleration pops an let the engine run a little cooler as well. Just got done helping a neighbor do it on his new 800A an he definitely noticed an improvement (an liked it by the way)

too acess the a/f screw the plug on top of it has to be drilled very carefully & removed with the carb removed, i tried that on mine but had better results going up one size on the main jet.& also drilled & removed the plug on mine to acess the a/f screw,but its a good idea to count the turns it takes to bottom the screw out & write the number of turns down ,in case you want to go back to the stock setting for a reference. just my 2 cents worth

[nc vulcan 800]

Originally Posted by love to ride

I have a 97 Vulcan 800A. Is it likely that a dealer will stock the 18 tooth sprocket? If not, what is the best place to order?

I am interested in V&H pipes. Where is the best price? So far I think Cruisercustomizing. Will I need to rejet the carb if I change to these pipes?

I spent at least 1 hour reading all the posts last night.

Thanks
Dave

try direct parts ,cheapest i"ve seen out there on V&H pipes

[nc vulcan 800]

Originally Posted by Brian Donnell

I haven't ridden in 17 yrs, I've been disabled for the last 6 yrs and just started again with an '05 Vulcan 750. It says right on the bike to use Pemium Gas ONLY. I believe for the money you spend on them they can be more specific about the types of fuel and what will happen if you use the lower grade.

i would try a little of the 87 regular & see how it does,dont fill it up . if it doesnt perform well , (as in noisey valves ,low power, poor mileage)then fill it with premium & stick to premium. also check in your owners manual for usable octanes, kawasaki dealership in your area can tell you also.

[nc vulcan 800]

Originally Posted by moparman

Well, I have done some more researching and found that the V&H Cruzers I have on the bike come with baffles that are removable and REPACKABLE. I will remove them tomorrow and see what they have for packing. Considering the way they sound now (like straights IMO), I seriously doubt there is any packing at all. Since I have a HUGE amount of nice fiberglass insulation I can use for packing (assuming that fiberglass is what I am supposed to use), I will maybe have a nice set of pipes, and cool sound, AND the marital bliss I want to enjoy while riding 2up.

man i sure hope your not talking about house type fiberglass insulation,otherwise your fixing to make one big fire or flame thrower or both.

[nc vulcan 800]

seafoam is good stuff,been reading some of these post put up here on it,i put the stuff in at every other oil change,if your using this stuff regular as in every other tank or so to correct little problems with your bike ,then you have bike problems (simple as that) stuff is good ,when storing a bike ,water in fuel,and used not very often. this is just my opinion (what works for me may not you) everything i post here is just my 2 cents worth . i have worked on quite of few bikes in my time, & seen alot of mistakes. just hope i can help some folks out there with posts from my experiences. by the way this is a vulcan forum ( the moderator rides a ninja?) i"ll get some good replys on that one

[woodchucks800]

Originally Posted by nc vulcan 800

by the way this is a vulcan forum ( the moderator rides a ninja?) i"ll get some good replys on that one

Nc they're about 5 moderators an three of them ride cruisers by they moderate all the forums.

[bluestringer]

Originally Posted by nc vulcan 800

too acess the a/f screw the plug on top of it has to be drilled very carefully & removed with the carb removed, i tried that on mine but had better results going up one size on the main jet.& also drilled & removed the plug on mine to acess the a/f screw,but its a good idea to count the turns it takes to bottom the screw out & write the number of turns down ,in case you want to go back to the stock setting for a reference. just my 2 cents worth

If you are running a K&N filter with the stock air box, use a 145mj, 48pj, and turn the a/f out like Woody said. That's with either debaffled stock or aftermarket pipes. If you scooterize or grampsize go with a 165mj, 50pj if using an aftermarket needle, a/f screw out 2 and a half turns, 170mj, 52pj if using the stock needle, a/f screw out 1 and half turns. Be sure to have either aftermarket pipes or at least debaffle the stocks.

[02vn8a]

Does anyone know how wide of tire the 800A can take without changing anything? With that said, has anyone seen a fat tire kit for this bike that will allow an even wider tire?

[woodchucks800]

Originally Posted by 02vn8a

Does anyone know how wide of tire the 800A can take without changing anything? With that said, has anyone seen a fat tire kit for this bike that will allow an even wider tire?

A 150/80/16 is what most are going to. Some are getting a 160/80 on without a problem. Any wider an you'll hit the swing arm ,plus you'll need a wider rim,not to mention that you have a rear drum brake that you'll have to deal with. If you could deal with the swingarm you might be ablr to relace a wider rim to the hub. Either way it won't be cheap.

[moparman]

Originally Posted by nc vulcan 800

man i sure hope your not talking about house type fiberglass insulation,otherwise your fixing to make one big fire or flame thrower or both.

Actually, I am using house insulation and it is working perfectly. I just rode almost 1800 miles since Friday morning and they are still doing just fine. However, I will say that I am not using the pink stuff. It is the yellow (just like the bags hanging in the bike shops for $5 a pop) and has no formaldehyde IIRC. Everyone was raving about how great they sounded and I sure can't complain about the longevity since they lasted many miles with much of it at and over 90MPH.

[ridenagain]

I see a good bit of talk about re-jetting of the carb in this thread, and it seems many of you here have a super understanding of this carb. I have a question regarding my 1995 800A, I purchased last year. Here’s what I’ve done so far. (Thanks to many of the posts in this site). I have removed the rear baffles in the stock exhaust, added a K&N filter, drilled out the A/F plug and have the idle air screw currently backed out to 2 7/8 turns. It now starts and idles very well, even in the cold air of Erie PA in April. I changed the sprocket setup to 18/40 and with that, gas mileage is up from 43 to 52.6 on the open road if I’m easy on it. All in all it runs very well and smooth. There is no de-acceleration pop with the throttle closed, but an occasional pop when “crackin’” the throttle to downshift. I can feel it come back through the carburetor and air filter. This is a rare occasion happening maybe once for every 20 downshifts. It does seem to occur more when hot. (Outside air temp 85 and higher) I found running the 87 octane fuel shows no appreciable difference than the 91-premium stuff, so I use the 87. Plugs look great every time I’ve had them out. I also run 2 ounces of seafoam every 5th tank just to keep things clean.

My question is the top end of the throttle does not seem to provide much acceleration. ½ throttle and down is brisk and smooth, but wide open does not provide any more power than ½ throttle does. Engine sound and performance simply does not change in the upper throttle range. Could this be a jetting issue??? Or is something else to blame. (Maybe the sprocket change??) All in all, the bike is a very solid runner and I am on that line of do I fix something that isn’t broke??? (Unless it’s broke) I do not use full throttle often, but when I do, I’d like to feel it. Somethin’ about WOT that just gets the blood pumping!!!

Thanks to Beartooth Kawasaki for a great forum!!!

Ride hard, ride safe and ride often!!!!

[bluestringer]

Originally Posted by ridenagain

I see a good bit of talk about re-jetting of the carb in this thread, and it seems many of you here have a super understanding of this carb. I have a question regarding my 1995 800A, I purchased last year. Here’s what I’ve done so far. (Thanks to many of the posts in this site). I have removed the rear baffles in the stock exhaust, added a K&N filter, drilled out the A/F plug and have the idle air screw currently backed out to 2 7/8 turns. It now starts and idles very well, even in the cold air of Erie PA in April. I changed the sprocket setup to 18/40 and with that, gas mileage is up from 43 to 52.6 on the open road if I’m easy on it. All in all it runs very well and smooth. There is no de-acceleration pop with the throttle closed, but an occasional pop when “crackin’” the throttle to downshift. I can feel it come back through the carburetor and air filter. This is a rare occasion happening maybe once for every 20 downshifts. It does seem to occur more when hot. (Outside air temp 85 and higher) I found running the 87 octane fuel shows no appreciable difference than the 91-premium stuff, so I use the 87. Plugs look great every time I’ve had them out. I also run 2 ounces of seafoam every 5th tank just to keep things clean.

My question is the top end of the throttle does not seem to provide much acceleration. ½ throttle and down is brisk and smooth, but wide open does not provide any more power than ½ throttle does. Engine sound and performance simply does not change in the upper throttle range. Could this be a jetting issue??? Or is something else to blame. (Maybe the sprocket change??) All in all, the bike is a very solid runner and I am on that line of do I fix something that isn’t broke??? (Unless it’s broke) I do not use full throttle often, but when I do, I’d like to feel it. Somethin’ about WOT that just gets the blood pumping!!!

Thanks to Beartooth Kawasaki for a great forum!!!

Ride hard, ride safe and ride often!!!!

Sounds like you may need to do something with the needle. Woody can tell you more about it, he's our 800 guru.

[woodchucks800]

Gonna need a little more info Ride. first off the sprocket change won't have anything to do with it. How many miles do you have on the bike? Have you removed the epa crap? ( this will help with the pops) When you say you aren't gaining any more power after half throttle are you sayng that the bike doesn't gain speed or higher rpm's? I've got a couple more questions but I'll let you answer these first. You might check the intake manifold from when you pulled the carb an see if its loose or to tight. Being its rubber its kinda sensitive.

[woodchucks800]

Blue, did you get my PM from the other day?

[ridenagain]

The bike has 14,150 miles on it. The previous owner kept it in very good condition and said “the dealer” did all of the maintenance on it. It does not appear to have any aftermarket work from the motor standpoint. EPA junk is still on it as it is stock from intake to exhaust except for what I have changed this spring. (Air idle mixture and rear baffles removed) I am not specifically sure what the EPA stuff is, but I do see it mentioned quite a bit in the forum. To be more specific about the power, If going 45 mph in 3rd gear and wanting to make a quick pass, I get the same speed change if I open the throttle just a little (1/4 inch), or all the way (3/4 to 1 inch).

My gut instinct, (from many auto carb rebuilds), is that the main jet port is clogged or too small in size. When I had the carb off for the A/F drill out, it was very clean looking where I could see inside, but I have not actually torn it apart. The pump, (well, I call it a pump), shoots fuel in from the outside portion of the venturi well when opening the throttle.

I checked the intake manifold right after the A/F adjustment and found when I put it back on the first time, there was a fold over of that dinky rubber manifold gasket. Boy it was lean when I fired it up after the adjustment. It didn’t take long to figure it out. It is on correctly now.

I am new to work on motorcycles. The best comparison I can give, is as you step on the pedal of a Holley 4 barrel, the deeper into the floor you go, the deeper the growl of the engine and the acceleration just keeps coming. If you only go half way, the acceleration is noticeably lighter. On the Vulcan, full throttle is not giving the same feel. As I open the throttle up wider, I am not feeling any deep acceleration. The pull hovers right around where ½ throttle is, even at full throttle. I usually roll into WOT, not just open it wide in an instant.

Like I said, other than this, the bike runs tremendously. Vibration free, solid in turns, super gas mileage and it looks great! Just not sure if this is normal, or if I’m just not getting enough fuel / air at WOT. Any suggestions or info is greatly appreciated. Thanks for replying.

[woodchucks800]

Gotta go to work Ride, but we'll talk tonight. Don't worry I've got a few things that will help the problem. Plus we'll get the epa stuff off while your in there(not hard at all)

[bluestringer]

Originally Posted by woodchucks800

Blue, did you get my PM from the other day?

Sorry Woody, I just saw it. I forget about PM, and hardly ever look at the top of the page. Reply sent.

[ridenagain]

Thanks Woody. I'm at work all night tonight, so I'll check in if I get the chance. Looked at the "grampsizing mod last night, then could not get to sleep. Think I got a bad case of that Mod Flu going on. Also checked on the EPA stuff and you are right,looks pretty easy and since I'll be in there anyway.?.?

Thanks again.

[woodchucks800]

Originally Posted by ridenagain

Thanks Woody. I'm at work all night tonight, so I'll check in if I get the chance. Looked at the "grampsizing mod last night, then could not get to sleep. Think I got a bad case of that Mod Flu going on. Also checked on the EPA stuff and you are right,looks pretty easy and since I'll be in there anyway.?.?

Thanks again.

Sorry I didn't get back to you Ride. First ,don't bother grampsizing or scooterizing unless you swap the pipes for aftermarket. Gutting the stock pipes didn't do much if anything for performance ( they do sound better though). The stock pipes are 1 1/2" diameter while the aftermarket are 1 3/4" ,by gutting the stockers you haven't increase the flow, you may have decrease the back pressure a bit. Now for the carb. First check the cables an make sure your getting WOT , next you might need a bigger main jet but it won't be much (the stock jet is a 135)maybe a 145,if your planning on going in the carb you need to check the slide (diaphram ,make sure its in good shape ,no pin holes) you ought to drill the slide as well since you have it out 1/8" hole ,it may help an it won't hurt a thing. As far as the needle go's there isn't much your gonna do with it since it's stock an it's non-adjustable. If your even thinking about aftermarket pipes an doing the intake (grampsizing,scooterizing) in the near future , I wouldn't waste my time trying to tweak the carb since you'll have to do it all over again after the new mods. Let us know how things are going after you check them out.

[ridenagain]

Unfortunately, the home budget is just not going to allow for aftermarket pipes this year. I want the Cruizers. (I got to hear them on a 2003 800 2 weeks ago and loved the sound). Hopefully before next riding season. I will check the cables. That makes good sense as I also just installed new grips. But the issue was present before that. I read about the slide issues on the grampsizing paper I found. I’ll check the diaphragm and probably drill out the slide as you suggest as soon as I can.

Ran in to a little snag today. Went to ride home from work this AM at 6 o’clock and checked the turn signal as I usually do while it is warming for a minute, and don’t ya know it, all out. No right or left and no indicator light on the panel either. That’s the first time I ever found something wrong on a spot check. Drove home using the old-fashioned hand signals instead. So I checked the junction box and the fuse was blown. Replaced, turned bike on and puff, blown again. So out came the volt meter and found the flasher relay to be bad. Ordered one this evening from Bike Bandit. Hope to get it before the weekend.

I also have the T-5 tranny out of my T-Bird turbo right now. It lost a main shaft bearing at 90,000. Took the shaft with it. Replacing the clutch and pressure plate while I’m in there. Tranny will be back together Monday, still waiting for the shaft, and it should be back in the car on Tuesday night. So I should be able to jump into the bike stuff by Friday.

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge. I’ve seen many of your threads and the info is invaluable.

Riden