New member hello and inquiry

[Johnpaul1839]

Hello all,

My name is John Paul, I'm from Richmond VA, and I am honored to be posting on this forum. I can see there's a lot of dirty hands who help a lot of people.

I am currently enjoying a 1984 ZN1100LTD. However, today at work I spoke with someone who said he was selling a 1992 Vulcan 750 that had sat for many years. Well, I bought it, a new muffler, and two helmits for $500 and need your expert advice to help me 'try' to start it properly. I will have more information and pictures this weekend after I trailer it home.

Needless to say I suppose I'll need to drain the fuel if there is any, try to rotate the engine manually to lubricate it after adding oil, install new plugs and cables as they looked pretty rusty. Yes - unfortunatly it sat outside for many years. Maybe 10. It only has 923 miles and he just let it sit there partially covered. I can't imagine the waste of the bike like that sitting there and he paid insurance on it all these years!

The paint job is in great shape, the tires are still inflated, there were wasps in the saddle bags, and corrosion all over. Elbow grease will make it shine again and I'll be sure to take before and after pics for yall.

Enough already. I'll anxiously await any advice you all may have. I will send pictures Saturday evening.

Thanks again and I look forward to reading you,

John Paul

[StarGate]

Nice find and sounds like you got a pretty good deal. First I'd wash it good so you can see what you have and what might be in need of attention. Of course you don't need to do a lot to the bike other than the engine until you get it running. But don't neglect things like brake fluid change, probably tires, check adjust chain, check all bearings (wheels, steering, swingarm, etc.). Right away you'll want some new plugs, new battery, new oil and filter, new fuel lines and maybe vacuum lines, and fresh gas if the tank isn't full of rust. I'd fog each cylinder with WD40 while you have the plugs out then turn it over manually. If it turns easy, then gap and install the new plugs. Good luck with it and we'll be waiting on the pics.

[Johnpaul1839]

Thanks Stargate,

I went ahead and picked the bike up today and brought it home. Check out the photos (my max number was 5 pics).

Is liquid wrench by Gunk with lithium as good as or better then WD40? I tried to open the fuel tank but cant get the key in all the way. Problem 1 of ???.

Tomorrow I'll wash the engine and spray it all down, take out the plugs, and start with your suggestions. I tried to roll the bike and let the clutch out to see if the engine would turn over and the rear wheel skid so I think it's going to be a long haul.

Thanks again for your help.

By the way, I'm amazed at the number of posts on this board! What a great support network.

[Johnpaul1839]

OK friends,

I got the bike running after wrestling with rust in the tank, a stuck kickstand switch, oil change, gear oil change, new filters, plugs, stuck cables, and starter fluid. Suprisingly it wasn't very hard to get it running. After she heated up it got better and better. I think I need to let it idle for a day to really clean it out.

Now it wont run very fast. As I said in a previous post I wonder if it is gunk in the carborator. Response from the throttle is slow accellerating and decelerating.

Here's where I need some more advice. It sounds like one muffler is louder then the other. It certainly gets hotter faster also. I'm not sure what this could indicate. Perhaps its just rusted through somewhere under the guard which I can't easilly see.

As always, your advice is much appreciated.

John Paul

[LoudFastUgly]

Hi JP,

Welcome to the forum. WD-40 is my pet peave. Water Displacement formula 40.

Motorcycles are used outdoors. Anything that is used outdoors should not be subject to WD40 as it disappates too quickly. Any good penetrating oil generally has a foaming action, look for that the next time your wandering the aisles at the hardware store.

Anytime you pick up a bike like this one (long term storage), you should find a service or owners manual. Go through the entire list for first 5000 mile service:

All fluids replaced
Steering Head bearings checked.
Drum brakes inspected and lubed.
Chain and sprockets inspected (corrosion on the chain = you buy new).
Shaft drive (like yours) gets lubed
Swing arm lubed
Tires & wheel bearings inspected
Valve adjustment
Tune up
Cables adjusted and lubed

And of course, carburetors. Oh my. One pipe getting hotter than another is a sign of misfire. You really need to remove and clean these carbs in and out by hand before going any further. Theres lots of threads here on how it is done, but no teacher like experience.