[BigRed]

I have been cruising today doing the break in exercise and at the end of the day decided to go down to the marina to sit by the bay. As I was coasting in to the parking spot, clutch in I think....It just quit and I heard a short spinning/zinging sound from the right side of the engine. The warning light was on and the oil pan image was in the lower part of the window? The oil is a little over half of the clear indicator window, so I guess it has enough oil.

Any ideas...scared me and since it started up again I took it right home.

Also, Im sorry to appear so green on V's but it really does go thump thump and their feels like a lot of vibration through the seat, with just a little through the handle bars when I stop. Doesn't shake like a harley, but the thump thump and vibration is making me think something is out of balance, its either my brain or something on the bike.

Thanks in advance for the help....I really don't like the quitting part...

 

[bikeaholic]

re

prolly worth getting checked - have not heard the thumping prob on these bikes nor just quitting

 

[BigRed]

Bikaholic...how much vibration should I expect from this bike. The speedo is rattling a very low frequency (rubber to metal) but loud almost from the time I get going.

 

[bikeaholic]

re

at certain rpm's the vibes come thru a little mostly just in third gear
the speedo vibes all the time - you can actually watch it dance up and down
in the housing - but that's normal and does not appear to be a concern

the wires in the headlight bucket will rattle until you tape them down if you
have'nt already -some gas caps rattle also, once you tighten everything down most of the rattles go away-my turnsignal bar in front was loose and banging on the headlight bracket also-all in all the vibes in the bike are normal to me for a single pin crank motor but this thumping sound you describe is odd and mine has never just quite

 

[BigRed]

The thumping is probably in my mind...not really a sound, but a feeling...I'm new to Vtwin's so it might just be what they do.

I most concerned with it quitting and that it appears to be running hot. Fan on at slow speeds and almost every stop. Engine tinks quite a bit when I turn it off..

 

[bikeaholic]

re

yep- get it checked

my fan hardly ever comes on and then only for a brief time-my bike runs very cool - the thumping may be driveshaft backlash that is normal on these bikes also

 

[Strictly VN 1600]

My fan often came on when I drove slowly for a distance and let it idle for a moment. In my opinion it shouldn't be a problem. On hotter days the engine also pings a bit, or so I've heard. Mine does it just when I accelerate hard. I changed to 98 octane fuel and went almost fully away. Putting a lower gear on when accelerating will also help it stop pinging. Kawasaki states that the pinging is NORMAL, but to me, pinging is far from normal engine actions.

After only 7500 miles my bike seems to run a bit cooler. After changing from the dealers premium oil to Shell Ultra 4 fully synthetic, the crankcase temperature seemed to decrease dramatically. Also engine sounds were much quieter and less vibration. This engine needs synthetic oil... only premium when broken in. Don't believe the stories where bikes have had clutches slipping when used synthetic oil. They probably used automotive oils. This article made me believe every single bike there is on the market can be driven with synthetic oil.... Read yourself:

http://mr2.com/TEXT/synth_oil.txt

It's a long one but take your time.

BigRed, it's hard for us to understand if the vibration you describe is actually the vibration everybody else feel. Remember, this is a 1,6 litre single pin v-twin engine. It can't be perfectly smooth on every rpm. Try to take a look on the engine when driving the 5th gear on 40 mph. Atleast the air cleaner covers dance like crazy so the rubber mounting does a pretty good job eliminating these vibes. Might even be that some engine mount bolt is loose or the exhaust pipe bolts also...check them if you have a torque wrench at home or let the dealer take care of them in the next service.

 

[btreaves]

I'd bet money that it's probably all in your head unless you were unlucky enough to get a lemon...I have a brand spanking new Vulcan and it quit on me early on at low speeds with the clutch in...It's even quit on me while idling at lights. The bike is breaking itself in, you may have the idle set too low...I know I did, but the bottom line is nothing is wrong with my bike...Even my Hayabusa does that from time to time. It's just a small thing. If you hear any significant noise while it's running now that's a problem...Take it in for the break in service for your own peace of mind and tell the mechanic what happened and he'll probably have some sort of answer for you...I'd say what you experienced is rather normal for a brand new bike.

Oh and for the record...Everytime I turn my bike off I hear a short zing sound...I assume that it's the counter balancer or something like that, cuz it's definitely a gear driven noise I'm hearing.

 

[BigRed]

Btreaves, I think you are probably right. I'm more freaked about it than I should be and this board and the replys is definately theraputic (spelling?)...anyway your post helped to settle me down alot. I checked the coolant level last night when after I rode and it was just fine. Also thinking about the oil icon coming up after it quit....its always on when the bike is off and the ignition is on until you get enough oil pressure....

Many thanks for your insights...maybe I'll take my head into get checked...

 

[Ken]

...maybe I'll take my head into get checked...

Nah, just go for an extended ride. A tank of gas will do wonders 8)

 

[BigRed]

Thanks to everyone for their help and calming me down. I took the bike to the dealer today and he said everything is normal for this type of bike. He told me how to fix the Speedo rattle...its rubber mounted but the grommets do not hold the unit tight enough. Fix, a round or two of electrical tape around the pins that go into the grommets.

As I was told quite accurately...its was all in my head.....thanks alot for everyone's support and diagnosis...

 

[btreaves]

Glad to hear you've settled yourself down a bit...




NOW GET OUT THERE AND ENJOY RIDING THAT THING!




THAT'S AN ORDER!