[Rwatson]

Just bought a 97 vulcan 1500L to work on over the summer. Haven't been on a bike in a few years...like 10, but have had the itch and came across this one for 600$. I don't mind putting the work in but I'm not a mechanic by any means. Guy said he "dropped" it and it wouldn't go into 1st gear anymore so he parked it where it sat for 4 years until I bought it. Cleaning the tank and carb then getting a new battery so I can hear it run but if you guys have an thought I'd love to hear it. Will post pictures as I work on it if needed.

 

[Ropp]

Welcome to the forum, maybe previous owner has bent the gear change or pushrod which side was it dropped on?

 

[WFO-KZ]

Welcome Rwatson,

Do you have a service manual? I think it will prove invaluable to obtain one. Hopefully Ropp is correct and it is just something bent or in need of adjustment. The clip below is from a similar Vulcan and gives you an idea of how useful a manual can be. Caution tho, this measurement may or may not apply to your specific Vulcan model.

 

[Rwatson]

I ordered a Clymer manual the day I get her home, should be here in a couple days. Honestly I'm not sure which side he dropped it on, he said it wasn't while riding it, I guess I just assumed he meant on the shifter side. Also thank you guys for replying so quickly.

 

[Rwatson]

Still waiting on that manual from California. Do you guys know which carb came on this bad boy? Should I buy a new one or just clean the old one?

 

[Ropp]

Looks good really , bit dusty but looking past that should clean up nicely , are you sure its a 1500L and 1997?

 

[Rwatson]

Sure?... I don't know if I'd say that lol. I searched the vin and that's what it came back as. 97 kawa is on the title and vin comes back as VN1500-C. And that searches as a vulcan 1500L. Whew lot of gobbledygook to get the model, which is probably why I am being cautious about buying a carb.
Yes sir it was dirty, that was just before I took the tank off to clean and seal, but it was in a garage all those years before I bought it so cleaning shouldn't be bad.

 

[Ropp]

Is it a single carb or twin carb, I made this mistake before about carbs and year

 

[Rwatson]

I'm thinking twin... but wasn't before you said that! I see keihin, v336, kke, and pwk on it but can't seem to find a carb that matches that exactly through Google. Thinking there is a knock off one on ebay but they only reference Harley, it's like a 40mm with a 175 primary jet I think. It's 60 bucks and it looks like I'd need two so it's a bit more than I was wanting to pay, but if rebuilding is too hard I would just drop the cash.

 

[Ropp]

Perhaps this could be yours , twin carbs

https://www.cmsnl.com/kawasaki-vn1500c4-vulcan-1500l-1997-usa-california_model12514/partslist/E1611.html#.YGivPM-Smc0

 

[Rwatson]

That sure looks like it in the carburetor assembly. I really appreciate it, now at least I have a reference but 1000$ is way more than I can spend on it so it looks like rebuild is the way to go. It doesn't look terrible, I'm just worried I'll get in over my skill level. Also it said CVK not PWK like I thought but I don't think that matters now that you've found the thing lol.

 

[Ropp]

They dont look too bad, ultrasonic clean could work wonders for them

 

[WFO-KZ]

Good progress. Your air filters are in desperate need of some TLC.

 

[Rwatson]

Thanks guys. For tge carb I'm looking locally to see if someone will rebuild it for a reasonable price before I tear into it. And yeah I saw that on the filters, I was actually a little ticked that someone would treat them that way. They are k & n filters and one especially is bad. It's like it didn't fit quite right so they squished it until it did, so not only are they filthy but crunched as well. Also I got my manual in the mail and realized it's for the classic or the drifter or the nomad,, not necessarily the A, B, or C model so I ordered that one too just in case there are some differences.

 

[Ropp]

And now the fun begins matey, I think you will enjoy getting this bike together, and like the rest of us the hammers and spanners will be flying around , part of the fun too