[young-cruiser]

Hey guys

My bike will be arriving soon and I believe it would have been down/not worked for some time... maybe 3 months or so.

I don't want to just put some gas in and get rolling so... what are some of the things I should do first before I start riding my bike since she would have been asleep for a while?

 

[twowheelertoy]

What bike are we talking about ??
Model and Year and Miles/Km on the Clock..

 

[young-cruiser]

Oh yeah

A 97' Vulcan 500 LTD
4,000 Miles on the clock.

Thanks

 

[bikeaholic]

re

at 4k you should change oil,lube chain,adjust chain,adjust brakes,inspect cables,check for loose bolts,inspect tires for wear and dryrot,check for loose spokes,brake fluid,
i'd take a good look at the battery and test it,check air filter,just give a good once over and you should be good to about 7k miles,

good luck and ride safe :wink:

 

[young-cruiser]

wow man :shock:

I think you're telling me I need a new bike right?

Seriously though, I will indeed check all the things you outlined carefully and seek to give her a nice tune up before I do any serious riding.

Thanks for your detailed answer.

PS.. Its a good thing I bought the User/Service manual.. :lol:

 

[bikeaholic]

re

its not as much as it sounds :lol: and you should do it Every 3k or sooner
you should have a checklist to do every time you climb on her also :wink:
routines like that will give you years of trouble free riding on a kawi if your kinda anal about it :lol: :lol: keeping everything in good working order
is only gonna save your life :wink:

 

[young-cruiser]

I also saw the tires of Kawman's bike on another thread and I like the roundness of the rear and front tires (Cool dude). http://images.snapfish.com/339938:;23232fp54=ot>2328=<56=9:8=XROQDF>232349865:5<:ot1lsi

Can the 500 LTD use those types of tires as well instead of the block shaped ones on the stock bike?: http://www.kawasaki.com/Flash/uploadFiles/k_En500_01.jpg

If so, where can I get them from?

 

[bikeaholic]

re

on a meanie those tires are awesome- on your bike i'd stay with the factory tire rather than a sport bike tire cause that was the way the bike was designed-but you may be able to find a tire with a better profile than the factory tire.most guys i've seen who put perfromance tires on a cruiser were not all that happy with them and eventually went back to the stock tire-
that's just what i've seen :wink:

 

[young-cruiser]

I appreciate your comment bikeaholic.

I prefer to make sure the bike is comfortable and safe just the way the makers designed it to be. Looks are great but not everything.

It just means that I will be looking at a meanie in a couple years.

Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

AWESOME BIKE

Take your time it doesn't have to be ridden the day that you get her. Cleaning out the gas tank, sloshing gas, or evena little diesel fuel is a good way to clean it out, even the petcock once you have the tank off. then change out the filter too. check out the forks for oil or to much travel, by putting a nylon zip lock on each fork to see how much travel you are getting on each one. lube the chain really good, too. if you are interested in claning out the motor you could run some 10 or 20 weight oil through it for a quick ride then change out the filter and add the proper weight oil along with the the new filter. Lube all of the cables...follow the guidelines of bikeaholic...he's on top of his game!