So I've put about a 1000 mi on my beast now and I'm ready to start messing with it, already adjusted the pegs and handlebars. Pegs are super comfy now and I can actually feel the size of the frame, the bars I could only adjust for a more comfortable distance (don't feel them pushing back at me anymore) but I fear the angle of the wrists will force me to replace them.
So I will tackle the junk bunch of hoses under the tank and try to fix the backfiring, as I understand it I just have to plug a couple of vacuum ports but not sure about a resistor thing I have to do for the FI light.
BTW, when I do go ahead with the handlebar replacement, what is a good way ti find out what is the right type-size-lenght-angle for me???? I went to a shop and they had some to try out but could ot find the right one.
So I've put about a 1000 mi on my beast now and I'm ready to start messing with it,
So I will tackle the junk bunch of hoses under the tank and try to fix the backfiring, as I understand it I just have to plug a couple of vacuum ports but not sure about a resistor thing I have to do for the FI light.
BTW, when I do go ahead with the handlebar replacement, what is a good way ti find out what is the right type-size-lenght-angle for me???? I went to a shop and they had some to try out but could ot find the right one.
ok, so yor finished playing around and redy to go to work and get some serious stuff done.
1. Air Injection System. take the entire amount of Selenoid air valve, wire connector, 3 air hoses and anything else attached to it. strip it off the bike, put it in a box and toss the box in the garbage. PLUGG the 2 nipples, one each head. ok plug the air box hole. Your Done.
2. while yor enjoying yor first 🍺 thinking yor so smart (btw, you are) go ahead and put a 22ohm 5watt resistor across the two female terminals that plugged into the air solenoid valve. that will shut that Red FI lite the hell up.
Handy Bars. stock are about 6" rise on 2" risers for 8" worth. 8" rise bars are comfy. 10" rise ar comfy'er. 12" rise are as big as you wanna go and retain stock cables. I like the 10s fit me mor better. you are bigger so you may want/need the 12s. they actually were perty good. others raved over em. my nephew is much bigger than me. he thought they were just rite.
all of these sit on top of 2" risers. don't mess w/em, theyr fine.
my pix are 12" x 1.25" burly bars. you can run 'lectric wires inside for a cleaner look.
For long distance, all day riding.. you want to keep your hands at or below your heart level. otterwise you work too hard to pump blood uphill and your hands will go numb. Some bar hoppers like the looks of 16s, so they can get a bee sting in their armpits when they ride with their tank tops, shorts n flip flops. ouch.
Angle of the grips is some where between straight across (not good) angle back and angle down. you have to try a few to find that sweet spot that you like mor better. Just not too angly in any direction.
as for spreading the gospel.. the good news is... inspite how decrepid you/me/we is,, theyr still hope.. granted(in yor case) it may appear to be not much.. but a live dogg is better than a dead lion. poncho
As it seems this thread is btween you and I, I'll ask here.
I left the bars thing 4 later and the "job" was taking all my time so it wasn't till today that I set work related stuff aside and got under her skirts.
As usual (not much ashamed to admit it) the taking the tank off 4 the first time task took me more than an hour (with a beer and a half thrown in there, this is wrench therapy after all), the electrical connectors had been messed up a little and had to be carefull with them.
Found out I did not have to take off the speedo console after I had it off and the 2 little hoses really gave trouble trying not to damage the paint.
took all the hoses off + the valve thing connecting them, one of the hoses (a smaller one) goes off toward the back to the crankcase I believe and I did not take that off, the little pipe connections at the crankcase are hard to reach and seem easier to cap it and let it hang to the back along with the breather hose that already had a little filter to catch oil vapors. The only route I saw was trough the side of the rear shock and pointed them straight down (they did not reach the bottom of the frame, should I extend them?) I would rather take them off if possible or find a better location for them if not.
I did not know what to do with the little hose that starts right by the throttle and takes the same route toward the back of the bike.
I did find one of yur old post and went ahead and re-routed the overflow water hose, I just found a small way trough the back of the water pump along the side of the backbone to put it out of sight, was able to do it with the same hose.
Also found a post about relocating the coils and all those cable connections BUT, one thing at a time (held myself back).
Any comments or recommendations are very welcome.
6 yrs out of production, finally v2k 4m is slowing down. Gonna need its own place like a dirty off road bar for the ruff few who still kno this motor and away from all the sissies on their candy bikes. so not to offend them every time xpress opinion.
Later I will be at my shop where I keep the pix. Run that crankcase vent hose from bak of tranny to the ground. don't need a filter, your not gonna save this planet with the likes of algore jetting around the globe from his house to house crying the world is gonna end. mebbe it's time it should?
Take as much stuff off that bike as you can stand. Every piece lets you kno it's function and purpose and how necessary or Not it's required. become so familiar with all its nuts n bolts it's called intimacy. Own it.
You got a backup bike to ride. Keep this one stripped naked and study it over many beers. Figure out just what you want to do with-to her next. Put back only wat is minimally required for her to run and test ride. You will discover neither she nor you need mos any all that crap lugging around. bee free. 'spress yourself. Only u kno watt worx 4 u. do it.
@ Ponch: That's a whole lotta krapp on that table, a lot of it I can't id off the bat, I'm sure I'll be able to id'em when I'm done with mine.
Now that I peeked under I understand some of the stuff you have said, I'll do second round of hose deleting today.
Did you ever do anything to the radiator hoses or the radiator itself??, just looking farther ahead by looking at yur v2k, after all you removed/moved around, the only thing blocking the view and (and airflow) of the jugs is the radiator.
I remember mention of one custom made rdiator on a rear fender and yur idea of a dual (leg warmer) on the crash bars, just looking at it one about the same size as the stock but placed horizontal instead of vertical might do the trick (would have to mess a little with the fan supports and location of the hoses).
I really appreciate all the help.
PS: I told you about turning me into a monster, won't tell my wife it's yur fault.
2nd PS: I just realized you also removed the 2 hoses coming off the back end of the tank (think they are the tank overflow), don't see a real need for them but, is that right? do I just cap off those little tubes also?? and why are them 2 of those?
I put the thing back together and test drove it yesterday, did not stall, crash or burst into flames. Every thing seem quite normal 'cept for a faint smell of fuel whenever I stopped, the Previous Owner had mention he like it to run a little rich so he must have done something to it that I have to undo, next I'll do away with the fuel controller he put in and that just might do the trick.
There are some things I will ever notice sinve the PO had already done work on her, the butterflies are gone also.
My next step might be to move al that wiring and figure out a different cover for the left side while I work on my fillter and cover for the right side.
She's feeling more and more like MY bike as the mods get done.
Gotta figure out a fast way to put a comfortable passenger seat in there, having all this fun just to myself might get in the way, gotta share some to keep it going long term.
butt buddy dot com has some lick and stik fender pillos for fancy one seat customs. some them hot babes in the pix you could just lick and stik em to the fender?
no pix.. am beginin to think this bike dont exist?
so watts the status on the BigBull.? watt did you name her anyway? if you don't, we will.. and you never did post some pix of the beast in her under.. nekid. watt you saving that fer yerself?
she gonna be reddy to rok n roll up the coast an back down the mtns in another week? did ya put that twisty road tire on her.. yet?
ok, we need the pix. give em up. poncho
I put that cobra fatty roll bar on Pepe' today. the more stuff I do to this bike and ride it, the higher the sell price goes and I mite jus keep it for a spare?
so watts the status on the BigBull.? watt did you name her anyway? if you don't, we will.. and you never did post some pix of the beast in her under.. nekid. watt you saving that fer yerself?
she gonna be reddy to rok n roll up the coast an back down the mtns in another week? did ya put that twisty road tire on her.. yet?
ok, we need the pix. give em up. poncho
I put that cobra fatty roll bar on Pepe' today. the more stuff I do to this bike and ride it, the higher the sell price goes and I mite jus keep it for a spare?
I was so into the mod I never shot pix of her nakid, but I'll get on the pix right away just to show you, really, I bought it, really really, a V2K, the whole big burrito.
Now that I took all those hoses off I need to shorten the left side cover and the right side as well, I want to get a clearer view from side to side btween the jugs. It'll give us plenty to chat about on the trip.
I've been putting some extra hours at the office to free up the trip week, I knew I had to pay for it somehow. I did order new boots and a new helmet, they should be here in time. I'm putting the MT on this weekend for all those mountain roads.
I took those pix beside some Ninjas just to show off how punny they look.
:grin2: :devil2: :grin2:
All I can say is smooooth cornering, after riding dark side for 8-10k miles on the mule (1600), and getting started on the Beastie Bull already dark side for 1200 miles I don't think twice about ridding with a car tire BUT, today I rode the beast with the new skin (240/60 exedrin) and the ride feels very smooth. Glad I got a chance to do the change b4 the TEX-MEX ride, were looking to get our good share of twisties going up and down those hills.
Pretty sure it messed up my speedometer with the size difference but I don't pay that much attention to it anyway.
today I rode the beast with the new skin (240/60 exedrin) and the ride feels very smooth. Glad I got a chance to do the change b4 the TEX-MEX ride, were looking to get our good share of twisties going up and down those hills..
Good information provided. However, one was bad advice.
Do not throw away what you remove from your engine. Those parts will eventually become NLS. If you sell the bike to someone who wants to put it back in stock form, they will want those parts, regardless of your own opinion of whether "they" need to do that. It has nothing to do with need. It has to do with selling your bike and getting top dollar, and that may be someone like me who wants the bike to be complete down to the smaller and seemingly "unnecessary" parts on the engine. If you don't think you will ever sell your bike, I would again hang onto them, because things come around, and I have two bikes that I removed that stuff from and on one I ended up putting all of it back so the bike. Our own priorities change over time, no matter if you are AARP or younger.
aarp,, shitcann in ponchese means to park all unnecessary in a box at the back of the shop under other boxes of previous bike parts.. I have enuff leff overs to bild at least 2wo frankeinstien bikes.. need motors.
wen selling on the open market, put all bikes bak to stock form will move them faster. If somebody wants yor xcessories, they can pay for them like anybody else.. no freebees tossed in the deal just because its still left on the bike..
wen the old hardware (bike) is gone, then part out the leff over stuff as needed.. bild some street cred with yor krew (4m) send some free stuff to those in need of a fix.. poncho
I gave away a whole back end of hardly flht just to get that iron outa here. if only the fella was a legit bike type and knew the value of wat he got.. complete rear wheel, tire, brake, caliper, pulley(s),belt, swingarm, air shocks, rear fender, xmas tree lites & signals, bag mounting brackets, etc.. probly 10g worth of hardly.. the dam rancher thot it would make a good wheel barrow.. never give parts to a farmer or rancher, they only kno about kows.
Ponch, I am looking for a rear shock to send to someone to use for measurements to build a custom shock for me. If you have one sitting around, send me a PM, or maybe you know someone on this forum who does. Thanks.
btu man,, none such at the moment as I did unload a boatload of parts cleaning out my shop.. my v2k was stok shok w/lower links. my buddy Pete is now proprietor of that sled.
gillyiowa had cut-rotated-welded the rear joint shok joint at the swing arm and created a lower profile w/o the link.
theyr plenty aftermarket shox to fit v2k. stok. race. lower. air adjust. no need to custom bild one, $pen$ive.
if you need dimension for reference. stok shok can be removed in about 15min tops. lay on grid paper. take pix. outline with measurements.
watt perzaktly are you attempting to create with this idea'r of yors? poncho
Ponch, I get suspension work done by a company in Southern CA that has done excellent modifications for my other motorcycles. The reason for this project is the same as on the other bikes. They can put a custom spring on the shock that is suited to my body weight and proposed additional weight of a passenger and luggage (they will get a specific weight for the passenger as well). They can also put custom valving in the shock for me and my preferences for how I ride.
Yes, there are shocks out there to purchase, but they can't do what I describe above. I prefer that my forks and shock be custom built. The bike handles much better this way, and I ride aggressively in turns and tend to use the front brakes only and brake hard under certain circumstances. It is probably because I am a sport bike rider and road racer. I like a lot of feedback from my suspension when I turn and brake, and I am used to a certain type of feedback that can be built into the suspension by a good suspension builder.
I am prepared to remove the shock in the bike and ship it to this shop. I would rather that they have the shock to make their own measurements. The reason I want another one is in case they keep the shock for a while.
Hey Ponch, in all your posts and pictures on stripping down the 2000, one thing I seen you never did was loose the push throttle cable. As I get to the point of my install of the 16" apes, I'm wanting to have a clean front end, I'll be doing internal wiring, then I figured might as well loose a throttle cable too.
@R&R: Sorry to tell you might not find El Pocharello here any more, can't go much into detail cus I run the risk of this thread frezzing or getting myself kicked off 2.
I can tell you that when I did talk to him about trying to clean the look even further, he went to mention some custom made throtle systems that even do away with the brake lever (does that sound good??) that system has the cables inside the handlebar and what it does is accelarate in one direction and brake in the other one instead of just de-accelarate. On the clutch side it has a "turn the grip" clutch action and it does away with the clutch lever for an ultra clean handlebar look, almost BMX bicycle clean look.
They are Exile MC, awesome looking machines, ultra clean and very, very powerfull . Just take a peek here: Exile Cycles - Black Bull
Enjoy.
:devil2::devil2::devil2:
That sounds just weird, lol... don't know if I could get used to that. The cable and hose kitt I got has two front brake hoses for some weird reason, so I think I'm going to get rid of the one cable.
When upgrading to braided brake lines, two hoses are necessary for disk disc. You can clean it up by linking them from one caliper to the other over the wheel.
using Aeroquip Performance products, its actually pretty easy to make up any length brake hose you want. I have done this on a Jeep I built, and works great! I may do that here, and just make a hose from the master cylinder to the "T" junction on the forks.
I'm new here on this forum, but I did the Rogue site for years till it closed down. I never met any other VN2000 riders who strip their bikes down, most everyone puts more crap on them. So this is great. The hose thing is something I'm gonna try. But I did some stuff maybe you guys haven't thought of. I always hated the rear caliper perched up on top of the disc. So I relocated it inside the upper & lower sections of the swing arm where it all but disappears and saved 1.8lbs. I also didn't like the floorboards so made my own foot pegs, saved 12lbs. And I didn't like the heavy look of the brake discs, so I machined them up a bit, cut over a pound on each disc. Have you actually held the rear pulley in you hands? 9 lbs. After reading Kawasaki official response to squealing drive belts. I learned that the belt is designed to ride against the outside of the pulley, so I tossed the steel retainer ring and bolts and saved 1.2lbs. Then machined down the pulley and saved another three. So at this point, you might be wondering if I went overboard, which I sometimes do... but I did all these mods around 30-40,000 miles and I'm at 130,000 now. I got my bike down to 728 lbs, so still a bit of a pig... but a slimmer pig none the less.
I think I successfully attached some pix so you can see.
@TBoss: I got a look at yur configuration on the other site, very cool looking. Particularly the way you kept the rear seat capabilities but gave it the dragster look with the rear fender hugging the tire, that gave my boy ideas for his Shadow.
The gold detailing is pretty nice, good design touch.
The rear caliper mod has been mention plenty on this forum, I plan on doing it soon, right after I do the eurogears and fix my handlebar problem/swap.
That looks like a remote adjuster for an aftermarket rear shock?
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