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2011 900LT - good deal? - known issues?

3K views 17 replies 9 participants last post by  Hot Cruiser 
#1 ·
I found a 2011 Vulcan 900 LT in great shape for $5400. About 45K Kms on it. This is my first look at a used 900LT. Does that sound about right?

Anything I should be aware of on the 2011 - known issues?
 
#7 ·
I'm not in Canada but, I'd have to believe you can find a better price, or at least one with fewer miles for the same price. It's a very popular bike and the used market is flooded with them. There are tons of low mileage bikes out there.

No known issues with 08-up 900's. Just keep up with maintenance and it should last you a long time.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Possible issues:

1) Stator have been a problem on these bikes, most issues were with 2006 - 2008 but this has also been an issue with some newer models.

2) Drive pulley and power shaft wear. Not common but some folks (myself included) have experienced the drive pulley coming lose and causing wear on the power shaft splines and drive pulley. Proper repair requires replacing the power shaft and drive pulley (BIG $$$). In my case the problem was first noted as a strange clicking sound upon deceleration. To check if the drive pulley is loose you need to remove the drive belt and check the drive pulley there should be zero slop between the drive pulley and power shaft. I believe the root cause is that Kawasaki did not use anti fretting compound when the power shaft drive pulley is assembled. Even if the drive pulley is tight I suggest removing the drive pulley cleaning the pulley and power shaft splines, apply anti fretting compound to the pulley and power shaft, install a new retaining washer and apply loctite RED to the outer threads where the retaining nut is attached. Note if there is any slop in between the drive pulley and power shaft simply tightening the retainer nut with not fix the problem.

3) Valve inspection should have been done at 15K miles. Valve clearance can tighten over time resulting in overheated and damaged valves. Lots of guys ignore having this done as it cost several hundred dollars at the dealer.

4) There are other minor issues that affect most/all years, Speedo over registers says 65 mph is really more like 60 mph. Fuel gauge is not all that accurate. These are minor issues IMO. Of course there are lots of other periodic maintenance inspection items that may or may not have been done which could impact the state of the bike i.e. brake fluid changes, suspension bearing lubrication, coolant , brake fluid change etc. etc.

Overall these bikes are know for being very reliable, easy to work on and cheap to buy maintain and operate as compared to many other brands.

If I was looking to buy a bike with that kind of mileage I would look at the owners manual for periodic maintenance schedule and hopefully have some kind of a log or service records to verify the work has been done when it should be done. If there is no service log I would probably pay a little more to get a bike with fewer miles on it.
 
#9 ·
A big +1 to Wild Bill. I don't mind buying a bike with miles on it as long as the maintenance is done (although, I guess; I've only ever bought new except for my 900, which had 8k miles on it! Ha!). But, there are SO MANY 900's on the market, I just can't imagine why you couldn't find one for the same price (or less) with fewer miles. I'd stay away from '06 and '07 models because of the stator issue; but, honestly, they were completely unchanged from '06 to today so there's no difference any year you get. There's tons out there; look seriously at one with lower miles. If the valve adjustments weren't done, cross it off the list. The potential for valve damage after just 45k km's is not very high, but it's still an unnecessary risk on a machine that's ubiquitous on used bike lots. There will always be another one.

sub-1000cc Cruisers are selling like hotcakes and then being traded in a couple years later. New riders buy them; and either decide they don't like riding, or like riding and figure out just exactly what they want in a bike and find the 900 isn't it. (Plenty of others fall and stay in love with the 900 too, which is why there are guys with 200k miles on them! I also know lifelong riders who have bought them just because they want something lighter; but that isn't cramped or small). All of this means that they are seriously everywhere used. And, truth be told, lots of deals on new too. Look at model year leftovers. 2015 models still new on the floor.

I'd be very surprised if you can't find a nice 900 under 10k km's and around $5,000CDN.
 
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#10 ·
Wild Bill catalogued excellently possible issues with the 900LT. From other threads it appears that most of those issues apart from the stator are isolated and sporadic. I've had the stator problem with my '07 900 LT but that's the only problem. Great bike!

I agree with Wild Bill and Romans 5:8 about pricing, although the Canadian situation could be different possibly because of the monetary exchange situation.
 
#12 ·
Believe it or not, this is the the first 900 Classic I've really noticed in my area for sale. I've been looking for a week or so. I'm short so sizing is important and this bike model fits me better than most. I tried the Suzuki - no good - same with Honda and Harley. I'm not willing to travel to Toronto - and as a new rider and this being my first bike - the closer to home the better! I definitely don't want to ride it anywhere near the GTA. The two Kawasaki dealers in my area didn't have anything close - mostly dirt bikes.

It was one owner, but I didn't see a service booklet (I'll take a closer look tomorrow). I inspected the bike from bow to stern looking for anything loose, leaks, wear & tear, scratches, dents, etc. and it looks very well maintained.Checked hoses, and lines. The tires look fairly new with no irregular wear. Been sitting in the same spot for about a week - no noticeable leaks - and it started smoothly at the first push of the starter. Nice even idle - no smoke, backfires, or weird sounds.

Here's some photos I took today...
 

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#13 · (Edited)
Check auto trader and Kajiji, at minimum this may give you some bargaining leverage. Check date code on the tires if they are over 6 years old I would ask they be replaced. If this is a dealer and there are no service records for the bike try to negotiate that they do all of the maintenance for a bike with that mileage i.e. valve check, suspension lubrication etc., have them pull the belt off and make sure the drive pulley output shaft has no play. Ask for a warranty from the dealer to cover even 90 days will give you some time to find out if there are any major issues.

You can download the owners manual from Kawi for free and look at the recommended scheduled maintenance, i.e. Kawi recommends replacing all brake hoses at 4 years, point for negotiation??.

Once you buy it you own it, the good the bad and the ugly!! The more you can do up front to make sure you do not get stuck with someone else's problem the better! Good chance this is a great bike but you can never be too careful IMO.
 
#16 ·
Yep! That's the way to go.
 
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