I purchased a 2002 Vulcan 800 Classic, 14,000 miles. No history on it, running like a typical 800 from what I’ve read. I want to go through it and do all required maintenance as the owner manual states. I’m not a mechanic but with help I will manage, thanks for all the helpful information and good forum members.
Will be a winter project starting with valves I think. Any suggestions or comments are welcome. I have one question to begin with, seems like the Hot Cams shim kit is a favorite. Says on the bike bandit site it’s nota exact fit. Is that a problem? Is there a different kit I should be looking at ?
What order of maintenance would you do if this was your new ride ?
I'd check the valves, make sure there's no junk in the tank or fuel lines, make sure the petcock works properly, change the oil and coolant, make sure the fork seals aren't gone and suspension springs are good, polish the chrome, clean the paint, check the chain, clean it and lube it, and clean the wheels. I'd also check the age and tread of the tires and replace if necessary.
I've had my 05 VN800B since January of 2010, and I take it in to my mechanic for service every other year (was every year, but now I have more bikes and she doesn't get ridden as much), and I lube the chain every 300-500 miles.
Currently, the bike is inching closer to 12,000 miles, and the only issue it has right now is a tiny (I hope) oil leak on the rear half of the case, at the bottom. Other than that, this bike has been dead-nuts reliable.
Oh, and feed her premium fuel, mine seems to like it.
Glad I could help. While you're inspecting and cleaning the chain, go ahead and make sure it's set to the right tightness... which I don't know, but others should be able to help with that.
Pop, I bought the Hot Cams shim kit and they fitted perfectly. If you measure the clearances you can buy the right shims individually from some bike shops to save money.
The kit I bought has 9.48mm shims. Having one of those rods with a magnet helps if you drop one.
Great, I really wanted to know if that was a good kit to get. I think that a kit would be a good idea so I can do more than one adjustment plus the time and gas spent going after individual shim’s. Thanks for helping me out with that ?
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