My first bike...

Message

jbprince · #1 Unread post by **jbprince** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 2:36 pm

Much to the little ladies dismay, I purchased my first bike yesterday...

2006 Kawasaki Vulcan 500 LTD, 2600+ miles...

Gravatron · #2 Unread post by **Gravatron** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 3:00 pm

How do you like the 500ltd so far? I'm looking into buying my first bike, and that model is near the top of my list in bikes to consider.

jbprince · #3 Unread post by **jbprince** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 4:03 pm

Truthfully, hard to tell yet... Ive only rode it from the guys house I bought it from to home so far... but of all the bikes I sat on and looked at, this was the most comfortable for me... everything Ive read about this one has be great too... Ill let you know how things are as I get more miles under me...

zed · #4 Unread post by **zed** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 4:10 pm

Perfect choice for your first cruiser!

Congrats!

Thu Aug 16, 2007 4:25 am

jbprince · #6 Unread post by **jbprince** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 3:16 am

Since this bike is relatively new and its had its first service already... should I still take it in to have a tuneup done? Ive read thats usually one the of the first things to do after buying a used bike...

PioneerUrban · Wed Aug 22, 2007 5:21 am

I would. It couldn't hurt to have it checked out, just to make sure that everything is alright and that the bike is safe to ride.

I recently bought a 92 Ninja 250, took it to the shop on Monday. They called and said that my brake pads were really thin. Almost metal on metal.

I'm glad that I had everything checked out, before I got into some serious practice riding.

Personally I wouldn't risk getting myself or someone else hurt, just to save a few bucks.

Better safe than sorry. KWIM?

Wed Aug 22, 2007 5:32 am

jbprince wrote:Since this bike is relatively new and its had its first service already... should I still take it in to have a tuneup done? Ive read thats usually one the of the first things to do after buying a used bike...

I'd change the oil and filter, check the tires, adjust the chain and call it a day.

jbprince · #9 Unread post by **jbprince** » Fri Aug 24, 2007 3:54 am

I downloaded the owners workshop manual for the 1985-2004 EN500 models... anyone know of major differences for the 2006 that I should be aware of when using this manual for my bike...

JC Viper · #10 Unread post by **JC Viper** » Sun Aug 26, 2007 5:54 pm

jbprince wrote:I downloaded the owners workshop manual for the 1985-2004 EN500 models... anyone know of major differences for the 2006 that I should be aware of when using this manual for my bike...

Make sure you pay attention for things pertaining to the EN500 C 1 - 8 models which are the LTD versions. There is virtually little to no difference between each EN500 C models. I have the C6 US (2001 and not CA).

The OEM tires are OK to start with but I would recommend upgrading those after about 5,000 miles. You might want to look into getting a K&N air filter for it because if you plan on doing some basic maintenance yourself the OEM filter requires a bit of work, time and can be kinda messy. Personally I felt the taillight is kinda weak so I added some LEDs around mine.

It's a good bike, plenty of get up and go power and pretty damn smooth.