A new Vulcan 500... now what do I do to it?
- storysunfolding
- Moderator
- Posts: 3882
- Joined: Wed Sep 21, 2005 10:20 am
- Sex: Male
- Years Riding: 22
- My Motorcycle: Vstrom 650, S1000RR, XS850, ZX6R
- Location: Reston Virginia
A new Vulcan 500... now what do I do to it?
I lucked my way into a 2005 Vulcan 500 for $900 this weekend.
The swag included:
-Nelson Riggs Cover
-Nelson Riggs Sidebags
-Nelson Riggs Topbag
-kryptonite rotor lock
-Chain Lock
-Battery Tender
-Bungees/Cords/Nets
-Chain Lube and rags
And oh yeah- an almost pristine Vulcan 500.
The paint is in perfect shape, there's a bit of surface rust in places but it all buffed off and didn't leave anything behind.
The bike hadn't run in a year and wasn't turning over so I went a little crazy. I cleaned the carbs, changed the brake fluid, oil, oil filter, air filter, coolant and signal fluid, fork oil, topped off the air, made a few adjustments and then rode it like I stole it (because in some ways I feel like I did).
I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it yet (Keep it for friends, hack it, ride it a bit then sell it, or just goof off), but it was too good a price to say no!
The swag included:
-Nelson Riggs Cover
-Nelson Riggs Sidebags
-Nelson Riggs Topbag
-kryptonite rotor lock
-Chain Lock
-Battery Tender
-Bungees/Cords/Nets
-Chain Lube and rags
And oh yeah- an almost pristine Vulcan 500.
The paint is in perfect shape, there's a bit of surface rust in places but it all buffed off and didn't leave anything behind.
The bike hadn't run in a year and wasn't turning over so I went a little crazy. I cleaned the carbs, changed the brake fluid, oil, oil filter, air filter, coolant and signal fluid, fork oil, topped off the air, made a few adjustments and then rode it like I stole it (because in some ways I feel like I did).
I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it yet (Keep it for friends, hack it, ride it a bit then sell it, or just goof off), but it was too good a price to say no!
- Attachments
-
- vulcan.jpg (150.14 KiB) Viewed 3269 times
- Gummiente
- Site Supporter - Platinum
- Posts: 3485
- Joined: Wed May 11, 2005 11:34 pm
- Real Name: Mike
- Sex: Male
- Years Riding: 38
- My Motorcycle: 03 Super Glide
- Location: Kingston, ON
Re: A new Vulcan 500... now what do I do to it?
CHOPPER!!!


It isn't WHAT you ride,
It's THAT you ride
- fireguzzi
- Site Supporter - Bronze
- Posts: 2248
- Joined: Fri Aug 20, 2004 3:00 pm
- Real Name: Trevor
- Sex: Male
- Years Riding: 12
- My Motorcycle: dream bike (really, it's in my dreams)
- Location: Covington, Georgia
Re: A new Vulcan 500... now what do I do to it?
Too bad it didn't come with a seat and you had to take one of your leather couch cushions and throw it on there. 

[img]http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f101/fireguzzi/papabarsig.jpg[/img]
-
- Rookie
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Sat Jul 03, 2010 1:42 pm
- Sex: Male
- Years Riding: 1
- My Motorcycle: 1997/Daelim/Magma
- JC Viper
- Legendary 2000
- Posts: 2198
- Joined: Mon Apr 03, 2006 9:12 pm
- Real Name: JC
- Sex: Male
- Years Riding: 7
- My Motorcycle: 1984 Kawasaki GPz900R
- Location: New York, NY
Re: A new Vulcan 500... now what do I do to it?
Nice, my old bike... brings back so many memories. I did 40k+ on her and had plans on turning her into a flat tracker by getting a smaller thicker front tire and swapping out the forks and bars and already had engine work done to sorta match the Ninja 500. I pushed that bike to its limits and still have a smile on my face thinking about it even though I have a "Ninja."
The Vulcan makes a great commuter bike as it's pretty frugal. Just upgrade the brakes to sintered and the brake lines to braided steel to get a less mushy feeling, especially after extended riding. Horn also should be upgraded as it is a weak little thing. A bigger diameter headlight would do well too if you could fit it. I wouldn't worry too much about the carbs. I let the bike sit for a long time without Stabil and she started right up without a hitch.
The Vulcan makes a great commuter bike as it's pretty frugal. Just upgrade the brakes to sintered and the brake lines to braided steel to get a less mushy feeling, especially after extended riding. Horn also should be upgraded as it is a weak little thing. A bigger diameter headlight would do well too if you could fit it. I wouldn't worry too much about the carbs. I let the bike sit for a long time without Stabil and she started right up without a hitch.
One thing you can count on: You push a man too far, and sooner or later he'll start pushing back.


- Gunslinger
- Legendary 300
- Posts: 303
- Joined: Tue Mar 11, 2008 6:39 pm
- Real Name: Jeff
- Sex: Male
- Years Riding: 3
- My Motorcycle: 2006/Suzuki/SV650
Re: A new Vulcan 500... now what do I do to it?
900 bucks for a 2005, wow. Someone either doesn't know squat about the value of motorcycles or it's got 75K miles on it. I still have my 2000 Vulcan with about 11K miles. It's a fun bike to ride. Very light and relatively easy to work on. I agree with Viper 100% on the brakes. After you ride a bike with dual disc up front you can really tell the difference. If it was me I would keep it as is, but I have seen people cut the back of the seat off and turn it into a solo. Gives it a nice custom look IMO. The only thing that sucks about the V is the aftermarket parts are slim. If you decide to modify it post some pics if you can, I'd like to see what you come up with.