Hello everyone! As of today, we have 90 registered! That's going to be a great turn out!
Just a reminder that rally registration closes on May 9 so that we can place our t-shirt order for the rally.
If you are coming, but have not sent in your registration, do it TODAY or TOMORROW!
After that, we will not accept any orders for t-shirts. We order a few extra of the most common sizes for the rally. You can only get what is available.
Have you all made your hotel reservations? If not, do it NOW! If our blocked rooms are full at Laquinta Inn, you'll have to find other lodging.
See you all soon!
I am new to AVA and new to Voyagers in general. I admit though, I've been wanting one for a long, long time and yesterday I was finally able to make it happen :)
She was pretty dirty and grimy when I went to look at it, but I saw the potential. I spent the remainder of yesterday, last night and today getting her cleaned up, oil and filters changed, plus even some time riding! Man, this thing is a blast!
I do have a very slight wobble at very low speeds when turning. Mostly as when I pull out of the driveway, etc. I don't notice anything on the road, but either way, thanks to all the useful information I've read here already, I'll check stem nut torque and bearings, plus will be putting new tires on it next week.
All in all though, she's a great bike! Everything works, she runs flawlessly and I've had as much fun cleaning her up as I have riding so far :)
I am new to AVA and new to Voyagers in general. I admit though, I've been wanting one for a long, long time and yesterday I was finally able to make it happen :)
She was pretty dirty and grimy when I went to look at it, but I saw the potential. I spent the remainder of yesterday, last night and today getting her cleaned up, oil and filters changed, plus even some time riding! Man, this thing is a blast!
I do have a very slight wobble at very low speeds when turning. Mostly as when I pull out of the driveway, etc. I don't notice anything on the road, but either way, thanks to all the useful information I've read here already, I'll check stem nut torque and bearings, plus will be putting new tires on it next week.
All in all though, she's a great bike! Everything works, she runs flawlessly and I've had as much fun cleaning her up as I have riding so far :)
64K miles. It looks like it was never abused at all and I can assure that it won't be now. I know its getting up there in age, but so am I for that matter lol. It's been nearly a life long dream that once I have the kiddo raised, to hop on a bike, pull a camper trailer and tour for weeks at a time. I've got just over a year to get used to the bike and insure that its ready :)
Welcome aboard!
Nice looking ride, lots of Chrome on it :) these bikes are known to go well past 200,000 mi without any major work so it's got loads of life left
2017 Gloss black Victory Vision 1996 Kawasaki Voyager Just sold 1981 Kawasaki GPZ550 (sold)
Welcome Cliff, That slight wobble heading out of the drive may just be the fork brace. At one point when all the fender trim was available , some would remove the inserts that are in the plastic fender. This renders the fork brace useless. And it will begin to crack the fender around the holes These are just mild steel formed parts that are a washer and a bolt sleeve formed as one piece. They WILL crush in time and begin to crush into the plastic fender. You will see this when you remove the front wheel for replacement. When correct these will stand proud above the plastic just a bit, and when the fork brace is torqued down they just slightly pinch the plastic fender to secure it. Some swear by using a ( Super-Brace ) , but the same thing applies to it also. Not that you should not inspect the entire front end. If you understand automobile wheel bearing adjustment the same applies to the triple-tree bearing. 0.0 clearance but with a torque of 95 inch pounds to overcome the weight of the parts attached. The 1200 is a heavy machine and letting go of the handle bars is not-recommended and can cause a wobble running around 30 mph. Also the top nut on the triple-tree should be torqued and ( Blue/ loc-tite ) used to keep it from coming loose. Get a service manual or download the PDF version for all your info. Very sweet looking ride you have with allot of accessories added. You are going to love long rides with this bike. If you have a lead acid battery, check it with a hydrometer for full charge and charge if needed. They only have a 35amp alt and those lights I see on yours may draw allot if they are not LEDs. Feel free to ask away any questions you have, we are a wealth of info here, Gene Kap.
"Its not bad if you don't know something, but when you don't know you don't know; That's when your in trouble". Joe Place 1912-2008 (my grandfather)
Hey all, thank you for the welcome and Gene, thank you for the informative reply. The bike does have a SuperBrace on it already, but I'm betting you're right, something in there just doesn't feel tight. I'm getting where I trust the bike more and can lean into a corner just fine, its mostly just those walking speed turns where it shows up. I'll get it figured out with the help of all the useful information posted here. It's in great shape and runs just as well, its worth putting some time any money into it :)
Two other things I've noticed now that I've ridden it some ... is that it tends to get a lot hotter than I'd care for. It never gets to red, but up there pretty close. Coolant level is fine, but will do a flush and fill and replace thermostat next week-end. The 2nd issue is mostly rider error I believe. I am used to a pretty short and quick shift to 2nd gear on my old bike. With the Voyager, it seems to be a lot longer stroke and a few times times I've gone into Neutral. If I concentrate though, it shifts effortlessly and without issue. Just a matter of getting used to it I suppose.
Does the fan come on behind the rad? It should come on before the temp gauge hits halfway. Also it will run even if the bike is off and the temp is too high.
As far as the shifting is concerned you should not shift before it hits 3000RPM or as you say it will pop back into neutral (not an issue as that is how the bike works). If you haven't already change the oil using 100% synthetic 3quarts 22ounces exactly no matter what the site glass says. Make sure you drain both drains and change the oil filter so three spots in total (yes it's an odd design but that's how it was done)
2017 Gloss black Victory Vision 1996 Kawasaki Voyager Just sold 1981 Kawasaki GPZ550 (sold)
You might also look at the radiator closely for bugs getting imbedded in the radiator fins.When I replaced my water manifold O-rings,I was amazed at how plugged up the radiator had gotten just from bugs.I noticed it getting warmer than in the past,then found out why.As I had the radiator out to change the O-rings, I gave it a good soaking with soap, then a gentle washing with our gas pressure washer with the engine just above an idle, so I would not cut through the radiator core .It took me three tries to get it clean,but now it runs as cool as before.
More good information! Thanks guys. I didn't realize that about 3K RPM before shifting. I bet I was short shifting to be honest. I am still getting used to the weight of the bike so I'm driving pretty conservative so far .... but I have had it up to some pretty good speeds already :)
The fan does run sometimes when I shut the engine off. I've noticed that it never runs more than a few seconds though, maybe 10 tops. I just got home with it and being a really cool night, it didn't get quite as hot, but still 3/4s of the scale. This time, when I shut it down the fan didn't run. I'll take a closer look at the radiator too.
If you get a lot of bugs, When the radiator is warm spray it with Hydrogen Peroxide from a drug store. (It's not real strong) Let it soak several minutes, spray it with water to clean it off.. Great way to keep it clean so it doesn't bug you.
Also rinse with it after brushing your teeth. Great dental tool.
voyager55 wrote:If you get a lot of bugs, When the radiator is warm spray it with Hydrogen Peroxide from a drug store. (It's not real strong) Let it soak several minutes, spray it with water to clean it off.. Great way to keep it clean so it doesn't bug you.
Also rinse with it after brushing your teeth. Great dental tool.
So it will help get the bugs out of your teeth after a ride also, That's great!!!
If You Can See Me - There I Am
Ken & Shelley (Harley the dog now in heaven)
Ken - '03 Voyager XII - Shelley - '97 Vulcan VN800A
formerly: 1965 Honda CB50; 1972 Honda CJ350; '80 Suzuki GS450L; '79 Yamaha XS1100;
Well not completely, You still have to floss after every ride
kjsett wrote:
voyager55 wrote:If you get a lot of bugs, When the radiator is warm spray it with Hydrogen Peroxide from a drug store. (It's not real strong) Let it soak several minutes, spray it with water to clean it off.. Great way to keep it clean so it doesn't bug you.
Also rinse with it after brushing your teeth. Great dental tool.
So it will help get the bugs out of your teeth after a ride also, That's great!!!
I'm pretty positive my heat problem lies with the sensor. Since the day I brought the bike home, the fan never ran more than a few seconds after pulling in the drive ... and now it won't run at all. I jumpered ground and it runs fine. I flushed the cooling system, added fresh coolant while opening the air bleed, cleaned the radiator fins, etc. The fan never came on. Once jumpered and with the fan running, the gauge stayed slightly above the bold line while idling for a lengthy period of time.
If you do need sensor you could call Carl Leo and he can get you one But by what you are saying I do not think you need one The one for the radiator fan is at the bottom front left of the radiator and the radiator cowling has to come off. If your fan is working with heat that means the fan sensor is ok cause it is just on or off.
The gauge sensor is by the t-stat hsg and if the gauge is near the two lower bars while riding on the hyway, it is good as it will get. It would be more the gauge running high than a bad sensor if it is wired and grounded correctly. Going by the bars tells you nothing!!.
You need to get a good Temp gauge that shows you degrees to tell you if you have a problem with the OEM one or cooling system. The OEM temp gauge is notoriously inaccurate. A simple meat thermometer can assist you in finding the problem. I also have a small infared thermometer, $10.00, that you point at the engine to get accurate reading. Do not know if Harbor Frt still has them but they do have a bigger one for $20 or $30
I had temperature problems about 2 years ago. Replaced everything; water pump, sensors, radiator hoses, thermostat etc., flushed system. Turned out to be the radiator itself. Took it off and took to a radiator repair shop and had it worked over. Solved all problems. I kept thinking it couldn't be radiator because the previous owner said he had replaced it because it was cracked. My bike looks like yours. It's a 1988 with 57,000 miles.
Thank you again for all the replies. Got a lot of work done on the bike and even a little progress lol.
I ended up pulling the fan sensor and cleaned it up well. I then checked it with a lighter, temp gauge and meter. I finally got it working again and it was switching around the 210 mark :) Put it back in the radiator and now I can hear the fan running occasionally during in town riding and it runs a good 15 seconds or so after I shut off the engine.
Also, a side note, when I pulled the lower fairing pieces, I found two broken mounts, one in the bottom of each piece. I used some Gorilla super glue after cleaning them up and they held, even after having to force them screw up a bit to get it to line up. Seems like pretty good stuff :)
I think you're right Doug, I must have a bad gauge or temp sensor. After flushing, fresh coolant, fresh oil change, etc the gauge is now climbing even higher, touching the red bar after 10 to 15 minutes of riding. I kept checking the engine itself with a temp gun and never got anything over 223 degrees. I'm not sure what it should be to be honest, but I assume if the fan switch is coming on at around 210, then 223 motor temp sounds reasonable?
I'm still going to take the radiator in as suggested and have it re-worked. There's a lot of flattened fins and just not confident its getting good flow. Also, going to replace thermostat, etc and then see what I can do to get the gauge working better. For now, I'm going to pick up a digital AC gauge as Doug suggested.
Also got it riding and handling much, much better. Shock pressures were 0 in front and 40 rear. Rear shock setting was at 4. Tire pressures were OK, but on the low end. Steering is better, still just a tiny wobble at times when turning at very low speeds. I am hoping the new tires will cure that :)
All in all, it's been a fun bike so far, both to work on and ride! It's not ready for any trips just yet, but I plan to start riding it to work Monday morning :)
