Engine compatibility VN1500-G1A/VN1500-E2

[ringadingh]

Just not yet Chris, I got up to 83k before it became a problem.

[Monkeyman]

Well, let's do the math on my bike. I have about 16k miles on now so 83k-16k=67k left to go. If I continue to ride 1500 miles/year, I'll need shift forks in about..........45 years. I'm 44 ish now so that would make me 89. I plan on being long dead by then. WOOHOO! I'll never need shift forks!!!!

[ringadingh]

We'll see....

[ROLLOR55]

Hi,
I just joined this site hoping to find out some answers. I have 5 1500s, 2 Nomads and 3 Classics and I might buy a write off Mean Streak for parts.. MAS Tequila seems to be knowledgeable since he's done some engine swaps. On a car differential the ring and pinion gears should be replaced as a matched set. Is this the same on a Vulcan 1500 so I would also need the driveshaft from a doner bike to do an engine swap?? On a parts fiche it show the two gears as a set #13101A incl. the bearing. One of my bikes, an '06 Classic, has only 25,000 kilometers ( I'm in Canada) but a bearing failed inside the Front Bevel Gear Case and broke the case and fried some of the wiring around that area. Instead of replacing the whole engine I've been trying to find a "parts engine" for cheap and just swap the damaged parts. That's one reason I'm wondering about the two gears being a matched set. I found a '96 Classic engine with a bad top end. Wondering if the parts are the same between various versions of the 1500, I printed off the microfiches for each year of Vulcan 1500 and although the fiche drawings of the front bevel gear case look the same, all (or most) of the part #s are different which is driving me nuts. It sure would be helpful if someone could enlighten me on what fits what. I do know that on different years of frames for the same bike there are different part #s but the difference might only be a tab, hole or brace that changes the part #. Thanks in advance for any help. By the way, there was an earlier Nomad 1500 for sale here locally that had 183,000 kilometers on it with no problems other than a u joint ... WOW! Very impressive especially for all the H-D riders out there,

01-10-2012, 05:54 AM #6 MAS Tequila

[ringadingh]

Could you not repair the wiring and replace the bevel gear bearing. JB weld may work on the cases depending where they cracked.
I think a classic has a chain drive not a shaft, but I may be mistaken.

[ROLLOR55]

Thanks for your reply but I think I need all the parts under the cover/ case and the bevel gear case is broken in several pieces.
I've never seen a Vulcan 1500 with a chain and sprockets. Did they make one?

[MAS Tequila]

No all the 1500s are shaft drive.

You can find a bevel gear drive cover on ebay occasionally. Just be sure that you're getting a FI cover if your bike is FI. The speed sensor is on the bevel gear drive cover, where on a carb bike it's off the front wheel.

You can change just the bevel gear without changing the drive shaft. Both gears are inside the beve gear cover.

Call me @ 5612103399 if you want to discuss this.

MT

[Keedea123]

Just wanted to know if a engine out of a 2002 nomad would fit in a 1999 nomad

[Wildout]

I have a 1999 Nomad 1500G will a 02 Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad Classic FI Mean Streak VN1500 Engine Motor fit on my bike

[DragonLady58]

Originally Posted by Wildout

I have a 1999 Nomad 1500G will a 02 Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad Classic FI Mean Streak VN1500 Engine Motor fit on my bike

Yes, the engines are interchangeable, all 1500/1600s....check to see if your donor your using uses a shaft, not all do....read article from beginning....
Put the 02 nomad engine in it, direct bolt in.
Meanies on have 1 stator, nomads have 2

[DragonLady58]

Remember, if your gonna switch out the engines, you gotta drill out a hole to get the carb setup to work.
If your thinking of going to EFI, be advised, you have to change out your engine harness, computer (ECU), tank with pump, etc. Its all plug and play, but gets intense....
If thats the route you wanna take, you need to park the bikes side by side, put a big table between them, transfer all the FI bikes stuff over to the G model.

[denny 606]

Could somebody tell me which 1500 Classics had Chain drive? I've never seen one, the 800 Classic on the other hand.....

[MAS Tequila]

Originally Posted by denny 606

Could somebody tell me which 1500 Classics had Chain drive? I've never seen one, the 800 Classic on the other hand.....

I only know of 1, and I'm not sure he ever finished the conversion.

There was a guy, a few years ago, who was attempting to convert a Classic to a chain drive.

He went through Hell, and I never did hear of him getting it to work.

MT

[DragonLady58]

What MAS said! I'm working on a shaft drive conversion to trike my bike. If you know machine work, have good mechanical knowledge, and are determined, its not that hard. I've made a short jackshaft, supported at the end with automotive tapered wheelbearings, using a sprocket with a 520 chain to center another short jackshaft to align to the rearend. I've just recently decided to go with cogbelts, already have pulleys, though had to install flanges on my shafts, having them trued by a machine shop. Flanges to attach pulleys to....
The 2 sprockets will also allow me to change up my rear drive ratio, to fit my rear tires. Using another swingarm to fab things up.
Of course, I'm also building a small turbo setup to pull all that extra weight....its based on a harley setup I installed not long ago on my friends shovelhead.
Example:


If theres a will theres a way....
Also,
http://www.kawasakimotorcycle.org/fo...version-2.html

[MAS Tequila]

Cool, the one that I knew of before, was being converted with a sprocket where the front bevel gear drive is normally located.

I never heard whether he got it working or not.

That is an interesting set up DL, I would've gone with my hotrodder roots and used a Ford 8.8 and fabbed up a shaft, but I have to admit that I like that way.

MT