Heat and dealer comment..

[IndyRay]

I've only had my 11 Vaquero for 3 wks. It has 260 miles on it and I'm real unhappy with the amount of heat coming from the engine and performance. I've had all kinds of bikes including a Boss Hoss that didnt give off the amount of heat I'm getting from this bike. My temp stays between 1/2 and 3/4 while moving and just a little short of red when stopped. I didnt expect a sport bike but I didnt think it would run slower than a 750 either. I think theres something wrong with this bike. I took it to the dealer and they said "they do run hot, 1700 is a big engine". Shop said coolant is good and fan is running. I had a vtx1800 and it was very fast and nowhere near the amount of heat. The next day I call the dealer and ask what they would do on a trade in for a stratoliner deluxe. Wait for it.... he said "I could go 10k for yours, people are not real happy with these bikes, there not selling well. The heat is an issue for a bunch of guys and the powers just not there. Were practicully giving them away, he said he just sold a new 2012 green for 14k" Funny though when I called the dealer to ask about the vaquero, not one negative word was heard. My bust for not demanding a test ride prior to purchase. I thought it was water cooled how bad could it be. My mistake! My 79 KZ650 was faster than this.
I expected to buy a windshield and mustang seat. Now, I guess wrapping the exhaust, getting chucksters air kit, pipes, FCU, synthetic oil and engine ice is the only option. Do you guys have any other suggestions? Is anyone else getting this much heat from theres? I'm just PO'd to have to spend that much after buying it to be able to ride without a heat stroke. Then theres no gaurantee it will fix the heat problem.

[Jgrazjgraz]

Originally Posted by IndyRay

I've only had my 11 Vaquero for 3 wks. It has 260 miles on it and I'm real unhappy with the amount of heat coming from the engine and performance. I've had all kinds of bikes including a Boss Hoss that didnt give off the amount of heat I'm getting from this bike. My temp stays between 1/2 and 3/4 while moving and just a little short of red when stopped. I didnt expect a sport bike but I didnt think it would run slower than a 750 either. I think theres something wrong with this bike. I took it to the dealer and they said "they do run hot, 1700 is a big engine". Shop said coolant is good and fan is running. I had a vtx1800 and it was very fast and nowhere near the amount of heat. The next day I call the dealer and ask what they would do on a trade in for a stratoliner deluxe. Wait for it.... he said "I could go 10k for yours, people are not real happy with these bikes, there not selling well. The heat is an issue for a bunch of guys and the powers just not there. Were practicully giving them away, he said he just sold a new 2012 green for 14k" Funny though when I called the dealer to ask about the vaquero, not one negative word was heard. My bust for not demanding a test ride prior to purchase. I thought it was water cooled how bad could it be. My mistake! My 79 KZ650 was faster than this.
I expected to buy a windshield and mustang seat. Now, I guess wrapping the exhaust, getting chucksters air kit, pipes, FCU, synthetic oil and engine ice is the only option. Do you guys have any other suggestions? Is anyone else getting this much heat from theres? I'm just PO'd to have to spend that much after buying it to be able to ride without a heat stroke. Then theres no gaurantee it will fix the heat problem.

Ain't that always the way,,like when you buy a convertible,they charge you more because,well, it's a convertible. When you go to trade it in ,you get less for it because,well,it's a convertible.

[redjay]

I have ridden in 30c plus temps on my 2010 Voyager and must admit I do not get stuck in traffic much. The heat coming off the engine is hotter than my Nomad when stopped at lights etc, but its not unbearable.

As for the amount of power from the 1700, enough for me, even with a passenger.
I never expected a 900 lb bike to be fast.

[crazygene49]

If you read the threads on this site, you will find that everyone who has a Vaquero loves it. They do run hotter than some other bikes. All the 1700s do. Read thru the threads and see what other people are doing.

[IndyRay]

That's why I'm confused on the heat. Seems a lot of riders are saying they run a little above 1/2 (but around there when moving). This things just seems to be real sluggish and running as hot as I stated in the post. Guess it's back to the dealer to see what's wrong. I also never expected it to be "fast", but never imagined it to this bad. I think it's one of the best looking bikes on the market and I hope theres an issue that can be fixed to where I can ride it without feeling sick after 30 mins on it. I rode a friends stock 1700 Nomad and it's nothing like this one. Sure it gives off some heat but not unbearable.
Just seeing if anyone else had one this bad or if I just got lucky.

[schoeney]

Maybe try to find another Vaquero or Voyager to test ride just as a comparison. Might give you an idea if yours has a problem or they all do.

I know you can throw two identical new bikes on a dyno and get two very different results.

Good luck.

[redjay]

Are you riding in a lot of stop and go traffic in very warm temps ?

Some have stated that the Voyager runs a little hotter than the Vaquero due to the added wind protection. Maybe thats why your buddys Nomad runs cooler, not so much wind protection so the heat is dissipated faster ?

The 2012 Voyagers have a system called KAMS that directs heat away from the engine/rider.

[Jared]

Originally Posted by IndyRay

That's why I'm confused on the heat. Seems a lot of riders are saying they run a little above 1/2 (but around there when moving). This things just seems to be real sluggish and running as hot as I stated in the post. Guess it's back to the dealer to see what's wrong. I also never expected it to be "fast", but never imagined it to this bad. I think it's one of the best looking bikes on the market and I hope theres an issue that can be fixed to where I can ride it without feeling sick after 30 mins on it. I rode a friends stock 1700 Nomad and it's nothing like this one. Sure it gives off some heat but not unbearable.
Just seeing if anyone else had one this bad or if I just got lucky.

If your friends 1700 Nomad is comparable to the heat you're experiencing with you Vaq than I'd assume there is something wrong. Try a different dealer. Your warranty is good at any dealer.

How was his Nomad's power compared to your Vaq?

[old dog]

I have just under 16000 k on 2011 vaquero and only gets to 3 quarter mark in town. But
I live in Mn. so our temps are only in the 80 to 90 range. On the road today 370 + Mi. it
ran under half mark it was in the low 80s

[bouson]

Originally Posted by IndyRay

I've only had my 11 Vaquero for 3 wks.
My temp stays between 1/2 and 3/4 while moving and just a little short of red when stopped. I didnt expect a sport bike but I didnt think it would run slower than a 750 either.
Do you guys have any other suggestions? Is anyone else getting this much heat from theres?

I ride mostly in town around here in Wichita, KS. The days lately have been pushing highs of 99 on the cool days and 108 or better on the hotter days. I usually expect the temp to go to 3/4 mark anytime I'm in traffic and I reached about 7/8 one day. The best trick I've found is to spread your knees out from the tank. The lowers are skinner then they look and I can catch a little breeze that cools the crotch area and thus the whole body. This is a thread on here where someone rapped the pipes, it helped cool things a little http://www.vulcanbagger.com/forums/s...hlight=wrapped. He posted pictures on the second page.

As for the power when pulling on the highway I find 2nd and 3rd are all that's needed. At a rolling speed of 20 mph at the foot of a typical uphill on ramp and a steady roll on the throttle never going over 4500 rpm the bike will easily reach 80 mph ever time.

I think the big problem is we get convinced that the bike needs to shift by 3000 rpm. Peak torque is at 2700 rpm and maximum horsepower is at 5000 rpm. that means your power band is from around 2500 rpm to 5500 rpm.
As the old saying goes "USE IT OR LOSE IT!"

[Monkeyman]

You won't feel as much heat on a Nomad. The Vaq has lowers (sort of) which keeps some of the "outside" air from flowing over you, trapping some of that hot engine heat that rises up to cook your right leg and man parts. That's one of the reasons I doubt I'll ever buy a Vaquero and one of the reasons I decided that a Harley probably won't be my next bike. I'm not sure why some big V Twins feel so much cooler than others as I've never tried to visually compare them.

[Vulcan Hammer]

IndyRay,

I too had a VTX1800 previously, which made my new 1700 Classic LT seem very sluggish in comparison. The main problem is the throttle lag on the 1700's due to Kawi's new "Throttle-By-Wire" system.

Before you do any performance mods such as Air Kit, Pipes or Fuel Manager, you should get the RACNRAY Throttle Mod. For well under $100 this is, by far, the most significant performance mod you can do to a 1700. No-one who has installed this has been disappointed!

I honestly did not believe how much this improved throttle response! It still is not quite as quick as my VTX1800, but vastly improved. If you did a side-by-side comparison of a 1700 with the RACNRAY Throttle Mod, and one without, you would swear there is something wrong with the stock bike!

I also found that it took a few thousand miles before the engine really seemed to rev freely. Both performance and mileage improved after the "break-in" period.

[cactusjack]

260 miles and you're ready to throw in the towel?

Maybe there's a reason they don't allow test rides.

[ponch]

Originally Posted by cactusjack

260 miles and you're ready to throw in the towel?

Maybe there's a reason they don't allow test rides.

Or rent them. At least with HD, you can rent a bike for as long as you want to test ride as it were and many dealers will put the rental cost against a new purchase. That said, When I test rode a Voyager and Ultra, they would only allow a short test ride, like 5 miles or so. With the BMW, I did about 20 miles. A test ride is a must before purchasing any bike or car.

[galax83061]

Try riding behind a wounded warrior on a bycicle going 20mph for a hour. I was in the red really fast on my Vaquero. I was really worried so I would run ahead of the pack and come back in line. I had 1600 miles on my Vaquero and heat is there but it does not bother me that much.