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Old 01-17-2018, 10:08 AM   #1
desertdog   desertdog is offline
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Bike in the shop

08 Vulcan Nomad, with 62,000 miles on it. Started burning oil, first a little then a qt every 1,000 miles. Front cylinder was burning oil.

Put it in the shop Saturday, they finished the tear down yesterday.

Front piston had a 1 inch crack across the face of it, and a cracked oil ring. Also hydraulic lifter was malfunctioning.

So top end rebuild and all new parts, cam chains, etc. Cylinder walls were not scored.

They said bottom end checks out ok.

They are also putting new steering bearings in.

I did not ride it hard, oil changes and all maintenance done on time. If anything I tend to over maintain it.

Bummer, going to be expensive, good thing is it will be a new engine when they are done.

Two weeks to complete if they can get all the parts from U.S. suppliers, 4 weeks if they need to get any thing from Japan.



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Old 01-17-2018, 10:32 AM   #2
recumbentbob   recumbentbob is offline
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That hurts. Did you buy it new?

IMHO that should not have happened.
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Old 01-17-2018, 10:56 AM   #3
desertdog   desertdog is offline
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Bought the bike new in 08, it had 2 miles on it when I test rode it, after my test ride it had 5 miles on it, and I took it home.

Some times, no matter the quality control, you can get a bad part or two. It does not happen very often, but nothing is 100%.

Bike is old enough and has enough miles on it that Kawa has no responsibility for the issues.

I don't like it, but have to suck it up.

I do like the bike tho. Thats why I am putting the money into it.
 
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Old 01-17-2018, 02:43 PM   #4
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What is your mileage, and how much are they asking for the rebuild?

Out of curiosity, has it ever ran hot?
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Old 01-17-2018, 04:16 PM   #5
desertdog   desertdog is offline
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62,000 miles, did not notice it ever running hot, altho when I rode this fall the fan seemed to cut on more, but it was in the high 90s to low 100s out.

Its gonna be over $3,000 for the rebuild, new pistons, cam chains, hoses, fork stem bearings, and some other goodies.

I called around to a number of shops about a rebuild and they all referred me to the one I took it to.

I had thought about a used motor, but decided I would rather stick with this engine, rather than take a chance on an unknown.

Its still cheaper than a new bike. And my riding days are winding down slowly, ( but thats another story).



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Old 01-17-2018, 05:19 PM   #6
roadhawg   roadhawg is offline
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What brand and viscosity oil did you use? How often did you change it?
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Old 01-17-2018, 06:16 PM   #7
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Mobile 1 V twin Synthetic 20-50 due to heat, change every 3-5k miles, changed filter every oil change
 
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Old 01-18-2018, 04:08 AM   #8
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Well, a good quality rebuild would cost about $1800 or there abouts. depends on what else they did for use to give you a good idea if you were given a good deal. One thing though. Your bike will be like new.
Sounds like it might've had either a bad piston, might've dripped some carbon on top of said piston (creating a hot spot), or piece of ring welded in groove, created a hot spot and ate the piston. Just lucky the bore wasn't damaged.
Did the bike sit up at anytime during one bad winter? Condensation, or washing the bike and getting water in thru the intake could cause this also....
The 1500/1600s are super reliable, so, I would consider this a fluke. This is one of the reasons why folks need to blow the carbon out often....
If everything was gone thru, a really good quality rebuild could be closer to $2000, maybe $2200, depending on what was done,
Good news is your bike will be ready for 150,000 miles of trouble free cruisin'....
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Old 01-18-2018, 07:40 AM   #9
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I live in Arizona, so bike is run year round, but not as much in the summer. In the fall and winter I ride alot more. I don't twist the throttle alot any more, but the carbon does get blown out on a regular basis.

I agree its just some type of fluke. The shop has a good reputation for being honest and fair. I checked around and other shops suggested I take it there, the google reveiws were good, so I am sure I am not getting over charged.

It will be nice to have a new engine.

I am going to ask to see the pistons tho, just to satisfy my curiosity as to what might have happened.
 
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Old 01-18-2018, 11:49 AM   #10
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Just think, you could have purchased my 2008 with 54,000 miles on it and saved all the hassle
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Old 01-19-2018, 06:51 AM   #11
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it is not a hassle to fix his bike up again, he said he likes his bike, and the shop he took it to sounds good, i think repairing his bike is the right decision
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Old 01-19-2018, 08:15 AM   #12
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Just think, you could have purchased my 2008 with 54,000 miles on it and saved all the hassle


TC: Had I known that you were going to sell your bike to me for $10 I would have taken you up on the offer. :)
 
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Old 01-19-2018, 09:00 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by desertdog View Post
Just think, you could have purchased my 2008 with 54,000 miles on it and saved all the hassle


TC: Had I known that you were going to sell your bike to me for $10 I would have taken you up on the offer. :)
Is that what it cost you to repair your bike, $10.

Well you get what you pay for
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Old 01-19-2018, 03:33 PM   #14
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Sounds like you did everything right there with respect to maintenance desertdawg so it sounds like just one of those things that can happen with any bike. I've got a friend with three Nomad 1500s. He has 130k on one, 80k or so on another and about 30k on the third. He rides the heck out of them and does not pay the best attention to maintenance yet he has few if any problems. Makes me crazy when I, who is very attentive to care and maintenance, has an issue on one of my bikes.
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Old 01-19-2018, 05:42 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by desertdog View Post
Mobile 1 V twin Synthetic 20-50 due to heat, change every 3-5k miles, changed filter every oil change
What oil filter do you use ?
 
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