Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Disassembly and Valve Clearance Inspection

SAFETY NOTE: Disconnect your battery (negative) terminal frist, as gasoline is very flammable.
A tutorial on how to disassemble a Kawasaki Vulcan 900 and inspect valve clearance gaps.
For US and CA it is recommended to inspect every 15k miles (24k km), and everywhere else it is recommended every 26k miles or 42k km (maintenance guide page 2-2 "periodic maintenance").
Service Manual link:
drive.google.com/file/d/1FTZV...

[@dmitriymukhtarov9663]

Thank you Arlen. Great vids on how service VN900. No silly music, clear and concise. Appreciate your time and effort.

[@arthamilton2379]

Very generous contribution of your time and skill, Sir. Your camera work is clear and well angled. You don't waste words, Your lighting is thorough for the viewer. Respect to you. Thank you.

[@duroxkilo]

nice presentation, i have a few suggestions for ppl planing on adjusting the valves, if i may. cleaning a bit the parts to be disassembled goes a long way, especially on the top of the engine where clearances are so tight... sand/dust create unnecessary wear till the oil filter catches the abrasive particles. also a rag over the cam chains is a MUST even for people with steady hands: if a shim, bolt or tool falls in the engine, this rather simple task becomes quite stressful. as shims come in 0.05mm increments, when replacing one, aim for the max allowed clearance/gap. the min allowed clearance requires a smaller shim to bring the clearance to the max allowed (otherwise in 15k miles thru wear the clearance will be smaller than ideal). write down w/ a drawing the clearances and if possible the shim sizes for all the valves. in this particular case the correct shim is 30 replacing the 40, for a final clearance of 0.25. (you don't want to go from 0.15 clearance to 0.20 by using a 35 shim.)

[@Msellman25]

Quick tip. Remove spark plugs to avoid compression build up.

[@stevenbond3896]

This is a GREAT video!! The step by step detail he provided is perfect and just what I needed to prepare for this project. JOB WELL DONE!!!

[@Tylerholland6]

Just wanted to say i have the exact same bike as you and I think it’s awesome to see another. Thanks for the vid brother.

[@qaser8]

Cool vid. I'm in OZ and have just bought a 900 to go with my 1600 Nomad which I put a side car on. Can't beat 'em. Just so mechanically superior to other machines.

[@Amp661]

You are a GOD, man! Thank you so much for your easy step by step instruction on this topic for my exact bike!

[@arlenburroughs5014]

You're very welcome, Dick Trickle! There is only one god that I know of, and His name starts with a capital "G" :)

[@alessandrorosa9581]

Awesome video Arlen. Thank you. Love my Vulcan 900 Custom.

[@stephenyanacek1763]

Awesome video buddy I own a 900 Vulcan Custom 2008 I absolutely love it. It was cool my motor torn apart LOL very informative video

[@andyostertag]

Awesome job Arlen

[@andyman1963]

thanks great video gave me the confidence to have a go at this

[@corneilcorneil]

👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 Thanks for the real clear upload 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@arlenburroughs5014]

You're welcome brother! That was the goal!

[@Bikergramp57]

This was excellent! Thank you!!

[@elvaktran]

Awesome video man! Thanks!

[@osgnuru]

Thanks for making the video. I started to replace my failed stator and while I wait for part I am adjusting my valves with your video as guidence.

[@thegreenman2030]

I know this comment is two years old, but in the event you see it about what was the mileage of your bike when the stator failed?

[@osgnuru]

@@thegreenman2030 around 70000km (43495 miles). If an alternator on a car failed at such low mileage, that car would be a lemon. I read a lot of reports about the Kaw stator being junk and one I replaced it with had great reviews. I could see that it was much better quality.

[@osgnuru]

Ricks Motorsport Electrics Stator OEM-Style - 21-230

[@thegreenman2030]

@@osgnuru Thank you for the reply. I just picked up a 2007 900 Classic with 16,000 miles. It seems like the battery which is new is draining rather quickly, however it’s rare when a stator fails at suck low miles. I also heard good reviews regarding the ricks statir being a lot better. I may just make the upgrade once we get through the summer riding season. Again I appreciate you taking the time to reply.

[@osgnuru]

@@thegreenman2030 sometimes it can be a failed wire or rectifier. You should us a DMM to test those before you send any money

[@fsriccobon8279]

great video. thanks

[@user-fp5ei7cc5s]

Splendid vid shot . I hav 1 Vn 1999 classic And something is rolling to get me down 😮 Oil leaking on Sparks , Also in the mufflers whenever hit the str . I sure valve clearance not ok besides Cylinder head and engine was rebuild 10 month ago . All gaskets changed however oil in the mufflers . 😢

[@midnightcowboyra]

Great job thanks!

[@konraddieselpower3633]

thanks for the video..

[@bigdog4574]

Well done!

[@CoolnSerious]

Something tells me that my money stays in my pocket😁, Thanks A Lot Man!

[@grizzlyadams1039]

Brilliant video just one thing I noticed when you removed the fuel tank you still had fuel in it what did you do to stop the tank leaking everywhere

[@arlenburroughs5014]

You can pull the tank off with gas in it. The more gas, the heavier the tank will be though. I know on older bikes that a vacuum line was used to draw gas from fuel petcocks. I think since this bike is fuel injected the fuel pump is used. Without the pump running gas will not come out of the tank.

[@vlads.9972]

Good video. How many miles were on your bike at the time of adjustment?

[@mml1224]

great job arlen, very clear, concise, any diff. doin this on a classic? how often do you have to do it, manual says 15k to check , bu ti have known people waiting till 50k to do it?

[@alessandrorosa9581]

Service manual says at 15,000 miles. You could possibly do it at 20,000 miles but wouldn't go past that. You might burn up your valves if they are too tight. 15,000-20,000. Try to get your exhaust valves clearances at the higher end of your valve clearance limit because they tend to close over time.

[@rudolfcarp9139]

Danke 😊

[@mml1224]

love to see this guy handle a STATOR replacement and issue video on the 900.......hey, what diff. did you feel after the one shim replacement?

[@arlenburroughs5014]

Honestly since mine was barely out of spec I didn't notice any difference after the adjustment.

[@nmn5125]

Thanks for the video/great job. I have a ‘07 900 Custom, great bikes. I see you have risers /extended handle bars; who is mfg and how much did it extend? Did you need to change any of the cables? Thanks

[@arlenburroughs5014]

Actually those are the stock bars that come on the "custom" variant of the vn900

[@TrZghost]

Really good video! Could a slight tapping noise coming from the engine at acceleration but not on idle mean I need to check theses? Someone told me that my valves are whats making the tick

[@midmooutdoors7556]

Wish we could get a answer to this question I'm having this issue

[@VeritasEtAequitas]

@@midmooutdoors7556 a bit of tick is normal. If they're on the loose side, it'll tap louder but it's no harm. The secondary air injection valve also makes a loud clicking. Also check for exhaust leaks, especially if you reused the crush gaskets.

[@muhammettokay3026]

Hello my friend. First of all, thank you for sharing this information. My engine is kawasaki vulcan vn400. Is this information you shared the same for my engine?

[@FRJ1982]

Your video is very clear and direct. But one question: how often do you do this? Or what is notable to make you want to do this?

[@arlenburroughs5014]

Apparently every 15k miles. I did it because I bought the bike with 25k and have no idea if it had been done. I've read that some people have a slight ticking noise if there is no gap. Maybe something to try if there is performance issues?

[@CoolnSerious]

@@arlenburroughs5014 Hi same thinking ,bought my vulcan 900 classic with almost 27k and there's a ticking noise so... better safe than sorry ;) thanks for the video , btw nice singing man

[@billymoore3576]

may i ask where you got your air filter cover at or was it stock??

[@lovefamily5931]

Do you have a power commander on bike with new pipes?

[@JeffZigolmanZeigler]

Marlin 08 Vulcan 900 custom two years ago haven't been able to get it to run right yet will not take. It'll barely takes a three-quarter have replace injectors everything to do with the breathing system fuel system 1 fuel pump everything is still can't get his bike run right

[@jasonshaw7590]

How do you refit tube?

[@xc_4x4]

So do i need to have a near empty gas tank to do this? How did you manage to not spill gas everywhere?

[@arlenburroughs5014]

Bikes use either a vacuum line or fuel pump to draw gas from the tank. Gas will not just pour out, even with some still in. The tank will be very heavy if it is full though.

[@RayMaldonadoJr]

Can you send me a draft of the fuse box for the Vulcan 900

[@fullsend_ny7948]

fanastic video bud THANK YOU

[@rudolfcarp9139]

Bei wieviel km muss man die Ventile einstellen.?

[@franciscorivas6651]

How often do you adjust them? I have a FVn900 06

[@arlenburroughs5014]

You only adjust them if they are out of spec, but the manual says to check them every 6k miles.

[@FRJ1982]

Not noted but I am guessing that the gas tank has to be close to empty while disconnecting and removed??? Please correct me if I'm wrong

[@arlenburroughs5014]

It does not need to be emptied. The fuel won't leak out because a pump is required to get fuel out. You will however want it mostly empty to be lighter in weight.

[@FRJ1982]

@@arlenburroughs5014 thanks 👍 good to know

[@fredbarnich8145]

Can you do that on a 1999 Vulcan nomad 1500?

[@arlenburroughs5014]

If I had one I totally would! I only own this bike and a gz250

[@christopherfair1011]

What bars are those

[@arlenburroughs5014]

I believe they're just the stock drag bars that come on the Vulcan custom

[@user-ro9gu9nh892]

At what mileage was regulated

[@arlenburroughs5014]

Inspect every 15k miles, adjust when out of spec.

[@steelrolex]

@@arlenburroughs5014 So often? In Europe it is every 42000km= 26097 mi, has it to do with regulations for the air pollution laws in USA?

[@arlenburroughs5014]

@@steelrolex I misspoke with 6k miles. I just checked the manual page 2-2 "Periodic Maintenance" and it says 15k miles for US and 26k for other countries as you mentioned. I'll put this in the description as well. Thanks and be safe out there!

[@jeffbraden78]

First thing you should do is disconnect your battery folks. Dripping fuel and a spark would not be good.

[@arlenburroughs5014]

Updated the description. Thanks!