[meandjulio]

My wife's Vulcan 500

Hey everyone, I've read a lot of posts and tried a lot of things, but my wife's bike STILL won't start -

1) It's not the battery. It's been on the BatteryTender, voltage tests ok and it cranks, BUT

2) It coughs once if I'm lucky, then it's that annoying cranking-not-firing noise.

I figured out how to take it all apart, put in new spark plugs, put it back together, put gas back in the tank, hit the start, and -

ARGHHHH!!!

I should start it, ride it to the shop, and let them figure it out, but NO -

Sympathy is appreciated, helpful advice is even better - THANKS!

At least I got to buy a new spark plug socket

 

[meandjulio]

It's a 2007 Kawasaki Vulcan 500 -

I haven't tried starting fluid. With a mower, you pull the spark plug out, spray that in the cylinder, put the spark plug back in and BOOM!

It's no easy feat to pull a spark plug on THIS thing! Drain the gas tank, take it off, yadday yadda etc. etc.
And I had 'routine maintenance' done, by the shop, last spring - you'd think it would start up again THIS spring, right?

Now my V-Star, that starts up just fine, but this Vulcan's gonna drive me crazy

 

[meandjulio]

I THINK I gave it Sta-Bil last fall - but I just had to empty the tank to get at the spark plugs. Some of that gas went back in the tank - top it off with fresh gas? Maybe I'll just shoot the damn thing - she doesn't ride it too much anyway

 

[meandjulio]

Old gas OUT, new gas IN with a good dose of injector cleaner.

Does it start YET? No - we'll check again tomorrow.

THANK YOU!

 

[meandjulio]

Thanks man - you folks are awesome...

Today, it STARTED - and ran for about 10 seconds. I'm letting the carb/injector stuff do it's thing.

Maybe tomorrow it'll run for 30 seconds. Maybe more....

 

[meandjulio]

And - it's a WIN!!!!!

Up and running - I'll write you all into my will - love you guys! :-D

 

[meandjulio]

AND

- the battery was 12 years old! New battery and EVERYTHING is great now - why didn't I think of that in the first place?!