'02 Vulcan 500

[BillInGA]

I've been feeling to urge to move to a bigger bike for a few months now. After lots of research I decided on the Vulcan 500. I found one last weekend that was in serviceable condition and a decent price, so I went ahead and bought it. It's a 2002 with just under 9,000 miles.

I still have the GZ, but will be putting it on the market soon.

I plan on sticking around on this forum, though. No other bike forum comes close to this one, thanks to Dupo, Pat and all you great members.

Bill

[alantf]

Great bike you've just bought. That's what I wanted, but they stopped making the European version in 2008, & I hear they're stopping the North American version this year. :poorbaby:

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by BillInGA

After lots of research I decided on the Vulcan 500.

OK, that makes TWO of them around Atlanta; one north and one south.
I GOTTA arrange a ride swap with one of you guys the next time I have my bike there.

I looked at them the day I bought my Shadow.

It appears that many dealers have left over new '09s that can be had for a REALLY good price.

[dhgeyer]

Congratulations Bill! You've got a great bike there. I had one once and loved it. Definitely one of the best bikes I ever had. I hope you enjoy yours as much.

[burkbuilds]

Hey Bill, congratulations on the Vulcan 500. I've really enjoyed mine this last year (and two months). I've already put almost 18,000 on her, mostly between Chattanooga and Marietta. I also wanted to agree with you about this forum. I've tried a few others and I've dropped a few of them already, but even though I no longer own a GZ, I plan to stay on this site. The members general helpfulness, interesting posts, and camaraderie are unique and no matter what bike you ride, this is a great forum to be a part of.

[New GZ250]

Vulcan 500's are great looking and just the right size.(500 cc's) I would of seriously considered purchasing one if they were available for sale in California. We have "few" mid-size bike choices here in California. Enjoy! Post some pictures!

[BillInGA]

Thanks to all for the kind words. I've been swamped at work and haven't been able to get the registration & insurance squared away yet. Hopefully by the end of the week (Is it Wednesday already?) I'm itching to start putting some miles on it.

One thing I discovered on the way home was that pipes have been drilled. Sounds much louder that I'd like and lots of popping on deceleration. Hey BB, assuming you have stock mufflers, can you post a photo of your tailpipes so I can see what kind of damage has been done? Hopefully I can repair these, otherwise I'll have to find replacements.

Photos tomorrow.

Bill

[burkbuilds]

I'm not sure if these will have enough detail to help you out but it's what I have loaded on my computer, hope it's somewhat helpful.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by BillInGA

One thing I discovered on the way home was that pipes have been drilled.

I've got some experience with that on a GZ...... :whistle:
In that case, it just sounded pathetic.

I was able to tap and plug the backplate holes with stainless steel flat head bolts with hex slots.
Getting the size right was a little tricky.......and that backplate is VERY hard, at least on the GZ.

Hopefully the damage doesn't go beyond the back plate. You could plug those holes temporarily with some wooden pegs to see how much difference it makes. If they also punched the main diverter plate down inside, the back plate won't make much difference.

[BillInGA]

BB and ER - thanks for the feedback.

Here's what the tailpipe looks like with the backplate on:



And here it is with the backplate removed:



I'm sure I can fill the drilled holes with some kind of epoxy putty. The mangling in the center has me a little worried, though.