Did You Know?

A collection of things you may not have known about your Vulcan Classic, Nomad or Drifter

Did you know... The Nomad/Classic and Drifter have accessory wiring available under the seat beside the left frame tube? 1500's have another set under the (left) front of the gas tank and 1600's have a pair in the headlight bucket. Look carefully in those locations and you'll find a double (two connector) negative (black/yellow) and a double positive (white/blue) female connector. These connections are "always on" so only switched accessories should be connected to them.

Did you know... Nomads, Classics and, to a lesser extent Drifters produce a "clunk" sound from the front when hitting bumps. This is, more often than not, traced to wiring connectors inside the headlight bucket. Remove the two screws holding the front trim ring on and pull the headlight (front) away from the bucket. Lay down carefully on a towel you've placed on your front fender. Use zip ties to tidy up the wiring harness (some even Velcro the connectors to the bucket) then put the headlight back on. Go hit a bump or two. Clunk gone right? If not you may have to dig a little deeper. Check the possibility of an improperly tightened steering stem nut by raising the front of the bike off the ground and trying to push and pull the wheel/tire assembly. If you feel any movement or hear a noise the stem is too loose.

Did you know... Vulcans whistle? Generally it takes a very warm day and a gas tank half full or less. When you park your bike you'll hear a whistling sound that can continue for many minutes. It's just the tank vent. The whistle can be stopped by opening the gas cap for a moment. Occasionally (on a really hot day) even opening the cap doesn't work and the whistle will continue as soon as its closed again. Heat from your engine and the atmosphere have simply warmed the air in the tank enough so it has to escape and it does that through the keyhole. If anyone asks about it, just tell them your Vulcan is "especially happy today." If you hate the whistle, check this fixit page for the fix.

Did you know... Vulcans chirp? It's the fan starting up. Many Vulcan Classic, Nomad and Meanstreaks emit a chirping sound as the fan motor starts. There's no fix, nothings broken they just do that.

Did you know... Fuel Injected models sometimes make a whining sound that seems to come from the gas tank area. In most cases this noise isn't caused by a failing fuel pump (though it has all the symptoms) but by a clogged or pinched tank vent line that runs to the pump. Use a piece of utility wire or fishing line to clear the line.

Did you know... If you're hooking up a tachometer most of the connections are obvious. Not the one that connects to the coil. The answer to "which one is it" is...The "top" or black wire (#1 coil) is the negative side where most manufacturers instruct you to connect.

Have more? Send them to Gadget for posting!