NGWClub®, Inc.

Good Evening Folks;
With my Wing with me here in Victoria, BC I will be needing a ride when I get home for vacations. Soooooo, my son Barrie snagged this for me in New Hampshire. Not a Wing but at 1500 CC's it will have the grunt to get the job done. We will strip it down and make kind of a sports bobber out of it. I am busy ordering parts and getting them shipped to Barrie's '3 Vertical Acres' in Vermont. So, allow me to present 'Red Rider'. Toss the bags, a set of low bars, and do something about those floorboards, my fingers are itchy to get on it. Barrie will do some of the wrenching and I will do what I can when I am home for weekends and summer vacation.
Mike Coleman
'84 Wing-Lite (ex-Aspencade)
'84 un-Terstate
'84 Standard (as yet un-named)

..and a shafty ! Cool.


HOTT

Looks like fun...

Good Day Gents,
Thanks for the comments. I think that once we get rid of all the chrome, the extra lights and replace that seat (I have a Harley / Corbin at home that did not work out on a Wing) it will not look too bad. The chrome fork covers will go (rubber gaiters, perhaps). Barrie says it has short shocks, so they will be replaced with longer units, a small LED tail light. Can you see that I am getting all enthused . . . . But I am 3000 miles away. My first trip home will not be until July. UGH !
Mike Coleman
'84 Wing-Lite (ex-Aspencade)
'84 un-Terstate
'84 Standard (as yet un-named)

Fun project. Perfect for running circles around Winnipesaukee! Dang, I do miss those roads in New Hampshire.

too bad the PO let the leather bags sag. On Redwoods Heritage softail I sent them to boss bags to have stiffiners put in. But once they are in the shape in the picture you cannot do it.
http://www.bossbags.com/heritage.html

Rodger, at a 'tousand bucks a set I will politely decline. That is what we paid for the complete bike. However I will keep them in mind just in case.
Meanwhile, Barrie has been busy. He has stripped it down a bit, mostly to gain access to its innards, he has working lights and spark and the carb has been disassembled for cleaning. a carb kit has been ordered and a new gel-cell battery replaced the dry and dead original. The new tires and tubes have arrived, as well as a set of 3" rise handle bars.
Mike Coleman
'84 Wing-Lite (ex-Aspencade)
'84 un-Terstate
'84 Standard (as yet un-named)

Gents;
Now that I am home, the project continues. . . An hour's worth of angry noises with my rattle guns we have . . Not too pretty and there are a ton of details like cable lengths and brake / clutch hose lengths to work out but y'all can get my idea on where I am going with it. Today I sorted out some electrical gremlins and now when you turn the key the dash lights come on and pushing the starter button yields the required thumping noises. No firing yet, I have not connected the fuel pump and lines or the fuel pump. My local locksmith made me a set of keys so can now get the fuel cap open. The tank has some internal rust that will require some cleaning and sealing. All in all the project is going well.
Mike Coleman
'84 Wing-Lite (ex-Aspencade)
'84 un-Terstate
'84 Standard (as yet un-named)
'96 Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 The Vulcanator

Nice!

I have a set of bags similar to those that sat in the corner of a warehouse for many years before I got a hold of them.
Tor reshape them, I made a form out of wood that make them stay open and then treated them to saddle soap and Neets Foot oil. Left them sitting with the forms inside over the winter and now they hold their shape.
I do need to have a couple of the straps reattached along with their buckles but can use them on my CX as needed.
When not in use, the forms are stored inside them.

As a Vulcan 1500 owner myself I know these bikes are good for a lot of miles. I've got a bit over 85k on mine. Keep your idle up, the cams need oil and a low idle speed will starve them. They exhaust gaskets at the heads almost always leak. They make a lot of noises from the top end of the motor but that doesn't actually mean there is a problem. I see a ton of people saying that they had to install cam chain tensioner extenders at fairly low miles but I've not needed them yet.
Not sure how far you plan to tear it down but, the valve cover gaskets and camshaft seals then to leak eventually on many of these. That's a motor out of frame job so if you take the motor out do those so you wont need to do it later.
Now the big one. A 96 should have came from the factory with the dreaded plastic oil gear aka the POG. Kawasaki sells a steel replacement and I hear it is not an easy task to change. There was a guy called The Judge who sold an easier to install replacement but I'm not sure he is still making them. While you are into that side of the motor you might want to look into replacing the clutch spring as well. common practice is to go with a Meanstreak spring because they are stiffer. The Judge used to make some special washers for the clutch as well, if he is not still selling those replace the factory bevel ones just because you are already in there.
I've had good luck out of mine aside from regular maintenance, valve covers leaking once and 1 clutch spring wearing out. If you are planning to leave the motor in the frame I'd pull the clutch side cover and check for the POG, it may have been replaced and then you are only out a gasket and some time, which is cheap for the peace of mind.

Hello Folks;
Front Runner, thanks for the tips, from what you say I gather that the POG can be changed with the engine in the frame? That should not be too hard a job.
Mike Coleman
'84 Wing-Lite (ex-Aspencade)
'84 un-Terstate
'84 Standard (as yet un-named)
'96 Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 The Vulcanator

Gents,
Just an update to our above conversation, I removed the clutch cover and the POG is still there. I contacted American Kawasaki to ask if the programme was still active, no response. So I contacted Bob Oglesby (AKA The Judge) and ordered one of his gear kits.
Meanwhile the rattle gun works wonders in very short time. With the fenders and exhaust removed all we can see is ENGINE !
Mike Coleman
'84 Wing-Lite (ex-Aspencade)
'84 un-Terstate
'84 Standard (as yet un-named)
'96 Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 The Vulcanator

good looking set of jugs.... just saying

Yes Rodger, nothing like big jugs! But we had better stop here. HAHAHAHA !
I have been playing with seats and dropped a Ducati Monster seat on today just to see, and I like it. As I try things out for visual effect I am reminded of the late and Great Gord Downe and the Tragically Hip "I am carving you to see what form you take". I will have to weld in some tubes to make a level base for the seat and get rid of the big step-down aft of the tank.
Mike Coleman
'84 Wing-Lite (ex-Aspencade)
'84 un-Terstate
'84 Standard (as yet un-named)
'96 Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 The Vulcanator