Inspection, Repairs and Maintenance – 1998 Kawasaki VN 1500 Classic Tourer
Occasionally we get an opportunity to test our true ability. About 5 years ago, we received an inquiry from a motorcycle rider from Wales, UK about purchasing a secondhand fender for his 1998 Kawasaki VN 1500 Classic Tourer. This led him to describe the problems he had been having with his bike, and our answer convinced him that he was “on the right track”. After years of having his bike “mishandled” and his wallet emptied, he finally decided to make the trip to CENTREM in Belgium. He was tired of the incompetence of these so-called mechanics.
After arriving here, the Kawa was given a full examination, and a few tests were made. To be able to perform some of the necessary repairs, the engine had to be removed. We only had a few days to work on the bike but it had to be done. The rocker covers received new gaskets because of oil leaks, and we replaced the clutch which had been repaired, but incorrectly.
Generally, there were many small issues which we corrected / improved. Then we took a look at the cooling system because our customer complained that his bike ran “hot”. He had always been “brushed off” in the past but we found some faults and corrected them. The cooling system works properly again. We also added some air to the rear suspension, one of our standard “check points” during a servicing. Our customer now knows what a good suspension is !
Another complaint was the new Vance & Hines exhaust system, not because of the quality but because our customer had asked for a quiet exhaust, and didn't get one. After some careful deliberation, we came up with a hopeful solution. After making some modifications to a set of quiet baffles which then fitted perfectly in the V&H mufflers, and wraping them with high quality muffler packing, we started up the bike. What a nice, quiet sound : smiles all around !!
With only a little time left, we started on the last important task : the carburetor. It was running much too lean. After a couple of initial adjustments, we took it for a test drive. Though the performance was better, we gave our customer a few instructions to follow, once he got home. He felt confident that he would succeed in making these last improvements, to get his bike in perfect running condition again, finally.
We all had a very pleasing, rewarding weekend !
