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Need my tank repaired - went down. Who in or near Cincinnati?


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I just put new EBC-HH pads on my bike and was tooling around my neighborhood feeling them out and doing moderate stops to get the bedding process started.  To my shock, the front end locked up and washed out (dead straight road). I got off the brake as soon as i felt it coming loose, but it was too late.  My Vulcan 500 went down on her left side. The damage isn't really bad - front end is tweaked, turn signal is scuffed a little, exhaust tip scuffed, saddlebag scuffed, shifter bent (fixed already), but the tank took a grinding. The engine guard is spotless!

 

Who could I take her to to have the tank fixed up?  I know it's "just" a beginner bike, but I love it - far more than my Nighthawk. It's a great little bike that has done everything I've ever asked of it. I'm so pissed I rashed it up! I don't have super deep pockets, but I want her fixed up right.

 

IMAG0812_zps7b5149e1.jpg

 

Thanks,

 

Doug

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Sucks to hear, but I understand your bike's sentimental value. Heard good things about this place, but I've no personal experience.

http://www.precisionmotorcyclepainting.com/

Albeit pricier than your run of the mill paint and body shops, but these guys perfect factory color matched paint schemes.

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Go ahead and order a decal, you'll need it regardless of who does your work. Or just get a bigger decal and cover the whole mess...

Shouldn't be tough for a painter to fill and paint.  I've got a guy in Centerville (south Dayton), but he would fill and paint the base coat, then require YOU to apply the decal, then he'd clear coat (he doesn't want to be blamed for misplaced/ misaligned decals, stripes, etc.  Makes sense to me).   It would be an extra trip up from Cinti for you, but he's very reasonable.  Let me know if you are interested. 

Jeff

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It's not a decal, it' a plastic (fake chrome) emblem. I doubt I'd be able to find a replacement. In that case, I'd just want both taken off.

 

Any idea what something like this'll run me? Ballpark?

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More importantly, did you figure out what caused the wheel to lock up? Incorrect assembly or overfilling of fluid can cause the fluid to expand when warm and activate the brake. I've seen this happen when people buy cheap levers and they partially actuate the brakes even when not pulled.

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More importantly, did you figure out what caused the wheel to lock up? Incorrect assembly or overfilling of fluid can cause the fluid to expand when warm and activate the brake. I've seen this happen when people buy cheap levers and they partially actuate the brakes even when not pulled.

Good point.   New pads shouldn't cause this. 

When I saw that Joe had posted, I thought he was gonna tell you to bring the tank over, that he had a full paint and body shop at his new house....

;)

 

Ebay for the emblem.   Or dealer.  

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It's not a decal, it' a plastic (fake chrome) emblem. I doubt I'd be able to find a replacement. In that case, I'd just want both taken off.

 

Any idea what something like this'll run me? Ballpark?

The tank emblems are available, but look to be about $65 a side

http://www.kawasakipartshouse.com/oemparts/a/kaw/500b2670f8700223e479050b/decals-en500-c6

The site I linked for paint will email you a quote if you email them the pic of the tank

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I just put new EBC-HH pads on….

 

Here's your clue.  HH pads are really meant for high-speed aggressive braking and are way more 'touchy' to initial lever pressure than OEM organic pads.  I wouldn't recommend them for typical street riding unless I was planning on railing the backwoods at triple digits.  Putting them on the back brake is a recipe for a low-/high-side.

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I regularly drive up to Dayton and/or Yellow Springs, so yeah, I'm interested in getting the tank fixed.

 

Regarding the cause, I'll state outright I'm just at the end of my 1st year and inexperience had a hand in this.  And to be clear, I only did the front; the rear has plenty of life. After I swapped the pads, I went to a quiet road a few blocks from my house to get the pads bedded in. The first few stops out of the driveway were expectedly crap. Brake feel started to improve after a few hard, but not "emergency" 30 - 10 MPH brake applications. The brakes didn't feel snatchy at all, but in the darkness, I didn't see.....wait for it..... a F*CKING patch of oil. I've been on this road thousands of time and never noticed anything. Drove by the scene this morning and yup, a scummy dark spot right where my wheel lost it.  Maybe if I had more experience, I could have caught her...

 

I don't ride like a nut, have done the MSF course, try to remain alert and defensive, but damn, this is the 2nd time I've screwed the pooch on oil/road scum! I love riding, but makes one stop and think. 

 

I know sintered pads have a sharper feel than plain organics, but we're talking a single piston, single front disk, rear drum cruiser. The brake needs all the help it can get. My incident was the 5 in a row of hard stops that were fine - didn't lock 'em at all (until the road scum).

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Regarding the emblem, I'm just too cheep to pay $60 for a crappy plastic emblem. I'd rather just remove the other one and put that money into a new helmet (need one now).  My helmet has "just a scuff" on the cheek, but it hit the pavement - time to chuck it in the trash.

 

Woke up this morning in WAY more pain.  Thought I had a tibia fracture. X-ray says no, just a painful contusion. Crutches and ice for a week or so.  

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When I saw that Joe had posted, I thought he was gonna tell you to bring the tank over, that he had a full paint and body shop at his new house....

;)

No but I'd love to buy the house behind us and tear it down to build a big ass garage. Then there are lots of possibilities :)

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Now I'm starting to wonder if it was truly a road surface problem. Took the reservoir cover off and fluid pretty much sprayed out.  Strange thing is, I rode it home no problem. Either way, it's still an "experience deficiency".

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Now I'm starting to wonder if it was truly a road surface problem. Took the reservoir cover off and fluid pretty much sprayed out.  Strange thing is, I rode it home no problem. Either way, it's still an "experience deficiency".

If you'd topped off the brake fluid while the old pads were worn down, and didn't bleed the system ( or drew out excess fluid from the res ) once you put on the new pads - the system could have been beyond full at that point. May be why fluid sprayed when you pulled the res cap :dunno:

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I never topped the system off, but I had a shop change out all the fluids and catch up on PM when I purchased the bike. The pads were at least 3/4 worn at that time. My best guess is fully retracting the brake piston and multiple hard stops caused the fluid expand / back up enough to mess with the brakes, if not lock the front?  I drained off some fluid and carefully puttered around the neighborhood (after untweaking the forks) this weekend; the brake feels fine now. Not grabby in the least.

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