I have a 96 1500 classic. Was given to me for trade work on a house of a good friend. Recieved the bike last May, and rode it like I stole all summer long "6000" miles. I changed the oil on it shortly after I got it. I started having 4th gear issues toward the end of the season "Jumping out" while just cruising. I have had many shovelheads in my day, but this bike is one of the most comfotarble rides EVER. My bud had tore the motor apart about 10 years ago "when he was laid off" and ported & polished the entire motor, and swaped out the fuel injection with a Mukini carb, Vance &Hines pipes, Mustang seat, and Road King saddle bags. Him and I put alot of miles on riding side by side. He is now in Afghanastan. This spring I needed to put new tires on and decided to take it to a "recomended" shop for a complete tune up. After a week in the shop and a cool grand later I picked it up. The shop had replaced all the fluids, flushed the radiator , new brakes ect. The day that I picked up the bike, I drove it straight home and parked it in the garage, since I had my kids that wkend. I noticed right away that there was a little radiator fluid on the top cover near the impeller. Called the shop and they advised me to keep an eye on it. After a week of riding it back and forth to work, it still leaked a very small amount of radiator fluid, so back to the shop. they looked at it and said it was not a huge issue and continue to watch it. So it started to finally warm up in this state and I took the bike on an annual MDA run. So, to the point, the bike overheated, radiator release valve blew, but was in the middle of nowhere so rode to final stop. possitive I have a cracked head gasget and the radiotor fan never kicked on. Tested the fan motor, works fine, now am replacing the fan switch. Will ride it till it goes "hydrolocks". Wanna keep the bike, but would like to put a bigger, newer motor with a fifth gear in it. Am looking for any leads or suggestions on how to make this happen. Have wrenched for years on older HD, but I really dig this bike. Am new to the forum, and any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Welcome to KF 8-penny. I am not too familiar with the vulcan models, but let us know on what you find out on the engine swaps.

 

The MDA runs are clutch-burners; to much slow speed and start-stop. Good cause; but very hard on the bikes.
I would suggest taking the bike back to the shop/guys who did the mods. "Keep your eye on it" is double-speak for "we don't want to have to make it right, now that we have your money." It's your bike and your money. You should not have to fix their mistakes at your expense.
Vulcans are a great choice for guys who are tired of riding unreliable paint-shakers. Sure, maybe the Harley "mystique" isn't there, but you're getting much better technology, better brakes, less weight (usually), and a smoother ride.
Welcome to the forums, 8-penny. Tell your buddy overseas "God bless him" from us.