Champion Kawasaki Voyager Kit: South Central Texas (The First Three+ Months)

[KWSchin]

Champion Kawasaki Voyager Kit: South Central Texas (The First Three+ Months)

Howdy, Everybody!

Hope all are well. Been a while since I've spent time here, but life's been busy with all kinds of stuff going on.

Haven't put a ton of tie on the Voyager, but what we have, we've enjoyed. We've gotten used to leaning into turns since the bike no longer does. I'm getting used to the steering, but when my finances smooth out, I'm probably going with triple trees.

So, here's the Pros and Cons:

Pros

• The look of the conversion is awesome. ThumbUp
• The paint match is spot on.
• The engineering is excellent, mostly.
• The kit was DIY friendly, and I really enjoyed putting it together.
• My daughter could drive it in the parking lot with a little coaching. epper:
• The storage SPACE in the trunk!
• My wife keeps talking trips on her. :laugh:

Cons

• Purchasing the kit did not go smoothly, even in buying through a dealer. Communication was not clear on a number of things. :Shrug:
• The rear brakes are not up to the same quality as the rest of the kit.
  
  Mine are still mushy and there's not much "Pad Sweep" on the rotors, but I do use my front brake, so I'm not worried.
• The instructions were not clear in a number of areas, but I'm good at figuring things out, so I worked through them.
• The residual valve broke when I attempted to torque it to the specified 25 foot pounds. The 5/16 or so nipple spun off. It took almost two weeks to get the replacement with one being "Lost", and they were out for a while. I questioned the 25 foot pounds and was told to just tighten it until it doesn't leak and then stop. Not very professional with that one.
• Getting the kit shipped to Texas was a major pain in the A@@ with several promises of shipping dates, which were not true. I picked the kit up from the trucking terminal 2 weeks after my promised delivery date.
• No follow up from anybody on the purchase, how it was going with the assembly, thank you for all the money you spent, etc.

Overall I really like the kit and how Blu has turned out. I guess if I'd had the work done by a dealer/installer and was told what to expect in the timeline it might have gone smoother. But then, I would have missed out on the fun of putting the thing together.

Oh well, it's a done deal.

We're having fun. If all goes well, this is the last big motorcycle purchase will ever make, and I'll be willing Blu to my son, or maybe my daughter since she doesn't have to hold the thing up. He's got three bikes already anyway.

All the best!

 

[paws]

Hi Keith !!
Now that you've got your wheels, hopefully you'll be able to make the Kerrville meet in October.
Hope to see ya'll there!
Jim and Carla in Midland, TX

 

[Gorilla]

Well the big issues are over. Now enjoy he ride and be safe.

 

[KWSchin]

Kerville: Up in the Air

Hi Keith !!
Now that you've got your wheels, hopefully you'll be able to make the Kerrville meet in October.
Hope to see ya'll there!
Jim and Carla in Midland, TX

I'd really like to make the get-together, but it's up in the air. I'm already calendared for the Harvest Classic, later in the month, representing the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club. It's all going to hinge upon my Father in Law's health. :-(

If I can't make for the whole event, maybe I can join up with y'all one day. For that, I have a place to stay and won't have to make reservations at the host hotel.

Fingers crossed!

- - - Updated - - -

Well the big issues are over. Now enjoy he ride and be safe.

Yep, the big issues are over. Now we're enjoying the ride, when the temps and other things allow. I'm really enjoying the Trike Life. No worries about spilling over, especially in u-turns and tight right corners. :clapping:

Keith "Shin" Schindler

 

[Trike Mid Step]

kaw. Vulcan Champion kit

Howdy, Everybody!

Hope all are well. Been a while since I've spent time here, but life's been busy with all kinds of stuff going on.

Haven't put a ton of tie on the Voyager, but what we have, we've enjoyed. We've gotten used to leaning into turns since the bike no longer does. I'm getting used to the steering, but when my finances smooth out, I'm probably going with triple trees.

So, here's the Pros and Cons:

Pros

• The look of the conversion is awesome. ThumbUp
• The paint match is spot on.
• The engineering is excellent, mostly.
• The kit was DIY friendly, and I really enjoyed putting it together.
• My daughter could drive it in the parking lot with a little coaching. epper:
• The storage SPACE in the trunk!
• My wife keeps talking trips on her. :laugh:

Cons

• Purchasing the kit did not go smoothly, even in buying through a dealer. Communication was not clear on a number of things. :Shrug:
• The rear brakes are not up to the same quality as the rest of the kit.
  
  Mine are still mushy and there's not much "Pad Sweep" on the rotors, but I do use my front brake, so I'm not worried.
• The instructions were not clear in a number of areas, but I'm good at figuring things out, so I worked through them.
• The residual valve broke when I attempted to torque it to the specified 25 foot pounds. The 5/16 or so nipple spun off. It took almost two weeks to get the replacement with one being "Lost", and they were out for a while. I questioned the 25 foot pounds and was told to just tighten it until it doesn't leak and then stop. Not very professional with that one.
• Getting the kit shipped to Texas was a major pain in the A@@ with several promises of shipping dates, which were not true. I picked the kit up from the trucking terminal 2 weeks after my promised delivery date.
• No follow up from anybody on the purchase, how it was going with the assembly, thank you for all the money you spent, etc.

Overall I really like the kit and how Blu has turned out. I guess if I'd had the work done by a dealer/installer and was told what to expect in the timeline it might have gone smoother. But then, I would have missed out on the fun of putting the thing together.

Oh well, it's a done deal.

We're having fun. If all goes well, this is the last big motorcycle purchase will ever make, and I'll be willing Blu to my son, or maybe my daughter since she doesn't have to hold the thing up. He's got three bikes already anyway.

All the best!

Hi Keith, Glad you like it, I have Same bike with champion kit, that I put on. Love it. Have a Great Day Tom

 

[Trike Mid Step]

Howdy, Everybody!

Hope all are well. Been a while since I've spent time here, but life's been busy with all kinds of stuff going on.

Haven't put a ton of tie on the Voyager, but what we have, we've enjoyed. We've gotten used to leaning into turns since the bike no longer does. I'm getting used to the steering, but when my finances smooth out, I'm probably going with triple trees.

So, here's the Pros and Cons:

Pros

• The look of the conversion is awesome. ThumbUp
• The paint match is spot on.
• The engineering is excellent, mostly.
• The kit was DIY friendly, and I really enjoyed putting it together.
• My daughter could drive it in the parking lot with a little coaching. epper:
• The storage SPACE in the trunk!
• My wife keeps talking trips on her. :laugh:

Cons

• Purchasing the kit did not go smoothly, even in buying through a dealer. Communication was not clear on a number of things. :Shrug:
• The rear brakes are not up to the same quality as the rest of the kit.
  
  Mine are still mushy and there's not much "Pad Sweep" on the rotors, but I do use my front brake, so I'm not worried.
• The instructions were not clear in a number of areas, but I'm good at figuring things out, so I worked through them.
• The residual valve broke when I attempted to torque it to the specified 25 foot pounds. The 5/16 or so nipple spun off. It took almost two weeks to get the replacement with one being "Lost", and they were out for a while. I questioned the 25 foot pounds and was told to just tighten it until it doesn't leak and then stop. Not very professional with that one.
• Getting the kit shipped to Texas was a major pain in the A@@ with several promises of shipping dates, which were not true. I picked the kit up from the trucking terminal 2 weeks after my promised delivery date.
• No follow up from anybody on the purchase, how it was going with the assembly, thank you for all the money you spent, etc.

Overall I really like the kit and how Blu has turned out. I guess if I'd had the work done by a dealer/installer and was told what to expect in the timeline it might have gone smoother. But then, I would have missed out on the fun of putting the thing together.

Oh well, it's a done deal.

We're having fun. If all goes well, this is the last big motorcycle purchase will ever make, and I'll be willing Blu to my son, or maybe my daughter since she doesn't have to hold the thing up. He's got three bikes already anyway.

All the best!

Hi Keith, Did you try bleeding brakes in rear again. Mine work pretty well. If you tap on calipers with wrench while bleeding you might get a couple of air bubbles out of system. That's what I did with mine when I installed Champion kit on my Voyager. Thanks Tom