Vulcan final drive repair

 
I need advise from those here in the know.  Two days ago, I pulled out
of a parking spot on my 2001 Vulcan 750 with 15,000 miles.  No
problems.  I had to wait for traffic to clear at the street.  When I
let out the clutch, all I heard was grinding in the final drive.  There
was no indication of any problem or loud crack.  I assume a pinion gear
broke or something like that.
I have some mechanical ability but after reading the Clymers manual,I
decided it was probably more than I can handle or have the proper tools
to tackle.
My question is what should I expect for this type of repair.  I went to
Bike Bandit online parts catalog.  I'm hoping I may only need the
pinion or gear that broke instead of an entire assembly.  I don't want
to spend $800 to $1200 for an entire assembly if only some pinion's
spline stripped.
Any advice from anybody that had this happen would be helpful before I
head off to the repair shop.

 
AFAIK the final gears are factory-matched and must be replaced as a unit.
Given the amount of work to shim the gears and replace all seals, I would
recommend buying a complete final drive assembly (which is not that much
more expensive than a set of gears).


The drive shaft connects to the final drive with a spline connector.
Presumably this is made from softer material than the shafts, so you
probably want to check the condition of that. Remove the rear wheel
and loosen the four nuts holding the final drive to the swing arm.
Good luck.

--
Dr. Hans-Christian Becker
'96 VN750 SM5TLH KG6POK
Uppsala, Sweden

 
I would look for a complete used final drive unit (P/N 13101-1124-*)
from a wrecked bike.  Repairing/replacing gearsets is not a task for
the uninitiated.

For example, here's one taken from a 1986 VN750 (not sure if an '86 will
interchange with an '02, the final suffix is different) with 7000 miles
on the odometer:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&itemE48603733

If ebay is not to your liking, there are plenty of bike breakers out
there who should be able to source one.

Also, if you haven't already joined, get in touch with the Vulcan Riders
and Owners Club:

http://www.vroc.org/

Someone there almost certainly has the part you need or knows where you
can get it.

--
Mark  '01 SV650S  '99 EX250-F13  '86 GL1200A  '81 CM400T