What is causing heavy vibrations, backfiring, and flames spitting out the pipes of my 97 Vulcan 1500 Classic?

I'm having heavy engine vibrations, loud backfiring, and flames spitting out of my pipes on my 1997 Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 Classic, and would like to know the cause of my troubles, and how if possible to fix them?
What is causing heavy vibrations, backfiring, and flames spitting out the pipes of my 97 Vulcan 1500 Classic?
Engine misfire (bad plugs, wires, coils, etc.) and/or bike running rich (or sometimes lean).





So I think you have multiple problems.








Good Luck...
What is causing heavy vibrations, backfiring, and flames spitting out the pipes of my 97 Vulcan 1500 Classic?
Sounds COOL! (someone else's disasters are more fun than your own, aren't they!)





I'll try to give you some ideas, this forum is not all that great for that kind of question, but seeing it was weighing heavily on your mind so you were kept awake. I'll try my hand at answering it. From the sound of it I'd suspect something major (not good, double plus ungood, even). Maybe your cam-chain or timing-belt jumped a tooth? Or maybe the timing has gone berserk, come unstuck somehow? If you failed to do some scheduled maintenance, it may be because the builder wanted you to adjust a chain to your balancer shaft, too. assuming you have a balancer shaft in the first place. So, pull the plugs and see what they look like. (The mechanic may want to know, and you don't want to disappoint him do you?)





Check your timing. You do have a dwell tach and timing light don't you?


(alright, neither do i, I got rid of mine around 1980.) You probably can't get it to idle smoothly enough to read the things but you can try, anyway. Then you've done all you can to find the problem, take it quickly, by the most direct route, to the DEALER. The dealer is equipped to handle this kind of thing. It's beyond any thing I have experienced. (But you knew that, didn't you?) It sounds like it is thrashing itself apart. and if you wait to get it serviced, you may be damaging things that are not normally replaceable. The cases? Cams? Pistons? Call first so they can have their best mechanic


waiting. Just like the emergency room. Come back and tell us how we did, okay?
Reply:Cheap fuel can cause these problems aswell. It could be 100 different things really.





Have you used a different filling station of late. In the UK we have a fuel brand called RIX. ts the cheapest most nasty fuel you can buy. That always cause's problems with bikes.
Reply:I'm betting on cam chain, too, as these Vulcans were kinda prone to wearing them out and if yours has never been adjusted? It may have jumped a tooth and be out of time...if all of this came on rather suddenly, that's where I'd start looking. Here's a link to Gadget's fixit page for Kawasaki Vulcans. I know there's an article in there somewhere on cam chains. Lotsa good stuff on this site:


www.gadgetjq.com/gadgetsfixitpage.htm
Reply:depends how big the flames are...lol