New to AVA.

[1966F100]

Hi:

So I'm new here. Also 'New' to Kawasaki Voyager XII, having just purchased a 2002 XII yesterday with 42K on the clock. Near as I can tell it has all of the bells and whistles. From the maintenance records everything that should be done to it has been from what I have read in the 'Stickies' for newbies. To include the Super Brace. It's running Dunlop E3s, which I'm familiar with having run them on a GL1500 I used to own. But PO was running 32psi in the front which was too soft and caused low speed steering problems till I bumped the pressure to 40psi.

So far a great ride and everything works on her. Only thing I'm going to remove is someone hung a bunch of LED light strips all over the place. So that goes.

I'll be going through everything learning and double checking before any long distance rides.

Thanks all for having a great place to visit here.

[Scott-(Altoona, PA)]

1966F100/Duane,
Welcome and congrats. Also love to see pics of before and after. And if your screen tag indicates what you drive I'd love to see pics of it! One of the best body styles IMHO, but then you know what they say about opinions!
Anyway Welcome!!!!!!!

[Sidehopper]

Welcome to the forum! Do you have a list of the modifications made by the previous owner? My '94 XII doesn't have a SuperBrace, but the Progressive fork springs have been installed, which means I should be able to run without any pressure in the front forks. The OEM front tire pressure spec is to use 32 PSI, but I find on my XII that if I run OEM tire pressure with no air in the front forks, the front end can feel more wobbly at both high and low speeds. I still run a little bit of pressure in my front forks (4-5 PSI) and run 35 PSI in the front and rear tire.

On my bike at least, the pressure in the front forks helps reduce the front end deceleration wobble I can feel if I am riding 70+ and then roll off the throttle completely. It feels kind of similar to the vibration you can get on a car that shakes during hard braking, but goes away if I drag the rear brake a little bit since that shifts weight off the forks a bit. I'm guessing my forks might have slightly different oil levels so each fork has a different level of damping, and when the front is loaded a little more on deceleration, each fork reacts to the load a little differently. No issues on braking, since that seems to compress the front enough to overcome the minor difference between the forks.

The increased tire pressure helps with the low speed wobble these bikes can have at parking lot speeds. My low speed wobble was about 85% eliminated when I put new tires on, especially since the PO put the OEM Dunlop 404 tire on the front and for some reason that tire just doesn't work for this bike. Higher tire pressure helped reduce the low speed wobble even on the D404 so the 32 PSI recommendation must have been intended by Kawasaki to soften the ride for comfort. I installed Shinko 777 HD tires on the front and rear, they have amazing grip but depending on load they likely won't last as long as the dedicated touring tires like the Dunlop Elite or Michelin Commander.

For reference, I run about 25 PSI on the rear shocks, since I don't ride 2 up or with a ton of gear. I hope you fall in love with the Voyager as hard as I have - it handles like a lighter bike at almost every speed, has ample power for when you need it, and the fairing keeps me completely dry while I'm riding in the rain. The only thing this bike can't/shouldn't do is go off-road, but I try not to think about that too often. Otherwise, I'd have to find some space in my garage for a KLR 650

[Wormys_Dad]

This is a fantastic site with really good and friendly people! A wealth of knowledge in these web pages. I also went from a GL1500 (25+years) to a Voyager xii. Much easier to handle and does everything a wing does. They are truly the most underrated bikes ever. I absolutely love mine. When all is right on these they are great performers, very quick for a touring bike and handle great. I run higher air pressure in tires too,just seems to handle better. Running 36- psi in front 40 in rear. Still have all stock suspension, and ride two up a lot. Found a good sweet spot for me and the missus at 7-8psi front and 38 psi in rear shocks. Planning on progressive fork springs in the future. Anyway welcome to the forum.... it's a great place! I hope you enjoy and fall in love with your xii the same way I did.

[1966F100]

Per maintenance book PO kept.
2010 Ignition switch assembly replaced

2015 Galfer(?) Teflon/SS brake lines
Rebuilt frt and rr brake cylinders

April 2016
Front end/suspension:
Forks flushed and refilled with Motul medium fork oil, 150mm from top of fork tube tubes fully compressed. Progressive springs installed.
SuperBrace fork brace installed.
Steering head serviced and head nut adjusted,

Drive Shaft/Swing Arm service.
Drive shaft splines lubed fore and aft.
Swing arm pivot lubed.
Vent hole drilled in FD gearcase per OEM location.
FD oil replaced with GL-5 full syn.

Brake service:
Brake fluid bled frt and rear.

Clutch service:
Fluid replaced with DOT4

Spark plugs replaced.

Muffler to header connection points:
Replaced gaskets and clamps

Rear shocks oil replaced:
Motul 7wt

Cables lubed. Lash adjustment performed.
Coolant flushed and changed.
Clearview windshield installed.
Mirror extensions installed.
Oil and filter changed.

PO states 44mpg on long trips with two up fully loaded.

I do think I'm going to enjoy this bike.

[Wormys_Dad]

Yup.... mileage on these are pretty consistent, I get from 43-44 local back and forth to work and 44-47 on trips fully loaded two up. Some report around 50 on trips with these. Really economical machines. And truthfully the only thing I don't like is the saddle, compared to the wing, but using a memory foam pad from Walmart for me and a gel cushion for my wife we can do long rides quite well. Around 600 miles this past weekend and zero butt problems. I am around 6'3-6'4 depending on what convenience store I am at, and about 240, and the slightly taller height from the seat pad is no problem whatsoever. Biggest thing I noticed is lower fatigue factor after riding winding roads, I had to work harder on the goldwing in the curves than I do with this bike. I can definitely attest to the handling characteristics...it's just plain easier, almost effortless.

Stay safe out there

[Sidehopper]

2015 Galfer(?) Teflon/SS brake lines

Looks like maybe one of these kits? https://galferusa.com/products/lines

Cables lubed. Lash adjustment performed.

This one confuses me a bit - if they are talking about the valve lash, the Voyager XII has hydraulic lash adjustment (and automatic cam tensioning as well) so unless there was a problem with the adjusters themselves, they shouldn't need maintenance. If the oil is overfilled it can cause some top-end engine noise, but DOHC motorcycle engines are clacky and "talkative" as is. The left side seems to tap/click the most after oil overfill, since the bike leans left onto the kickstand.

PO states 44mpg on long trips with two up fully loaded.

I'm trying to get there myself. The best I got was about 42mpg, worst was 33mpg (might have been wringing the neck of that throttle during that tank). I do mostly shorter rides, but even my worst average is still better than what I get in my Jeep! My carbs may need a little bit of love, but I've been running Seafoam every couple of fill ups since my bike sat for a while before I bought it.

I do think I'm going to enjoy this bike.

One of my favorite things about the Voyager is the tone of the stock exhaust and the "futuristic", almost-whistle sound the engine makes, and rolling on the throttle up a hill sounds like a swarm of angry bees waking up to scare the the bike into going faster and faster. Everything about the XII has character and spirit!

[cushman eagle]

Welcome,1966F100 to the wonderful family of the AVA.
As you already know,there is a wealth of VXII information in this family.
It seems as if your bike has had most of the maintenance done that is necessary .
I think you will like your bike as much as I like my'99,which I bought almost 12 years ago with 22,000 miles on it,and now has 97,700.
I put 2915 miles on it in June going to the Rally in Springfield,Mo.with no issues.

[Nails]

The gas mileage varies predictably across the range of right hand twistage. I routinely get about 40 or less cruising at 85 or more. It pops up to low 40's at 75 and a few more at 70, where I prefer to tour if not crossing something like gawdforesaken Texas (oops, sorry). I spent 700 miles at about 45-50 (on BRP &etc) and got about 55MPG, as I recall.

After 9K or so this summer, mine is in dire need of maintenance -- I bet the carbs need to be synced again, for starters (poor off-idle performance). On this last trip, only a few tanks came in more than low 40's. The one before that was a few better. And I wasn't ripping it up because I had a tire that went bald pretty quickly.

Keep your eye on the prize: ride far and often ... while you can.

[usmalenurse]

Welcome to the Voyager world.....great bike for sure. Stay safe and enjoy!