The Kawasaki Vulcan 750 motorcycle (VN750) began production in 1986 and was discontinued after the 2006 model year. It is a wonderful motorcycle with lots of standard features not found on today’s models. Very few changes were made to the motorcycle during its 20 year production run. Unfortunately, one feature that should have been changed was the motorcycle’s weak electrical system. Fortunetly, several small upgrades can compensate for the weak electrical system and potentially save you money in costly stator (generator) repairs.

Instructions

1) Replace the OEM wet style battery with an newer maintenance free model such as the Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) style Yuasa YTX14AHL-BS. The OEM wet battery is somewhat under powered, requires frequent fluid level checks, and prone to failure, leading to potential regulator/rectifier and/or stator (generator) failure. Maintenance free battery models provide more power, are maintenance free and are more reliable.

2) Upgrade the turn signals to high output LEDs. High output LED produce more light than incandescent bulbs and use a fraction of the power. Using less power for lighting will reduce the load on the entire electrical system. Look for after-market products that offer plug-n-play models that directly replace the incandescent bulbs with LED clusters. Motorcycle turn signal LEDs can be found in some motorcycle stores and online.

3) Reducing the power used for the turn signals will require the replacement of the thermal load based flasher with an electronic non-load flasher. Thermal flasher relay on the current of the incandescent bulb to regulate the blink rate of the turn signals (approx. 90 times per minute). The low power usage of the LED will cause the thermal flasher to think that a bulb has blown and blink the turn quickly to alert the driver. Electronic no-load flashers bink at a constant rate, regardless of electric load. They can be found in most auto parts stores, RV/trailer stores and online.

4) Replace the brake/running light incandescent bulbs with a high output LED panel. Like the turn signals, replacing the incandescent bulbs with LEDs will produce more visible light with less power. Clear Alternatives produces a LED panel specifically designed as a direct replacement for the VN750.

Extra Tips:

* Upgrading to an AGM maintenance free battery is the single most important improvement to the electrical system of the Kawasaki Vulcan 750.

* Clear Alternatives and Radiantz produce and sell LED clusters for most major motorcycles, including the VN750

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