Vaquero intake leaks

[aldridgekennedy]

Yep.....based on the blue I knew yours to be a 12 model. Curious to see if they did anything to the 13s and 14s to address it.

[RACNRAY]

According to the parts diagram for the 2013 there seems to be no difference in the components used in the intake system on the 1700's.

What I have found is that NOT ALL 1700's will have vacuum leaks, but due to the design flaws in how the seal is made between the throttle body and intake manifold, and even just as important between the imtake manifold and cylinder heads, most will develope vacuum leaks of some percentage during there lifetime.

It took about 5 months and 10,000 miles or so for my skoot to start suffering the affects of vacuum leaks. The leaks at the manifold/cylinder heads was worse than between the t/b and manifold.

The height of the posts on the t/b affects the amount of compression on the o-rings, if the posts are too high the o-rings will have insufficient compression. They may have enuff at first but as all o-rings flatten out over time, there will be a lessening of the seal the o-rings are supposed to provide.

Add into this any warpage on the mating surface on the manifold which will not allow proper sealing. The method used to attach and seal the manifold to the heads is what I call a "floating" design and relies on a friction fit of the o-ring to the manifold and again that o-ring is being compressed onto the mating surface of the head.

RACNRAY

[Toga]

Originally Posted by aldridgekennedy

Yep.....based on the blue I knew yours to be a 12 model. Curious to see if they did anything to the 13s and 14s to address it.

Good question to ask them.

[shortfuse223]

I have about 1800 miles on my Vaquero now. I broke it in per the manual and have only got on it hard a few times since the break in was completed. I must say that I am underwhelmed by the power. The Suzuki C50 I had before this bike had better acceleration. Don't get me wrong. I love this bike but it definately needs a few things to bring out the potential of this engine. I have not checked but from reading this thread I believe my bike may be a victim of the leaks between the TB and intake and the intake and intake ports. Ordered the Thunder Mfg. gasket yesterday. My plans over the winter are to install the new gasket, put some sealant where the intake mates to the heads, drop in a K&N Filter, install a Cobra Power Pro, and get a set of modded Kury ISO grips from Ray. This season isn't over yet but I am really looking forward to next year when these things are done.

[RACNRAY]

Originally Posted by shortfuse223

I have about 1800 miles on my Vaquero now. I broke it in per the manual and have only got on it hard a few times since the break in was completed. I must say that I am underwhelmed by the power. The Suzuki C50 I had before this bike had better acceleration. Don't get me wrong. I love this bike but it definately needs a few things to bring out the potential of this engine. I have not checked but from reading this thread I believe my bike may be a victim of the leaks between the TB and intake and the intake and intake ports. Ordered the Thunder Mfg. gasket yesterday. My plans over the winter are to install the new gasket, put some sealant where the intake mates to the heads, drop in a K&N Filter, install a Cobra Power Pro, and get a set of modded Kury ISO grips from Ray. This season isn't over yet but I am really looking forward to next year when these things are done.

Those mods will certainly help. The Kawi 1700 is a mildly tuned engine. I believe Kawi focused on a smooth runnin engine. For the power the 1700 engine makes the skoot itself is slightly overweight, the HD StreetGlide is about 20 pnds lighter, which may not seem like much but weight does detract from handling and acceleration.

When I installed the V&H 2-1 exhaust on my skoot I could detect better handling, quicker response in turn-in.

In your mods don't forget to at least de-baffle the stock mufflers as that will make further improvements in performance, mpg and helping the engine run a bit cooler. Or as most do install a set of slip-ons.

HAVE FUN with your skoot, I know i have and will continue to do so.

RACNRAY