If only I knew...

Sometimes, the easiest things appear to be the hardest. I wanted to change the rear unit oil on the bike. Based on the owners manual, there are two plugs, one to drain, one to fill/inspect. But the hub is buried somewhere in the back of the bike, behind the hard saddlebags, beneath the passenger seat, totally hidden from sight. How would I be able to get to it? Jack up the bike high enough to get under it? Take the seat mounting apart? Pull the saddlebags off the bike? take the muffler off? So since I had the dealer do it once at the end of the 600 mile break-in period, I figured it was "good enough" and hoped that nothing needed attention.

Well, on the Vulcan Riders and Owners Club, an internet based group of riders who either ride or used to ride Vulcan Motorcycles (like my Nomad), this came up. Within a minute, one of the guys tells me - 2 bolts, the bag comes off, and there ya go!

Sure enough, 5 mins later, the bag was sitting on the workbench and I was draining the rear unit oil. Couldn't have been easier!

Sometimes, just a few words of experience can make a WORLD of difference! So now I am ready for the next rally in 2 weeks - at Interlochen, Michigan! Did a dry run packing for the rally. Everything is on the bike, have a few straps to tie up when I do it for real. And best of all, plenty of room for more if necessary.