Kawasaki Vulcan S 650

[Campbell92]

We just recently received a Kawasaki Vulcan S on consignment at Allsport and I have the difficult and labor intensive duty of taking it on a test ride and getting pictures for our social media, website, etc.. What a shame, am I right?

I was somewhat skeptical my first time getting into the throttle, I loved the stance but my initial thought was "this thing is gonna be a pooch for a 650." Boy was I wrong! I have the same engine in my Versys and it is the same engine in the Ninja 650, I should have known better. This bike for sure put a grin on my face and an extra beat to my heart.

The bike is very peppy and for sure opens up a cool new cruiser scene. This bike would be perfect for a new rider or even smaller riders like a wife or girlfriend. But don't let this fool you With multiple set-ups with seat, handlebars, and footpegs this bike can be made to fit any size rider.

Handling of this bike was not as typical as your average cruiser. It is very nimble because of its size and weight and corners well.....actually to be honest, it handles better than any cruiser on the market of this style that I have ridden. It truly has a sport bike kind of feel and can take corners and curves like a champ. I really wanted to see what it had to offer...but upper management will only let me have so much fun haha. The bike has good low end response as well as middle range response. I never got the bike wide open but I could tell this bike could go anywhere you want with it being a 6 speed. It shifts very smoothly and can be peppy or, like I stated earlier, be perfectly fine for a new rider.

I am not much for the cruiser scene, but this bike has for sure changed my mind. I am hoping other brands will follow. How about a cruiser with a Yamaha fz engine, am I right?

Have you ridden one of these cool bike? Let me hear your thoughts!

[klaviator]

I had the chance to ride one of these during your Kawasaki day last year.  I never pass up the chance to take a test ride so I rode it as well as the Z800. 

I'll start by saying that I'm not really a cruiser guy myself but I have ridden a number of them and put a lot of miles on a Virago 700 that was my wife's bike many years ago.   

So I took this bike for a little spin.  I'm 6-2 but I fit on it pretty good.  I thought the handling was better than the average cruiser and of course the engine is a slightly de tuned version of what's in my Versys.  I wouldn't buy one of these for myself but would recommend it for someone looking for a cruiser style bike.  This really isn't a typical cruiser.  I look at it as a poor man's Ducati Diavel.  It will easily out perform many larger cruisers and it isn't nearly as heavy as the bigger cruisers.  It also doesn't have the price tag$$$$ of many of the larger cruisers. 

Kawasaki did a good job with the ergonomics of this bike.  Not only did I fit on it well but another guy who is much shorter than me also commented on how well he fit on it.   

I think this thing would also outrun most cruisers on a twisty road and for me twisty road performance is a high priority.

So I said I wouldn't buy it for myself but if I was looking for a lightweight, low cost power cruiser this would be at the top of my list.


BTW, while I have your attention, DEMO RIDES are always a great thing :applause-003:

[dredman]

I assume there are options like:  Rear seat, attachable storage, etc?

[KrisCook]

 I haven't ridden one, but I sat on one for a long time in the show room once, and seriously considered buying it. I felt like it fit me perfectly, and I'm 5'3 1/2".   It would be a pretty tempting choice,  if I could afford another bike.

[renchinrider]

I haven't ridden the Vulcan, either.  But I see that it looks great.

I noticed your and Klaviator's comments about its agility.  I just sold my wife's Honda Shadow Spirit 750 (VT750C2).  I was very impressed by the engineering of the Shadow, and the engine had power to spare!  However, the rake angle on the forks--though great on the open road--was quite unwieldy in town and confined areas.  Even after putting almost 9,000 miles on the bike, I still felt far more confident executing a U-turn on my Road King than I did on the Shadow!

It sounds like Kawasaki may have cracked the code and found a winning formula of form (bike) and function (engine)!  I would love to test-ride the Vulcan and experience some of the thrill you shared in your review of the bike, Campbell!  Sounds like a really fun (and no doubt well-built) bike!

[Campbell92]

I assume there are options like:  Rear seat, attachable storage, etc?

There are several options from Kawasaki as well as aftermarket by what I found.

[IceCold4x4]

I've sat on a  few and read some reviews. Seems like. The perfect chassis to slightly massage with a zx14r motor and bring back the eliminator badge......

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