Kawasaki Vulcan s 2019

motorcycles which are quite different from them big American cruisers

However, ever since the 1980s the Japanese
big four have been serious in their meddling
around in the cruiser territory and it is here that
we were first introduced to the Kawasaki
Vulcan. Starting in 1984 with a 750-cc and
moving through a number of engine capacities
along the way, even going up to 2,053 cc
Today the Vulcan name is on three models:
900, 1700, and the one we shall talk about here,
the 650-cc Vulcan S

Design : 

The Kawasaki Vulcan S reminds me a little of
Harley-Davidson's V-Rod as far as the flow of
the tank, with an all-new round-pipe perimeter
frame. The motorcycle has a low, long, and
meaty stance that looks all business. Aggressive
business. Starting from the headlamp, the
motorcycle's lines flow well across the
modern-styled analogue tachometer and LCD
display, the tank, and up to a comfortable wide
seat that sits low. The passenger seat sits higher
and a long rear fender completes the lines of
the motorcycle. The exhaust sits under the bike
with a muffler cover that follows the design,
making up what is in my opinion a really nicebought from the company for the gear and
brake levers. This adjustable design is part of
what Kawasaki cal "Ergo Fit", where the
dealership would adapt the motorcycle to each
owner

There are a few niggles with the design,
though, but it has all to do with Indian
regulations. The finish on the legally required
front number-plate bracket, pillion grab-rails
and not seen here a dreadful sari-guard is
not exactly refined and pretty, considering for
the most part the rest of the motorcycle is.
Another tiny detail would be the mirrors; when
sitting on the bike, they don't really look very
nice, but seem all right when not on the bike.
All in all, though, these are not huge red flags
and the Kawasaki Vulcan S is quite a looker

Engine and Mechanicals : 

The Vulcan S sports the much-loved fuel
injected 649-cc liquid-cooled, parallel twin
engine that we find in their Ninja 650, Versys
650, and Z650, tuned to fit into its cruiser role
here. This is arguably the best part of the
Vulcan S. The surge starts low at the 3,000-
rpm mark and then drives into a lovely mid
range where it's happiest and levels out after
7.500 rpm where the power starts to fade. The
power we are talking about is 61 PS with 63
Nm of torque, which, even though this is a
heavy machine with a curb mass of 235 kg, isenough to get you up to highway speeds.
Transmission is handled a six-speed unit which
gives you good mechanical feedback with
every input on the gear lever. However, I did at
times find neutral when switching from first to
second, though that could be down to getting
used to the gearbox; a rider fault rather than the
motorcycle's Up front, the bike comes with 41-mm
telescopic forks with 130 mm of travel and an
offset single shock with adjustable preload and
8o mm of travel. It is comfortable but does
have an issue or two which I shall talk about
later. Braking is good, keeping in mind that
this is a heavy machine and one would not
expect a feather touch on the brake lever to
stop it, but, I found that to be just the case at
lower city speeds. The front single 300-mm
disc with dual-piston calipers offered good feel
and control, but, at higher speeds, it
commanded a meatier grab as the ABS started
becoming more and more intrusive. The rear
with a single-piston 250-mm disc needs a
heavy foot from the get go. (Note: The
intrusive ABS might have been due to the well
beyond its days tyres on the test motorcycle I
rode, as grip seemed missing when braking
hard). This brings us to the rubber, Dunlop
Sportmax 120/70 R18 at the front and 160/60
RI7 at the rear, which are good tyres, though
I wish the review unit had ones in better condition, even so at no point did I feel the
bike weave

Handling and Performance :

Brilliant! Well, for a mid-size cruiser that
weighs a fair bit and has a long wheelbase this
machine was happy to manoeuvre through
hectic traffic and indulge in a little light
cornering with absolute ease. The Vulcan S is
a very friendly motorcycle, being well
balanced, which is very noticeable at crawling
speeds in our traffic jams or when filtering. It
is comfortable, too, as the seat could happily
even cater to Beyoncé. With adjustable foot-
pegs, height stops becoming a factor, too
Oh, and that engine, that friendly engine
sure is a peach. This can be an everyday bike
if needed and with riding through a day in
the city I found that the bike did not
heat up too much either. It really is
quite great, but there are a few
issues that sour the mood.

Starting with the suspension
again this is comfortable when
cruising, provided the road surface
is not too bumpy. Little bumps
and you are gold, but speed-
breakers and broken roads with
bigger level changes find you
bouncing off the seat. This may be due,
not to a stiff suspension as the rear can be adjusted, but more to the amount of travel it
has. Not a deal breaker, but something to keep
in mind

One real niggle for the Vulcan S is
undoubtedly the handlebar. The angle of the
grips is far too off optimum and feels weird and
this becomes apparent the moment you get on
the bike. I found myself having to alter my grip
to simply be able to ride the machine. I wish
Kawasaki do something about it as it could
really make an already good motorcycle even better. Riding with one's elbows digging into the torso is not fun. The rear-view mirrors suffer, too, due to it, as you do seem to get a lot of shoulder and elbow rather than a truck, bus, car, and other possible dangers that need to be seen. An after -market option could be a viable solution to the problem.

Price :

Well, should you buy the Kawasaki Vulcan
S? In essence, yes. If you are in the market
for a cruiser but cannot afford the big
Harleys, Indians, Suzukis, and more but
want more than the small singles, then the
Vulcan S is a good option. It does compete
with the 750-cc baby Harley, with them
being similarly priced. But what makes the
Kawasaki a good bet is the modern, urban
design, its handling, and the superb twin it
sports. It is available in two colour options:
Orange and Black, and Matt Black - the
latter being my preferred choice. The Matt
Black is available at Rs 5,58,400, a premium
of Rs 10,000 over the Orange and Black
variant, both ex-showroom.