Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Custom

I purchased a 2017 Vulcan custom recently and I am so happy I did. I was deciding between a couple of bike's, but as far as handling, comfort and performance, this bike gets the big thumbs up. The looks are fantastic, with lot's of people commenting on the bike. Kawasaki this bike is a winner.

I have been ridding 48 years and this bike makes more than my 1942 Harley .Who in their right mind would make a ride bike to be this noisy, whine & clank here there and everywhere A Harley is much quieter. If I would of know this before I bought it I wouldn't of owned it. I'll say one thing it will be my last Kaw and i have many of them in the post 48 years. I just have nothing good much to say but it does handle great.

I bought this 2008 model 10 years old and about 46k. Looks great, very comfortable, and pleasantly surprised when I topped up the3 tank the other day - getting something lie 20km per litre (not exact). Not done a long trip yet, but the bike is perfect for me with my replaced knees and hip - low to the ground and comfy.

Bought a 2009 Kawasaki Vulcan custom 5 years ago used with 12000 miles on it.Had not ridden a bike in 25 years. Choose the Vulcan because it I loved the look,was relatively light weight and has a low center of gravity . I feel lucky because the bike turned out to be a total joy to ride, handles like a dream and is well designed and built.This bike is beautiful and has plenty of power at 903 cc. The only negative is a stator issue which I did have to replace at 35000 miles.The design and engineering of the bike is still the same in 2018 as 2009 .Five stars.

After not riding for over 35 years, I decided to purchase an '08 VN900 custom sport. It had 9500 miles and as of today I just turned 19,500 mi. So far had to replace the clutch cable and recently a battery. About to get my second oil change (every 5000 mi.).
I must say that I could not have made a better choice. The bike is lipstick red and the compliments are endless. Lots of chrome, stock pipes, and black engine. SHARP.
The bike handles great with a low center of gravity. I am 67 years old and bought the bike 3 years ago. I needed a bike that I could handle for long time and not worry about it's weight. Go on many long daily rides (250-300 mi.) and the bike runs great.
Thank you Kawasaki.

I owned a 2016 Honda Shadow 750. The motorcycle was great. I was going to take a long trip out west and wanted some extras on my motorcycle. Like a windshield-saddlebags-and floorboards. I had to get them from Honda because nothing else would fit I was told from Honda. Well when they told me the price I almost fell over. I said NO WAY. I started looking around and found the perfect fit for me because I'm only 5 feet and 7 inches tall. The 2017 Kawasaki 900 Vulcan Classic LT with it's low seat was perfect fit and it had a windshield-floorboards-saddlebags and a sissy bar and priced right. So I ended up with a bigger motorcycle and very well pleased for not as much money as I would have I put all of those extras on that Honda. I am so happy I looked around. Again very happy with my Kawasaki and one more thing it's got a gas gauge and a 2 year factory warranty. 2/5/18. WEREWOLF

for somebody who had all his life had sport bikes, I highly recommend it. Cruising in style could not be easier. Longer distance or quick drives, no problem. did a few upgrades but nothing major. Easy on service and maintenance. 21inch front wheel is easy to control. Gears are changing smoothly. Pillion is always happy with an upgraded seat.

Well I've gotta say I "accidentally" bought an '07 VN900 Custom on auction because it was too cheap to pass on. The pipes were rusty so on with Cobra Slash-downs (very awesome, very loud). No point doing that without throwing on a Powerflo air intake and (you can see where this is going) might as well add a fuel controller while I'm at it. Now the clutch needs doing because the power seems rather a lot more (I'm thinking 60HP).
This bike is a ton of fun - it has that "Deuce" look about it and cruises well. More importantly, it has better ground clearance than the VN900 Classic (my previous of many bikes) and, with that 21" wheel, a more eager turn-in. Just spent a week in the South Island (NZ) with a mate who was riding a BMW 700 and the Classic was just as quick (if not quicker) through the twisty bits. We were doing 500-600m km days no trouble (that little fly screen I fitted made a big difference). It gets a clutch upgrade and a 34" front pulley in a couple of days (just want to bring those cruising revs down a bit).
In summary, tell someone it's a 1500 and they'll believe you every time. But if, like me, you enjoy peddling it through the corners from time to time, then this delivers ample jollies in that department as well.
This much bike for so little money is almost obscene.

Have the candy lime green 2008 custom, had 20000 klm, now has 75000klms. The 21inch wheel makes it so easy to handle at low speeds, feels like a sports bike in the twisties. Heaps of power, and very comfortable changed seat to saddleman touring. I can get around 380 klm out of the 20 lt tank, and easily do over 500 klm in a day and not feel sore. I am 154 cm and weight 59kg so a bit of a shrimp, but I touch ground with both feet and handle bike well. Only con is the stator and rectifier problem with this model. I would recommend this bike for a new rider or an older person. Stay upright friends. Kermit

I highly recommend this bike. I have been ruding for 20 years now and always rode Harley Davidsons. Although i still have a love for them this bike has done just fine. Easy to handle for women riders. 900cc gives you plenty of power. You can dyno tune these with a power pak and new filter which will give you extra power but you dont really need it. Mine has a bobber kit on her and riders always think its a harley by the sound and look. Great take off feels steady around corners and hugs the corners nicely. Riding country roads it climbs to 110 no problem no shaking . Holds great in windy weather and is good on fuel. Hope this helps riders to feel like they made the right choice.

Done 7000ks,lot of long distance riding.I'm six foot and I fit beautiful with the bike.Also get about 350ks to the tank so its a brilliant tourer.Live in coffin bay,rode originally from adelaide,been the round trip again via york peninsular.Also been to whyalla and back,and up to streaky bay,elliston twice.Get many compliments about the looks

Easy to handle. Feels light but holds the road. Comfortable ride. Have to be careful when slow riding as the front wheel can turn in. The right pillion peg looks too close to the exhaust.It should be replaced with a foot plate.Still running the vulcan in so yet to see what it can do.

January 6th 2018 Update: Vulcan improving

The Vulcan Custom 900 2016 is slowly improving in terms of reduction in vibration. Was cruising along the highway doing 130klms/hr thinking I was doing 110klms/hr. The outside temperature was above 30, so I was surprised and delighted. Decided to push to 140klms/hr then the vibration increased. Still happy though. At 10,204 klms on the odometer, better late than never, as 5000klms was the magic figure at which vibration apparently starts to subside.

I've owned quite a few bikes, but only fell in love with my VN 900 custom after riding it. What a giggle, easy to ride, reliable and what a motor. Whats not to love, my only issue it needs twin disc's up front, i had my brake lines braided. After 150k's a day my hips and knees can get pretty sore. Id like a 25 litre fuel tank. My bike was the 2014 lime green. Vance and Hines pipes, tried the power commander but more problems than its worth. All in all, i had considered buying a Harley wide glide, but why spend all that extra money on a designer label. To close i'd never have know the joy this bike brought me had i not owned one.

Owned this bike now for 2 months and cannot fault it. Good for the long rides and great around town. Miss my temp and tacho guages from when I had my sporty, after market guages can help in that department. But I am still one very happy man. Impressed by smooth motor and ride of the bike.

I recently picked up my new 2014 vulcan custom and it is the best bike I have ever owned. It looks great in the bright green and turns head wherever I go. Its got plenty of go when needed but this is the type of bike you just don't need to or want to go fast. Great sound from the V twin motor which will sound even better when I get rid of the factory pipes. Handles well for a cruiser it is suprising how far you can lean it before running out of clearance. Nice slick gearbox and the Kawasaki positive neutral finder is brilliant, finds it everytime. Very comfortable riding position which just soaks up the Km's. Overall couldn't be happier.

I purchased my Vulcan, placed a large wind screen & an "over drive" or "6th gear cog" from "Mean Cycles" [link removed] in Miami, speak with [name removed], he is Brilliant & sooo helpfull. The original exhaust was already de-baffled which gives it an incredible "growl". Looks awesome with a wash & polish.
Fuel economy is brilliant, handles awesome, is very comfy. Performance is excellent with heaps of power & torque. VERY cheap to service & maintain. I looked around for 6 months at the other cruisers in the same range & couldn't go pass the Kwaka.
All in all, Briliant bike.

2013 900 custom. Done 30000 ks in 12 months. Fitted vance and Hines short shots and a sissy bar/rack. Easley get 25 ks per litre. Heaps ofstick for a heavy bike n a heavy rider. I hope to do 100000 ks in 3 years. Looked at all other new cruisers on the market and the Vulcan is the smoothest ride with the most grunt in its class.

this Vulcan 900 has serious probs,first you cant work on it at all on the road,everything is hidden up under the tank,no access to spark plugs,no access to radiator cap,it handles very poorly around any bends or corners in the road,and what is a big heavy cruiser doing with a mono shock on the back?it seems Kawasaki got this bike very wrong and the Vulcan 900 really needs to go back to the drawing board and start looking at why and how we ride bikes rather than cutting cost,i am quiet dissapionted with this Vulcan 900 after owning it for over two years now,infact it is getting sold off really soon,parts for this bike are far too expensive for what this bike is.i really cant find anything positive to say about the Kawasaki Vulcan 900 classic,its the worst bike I have owned.its been along time since any motorcycle dealer bought out a real good motorcycle,seems a thing of the past its all about manufacturing costs now but in the end we buy these bikes and if dealers want to keep selling us bikes then they really do need to lift their game and start making motorcycles.
not much really i guess the looks and the fuel economy
far too heavy,doesnt handle well in any corners,parts are hard to get and very expensive,that mono shock for the back is a very dumb idea on such a heavy bike.

PROS:
Friends think it looks more expensive that it was. A lot of people seem to think it's a Victory.
Front wheel gets many compliments
Looks and feels bigger than a 900cc.
Cheap on insurance

CONS:
Fuel economy is about 60 MPG at 50 MPH with a steady hand and drops down to 45 MPG at 75 MPH. It only has 5 gears and really needs a 6th. The bike seems happiest cruising around 50 MPH in 5th gear. Anything over that and it starts to rev quite high even though it still has plenty of power. It's fairly expensive to change the pulley ratio.

The fuel gauge seems to be inaccurate. It drops to empty and only takes about 2.5 gallons to fill its claimed 4 gallon tank.

Needs a windshield. Without one, the blunt force of the wind tries to throw you off.

I bought my bike used about 1 year ago. It had only 6,258 mile's on it. It already had the cobra dragster dual's, Power Commander 3, and Memphis Shade's windshield installed. I absolutely love this bike. I have put 12,500 mile's on it with no problem's whatsoever. This is truly the ultimate bike.