Kawasaki Vulcan S 650 Cafe ABS reviews

This is by far my favorite bike. I have a 2002 Honda Shadow 750, got brand new. Nothing more dependable than a Honda, but under- powered. Got the Vulcan 900 used and have been riding it for three years. Very comfortable, low center of gravity, not top heavy, never worried about dropping it. Only negative is that it gets pretty hot. Bought a couple heat guards that took care of that. Last year bought my first Harley Heritage 1800, new. Nice bike but not my favorite. A solid bike that grips the road, rides nice, but top heavy and need help to pick up. Had issue with kickstand at night cause it is not seen being under running board. Modified to improve sturdiness. Highly recommend the Vulcan, All bikes get hot, especially the higher cc they are, but accessorizing is a must. I'm 5'4" and 130 lbs and 60 years young. Be safe! Show less

I was looking for a cruiser style motorcyle that wasn't too heavy, had satisfiable acceleration and speed, and was not too costly. I looked at the new Kawasaki Vulcan S 650 but did not want to spend $8,000 to nearly $10,000 after taxes and mainly motorcycle dealer costs on a motorcyle as this is just a leisure form of transportation. I looked into the pre-owned Suzuki Boulevard S40 (LS650 Savage), Suzuki Boulevard M50, Honda Rebel 300, Honda Rebel 500, and some pre-owned Harley Davidson models but they were either too slow, too heavy, rated to have too uncomfortable seating, or too expensive for what they are. I looked into the Kawasaki Vulcan 500 and saw a few on Facebook Marketplace sell quickly for about anywhere from $2,000 to $2,800 and heard that these motorcycles (Kawasaki Vulcan 500) once had the quickest acceleration off the line for it's class at one specific point in time and were of the lightest in it's class. I found another Vulcan 500 on the market and purchased it. On the first ride I was impressed with the acceleration off the line and the handling. It was easy to put away or push into storage as it's not too heavy. After owning it a while, it has been reliable, and starts right up every time. In regards to comfort the seat can be uncomfortable after riding over an hour or so. Also, when riding at higher speeds on the highway it does feel a bit wavy or not fully stable I think due to it's light weight. It may be best suited for backroad travel, main roads, and in town travel but not highway travel at 70 mph travel. Show less

I had the 1996 1500 classic and the only thing was to put on the Vance and Hines 2 1/4 straight shots with no baffles, take off the bladder underneath, added a hyper charger and Mustang seats. Top speed was 145 mph. Now I have the 1999 nomad, the factory seats are great, power is an issue and I shift into 5th gear at 65mph. The gas tank should be bigger. I removed the exhaust bladder and that helped with power, getting ready to install the hyper charger and Vance and Hines pipes, which should help out greatly. I have over 50,400 miles on it with no complaints. Show less

I love this bike! I have been riding my 2008 1600 Nomad for about two years. It was supposed to be a place holder bike until I got the more expensive bike that I wanted. I ended up riding it much longer than expected. It has good power, it is smooth running, and has never given me a single problem. The bike is comfortable and rides nicely with a passenger,...hardly any different than alone. It starts right up in any kind of weather and always runs the same. The side loading bags are something you have to prefer or get used to. I do not prefer them over top loading but some do for whatever reason. The horsepower is sufficient and the motor has very nice low end torque. The torque shows when riding two up as the acceleration is practically the same as riding alone. It will not blow your socks or any doors off, but the bike is sufficiently powered for fun and safety. Overall, these are great, reliable, smooth running, good looking motorcycles. Show less

Amazing build quality, incredibly comfortable ride, plenty of power to spare, durable, reliable. An incredible motorcycle. A wonderful motorcycle for your second cruiser. Too much bike for a new rider. Show less

I went to buy a Harley Road king but the price was rediculous. Across the Street was a Kawasaki dealer and my wife suggested we go there and check it out. I didnt want a crouch rocket and was amazed when I saw this 02 Vulcan sitting in the showroom that looked like a Harley. I even asked "you sell Harley's here"? No, thats a Kawasaki Vulcan. The price tag? $7995.00 "WOW" Just what wanted, chain drive, carburated, perfect. The owner came over and said "this is the last motorcycle you'll ever buy. They never come back for anything". My wife asked "Whats the best yo can do" The final price was $5200.00. My wife asked if there was something wrong with it. Its brand new, if its junk, I'll make a lamp out of it for that price. Im a mechanic by trade. This bike is flawless. The welds of the frame, the engineering, the handleing, it runs perfectly. At 33,000 miles, not an ounce of trouble. General maintenance is all it needs. Most important, it has solid lifters so be sure to check the valve clearance at least every 10,000 miles. Thats it. This motorcycle will last you a lifetime. Stopped at a WaWa one night. A guy with a new Harley there with his friends stopped to talk. He owned an 02 Vulcan Classic and got rid of it and bought a Harley. "what a mistake" he said. I loved that bike. I have been back to the Harley dealer 4 time for oil leaks, still not fixed. What a mistake I made, he said. Dont make the same mistake. I said, I know and I also know that most electronics among other parts on Harley's are made in China. Very sad! The Vulcan is the first japanese vehicle I have ever bought. The head mechanic at the dealer where I purchased it said, "It's built in Nebraska, how much more american can you get. Boy was he right. You will fall in love with this motorcycle. It has plenty of power, my wife and I ride 2 up, It weighs much less than a Harley and it is the most perfectly balanced bike on the market and it looks just like a Harley. I've had people ask me about the color, metalic red, they say, "I didnt know Harley had a color like that" They dont. Its not a Harley. Theyre shocked. For the price you pay for this motorcycle, you can afford to fit it out with all kinds of addons. A windshield, bags, floorboards, crash bars etc. I've known people who have over 90,000 miles on this bike, and it still runs great. Dont be fooled. Dont think its junk. IT'S NOT! Later on in years there are some bigger beautiful cruisers Kawasaki makes. Im not gonna get rid of what I got cause I dressed it just like I want it but you cant beat Kawasaki, And the new ones are really tempting and dependable. Hey, Years ago they made aircraft engines for fighter planes. They know what they're doin. Show less

Overall it's a great bike with some tweaks. Stock I could not stand the programing of the throttle and it was very jerky, and lack luster response which wasn't smooth with dead spots that felt like you were pulling an Airstream behind you. That all changed with a reprogram of the ECU . It is now how the bike should have been from Kawasaki! It pulls smooth without the flat spots. 6th gear is now very usable without it shaking and will pull smoothly from as low as 45 MPH. MPG is also much improved. Before I had to really nurse it to get 40. Now I consistently get in the low to mid 40's riding normal with a few harder accelerations . Comfort is very good and I have no problems doing long trips. The bags and trunk seem flimsy and the trunk lock is a joke. I have a 1200 Voyager as well and the bags are MUCH more heavy duty and way more solid feeling. Belt tension is set way too tight from the factory! It makes the shifts quite harsh 1 - 2 especially and does create some wine and moises. I still need to loosen mine. I was hoping that it would on its own a little but after 6600 miles it is still way too tight. and makes some noise. The dealer wouldn't loosen it when I had it in for service saying that is was "in spec" even though they said that the factory spec is very tight. The only other thing is the windshield is a bit tall for my preference. I like (need) a bit of wind to keep me a bit cooler in the Florida heat. Oh speaking of heat. As per the gauge they do run HOT. stock. The ECM tune changes the temp that the fan kicks on which keeps the engine temp down in traffic. It is a great reliable comfortable and powerful bike. Well balanced and definitely feels lighter than it's 900 lbs. With a few not very expensive additions it becomes WAY better! WAY more bang for the $$$ than almost all other bikes in this class. Show less

I brought my 2016 Voyager 1700 ABS new out of box, I make a 5K miles round trip starting in Houston, Tx to Chicago, Charleston S.C. Birmingham Alabama and home, the Bike rode comfortable never felt fatigued or strained. One leg of the trip from Baton Rogue La to Houston was in steady heavy rain and the ride was as secure as riding in my car, minus the roof of course. I hand the right gear for rain or cold weather but never had a worry about the Bike's performance. I added slip-ons exhaust in 2020 and it greatly improves the power band in all gear ranges. Best bang for the Buck no doubt. Show less

this is my first kawasaki and dont regret it at all. after having a variety of bikes in the last 40 years id have to say its the best looking cruiser ive been on, it had 3200 miles on it when i got it 2 years ago, never had a single problem, only mods done were a mustang seat and led turn signals, headlight , tail light and driving light. Show less

3rd one I have had I have had others but always regret it . Just so smooth,powerful,well balanced comfortable the others look good but nothing compares to the ride. It puts a smile on my face every time I park it what a ride!!! Show less