Can you really tour on a Kawasaki Vulcan 650s?
Can you really tour on a Kawasaki Vulcan 650s and is this modern take on a cruiser capable of a two up European tour?
If you want the answer without having to read any further then the answer is yes. If you want to know a bit more and why the answer is yes – then read on for my view on how the bike shaped up on a 2,500 mile trip to Spain and Portugal in September (2017).
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Background and context – touring on a Kawasaki Vulcan S
I’m not writing on the suitability of the bike for touring from any lack of experience or with nothing else to compare it to.
By way of providing some context I’ve toured Europe on a variety of bikes: K3 and K5 Suzuki GSX-R 600s; K7 Suzuki GSX-R 750; K8 Suzuki GSX-R 1000; RR9 Honda Fireblade; 2011 Honda CB1000R; 2014 Kawasaki Z1000 SX – and I reckon I’ve done maybe the best part of 50,000 miles on European trips.
Each of those bikes did at least two European trips and some more than that. I think I did around 12,000 road trip miles on the Z1000. Over the years I’ve used a variety of luggage options that have included various Kriega tail bags, Kriega backpacks, Givi Tank Bags and of course the OEM hard luggage option on the Z1000.
Now I know many motorcycle manufactures these days tend to make agreements with dealers to sell only their marque. But just allow yourself for a moment to imagine a dealer that retails the full range of machines from say Kawasaki, Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha, BMW, Triumph, Ducati etc etc etc. Now imagine that you were to walk in and ask them to recommend the most suitable machine for two of you to take off on a European trip.
Then tell them the trip is going to take in several thousand miles, will include mountains, back roads, superbly surfaced roads with wide and fast sweeping bends …
To be honest I can’t really imagine a single dealer would come out and recommend the Kawasaki Vulcan S 650 as the pick of the bunch for touring on. And that’s before you mention that it needs to be capable of carrying a reasonable amount of luggage for two of you!
On the trip my wife and I made, our route took us down the UK motorway network to Plymouth, then after arriving in Santander in Spain we spent three days in and around the Picos mountains before heading into Asturias and Galicia on the Atlantic Coast. Moving on from there we rode down into Portugal, then we headed across Spain down to the mountains of Siera de Gredos, then towards Segovia before returning to Santander.
Finally after crossing back to Portsmouth in the UK we completed the last 240 mile leg of the trip on the UK motorways. All in all a total of 2,500 miles with quite a variety of roads – certainly enough to provide an informed view on the bike. So what was the bike like?
Wind blast
Wind blast on any naked bike is always going to be an issue for some people. I’ve had a few naked bikes in my time and to be honest have never really found it a problem.
Obviously you’re more exposed to wind and rain on the Vulcan than behind the three way adjustable screen of something like a Z1000 SX, but I cant say that I ever got neck ache on the trip nor was I particularly conscious of wind buffeting. Realistically some of that has got to do with physique – at 5′ 7″ and around 148 pounds then clearly I’m not a big guy, maybe if I was taller and bigger it would cause more problems – that and me keeping cruising speeds on the UK motorways to around the 75/80mph mark caused few issues.
Luggage
Despite the fact that the bike isn’t an obvious choice as a touring bike I don’t think I had quite anticipated how long it would take me to find some luggage that was suitable for the trip and that (in my opinion) ‘looked right’ on the bike.
There’s certainly plenty of options out there – we didn’t want soft luggage and we didn’t want something that was so big that it just looked odd. In the end we settled for the pannier and mounting set up from Shad and purchased the SH23 panniers.
I wrote a separate Blog post on those here if its something you want to check back and read.
We also bought a Saddlemen roll bag that fits on the rack (model R1300XLE), and there’s pictures and a write up here about fitting that particular piece of luggage. So in total we had about 66 litres or so of space for the two of us, which actually was plenty.
One last item was the Givi Tank Lock bag – this was a piece of kit that I already had and had purchased it originally for use on my Z1000 SX. The bag had seen service on about three European trips plus numerous trips in the UK – its a pretty neat item and secures to the bike with a simple click fastening on a adapter plate that is fastened to the petrol tank surround.
The bag itself isn’t bike specific although the tank lock ring itself wont fit all bikes – in this case it was straight swap from one Kawasaki to another. It really is a great piece of gear for holding bits and pieces: cameras, sun glasses, loose change and so on. The pictures below show the luggage in use.
Overall comfort and handling
I’ve already mentioned that I check in at 5′ 7″ and about 148 pounds, my wife is 5′ 6″ and about 126 pounds – so neither of us are tall or heavy – it’s a combination that seemed to work well on the bike. We did modify the passenger seat shortly after getting the bike – see this Blog post for information on that and round about the same time we fitted a backrest and rack from Hepko & Becker.
The final thing that made a significant difference to comfort and overall ride was adjusting the rear suspension. We moved it from the factory position to the number six setting (of seven). I can’t overstate what a huge difference this made in normal day to riding. Oddly enough other than one particular issue it seemed that for the most part the bike even handled a little better with the luggage on and fully loaded – and that wasn’t something that I had expected.
There were no handling issues on the tight mountain roads, nor the long (at times very long) sweeping bends – and although we clearly were not taking corners and bends at the speeds I might have done on other bikes, we were not hanging about either – there are some ground clearance issues and I’ll come to that shortly.
The one issue that was impacted by the combination of riding two up and with luggage was the introduction of a slight steering wobble at low speeds (say between about 10 – 20mph). This was only slight and in fact was only noticeable with both hands off the bars, with hands on the bars it just didn’t happen under any other situation. So at the same time as not wanting to overplay this issue it does need mentioning as it would could (in my opinion) be a potential limiting factor to the suitability of the bike for two up touring, if you’re a rider with a pillion and either of you are on the heavier side. I’m 100% certain its a luggage/weight issue. But to be clear In our case it wasn’t a problem.
In fact in terms of handling the bike was a complete revelation, it was better than good, the only limiting factor was the ground clearance of the bike, but there again if you buy and ride a bike like this then you know that and ride accordingly. In practice touching the foot pegs down is all too easy, and if you’re being lazy with the position of your feet, contact between the heel of your boot and the tarmac can be pretty frequent (and if I’m honest quite good fun as well). There seemed to be zero impact in terms of speed and handling being two up and with luggage – the bike is an absolute breeze to ride and a lot of fun.
Mileage/range
Prior to the trip we had seen the bike returning a pretty constant 65mpg – which makes for an impressive tank range. Not surprisingly fuel consumption dropped during the trip, doubtless impacted by the long drag to and from the south coast on the motorway network but it still returned just over 53mpg over the 2,500 miles – which is better than any bike I have ever toured on. Although the overall miles per gallon dropped then without doubt this was more than compensated by an increase in smiles per gallon.
Reliability
I didn’t expect any reliability issues and didn’t experience any. We lost a single allen bolt from the plastic panel on the left hand side of the bike, which was soon replaced when we returned home.
Tyre wear
An area that was impacted by riding two up and with luggage was rear tyre wear. Prior to the trip, the OEM tyres had done around 1,800 miles – we had to replace the rear tyre whilst away due to excessive wear, most noticeably on the left hand side, as you can see in the pictures below.
I cant imagine that we would have experienced this type of wear had we done similar mileage without luggage in the UK. Of course the constantly inviting curves on the Spanish and Portuguese roads played a part as well!
Summary
I have said so many times in the past that you can tour on any bike – ultimately some of the choice comes down to what sort of compromises you want to make. Bottom line on this trip is that whilst the Kawasaki Vulcan S isn’t an obvious tourer, nor is it ever going to be the best – it is actually pretty good, has plenty of power for two up touring, is a breeze to ride and handled with some aplomb pretty much everything thrown its way. I suppose the final ‘test’ question is would you do a european tour on it again? The answer is a resounding yes and probably next year actually!
For information on my motorcycle travel books (ebook and paperback) please see the following links:
What if You Don’t Break Down and Superbike Across Europe
For information on changes to Spanish road speed restrictions click this link
If you haven’t read the blog posts or seen the pictures from the trip you can read see them at the following links: PART 1; PART 2; PART 3 and PART 4.
LINKS TO RECENT POSTS
Latest post – here
Time to say goodbye to the F800
Top write up…… makes you want and go out and buy one!
Have you sent this to Kawasaki UK.
I post links to Blog updates in the Kawasaki Riders Club site/forum – you can buy them at a cracking good price, seen some nice low mileage used ones for abound the £5k mark
It was a fantadtic trip and the bike did a fine job. I’m already looking forward to next year.
Hello, I’m looking to do pretty much the same thing with the same bike. Great write up.
Does any of the luggage hold a helmet? This is my main question just for day to day use, not wanting to lug my lid around everywhere.
Hello – thanks for looking at the Blog and glad you found the write up from the trip useful. The Shad SH23 panniers wont hold a helmet but I’m pretty sure the next size up, the SH36s will and are a decent alternative. If I can help you with any other questions please let me know. Regards Tony
Hi.
Great piece…thanks.
Your humble opinion would be appreciated.
I have a 2017 Vulcan S and enjoy it. I will never go touring on it and just use it for urban commute and weekend fun rides.
I have always liked the Suzuki GSX S750 and is seriously considering trading my Vulcan for the GSX.
I would love to keep both but finances is not allowing that.
I do not know what questions to ask myself why is want to change.
Any comments will be highly appreciated.
Live in New Zealand.
Thanks
Thanks for your pretty interesting question, I’ll reply properly later on today. Regards Tony
This is a really difficult question to answer as only you can decide what’s best for you. Sometimes bikes are bought for practical reasons – a daily commute, touring, weekend rides etc and sometimes bikes are bought for reasons that are more to do with emotions than practicality – the make, the sound, the colour, the look etc. When it comes to the GSX S750 and the Vulcan S then although they are not worlds apart in terms of cost they are clearly quite a different riding proposition ones an inline four,ones a twin and one is a classic sit up naked bike and once has the cruiser position and only you can really say what it is you’re looking for in a bike. What I would say is that neither bike should let you down, they are both tried and tested engines, neither is going to costs a fortune to run and insure. The best thing to do is to fix a test ride on a new or used Suzuki so that you can get a proper feel for how the bike handles, delivers it’s power and its all round comfort. What I would say is that Ive had plenty of bikes over the years and I like the Vulcan as it’s something different, easy to ride and makes enough power and ticks all the boxes for me. But as I have said it’s a personal thing and a test ride is really the way to go. Good luck and let me know what you decide. Regards Tony
Thanks Tony for your comments.
Have not decided as of yet and yes, think I need to take the Suzuki for a more thorough test ride rather than just a quick run on the motorway but also go do some back roads and urban testing because then only can I really compare to my current Vulcan.
Will keep you posted
Cheers
It’s hard to find unsponsored write-ups that are as helpful as I found all of yours to be – they’ve helped me a lot as a first-bike buyer. Vulcan it is! And I’ll be sure pick up a copy of your book before I head out for some touring myself. Cheers!
I’m pleased that it’s been helpful. Tony
Hi mate,
Good read thankyou, i am trying to decide which bike id rather buy as my first bike, Vulcan S or the FZ07/MT07 here in Australia, i live in the desert and the distance to the next town is about 400km. Assuming you may have ridden the FZ/MT07, Which of the two would be more comfortable to ride long distances, id like to pick the MT07 because it would be fun bike to start with, but if i wanted to go long trips i cant imagine it being a comfortable ride. Any help id appreciate thankyou.
Hi thanks for the (good) question, Im just off out for a short while but will get back to you later.Cheers Tony
Hi Jesse and back to your question, thats a heck of distance between towns and nothing like here in the UK! The whole question about comfort is quite a difficult one to answer really as I guess the starting point is to consider how wel you fit the bike/how well the bike fits you. In my case Im 5’7″ and about 150lbs so I dont really have any issues on the Vulcan – many riders complain about the comfort of the seat and how it affects their lower back but in my case I cant say I have had any real issues at all and if you have been looking on my Blog you’ll know Ive done some big distances. Pretty critical for me was adjusting the rear suspension from it’s stock setting – a very simple five minute job and that made a massive differance for me. The truth is that the suspension is pretty budget really, but also reflects the price of the bike, and its incredible value. Because of the forward foot controls on the Vulcan you cant move about as much as you would be able to on the MT-07, on which you could more easily stand up/shift your body etc. Seat height on the MT-07 is higher and you’ll find the suspension better. Both bikes are great value (certainly at UK prices), both economical to run, the Yamaha puts out more power and probably more outright fun in many respects, but the Vulcan is an easy bike to get along with, and a pretty easy relaxed ride and performs and handles way way better than you might expect. I’m an experienced biker, have had loads of bikes (GSX-Rs, Fireblades, SX 1000 etc and have a few bikes in the garage) and I’ve been truly surprised many times how capable the Vulcan is. My guess is that you wouldnt be dissapointed with either and both are probably going to come in at a similar price – you need to have a good think about what style you want to go for (they are clearly very different) – ideally you would be able to fix a decent test ride on both models from your dealer(s). Is that possible. Best of lucj with your decision making and riding. Take care. Tony
In your time riding the Vulcan s have you ever had to adjust or replace the chain and sprockets? How often?
Hi Ian – no so fare I havent had to adjust or replace either – although having said that mileage for the last 12 months has been near zero due to routine shoulder surgery and then a broken knee – but Im ready to ride again once all is clear (virus wise)
Hi Ian – no so far I havent had to adjust or replace either – although having said that mileage for the last 12 months has been near zero due to routine shoulder surgery and then a broken knee – but Im ready to ride again once all is clear (virus wise)
Hey folks just had a quick question is this bike comfortable for a 6 footer tall person considering it to be low seated
Hi Nathan, the bike can be configured with a number of different set ups – Kawasaki’s ergo system. There’s more of a mixed view about the comfort of the seat on the lower back. Personally i never had any problems but we’re all different (height/weight). Ideally you can get a test ride from your local dealers. What have you ridden before?
Thanks Tony that answered my question ergo fit…i have ridden a regular 115cc kawazki caliber bike around 15 years back and was looking back at getting on the road which i missed a lot.
Vulcan is a very good bike and more than capable of most things and probably ideal for getting back on the road. I suspect you’ll love riding one.
Hi Tony,
So I finally got her and I am might impressed with her .
I have a concern I was away for about three weeks and when I started the bike it showed me a orange engine symbol ,I had it checked with a mechnanic who is a specialist in servicing super bikes and he told me it should go away with time and not to worry.
Should I be concerned as post that I have driven the bike for a half a day pretty much non stop and I did not observe any issues….
Hello – nice to hear from you, you must be delighted with your new bike. Just need the lockdown restrictions ot be eased and the better weather to come and then you should really be able to make the most of the bike. I dont have my Vulcan anymmore so cant go and look at the warning lights, but you shouldnt have any warnong lights on when you are riding. Which warning light is it? The ABS light will alwasy be on when you start the ignition but will go off once you start to move. Let me know which light it is. Best wishes
Yes the abs light turn on which towards the left of the dashboard there is a orange engine symbol which stays on during the course of my ride .I am sending you a link describing the same
Nathan – the ABS light shouldn’t stay on. If it does then there is a fault somewhere and it may that because of the fault the ABS system has shut down, but i think what yu are saying is that the ABS light comes on and then goes off as normal. If so then thats fine, having watched the video and if your other light (engine symbol) is staying on then that isnt right and it would seem that you do have a fault, Have you pressed the bitton to find the engine fault code? Once you do that then you know where to look and can then check from there
I’ve tried a bunch of bikes and ended up selling my CB500x for a Vulcan 650 I loved it so much! Loving your blog
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. The Vulcan is an incredibly capable bike – I had a lot of fun on it
Hi Tony
Great read. I’m a new rider and have put the Vulcan on my short list. I know you don’t have your Vulcan anymore, but I wanted to ask you about the comment:
The link doesn’t seem to work. The wife has raised concerns about how comfortable the stock seat looks on the Vulcan. I’ve quoted your article and miles with a passenger, but more info on what you did would be great.
Thanks
Matt
Hi Matt – first of all thanks for your comment. Let me check that link and then I’ll get back to you, regards Tony
Matt – I have looked further into this and you have indeed spotted an issue.
In advance of me being able to resolve it I will email you direct with infomration and pcitures about the seat modification.
Regards Tony
Hi, I just found this blog. I am looking for a better passenger seat for my Vulcan S. Could you please tell me what modification did you do for your seat? How did you do it? Thanks.
Hi, sorry for the slight delay in getting back to you. I went to a local business that repairs and recovers car seats. They took the measurements of what I wanted and took off the original covering (by untacking from the underside of the seat). They added some new foam and then reovered – it made a massive difference to the comfort for my wife as pillion. Depending where you live it may be worth looking around locally to see what’s available – it doesnt have to be a specialoist motorcycle place. Let me know how you get on
hi. loved the write up. as i am nearing the age of 60 and have always had sports bikes, i am now finding its afecting my back and wrists riding so decided to swop to a vulcan 650s and feel like a born again biker. so easy to handle and comfortable
Hi Andrew – they are indeed easy to handle, the low seating position makes them a breeze – glad you liked the write up as well. Best wishes. Tony