This is my first bike, so my sphere of expertise is quite limited. I bought mine used, with about 3,000 miles on her. I've rode her for about 2,500 miles. 'Not an easy machine to 'start from scratch' with in learning to ride, what with the shaft drive. There's no lag between the throttle and...
read more
This is my first bike, so my sphere of expertise is quite limited. I bought mine used, with about 3,000 miles on her. I've rode her for about 2,500 miles. 'Not an easy machine to 'start from scratch' with in learning to ride, what with the shaft drive. There's no lag between the throttle and rear wheel, and I violently snapped my neck back a few times in learning to engage the clutch in 1st gear. It was 'white knuckled terror' until I'd trained myself how to feather the clutch and deliberately hold the throttle closed while going around curves in-gear. As you'd expect from an 8-valve, 4-plug, water-cooled 1470 cc V-Twin, there's more acceleration than I could possibly need. There's so much torque that I will NEVER need anything other than 4th gear from 35 mph on up, even when I feel like a burst of passing acceleration. The only down-side is that I often find myself attempting to upshift to 5th gear when the speedo passes 45 mph, only to realize there is no 5th. The Vulcan is very cooperative noise-wise when you want it to be, which neighbors will appreciate when you head out at 6:30am on Saturday mornings. That is, so long as you consciously go easy. Lean on her and your local PD will furnish you with a very satisfying pile of complaints from your neighbors by the time you get back. At speeds greater than 50 mph, the pipes begin to drone; the Vulcan is just plain LOUD AS HELL at 70 mph, and therefore not really suited for highway-speed touring. don't misunderstand, it's certainly more than capable at high speed; there's hardly any vibration, and acceleration from 70 mph to 80 mph is nearly instantaneous. I've no doubt that the Vulcan can push well above triple digits. But that incredible roar kinda gets to you after 30 or 40 miles. The racket just becomes distractingly unpleasant to the point where I feel fatigued -- never a good thing -- and of particular concern when you're at high speed on only two wheels. The gas mileage ain't great. 35 to 40 mpg tops, depending upon how much I keep it in 4th gear. At least the Vulcan isn't gas octane-finicky. I've tried 87, 89, and 93 octane unleaded, but I can't identify any difference in performance or gas mileage between them. I expected that I might experience a shortfall in braking performance considering the Vulcan has only a single disc in front and rear, but the engine provides a great deal of braking, which the owner's manual encourages me to utilize at all times. Still, the big bike panic-stops very capably, providing a good feel for using the right amount of both the front and rear to avoid skidding. I can appreciate why some riders might complain about the 'bike being ill-suited to winding roads. A gal down the street -- a qualified rider -- climbed on to try out the Vulcan, but she could barely maneuver it down an empty street. Still, I disagree with the consensus opinion. The Vulcan is simply suited to larger, heavier riders -- men. Specifically; big, heavy men. At 6'4" and 285 to 300 lbs (depending upon whether it's before dinner or after dessert), I find the Vulcan ideally maneuverable, and have yet to come across any situation where I haven't felt more in control than whatever was in front of me or behind me. As this bike isn't chopped even it's slow-slow handling is good enabling me to 'ace' the rider test course where riders on far smaller lighter and supposedly more maneuverable bikes failed. Unquestionably my own size and weight was a major factor. The ride is cushy; the bike seems to just step past even really deep potholes and sharp speed bumps and there's good ground clearance. The seat is VERY comfortable. On the one hand I wish the pegs were just a tad lower and further forward. But on the other hand the riding position makes me feel ready for any handling emergency. I'm hoping the pegs can be re-positioned and / or floorboards can be had for that extra little degree of comfort. Oil changes and battery servicing is a snap; she hasn't needed much else as yet although I may eaten up most of the clutch's effective life from some 500 miles of slow careful self-training on nearby side streets. No motorcycle does everything well but for big heavy riders the Vulcan 88 comes close.
Show less
