1999 Kawasaki reviews

I bought a 1500 Drifter new in 2001. From the start I did not feel the engine sounded as it should. There seemed to be a knock under power and engine roughness which came and went between starts. Bike shops said it was me. I now have 17000 km (10000 mi) on the bike and it is using a lot of oil. It has been maintained on a regular basis. Otherwise a great bike to ride for a 6 ft. 6 inch rider. Show less

Picked up a 98 Connie June 30th and managed to put over 3k miles in less than a month. Rides great, gets good milage, and looks good too. It was a little uncomfortable at first, but feels better now that I installed some Gen-Mar risers. Nice bike for a nice price....Gotta get a new set of tires... Show less

I bought a '95 VN800A 2 1/2 weeks ago. The previous owner did all the custom work; custom paint, K&N air filter, Cobra jet kit, straight pipes, drag bars & radiator cowl. It's loud and fast! My future plans for it include new paint, Corbin saddle, lowering kit, belt drive conversion, six speed tranny, and possibly bore it to 1100 cc's. This bike gets looks and double takes everywhere I go, and a few scowls from those die hard HD riders. (but those are few and in between) I couldn't tell ya' how many horses it has, wish I knew. It's a bit slow off the line, but 2nd gear up I'm hangin' on for dear life! Although, I keep wanting to shift to a sixth gear. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is the stock seat and no sixth gear. Took a 200 mile ride yesterday and my rear end was completely numb when I got home. (better than pain I guess) It handles corners and twisties very well, but I did have to remind myself a few times that I was on a cruiser and not a sport bike. I recommend this bike to anyone who digs the classic cruiser look and wants a bike that can be easily modified and will more than keep up with all the "big twins". Ride safe and pay attention! Show less

I bought a 99 green Nomad in May of 99. It`s a great looking bike and I get a lot of comments about how good it looks. While that sure makes a person feel good, quality and dependability has not been there for me. I`ve had the bike 3 years now and I`ve got 27000 miles on the bike. First, seal problems with the final gear case. Then oil leak sending oil all over right leg. Dealer fixed it. Oh well, try again. Oil leak started again. Got it back, and it leaked in another place. Back in shop. They kept bike two weeks this time. Fixed problem, for a little while anyway. During second year, clutch went out. First they said the clutch wasn`t covered under warranty. I called Kaw and raised heck. They took it apart and found it was an assembly problem and found out from kaw how to fix. Then struck another oil leak. Back in shop while they ordered parts again. Lost three weeks riding time. Now I seem to be having problems with the clutch again. I`m 48 years old and have been riding most of my life and till this bike I have never had to replace a clutch in a bike, but this bike is eating them up. It`s not a fast bike and it doesn`t take much to lean enough to send sparks off the floor boards. Not a big enough gas tank and lacks in MPG. The air shocks have never held air more than a day, and when I asked the dealer about it I was told that the shocks do not hold air long. So I just don`t bother putting air in them. The dealer told me that it wasn`t that kawasakis aren`t any good, but that It`s just my bike that`s basically substandard. He told me I needed to trade it in on another Kaw and the nest one would be better. Yeah Right. So I just started trying to trade the bike in for a new bike, and found that this bike doesn`t hold value worth a flip. I`m going to loose my shirt on this bike because I can`t seem to get much of anything for it in trade on any bike. Like I say, It`s a great looking bike but not much else to say for it. Show less

Love my vulcan. I have over 10K on her and she still runs great. Every year I try to make a few changes just to make it different. So far I have added Cobra dragpipes,which sound awesome. Kuryakyn hypercharger which not only works to improve throttle response, but looks pretty sweet too. Not sure what changes I'll make next, but overall one great ride. Show less

Bought my classic at the beginning of December.I've put over a thousand miles on it in 6 weeks.Loud pipes and heated grips. Superb in all respects. Turns more heads than a naked cheerleader! Gets great mileage too. Roll on summer! Show less

Comes stock with cruise control, AM/FM sterio cassette with front and rear speakers, travel trunk and saddlebags, front and rear air shocks and adjustable suspension. Plenty of power (1199 CC in-line 4 cylinders). Stock tires aren't real good but after adding Metzler ME880's, now rides and travels like a dream come true. I now have 28,000 miles on it and haven't had it in the shop for ANY repairs because it hasn't needed any. Show less

I bought a new 99 in 8-02 and painted it white for use as a funeral escort service because it closely resembled the Police harleys they use. It was always Dependable and Comfortable. It is Much smoother than the Honda 1100 Shadow I rented once. Minuses: Would soon go into a violent shimmy if I let go the bars above 35. Broke 5 speedo cables, all replaced under wty, no chg. Small oil leak from rocker cover area, required motor removal, 2dy downtime, under wty, no chg. shallow cornering angles before draging. Much worse riding double. Not very powerful in stock config. Saddlebags were very expensive to replace. One bag was $1100 plus $143 for trim strips. Top speed 105, and after hop-up, 115. Pluses: added hypercharger and Vance&: Hines bagger pipes, $900. Then it would keep up with the Police harleys on hard runs. Add saddlebag top rails. Good investment in bag protection from scratches, and adds to the looks. Add Running lights and visors for them and headlights. Adds a lot to the looks. Got lots of compliments on this bike. Show less

I baught a used Green/Green 99 Nomad about 1 month ago. The bike runs smoothly and is easy to handle. I have had many positive looks, comments etc. The Gas Tank is a little small, I find that for around town - to/from work I am in the mid 30's MPG wise. From my research, I believe that this can be improved upon.. a few accesories/replacements of items for better tuning and MPG. Will find out more as time and money allow. I also found a great support site of fellow Vulcan owners - www.VROC.org - Stands for Vulcan Riders and Owners Club. Show less

I've had my 800 classic for a year and half. I have had 0 problems. I do oil change maintenance every 2500 miles and check chain, etc.. At 8500 miles I replaced factory tires, not bad. I ride year round, cold, hot, and yes, rain too. I've rode in some real downpours and the 800 handled it all. I currently have logged over 10,000 miles on it with O problems. Thanks Kawasaki. Highly recommend this bike. Show less