2004 Kawasaki reviews

Had a 1998 that I bought used. Put 14,000 miles on it pretty quick. Engine came apart, but not Kawasaki problem. Looks like prior owner was messing with it inside. Bought 2004 with 2200 miles. Now have 16,000 + miles on it. This bike is great. My wife and I ride two-up and put a weeks worth of gear in my dresser mounted to the sissybar. We both are not small people but the bike handles it well. Pipes and a hyper charger changed the bike to the point where we can keep up with the big boys in the mountains of New York with no problem. One caution! The bike when loaded with two people and 60 lbs of gear on the back will not hesitate to lift the front wheel off in an aggresive start, such as pulling out into heavy traffic or just showing off. Love my Vulcan! Show less

My dad and I have a 2004 Kawasaki kx-250. We bought it used last year along with a 2003 kx-100 for my birthday. The kx-250 is a monster! It flies! It is easy to dump it around the corner, so be careful. And it's pretty heavy to pick up off the ground too. If you want to ride on the back wheel, you don't have to pull back. Just give it the gas and WOMP! You might say it's easy for me cause I'm so light, But my dad is 5 foot 5 inches, and weighs 145 lbs and he still gets thrown off by it. If you are an adrenaline junky, you'll be happy to ride this bike. If you are unaware of the power, you'll be awaken just as soon as your hand pulls the trottle. This should not be the first bike you ride. If you don't have good neck muscles, you will snap your neck from the acceleration. that's why we nicknamed our 250 KAWABEAST! Show less

I have put this bike through hell and back and it still runs strong. Great two stroke that has never let me down. Raced three seasons on this bike and it is still a great machine. Show less

I had not owned a bike in a while and got the itch. I looked at eveything there was and the 1500 Vulcan kept jumping out at me. I bought one and broke it in with a ride from Bend, OR to Sacramento, CA. After 500 miles, I stopped by a friends and 20 minites later was ready to ride more. Put 12000 miles on her the first year and still love it. Installed cobra classic pipes and jet kit first. What a difference! Then a kuryakyn air cleaner, and she will run 80-85 all day 2 up if you want to. I don't think you can get a better bike no matter what the cost. Show less

This was the first bike that I ever rode and owned. I could not have asked for a better starter bike than this one. It is easy to ride and has nice power and performance. Anyone can ride this bike. It is so easy to control and ride. Another quality Kawasaki product. Show less

The first time I bought this bike, I didn't think that it was going to hold up well but when I got on it, I was amazed. This is a great learning bike and is great to have fun on. The only thing is that the rear tire sometimes wants to kick out on you or it pushes the front tire up on you in a result of you falling. Other than that, it is a great bike. Show less

I purchased my 2004 Vulcan 1500 Classic new Mar 06. It is a great cruiser and rides, handles, and performs without any flaws. This bike fits the bill comfortably for my size and age (70 YOA). My rides cover 60-220 miles per trip. This summer I plan to ride out to S.D. Badlands which will be the ultimate test. Cruising speeds 60-75 mph makes the engine purr. Gas mileage could be better averaging 37-41 mpg. Show less

I picked up a '04 KX250 as a new leftover model in mid-2005 and didn't even start the engine until early-2006 (it replaced a '03 KX250 which I finished out the 2005 season on). I'm a woods guy, so the suspension has been softened, a flywheel weight was added and all the necessary woods equipment is on the bike (hand guards, skid plate, frame guards, etc). These bikes are not for beginners in the woods - I'm a Vet A hare scrambles and enduro rider and the KX still can be a handful in certain situations. In comparison to the KTM's I've ridden (still have one, actually), the KX handles better, stops quicker and has that classic Japanese refinement that's sometimes lacking on European bikes. It wants to be ridden aggresively - demands it, in fact. Get lazy on the KX and it will wear you down. that's why it's primarily a hare scrambles bike for me, while my KTM 300MXC is the enduro bike. The suspension can be made as perfect as you want it for the trails - the Kayaba 49mm forks and shock are a great starting point. The only minor negatives I've found are when you ride in bad mud and the rear brake pads wear to the point where the caliper piston won't push the pads any further, you end up with no rear brake (a safety thing, I would guess...doesn't let the pads wear down so far that you're grinding metal against the rotor). And speaking of brakes, the allen-head caliper pins that hold in the pads strip easily. The lower shock bearing doesn't like to be submerged in water and requires regular greasing. Otherwise, reliability is not an issue with these bikes (I've owned two). In fact, I raced my '03 KX250 for about 90 minutes with no coolant and all I had to do was replace the piston (there was quite a bit of water on the course, otherwise it probably wouldn't have lasted as long). Show less

This is a bike I've wanted since 2001. Now that I finally have the 2001 and it's 2006, I'm loving it. This has got to be one of the best inexpensive cruiser looking bikes one could buy. I've done a few changes to mine but I'm not done. When it is done I want it to look the same, yet totally different. Plus it's easy to find good parts for. P.S. Make your own FWD Controls... Show less

I have returned to riding after 19 yrs. A serious crash kept me off bikes for those years. I just bought my Nomad used, had 2400 miles and found it here. I am thoroughly pleased with this machine, powerful, loaded, excellent riding single or with my beautiful wife. Can't wait to go on a long ride to flush out any real issues. Show less