Kawasaki VULCAN 1700 reviews

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

This is a damn fine bike to take a trip on, my wife says it's the most comfortable bike I have ever owned in 30 years of marriage. She falls asleep on it all the time, thank god it has a back rest! I added a Dobeck FI programmer, and what a big change in power it made. I am NOT A CRUISER GUY by any means but I needed something my back and knee's could handle for long hours on the road. Show less

I purchased it on 05/31/2013. I love this bike and I hope that I can convey that in a review. I ride solo, in a club and with my wife. When I looked at the Vaquero and saw it was just about all black out, I was hooked. I test rode it and the feel was great and the height was good. Since then I have gotten my iron butt for 1,000 miles in 24 hours on this scoot and planning a four corners ride in 2016. Love this scoot! Show less

I bought a used red 2011 Vaquero after deciding to move up from my starter bike (Suzuki Boulevard M50), and what a difference! I no longer need to wear a backpack to work as the saddle bags have plenty of room. The big engine runs smooth and having the stereo in the fairing is something I've gotten quite accustomed to. It's year-round riding in Southern California and it's certainly more enjoyable on the Vaquero! Show less

I've put 22,000 miles on this bike. I have zero complaints and have had no mechanical issues. This is my third Vulcan bike in 10 years - they're great bikes. You won't be disappointed if you buy this or any other Vulcan 900, 1700 or 2000. I was upset they quit making the Vulcan 2000. I loved those bikes but these 1700 motors are almost as good for power. No complaints about Vaquero - it's Best Buy!! Show less

I love the way the bike handles. At 1,100 lbs. (with me) it is very nimble on the road. I did have to get used to the ABS system because at low speeds when the rear brake is applied, the front kind of grabs a little. The only thing I do not like is the location of the horn button. I've got regular size hands and have to take my hand completely off the hand grip to sound the horn. that's not too safe with Los Angeles drivers. Also, the audio system needs a mute button. I've been averaging 500+ mile Saturdays, have had no problem with the seat comfort and am prepping for a trip to Reno in August. Show less

I had a 97 Vulcan 1500 Classic for over a decade. It was time for a new ride. I test rode the Vaquero in May 2012. WOW!!!! SOLD!!! It has everything a rider could want. It handles great, it's smooth, and has plenty of power. My old Vulcan was a 4-speed shaft drive. With the 6-speed belt drive, the Vaquero has plenty of get up and go. It is nice to see heads turning when I pull in someplace. I plan on being on the bike so much that I ordered the XM radio kit. Show less

I first saw this model at the bike show and was hooked. I've been with Kawasaki since my teens. My last bike was an '89 ZX10. It just started to give me too many problems so I'm so glad Kawasaki came out with this style. I love the color and everywhere I stop, people tell me they like it as well. I just had to get used to riding a cruiser from a sports bike, but it didn't take long. I love the feel, I just have to get a back rest for my wife. Show less

Still loving this bike. I did have one breakdown which is very rare. We lost a rear wheel bearing on this bike on the Blueridge Parkway. This happened in an area where we had 0 cell reception. Lucky for us a park ranger drove past after 30 minutes that we were able to get to help us. We also met some very nice people in Bedford, VA. who were lifesavers. Kawasaki fixed the problem but would not cover the rear tire that wore out totally on one side due to the alignment issue. Overall, I'm still happy with this bike. Show less

This bike is great. I bought it (2011 model) at the 2012 Toronto Motorcycle show in January. I took delivery in mid-March, and have ridden 1,250 kms. so far. It's a very nice, very comfortable bike. It's perfect ergonomics for me at 6'0". The windscreen at the lowest setting and there is no wind buffeting at all. It is lighter in handling than my 2003 1500 Nomad, but similar to the 2006 Harley Road King I owned for a while, and almost as good handling (except for limited lean angle - I've dragged the footboards several times on the pavement going around corners already) as the 1984 1200 Honda Goldwing I owned for 12 years. It has considerably more power that any of the others except for the Goldwing (which had 96 hp. and 87 ft/lbs. torgue if I remember correctly). It's got more power in stock form than my 2003 Nomad stock, and still more than the 2003 Nomad after I added the V&H pipes, custom air intake manifold and K&W air filter and a Dynajet Power Commander to the 2003. The Harley's power starts earlier in the revs (almost immediately you twist the throttle) and is more linear in feel the way it builds up. But eventually when the revs. get up on the 1700 Nomad, it finally pulls harder. But, you have to get the revs. up (probably to about 3500 rpm. - estimate for now) to feel a good satisfying burst of power. So I'm getting a tachometer installed so I can read when I'm in the best power RPM range in each gear. Maybe I'll even see what a set of V&H pipes or D&D pipes with modified air intake and Power Commander will do for this one. Cruise control was an option I was really looking forward to, and it worked great - for the first three times I used it. Then it just stopped working after that (at about the 200 km. mark). It's currently in the shop for its first warranty check, and hopefully it gets fixed under warranty (it should or I'm going to be mildly upset to say the least). Shifting is a bit clunky, but just like my Harley Road King was, but to me, it just feels like good solid quality. The Goldwing and 2003 Nomad shifted more with that snickety-snick feel to it which makes the transmission seem rather lightweight. There's no more noise on this bike than there was on any of the other three I mentioned above. Personally, I absolutely love every piece of the styling, looks and design of this bike. I just wish they had designed a slight more ground clearance on the lean angle to let it carve out the corners a little cleaner, because the frams give such a confident solid well controlled feel when cornering. Overall, I'd recommend this to anyone who is in the market for this kind of bike Show less