Kawasaki Vulcan 800 Drifter reviews

Amazing build quality, incredibly comfortable ride, plenty of power to spare, durable, reliable. An incredible motorcycle. A wonderful motorcycle for your second cruiser. Too much bike for a new rider. Show less

I went to buy a Harley Road king but the price was rediculous. Across the Street was a Kawasaki dealer and my wife suggested we go there and check it out. I didnt want a crouch rocket and was amazed when I saw this 02 Vulcan sitting in the showroom that looked like a Harley. I even asked "you sell Harley's here"? No, thats a Kawasaki Vulcan. The price tag? $7995.00 "WOW" Just what wanted, chain drive, carburated, perfect. The owner came over and said "this is the last motorcycle you'll ever buy. They never come back for anything". My wife asked "Whats the best yo can do" The final price was $5200.00. My wife asked if there was something wrong with it. Its brand new, if its junk, I'll make a lamp out of it for that price. Im a mechanic by trade. This bike is flawless. The welds of the frame, the engineering, the handleing, it runs perfectly. At 33,000 miles, not an ounce of trouble. General maintenance is all it needs. Most important, it has solid lifters so be sure to check the valve clearance at least every 10,000 miles. Thats it. This motorcycle will last you a lifetime. Stopped at a WaWa one night. A guy with a new Harley there with his friends stopped to talk. He owned an 02 Vulcan Classic and got rid of it and bought a Harley. "what a mistake" he said. I loved that bike. I have been back to the Harley dealer 4 time for oil leaks, still not fixed. What a mistake I made, he said. Dont make the same mistake. I said, I know and I also know that most electronics among other parts on Harley's are made in China. Very sad! The Vulcan is the first japanese vehicle I have ever bought. The head mechanic at the dealer where I purchased it said, "It's built in Nebraska, how much more american can you get. Boy was he right. You will fall in love with this motorcycle. It has plenty of power, my wife and I ride 2 up, It weighs much less than a Harley and it is the most perfectly balanced bike on the market and it looks just like a Harley. I've had people ask me about the color, metalic red, they say, "I didnt know Harley had a color like that" They dont. Its not a Harley. Theyre shocked. For the price you pay for this motorcycle, you can afford to fit it out with all kinds of addons. A windshield, bags, floorboards, crash bars etc. I've known people who have over 90,000 miles on this bike, and it still runs great. Dont be fooled. Dont think its junk. IT'S NOT! Later on in years there are some bigger beautiful cruisers Kawasaki makes. Im not gonna get rid of what I got cause I dressed it just like I want it but you cant beat Kawasaki, And the new ones are really tempting and dependable. Hey, Years ago they made aircraft engines for fighter planes. They know what they're doin. Show less

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

I brought my 2016 Voyager 1700 ABS new out of box, I make a 5K miles round trip starting in Houston, Tx to Chicago, Charleston S.C. Birmingham Alabama and home, the Bike rode comfortable never felt fatigued or strained. One leg of the trip from Baton Rogue La to Houston was in steady heavy rain and the ride was as secure as riding in my car, minus the roof of course. I hand the right gear for rain or cold weather but never had a worry about the Bike's performance. I added slip-ons exhaust in 2020 and it greatly improves the power band in all gear ranges. Best bang for the Buck no doubt. Show less

this is my first kawasaki and dont regret it at all. after having a variety of bikes in the last 40 years id have to say its the best looking cruiser ive been on, it had 3200 miles on it when i got it 2 years ago, never had a single problem, only mods done were a mustang seat and led turn signals, headlight , tail light and driving light. Show less

3rd one I have had I have had others but always regret it . Just so smooth,powerful,well balanced comfortable the others look good but nothing compares to the ride. It puts a smile on my face every time I park it what a ride!!! Show less

For the money best on the Planet. I have over 22,000 miles and nothing but tires and tune ups. Only change was ordering a custom Diamond seat. Now can ride all day in comfort. Highly recommended and if you want the Harley sound just change the pipes. Show less

I bought this 2003 Vulcan classic . In 2005 with 800 miles on it and now it's just term to 180000 miles files average gas mileage throughout the life of the bike has been between 36 and 40 miles to the gallon uses the gallon uses slight oil on long distance runs. Custom handlebars and custom C and I can ride this by coast to coast with no trouble have done 1300 miles nonstop on the longest trip and have had it to 48 of the States and 4 of the provinces in Canada with no trouble this is an amazing machine I love this bike and it will be hard to replace it. Show less

why advertised as a HD, it's a metric!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Show less

I am the second owner of a clean 2005 Vulcan nomad 1600. I have absolutely no complaints about this bike, it is a very smooth ride, and even at high speeds it feels like it's going a lot slower. Power to spare and highly stable, but don't lay it down it's hard to pick up. Show less