Kawasaki Vulcan S Cafe reviews

I bought this bike used (5800k) this spring after 16 years of not having one. My last bike was an 84 Honda V45 Magna. I'm very pleased with the power and seating position of this bike. It feels light and is easy to handle at low speeds. It goes down the road arrow straight and is very smooth. After about 60 MPH though, there is some vibration but not unbearable. The bike should have a 6th gear for the open road. I plan on replacing the front pully on the belt drive to help with this. The bike is fuel injected so it starts nice on cooler days. I find the suspension to be much better than on the old Magna. The seat is not bad but is a little hard on my old butt on longer rides. She doesn`t have the snap of the old Magna.....but I didn`t expect it to. Oh and did I mention I love the sound of those Cobra pipes. Show less

Back in 2008 I bought a Honda Shadow Aero 750 as my first bike. I outgrew it and moved up to the 1700 Nomad. All I can say is WOW! I have had it almost a month now and have ridden almost a 1000 miles. What a difference in performance and comfort. My wife loves the ride and comfort of the passenger seat, backrest and floorboards. I love the slow speed handling, as good or better than my 750! Does the curves as well as the 750 but feels more solid. Rode 280 miles one evening and felt great. Solid, easy to ride, comfort. Great Bike! Show less

Upgraded from a Yamaha 650 to this. It is a dream to ride both alone and with my wife. She is totally comfortable and enjoys riding more. It handles great in all respects. I took the ERC two days after purchase and she handled like a dream. Show less

I have had my 1500 Fi for four years and bought it with 17000 kms on the clock. I have taken it on some long 2400 km trips. It's super reliable and I only have changed the fluids and a rear tire. I have been looking around for something newer, but nothing out there that is worth the move from this Vulcan. It's cheap to run. I have a Corbin Dual tour seat on it and lots of chrome. It is a great bike. I looked at the Harley's, but would be asking for trouble compared with this ride. Show less

I love this bike. It's comfortable and a great joy to ride. Handles great on the road and has plenty of power. Rode it to Niagara Falls with no problems. I would recommend this bike to anyone. Show less

Great ride. Great response and comfort. I have owned previous kawasakis and I am a fan forever. Show less

Wow! What a great bike. I have 3500 miles on it and have not been disappointed yet. The Nomad is great on country roads or interstate. The only problem that I have is when changing from 1st to 2nd gear, it's LOUD. When you are at a stoplight the heat coming up from the motor is hot. I had the heat shield that Kawasaki put on for free. Problem gone!! I ride the bike to work and long rides I would recommend this bike to anyone. Show less

I've had my new Nomad for about 10 days now and have managed to put on about 800 km so far. It's replacing a 900 Custom that I recently sold. Other than some running noises that I'm not used to hearing, it's a great bike. Lots of power and the fuel economy isn't bad (Between 45 and 50 mpg). It just purrs along when cruising on the highway and it is very comfortable. The cruise control is sweet and works great. And at slow speed the bike handles like a dream. I actually think that this 832 lb bike handles better in the parking lot than my 900. Figure that one out. The lockable saddle bags are huge and will be great for weekend getaways. And if you're into computerized displays you probably won't be disappointed. You get the regular odometer plus two trip odometers, a "what gear am I in" indicator, a variety of different fuel economy displays, a clock, and I suspect some sort of clever warning when you start getting low on fuel. I haven't gotten there yet. Back to the noise. I'm really only comparing it to my 900 Custom which was just a super bike, but not really suited for two up on the highway. I never heard any noises coming from it. Mind you, it didn't have a windshield either and that may be the issue. I rode a Victory Cross Roads and I thought it had a lot of running noises such as tranny whine. A friend of mine has a Suzuki C90T and he says he can hear all kinds of noises from his bike. I was riding an HD Heritage and I heard some scary noises coming from it. I guess what I'm saying, is that I don't care for the noises that I hear, but it's probably nothing unusual and probably nothing to be concerned with. So if you're thinking about getting a Nomad, I don't think you'll be disappointed. Show less

I purchased this bike used. Pearl white(which seems to be the majority color on these reviews.) Already had power commander, bags, engine guard, 360 pegs, front and rear floor boards, mustang seat, trailer hitch, light bar, and vance&hines power shots, and windshield. It had 7500 miles on it. Purchased it in 09 at local kawasaki dealer. Purchased it for what I consider a steal. This bike is definitely the bomb. Well worth every penny. Just like other reviews no complaints with the power here. This is a keeper. Show less

I just sold my 900 Custom. It was a great bike that had awesome performance and fuel economy. It just wasn't suited for two up riding for any great distance. I replaced it with a Nomad and I really wish I could have kept both. If you're looking for an entry level bike or just an economical around town cruiser that can do the occasional highway run, get yourself a 900 Custom. You won't be sorry. Show less