Kawasaki Motorcycles

[Macal]

Hi Folks,

I'm new to this site, but have been perusing it for several days. Looks good!

I'm between bikes right now and looking for a new one. I previously owned a couple of Goldwings and rode both of them mega miles. I'm looking to lighten up and slow down a bit so the mid-size cruisers have caught my eye. In particular, the Vulcan 900 Classic LT. I talked to a friend who is a service manager for a major delearship in S. California. He went off for about ten minutes telling me everything bad he could think about the Kawasaki Vulcans. He seriously advised me not to buy the 900 Classic. He said the dealerships can't get parts, accessories don't exist, the Kawasakis have serious mechanical isssues, resale value is low. He went on for several minutes.

I've never known anyone who owned a Kawasaki who any serious problems with the bike. I'd always heard great things about Kawasakis.

I would like to hear from a some of you about Kawasaki's in general, the cruisers in particular and about service and repair issues, general reliability, quality control.

Any opinions and experiences would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[cudaosix]

My Kaw is 26 years old and runs great. Hows that?

[bross]

Not sure what bikes that service manager is talking about but it sure isn't any Vulcans that I know, either personally owned or friends, etc. I have owned 2 new Honda Shadow's and Kawasaki's and I personally think the Kawasaki's are actually better engineered than the Honda's we had. Not that there was anything wrong with the Honda's, I had no issues with them, except an annoying rattle I could not make go away on my ACE. We didn't keep the Honda's long enough to talk to long term reliability, I'm sure they would have lasted. I just find the Kawi easier to work on, basic oil changes etc., things are just easier to get at than on the Honda's. I now have 40,000kms on my MeanStreak and it has been absolutely problem free, nothing, nada. All I do is regular maintenance and buy tires. It's a Vulcan, so it is a rattly, noisy beast of a motor, but read the stickys about Vulcan engine noise's. Coming from a GW you may find it alarming but trust me, it's a gem of a motor, and it will last a long time.

I wouldn't hesitate for a second to recommend a kawi. When I was shopping for a cruiser I was looking at 3 bikes, Harley V-Rod, Victory Kingpin and the MeanStreak. For me money wasn't an issue and the other 2 cost twice as much as the MeanStreak, but I bought the "cheaper" bike and haven't regretted it for a minute. It's been a great riding experience and that's basically what I do, ride, and smile lots.

[billc5]

Just got back from just shy of a week long 1000 mile road trip with my 2003 Mean Streak. Bike ran great. Every is welcome to their own opinion. Welcome to the forum. It's a great place.

[Scruffy]

I bought my Vulcan without knowing anything about them. I'd never owned one, never ridden one, had only sat on an 800B and a 1500 Drifter while bike shopping a few years previously.

The only real issues I've had with mine (bought used) are some minor oil blowby leaking out of the air cleaner, and a snapped off speedometer cable (right at the rear hub). The cable is a nuisance to change, and every motorcycle has an oil leak or two. No major issues or concerns to report.

To address the other concerns...

Resale: ALL metrics tend to have rather low resale values compared to Harleys. Compared to other metrics, Vulcans consistently sell for book or above. Mine was worth about $2500 book, I was happy to pay $4600 out the door. To me, it has been money well spent.

Parts and accessories: Yes, it can be tough to get parts if you walk in and expect them to be handed to you. That is any brand, car or bike. My local Kawi dealer can get parts back to the days of Oddessa and Megura (1960s names for Kawasaki). The local Honda/Suzuki/Yamaha dealers will only order parts in for 10 years from date of your model, even if the basic bike is still being made, unchanged except in name. The local HD shops are the same way, I guess the other big 3 metrics have learned well. Accessories aren't as readily available because the metric aftermarket is still in its infancy. The other 3 brands gave r&d bikes to the aftermarket before Kawasaki did. Do like I do, adapt parts for other models/brands/eras to your ride and go have some fun. My friend Doug just put an early 60s Buco springer shield on his 1500 Drifter, fits and looks like it was made for the bike. Improvise, adapt and overcome.

Find a bike you like, buy it, and get back on the road. I was going to junk my 800A a week ago, was going back to HD (what I grew up riding). Got one in for the sales line Friday, spent Saturday riding it around the lot, after I spent 2 hours trying to find the battery, fix an oil leak, and clean a neglected Hypercharger K&N micro-filter. I still have my 800...

Would I buy a new Vulcan? No, they quit making the A series. Would I buy another Kawasaki? You bet, I'm trying to score a KZ400 or KZ440 right now to build a baby chopper or barhopper out of.
-Scruffy

[Spok]

2 years and 20k on the ticker and not a lick of problem or aftermarket support

[ervins]

Welcome to the forum!

[trikebubble]

I'm on my second Kawy Vulcan. I purchased a Mean Streak just shy of 2 years ago, and put 20,000Km on it. I decided to trade up last month, and didn't think of anything else than another Vulcan.
I geuss my blood runs green.

[jukief]

I had an 800A and now, a 1500 Classic FI. Both were bought used, and both ran flawlessly. I've never had a single problem with my 1500, which was three years old when I bought it. It starts up immediately every single time and purrs like a kitten. The only work I've had done on it is regular maintenance.

[Macal]

Folks,
Your replys have confirmed what I believed about the Kawasaki's. My friend has opinions which are his own, but I suspected that they would not be confirmed by current owners and riders. Every Kawi rider I've ridden with going back to sport bikes in the 70's have been happy with there rides. I know of KZ 1000's run over 100k mikes with few problems.

My target date for a new purchase is August. If I can find one, I'll more than likely go for the 900 Classic LT. Dealers around here are saying they are only allowed so many, they're going fast, no more coming in, blah, blah..... We'll see.

I thank you all for your replys. Great site. I'll hang around and report on it when I do get the new scooter.

Thanks.

[jukief]

Good luck, Macal. The only problem I forsee with you is a problem getting accessories because the model is so new. But they seem to be selling really well, so I bet there will be a lot of aftermarket parts available soon.

[gunman42782]

I have a Vulcan 800 and love it! It is 3 years old and have done nothing but routine mantenence on it.

[OldDog]

I talked to my local dealer about the 900 LT, and, after a phone call, one had already been shipped to him (still in transit at that time) two days before I went in. They assembled it on a Friday, it rained Saturday, closed on Monday, and I took it on that Tuesday. He has not been able to get another one in yet. Maybe they are selling that fast! He does have the blue 900 Classic in stock. I have the black on red LT.

This is my first motorcycle since I was a teenager, some 35 years ago. We had a Yamaha 350 and we did the typical, stupid, teenaged stuff - jumped ditches and other objects, tried to climb with it, could speed all over town on it, etc. I have discovered that I have all that out of my system, and I chose a middleweight cruiser. My neighbor (Gold Winger) told me that the heavyweights are no fun to hop on and ride to the store or to jump on and ride downtown. Just too much trouble. He suggested the middleweight, and I think he is right! I have had the 900 Classic LT for a month now, have well over 800 miles on it, and I am having a ball just learning new stuff every day.

I have had a couple of questions about the bike, but the dealer has responded and repaired every single "complaint" that I have. I look forward to years with the bike.

I don't know how hard the LT is to find in your area, but test one out. I think you will like it.

BTW: My Gold Winger neighbor is looking to downsize, too. Arthritis in his left hip tries to keep him from placing that left foot on the ground at stop signs. At age 70, he is considering selling the Gold Wing and getting a 750cc! Amazing!

[forest1000]

If you look up the history of Kawasaki, you'll see they have a long history of producing quality products.

http://www.kawasaki.ca/museum.html

I've owned a Yamaha, Honda and a Kawasaki in the past and came back to Kawasaki now. You won't be disappointed.

Dave

[zedx11]

But they seem to be selling really well

I have done the set up on 3 so far and they don't last a week on the floor.

[BigJohn]

Macal - Welcome to the KAWASAKI forum We are all just a little biased. By the way, there are well over 10,000 registered members, so there must be something right with the brand.

I've been riding Kawasakis since the early '70s. My '00 Nomad is my fourth Kawsaki and my first metric cruser. It had 6,500 miles on it when I bought it last June from a guy in Kentucky. My wife and I rode it home to Washington state without incident. I love it. Got almost 15,000 miles now.

They are good machines.

[Tod]

Welcome Macal. I've got a 19 year old Kaw, and she's running just fine.

[stargazertony]

I had an 800A and now, a 1500 Classic FI. Both were bought used, and both ran flawlessly. I've never had a single problem with my 1500, which was three years old when I bought it. It starts up immediately every single time and purrs like a kitten. The only work I've had done on it is regular maintenance.

/Hijack ON

Hi Jukief: Did you have any trouble going from a middleweight to a heavy cruiser expecially at slow, parking lot speeds? Any other issues in the upgrade?

Tony

/Hijack OFF

[KyBoy]

Macal,
I'm very happy with my V1600 . I have a friend with a 1500 Vulcan that
has over 40k and it runs great . Another friend with over 30k on his 1500
and his runs great . Kawasaki makes a great bike . I'm at 23,000 miles with
mine and no issues worth mentioning . There are alot of older Kawasaki's
on this forum still going strong .
The accessories will come . As Julie said , the new models take a while .
Just wondering , was this dealer trying to sell you a motorcycle that was
not a Kawasaki ?

[Macal]

KyBoy,

The guy has worked on about every motorcycle made. He's owned mostly Honda's himself, but he was recommending either a Yamaha or Honda to me. I've owned eight Honda motorcycles and ATVs over the past 30 years. Obviously, I have been partial to Honda's over the years, but I've always figured it didn't matter what you rode as long as you rode and enjoyed it. I've ridden with owners of virtually every motorcycle made. While each motorcycle has it's quirks, they all seem to get the job done, some maybe a little better than others.

Unless something unexpectedly changes, I'm looking forward to the Kawasaki as my next ride. The model may change, but I like what I see in the Vulcan line and my research on the Vulcans has been very positive. Some bias in your replys was expected, but I wanted to see that.

My last Goldwing was a 95 Limited Edition 6 cylinder monster weighing over 800 lbs wet. My first one was an 85 1200 Interstate. I put 106K miles on it and loved it from day one. I never cared for the second one and sold it after 48K miles. I think a downsize and brand change will work well for me right now.

I appreciate the replys from each of you.

Thanks