Kawasaki Vulcan S Review

• Published On: 13 April 2018
• 1374 Views

The Vulcan S appears to be a nicely-built Japanese rival to the Harley Street 750.

Kawasaki’s new for India cruiser, the Vulcan S only recently made its debut. The cruiser motorcycle has been available internationally in this layout from 2015. It is powered by a 650cc engine which makes it a middle-weight cruiser in our market and puts it up against Harley’s new Street 750. So how does it fare on our roads? Let’s find out.

On the outside

This Kawasaki is by no means your regular cruiser on the outside. The bike has no chrome bits and almost every part is blacked-out. The headlight on the motorcycle is a strangely shaped triangle unit which gives the bike individuality at the front. The large tank on the bike gives it a good presence but, towards the rear is where the bike is lacking. We found the side view to be the best since the motorcycle appears to sit low and looks lengthy. The nice long single-barrel silencer further compliments its styling.

Like on most Kawasaki motorcycles, the build quality stands out. The instrumentation is directly off the older ER-6n which features a large analogue tach. One nice feature the motorcycle comes with is what the company calls Ergo-fit which allows you to tweak the seat position to suit your size. However, these seats are pretty pricey and will set you back Rs 15,000 for the lower seat and Rs 30,000 for gel seat with more reach. The extended handlebar is available Rs 4,740, this is an option we would suggest considering.

Overall, the Vulcan is nice-looking bike, but it is not a crowd puller. However, it does manage to attract a little more attention than the Street 750. For now, the cruiser is only available in one colour scheme and that’s matte black.

How does it perform?

The Vulcan S uses a 649cc twin-cylinder engine that was seen on the older ER-6n, albeit with a different cam profile, reworked intake, exhaust, flywheel an ECU. The motor does have the grunt but it delivers this in a smooth manner. The different gearing also means you can go about taking on traffic in the second. You can also shift into the fourth and leave it there above 45kph.

When you start riding it harder, you can feel the motorcycle crossing 150kph with ease. However, the lack of wind protection does make it a challenge holding on. This cruiser also lacks the noise one would expect for a motorcycle of its kind. The muted Kawasaki engine is not known for sound and even with an aftermarket exhaust, it doesn’t produce a good note.

The Vulcan S also offers a natural laid-back ride with a feet forward position. The throttle response is a bit choppy and the motorcycle has high levels of engine braking.

How does it ride?

The Vulcan is not light and its 235kg weight makes it 2kg more than the Street 750. However, the low centre of gravity translates to friendly feeling. The seat we rode the bike had a good shape, however it was a bit stiff and not the most comfortable. The bike also provides nice low-speed behaviour with a stable feel. The bike is not sporty by means, but the pegs do offer nice amount of cornering clearance.

The Vulcan absorbs the bumps pretty well and the bike stays in control on rough terrain. The bike we rode had its suspension adjusted to the softer setting which translated to wallowy handling. The bike wears the Dunlop Sortmax tyres which are seen on the other 650s from Kawasaki and work adequately on this cruiser.

Should I buy one?

This Kawasaki cruiser is a pretty capable bike and for Rs 5.44 lakh, it is priced Rs 19,000 more than the Street 750. This isn’t a bad deal when you consider the fact that the Vulcan offers better quality. You also get better tyres on the Kawi. Even though the bike feels a look good package it misses out on emotion.

The cruiser bike impressed us on the 200km we rode it, but we don’t remember ever smiling inside our helmets. The Vulcan S is a very potent bike, but lacks the emotion and fun one would want from it.