Kawasaki Vulcan 88
KAWASAKI VULCAN 88
The cruiser as cruise-ship
THE OTHER MOTORCYCLES IN this comparison are big V-Twins; Kawasaki's new Vul can 88 is a dreadnought of a V-Twin.
Fourteen hundred and seventy cubic centimeters worth of torqueladen V-Twin just won't be denied, pulling hard off idle and asking only that the four-speed gearbox be shortshifted before the pistons run out of steam at 4500 rpm. In top-gear rollons, the Vulcan will outgun a Yamaha V-Max; and in everyday riding situations, its engine feels more like something unbolted from the engine bay of the Queen Mary than a powerplant designed for a mode of transportation as insignificant as a motorcycle.
As a day-excursion cruiser, the Vulcan offers first-class accommodations, what with its wide, tiller-like handlebar, plushly padded seat and well-placed footpegs. Some vibration does intrude at higher highway speeds—this despite a counterbalancer and rubber engine mounts— but not enough to torpedo the proceedings.
In easy going, the Vulcan handles easily and capably, all of its weight rising and falling on its soft suspension as smoothly as a passenger liner plowing through gentle ocean swells. But ring down for more speed and the Kawasaki pipes back that it is indeed a big, heavy, tall motorcycle that doesn’t particularly like to alter course quickly. The Vulcan never really gets out of line, mind you, but it’s just no backroad match for the better-handling bikes in this group.
When it came time to critique styling, the Vulcan 88 ran into rough seas. None of our riders really liked the way the Kawasaki looks, although some did note that the fit and finish of the chrome, and the quality of the paint, were top-notch. Others
were bothered by the amount of cosmetic overkill on the bike. There are chromed covers on both sides of the swingarm, the cylinder heads and the radiator overflow reservoir, and even the footpeg brackets are saddled with little chromed spats. Most offensive is the engine’s left “sidecover,” which actually covers nothing but air and whose sole purpose seems to be
to imitate a Harley-Davidson’s protruding primary-drive housing.
Kawasaki is aware that the Vulcan’s styling may not be a direct hit with everyone, and will also sell a Vulcan 88 SE version. If early pressrelease photos are any indication, the SE is more cleanly done, thanks to a bobbed rear fender, wire-spoke wheels, nacelle-less fuel tank and 2into-2 exhaust system.
There may be reservations about the Vulcan’s styling, but the bike’s engine eventually puts an end to that. When it comes to V-Twin engine performance and V-Twin feel, the Vulcan is at the head of the convoy, with everything else in its wake.
Kawasaki Vulcan 1400
$5899
