First of all, thank you for this video. It is an honest opinion of the Vulcan S. I've owned many motorcycles since 1967 and the ones I enjoyed the most were smaller bikes. But some of mine were under powered. With the Vulcan S you don't have to worry about being under powered. The 650 cc parallel twin has plenty of zip. The only thing I wish Kawasaki would do is include a passenger seat and passenger foot pegs. I owned four Harleys and the one I own now is a 2021 that cost $37,000 and it was in the shop for some computer trouble. It kept going into limp mode and had a top speed of 20mph. It is a trike because of my wife;s many health issues and now reverse went out and is going back in the shop on Oct 2nd. I haven't even owned it for a year yet and it only has 15,000 miles. I had a Heritage a few years back and it had starter trouble. I've never had any trouble with a Kawasaki, they are reliable and durable. I have never had to take a Kawasaki back to the dealer for any repairs. If I had a Vulcan S I know it would be a keeper. Thanks again for this video. Ride safely and enjoy every journey.
I been riding for many many years and own a 23 Goldwing DCT tour currently I'm buying a 2024 650S in the next few days to amble around the country lanes here in Connecticut. I am 6 foot and 250lb and it fits like a glove still. This is a real all rounder kinda bike. Good for beginners "low seat and ability to flatfoot it" It's lack of weight for a cruiser it's very light at under 500lb and very easy to ride. Its also fine for me and slows me down so I can hang onto my license and my life. Live to ride folks. To the you tuber. Dont go from a Kawasaki to a Harley. They really are not very good for the money you pay. If you got to have a big American Cruiser the Indian line up is worth looking at I own a 23 Chieftain darkhorse and have riden the Challenger and Chief and they are all incredibly good bikes and a bit cheaper than Harleys.
I'm 5'4" and my Vulcan fits me perfectly, with the reduced reach kit. 👌 EDIT: Re: "Maybe get a Harley later". _Caveat emptor,_ I prefer my Vulcan over EVERY H-D I test rode. Only Indians put more of a smile on my face, and I have found H-D customer service and value for money to be _appalling._ So if you want a classic V-Twin I'd recommend Indian over Harley _any_ day.
I'm glad I came across your video. Like you I am not the average rider for this bike at 6 foot and 250 pounds so I'm on the larger side. I just bought a 2018 Vulcan S Cafe with just under 6k miles on it. Thankfully the previous owner had already installed most of the accessories on it that I might want. LED lights all around and Viking saddlebags. Unfortunately he also installed an aftermarket exhaust which is louder than I prefer. I'm going to have an Arrow exhaust installed after doing to some research for the quieter aftermarket exhausts available for this bike. I picked up the bike from the dealer at the start of the holiday weekend here in the US and I've probably already put around 250 miles on it. Just riding around the outskirts of the city. I'm quite happy I decided to trade in my Can Am Ryker for this bike!!
I've owned many motorcycles since 1967, from a $100 Honda to a $37,000 Harley and each of them had stock seats. What I have always done was to take a break every hour and a half to get the vibes out of my but. My wife and I have rode well over 300,000 miles sinece 1994 and camped out along the way. I just sold the last Harley I will ever own, I've owned four new Harleys and had trouble with two of them. The last one broke down four times within the first year of ownership. NO MORE HARLEYS FOR ME. If you ever buy a Harley you will wish you had the Kawasaki back. I am looking at a used 2023 Vulcan S now with only 1900 miles for $6300. It already has a Puig windshield, passenger seat, passenger foot rests, passenger back rest and a luggage rack. The Puig windshield looks really nice on the Vulcan S and it is a lot less expensive than the Kawasaki windshiled. WIsh me luck on buying this Vulcan S I'm looking at. Ride safe and enjoy every journey.
wishing you luck, if you havent got it yet. been looking at the vulcan S for a year now (i want to get a bike, evolve from driving city only scooters), but waiting till i get a place of my own with a garage to buy the bike... have probably watched 300+ youtube videos on the bike, including multiple year look backs and the only video i saw was a guy replacing the clutch on his bike after some 16.000 miles (i think), but he said that his way of driving is abusing the clutch and his was slipping. from memory the replacement didnt look too complicated or scary and the parts he mentioned that he got (original parts) came down to less than 200$. BUT in the comments there were at least two people saying they attempted the same, but their clutch lever was not activating the clutch post their repair... (my opinion they didnt hook it up properly??) based on that, i have landed on a vulcan S as the bike to get, hopefully by summer 2025 i will have one. also have no idea how you found a 2023 for so cheap and with so many mods on it! in my area (south east europe) used ones go for 10% below msrp 2-3 years old. even a 2015 is only 25-30% below msrp!!
To help improve the ride and sore tailbone, please setup rear suspension sag for your weight and load you're carrying should make a big difference. I just swapped my 2007 triumph sprint st 1050 for a 2018 Kawasaki Vulcan s 650 ABS model. Best thing I did and love it.☺
That was one of the first things I did after my first ride. The default level 2 was way too soft and found my self bottoming out. raised it to 3 and it seemed like a sweet spot. The Corbin seat actually extended my ride time by about twice what it was, and I bought a X-Tender sear cushion from Fortnine that extended it again, I can now ride comfortably for about and hour and a half to two hours without any issues.
@@pawelsut yes it's a mix between a cruiser and a sports bike can be ridden slow and can be ridden fast. Handles well and brakes well. I still I have the throttle restriction in place. ☺ it's a great compromise for city and highway cruising.
Great Vid, Rev.... just a remark here about the "push" you mentioned...... Lean left Press left Go left.... Actually, when you lean, you instinctively Press away on the bars, so really you are pressing as you lean.... call it body-english , what ever. Anywho, I looked into the 650S about 4 yrs back. Got a crumby reception from the dealer as he was in a disagreement with a client on the phone at the time and couldn't give me a proper quote. He just slapped some numbers together and pretty much gave me a worse quote than Harley $$'s wise...... So I booked out of there, as the argument restarted over the phone, and went over to my Yamaha dealer. ( I had a Virago before my current bike). I talked with the crew there and walked out the door with an XVS950 Bolt. Base model.... the one that looks like the HD 1200 Sportster....... Some stuff about the Bolt: ..... Stock model Top end is 108 mph.....( highways are generally 60 to 80 mph.....) Very Snappy throttle, 27 inch seat height. 547 lbs wet. about 50 lbs heavier than the 650S. Rides like a dream. Very Tame balance-wise at low speed, `and Fast AF.... The engine will Pull all the way up to the limiter without hesitation with a crack of the throttle..... full twist not needed to get ripping... ( 5800 rpm)..... 65 HP less losses = 62 HP you feel.... (59.3 # ft * 5780 rpm/ 5252 = 65.26 HP..... Limiter kicks in around 5780 rpm ( on mine)..... unless you get it re-mapped on the ECU, if you can, but I'm guessing red line is about 6500 rpm...... Yes the Bolt is fuel injected. Lean angle on the Bolt is 35 to 38 degrees left and right , depending on preload settings and rider weight. Rear Shocks have 5 settings..... max load on the bolt,.... without me double checking.... is 450#'s ?? on the rear wheel.... so you're good. 5 speed here, not 6......No Tac' don't need or want one. Gauge = trip 1 and 2 , ODO and clock. Self cancelling turn signals after 450 feet. I haven't looked back since ......My ODO is just to the point of turning over 40,000 clicks as I type this note since 2019. If you are looking for something more suited to your frame, try Yamaha's XVS950 Bolt R-Spec .....( they don't make the base-model anymore..... lol ). Stay Safe.
Fixed a typo, hence the edit..... And I wanted to add in here that there is a Low-Fuel warning light that comes on after you have used up ~ 8 litres of go-go juice..... lol ...... My MPG is about 57 to 60 MPG's , ..... yours will vary. Ciao.
Not really in the market for a Vulcan S, but was researching for an acquaintance what could be going on with their rental they picked up in LA. I like the smaller displacement Vulcan's but only ever had close contact with a Mean Streak before getting my 98' EN500 C, Limited I guess it is. Never paid a whole lot attention to all that BS, just the solid reviews after a bikes been in production a few years to let the manufacturers fix oversights that slipped through engineering. I hope you got the bike sorted the way you like it by now, and wish you a very Happy Holidays.
Great video! I'm not too far from you and got my KVS this year. I've done a few mods already but I'd have to say the floorboards + windscreen were the best thing for comfort and longer rides. Agree the DRL and headlight is terrible for night riding. I bought LEDs for both and it is much better. Auxiliary lights will definitely help, especially on country roads. Looking forward to your Corbin seat review. I do find the seat uncomfortable after about an hour of riding. Floorboards help me shift my butt around and take some weight off my butt to do another hour before I need to get off.
The corbin is great, it doubled my ride time before I get uncomfortable. I am looking at possibly getting a puig windshield but that may be next season. I upgraded the main light to an LED, much brighter, still hate driving at night though.
@@ridewiththerevel Good to hear about your Corbin experience. I would invest in one if I knew that this would be my forever bike. Would get the one with the backrest. I have a Puig Knock off windscreen. It does a good job taking the wind off my chest. I'm 6' so it hits the top of my shoulders. Had to get used to the wind noise on the helmet but I wear earplugs so it's fine. As for night riding, I definitely don't do it often. The LED lights are an upgrade in safety measure in case I'm out and about and don't get home before the sun goes down.
I am also 300 lbs and 6" tall and I WANT this bike. I just bought a Honda Shadow Spirit 750 because it sits low and I have a bad knee, but this is the bike I always dreamt of, but it's a little too expensive.
I'm 5'11 240 pound bike is ok.. wanted to ride one since 2014 not super awesome but very capable. sport bike engine modern looks I throw it around like crazy even with the wife on it. i'm gonna get a guy in Winnipeg to rework my seat. I got a tiny cheapo universal flyscreen from ebay it doesnt look right and only cuts a little wind but makes highways tolerable. but there are cheaper windshields.
I got my corbin, and it doubles my ride time before it gets uncomfortable. I am looking at getting Puig dark smoke windshield which just over $250 on amazon. Hoping it will cut down a bit of wind. I stopped taking the mail highways as the Vulcan S seems to burn through gas at an alarming rate when you are going 110 km/h
@@ridewiththerevel I had a little universal thing for a windshield and just put on a small puig just uploaded a video last night so feel free to check it out getting some kinda floorboard helps too I have kuryakyn riot mini boards
Good review. I think cruiser geometry causes that odd steering. Even worse with choppers. My next bike will be the Vulcan s 650, the Ninja 650 or the Z400. Whatever I get a driver backrest is a must have.
The Corbin seat I got allows for a back rest, I think most after markets do as well. I also believe you can get back test that can attach to the bolts of the passenger seat (or simply back fender, as I never had a passenger/back seat on mine).
I am not 100% on the legalities of this... But we were taught that when coming to stops, as with slow moving traffic, you never put your foot down (slow race). That being said, I could have slowed a bit more (will come with practice). I do my look both ways (you cannot see it in the video due to chest mount) I do the Left-Right-Left look, if no impending doom, I advance. If there is traffic than a full stop is required.
I'm trying to decide between the Rebel 1100 and the Vulcan S, Im trying to go on long distance rides. I heard the rebels have horrible seats and suspension. What would you recommend?
Revell, I, like you, am an oddball body. 5' 9" tall and tip the scales at 315lbs( tight packed like a Bulldog!) The Vulcan S is one cycle I'm considering, need to get the information on a "test ride" day at a near dealer. At 57 years old, there's a lot "riding" on this matter. Do you have other videos I can watch, and, maybe gleen some tidbit of knowledge from with MC riding? Doug
I will be adding more videos soon. Got a 360 camera I am tring to find the right mount point to do some more motovlogs and other vids with. The Vulcan S is a stellar choice for an easy ride in my opinion. If you plan on rides more than 45 minutes, get the seat reupholstered with thick foam padding and an inch or so of gel padding on top... Your butt will thank you. I went the more expensive route and bought a Corbin seat and still needed a pad... Now I can ride about an hour and a half before I need a rest. But what can I say, it's a commuter, but my riding buddy lives about 150km away.
Would like to know if you ever got the bike, I am inch and half taller and less 5 pounds. I bought mine yesterday waiting on delivery.. So did you get one?
Cool video. It was interesting for me. I traded in my. 2020 Vulcan 650 for the new Rebel 1100cc DCT. That should be your next bike. I. Had 9,100 miles on my Vulcan. I used to listen a lot of Jesse Cook flamenco guitar on my rides here on the Jersey Shore US.
My buddy has the Rebel 500. Its the same frame if I am not mistaken. The problem I have is being 6' tall, the standard seating position kills the legs after a short while. My buddy. Who is 5'11 has the same issue. It's a good bike, but nit a good fit.
@@ridewiththerevel The 1100cc Rebel got a bigger and heavier frame. And got the Africa Twin engine. You would like the great low end torque and the manual programing for a custom ride.
Good review. I’ve had several Kawasaki bikes and liked them all. Very reliable, good handling. I’ve heard some reviewers say they feel vibrations through the pegs and bars so that concerns me. What brand of tail bag did you buy? I like it. Better than saddlebags for me.
The tail bag is the official Kawasaki tail bag for the S 650. I would have gone with the official saddle bags but at $800+ for the hard covers its not worth it. I have about 6000km on it and have had maybe 400 of that being on a 400 class highway (100km/hr) and have not had any issues in regards to vibration.
Hi! Great video! I'm thinking about buying a Vulcan S myself and I have a question for you: the back bag you have on the rear fender is easy to take off? EG: 5-10 mins and a couple screws/bolts or is a pain in the butt?
Some how I missed your comment. Sorry it took so long to respond. Do you mean temporary removal or permanent. Temporary removal is a cinch. It attaches to a velcro bracket that runs from the seat bolt to the secondary bold on the fender (which would hold the passenger seat if you have one). Then stays in place with 4 velcro straps that attach to the side of the fender. Permanent is not much harder. Just remove the bracket from on top of the fender and remove the side latches replacing them with the original bolts.
I think I need to move my pegs forward a spot. I now have the Corbin seat, and I still feel a bit cramped. I mean now I have over 8000km on her and it's really not bad, but I think moving the pegs to the extended reach position will make it just that much better.
The Vulcan S seems to have danced around my 'first' list for a bit... was seriously considering some other bikes, like a retro or the Honda Shadow... but the S is not too big, or small... On the stepping stones, the Vaquero seems to be the a further step, because of the price. Though the Vulcan 900 is a smaller step up, with the more classic stance. Final landing is a way off, but I have a pretty good idea of what I want to do.
I did a lot of looking before I chose the Vulcan S. I was eyeing the Rebel 500 at first, then I was thinking the Vulcan 900 Custom. The Shadow Phantom was in the list too, although trying to find it new in Canada was Impossible. For all the specs and price point, I am glad I came across the Vulcan S.
I ordered the Vulcan S from a Handler a couple of weeks ago. I got my license a month and a half ago... The Vulcan looks small on pictures and videos and reviews and everything about it looks, well, small... small/low handlebars, small tank area, small body, everything. I was damn surprised to see a NOT small machine. Sure it is no H-D Elektra Glide that's like a ship on the road, but It's quite long, the tank is pretty big for cruisers in this price range, and the handlebars are really not as small or low as most pictures show. And from what I gathered during many months of research, it's pretty much the best bang for your buck as an intermidiate/beginner, and may well be the last motorcycle you'll even want in the next 10 years. And because it's no Harley, you can basically take it to any shop for tweaks and check ups. Took it for a ride. As nimble as Revel says it is! Like I was riding it in the city so I couldn't speed too much but when you give it a bit of throttle holy moly you feel it WANTS to go haha and it WANTS to tuuuuurn but not like a Sport or Naked bike (i did my license on a naked), it feels totally different. Finished the ride, was very happy, and signed the deal just like that...
Its just stock. I do not wanna mess with having to torch my pipes for a slip-on, and with a full pipe set running into the high hundreds, a little out of my price range. So I will be leaving it stock .
@@ridewiththerevel did you tested handling at decent high speed? What is the cruiser range? I have an RE Interceptor and even in the same cc those are two different bikes.
@@marianobeeay took her up to about 160 on the highway, no death wobble, could still maneuver fine. As for range, depending on how you like to travel.. i.e. the higher the speed the less range. If I go by highway I can get maybe 250km per tank, if I take the back roads (80km/hr) i can get closer to 350km per tank if not more.
What country is that? Everything is in kilometers but you're on the right side of the road and you sound American.... but you do say "AbOOt". I'm guessing Canadian?
Yeah I love the tail bag, and the fact it is expandable means I can carry quite a few things. That being said, I am looking at grabbing some saddle bags for next season as we (Biosphere and I) plan on going on a few longer trips (Multi-day) at which point the tail bag and backpack just won't cut it.
