The best buy in a bagger is the Kawasaki Vaquero! 

A few words from someone that owned this bike to anyone looking to purchase one. I bought a brand new 2017 Vaquero in 2018, I got a great discount because I had purchased several dirt bikes, quads, and my dual sport from this dealer on top of the discount that Kawasaki was offering to get these moved out. I was able to take it on a short test drive but only a few miles so I really didn't get the feel for it. I really like the way this bike looks and at speed, it is a very pleasant ride. The engine produces good power and can be woken up with a tune, an aftermarket intake, and exhaust system. The brakes are fantastic, I really can't say I've been on a big cruiser that has better brakes than this. The short wind screen looks great and is good for local trips but I purchased a Clearview Shield for longer trips due to wind noise and buffeting, that shield was great and I purchased another for my new bike. The fit and finish on the bike is great, nothing on the surface looks cheap or like an afterthought. Now for some things I wish I had known, realized, or researched better prior to purchase. First, these run very lean from the factory to meet emissions. They heat up so fast in any kind of stop-and-go traffic and become very uncomfortable quick, especially when the fan kicks on and blows that hot air into your legs on a hot day. Only the heads are liquid cooled, much like the Harleys with twin-cooling, so the rest of the engine relies on oil for cooling, just like a Harley. Second, there is a dead spot in the throttle that makes it difficult to navigate at speeds below 10mph. It feels like the throttle just cuts out and if you're not on the clutch, the engine can stall. I did this a few times when first riding in very slow traffic while in a turn and I thought it was going to go down. There are all kinds of blogs and forums where this is discussed and the only thing to take care of it is to either purchase an aftermarket fuel/air controller or get the ECM flashed. Ivan's Performance supposedly has the best thing going for this bike and if I had kept mine, it would have gone in. In this same line, the acceleration doesn't seem linear with throttle application. It feels like as you accelerate you have to twist the throttle more for the same percentage of gain. This is also corrected by the aftermarket tune shops. Third, the factory offers a sissy bar but you have to purchase a mounting kit separately that only mounts the sissy bar, why? To get a luggage rack, you have to purchase the mounting bracket and the sissy bar because it bolts to the sissy bar. All together this cost about $832 before tax. I opted to purchase an aftermarket seat with a sissy bar but that wouldn't allow us to install a factory luggage rack. Aftermarket support for this bike is lacking greatly and I didn't like the two luggage rack options I was able to find. It seems a lot of people on the forums had something custom made. Forth, the hard bags opening sideways became a real pain in the butt. Granted, it forces you to lock these so you don't ever have to worry about someone getting in easily but if you want to open both sides, you have to relock the thing while open to get the key back out. Loading the bags for a long trip always required some careful planning so everything wouldn't spill out as soon as you opened them. Even though the size is comparable to other baggers, they really don't compare to a top loader. Fifth, there is not a lot of good aftermarket support for handlebars or bar risers. If you want to get the bars back a little further for a more relaxed riding position, you won't get any support from Kawasaki. If you get bar risers or aftermarket bars, most things I read say they will contact the fairing and you need to adjust the stops or really sweep the bars back to an unnatural position. Stay far away from the flea-bay bar risers, the only good ones I found were from Chuckster's Customs. Sixth, I don't know if the 2020 and later model year have theses issues. I bought my bike in June of 2018. I checked out both the 2018 and 2019 models, they were unchanged from my 2017. A) The audio interface in the left fairing cubby is a proprietary cable to get it to operate your iPod or phone. I was going to buy the iPod docking station cable and holder only for Kawasaki to discontinue it while they were still selling bikes with a now useless cable in the cubby. Nothing else will plug into that cable and you have to splice or solder your own stuff into to make it useful. B) Those cubby doors are cheap and the hinge will give way after repeated use. The hinge is just a thin piece of plastic that has a seem where it bends back and forth, think taking a thin piece of tin and folding it over to create a crease and then using that as a hinge. C) The radio is severely underpowered. Even with the Clearview Shield and half helmets, it was difficult to hear the radio at speed. Because I couldn't connect my phone or iPod and there isn't a CD player, I had to rely on what was on the radio for music. We just opted to not listen and I was checking into aftermarket options before I traded it. These were my experiences but it seems many others have had a similar one. For the price, the bike is a great machine to get into the bagger market. Just be aware of its shortcomings before hand and you won't be disappointed in the long run like I was. Ride safe and keep the shiny side up. (Edited for grammar)

I have had my Vaquero for 2 years now, about 15000 miles. Have a similar tall windshield but clear. Only complaint was the stock seat. Im a bigger guy and could only do about 2 hours in it. Switched to Mustang touring seat with backrest now can do 10 to 12 hours with little problem. It seems pretty nimble for a big bike. looked at a Harley, but here in Canada at least, the Kawi was about 40 % less. Dont regret my decision one bit. Love the bike overall and would happily but it again.

All the dealers allow test rides near me. You are right. It’s the test ride that usually sells the bike. I absolutely love the Vaquero.

Thanks for taking time to review this machine. It really is the most underrated bike on the market. I bought a 19 Voyager for $13,750. Many dealers in Pennsylvania won’t let you ride either, but some do, the Harley dealers are 50/50 on test rides. Ivan’s performance Ecm reflash makes these bikes really come alive. Had mine done @ 150 miles. The emissions regulations really messes with the performance. The reprogram Gives you over 100 ft lbs at 1500 rpms instead of 2750. And about 86 hp at the top end.

Personally, I ride HD, but I appreciate ALL makes of bikes, and I sincerely do want all of the bike manufacturers to do well. The stronger (more sales) each manufacter is, the more competition there is for us as bike buyers. Which results in each company stepping up their game and offering us a better/more bike for our buck. That said, it really disappoints me to see what seems to be so many fundamental mistakes being made by all of the different bike makers/sellers. No test rides by some dealers? Really? Just on principle, I would NEVER give a dealer a five digit check for a bike I couldn't ride first. No STANDARD ABS and no STANDARD LED by HD on new bikes? Come on. It's 2020 and bike buyers are aging, so all of the manufacturers/dealers need to stop making basic mistakes like this.

Those are very good looking bikes. The white is especially clean looking

I’m about to purchase one of these. It’s a 13’ with only 7k miles. Garage kept and I looked it over at the dealer it’s in perfect shape. And at only $7k. Think it’s a great deal.

Best bikes for the money. I bought a 2014 Kawasaki Nomad 1700 new for $13,000 out the door (Canada). I was able to take it out for a 1 hour test ride first. I put 106,000km on it in 3 years and never had a problem with it. You can easily put 300,000-500,000 km on that motor and transmission without ever doing anything to it. I’m going to buy a new Voyager in a few years as a retirement bike. Keep up the great videos!

As a new older rider I would have a problem if I wasn't able to test drive a new bike I wanted. Great insight on the Vaquero model.

Coincidence! I’ll be buying mine in a couple of days. I love the blue of the 2020. I used to ride a 2007 Electraglide FLHT. Now I can’t wait to ride “my” Vaquero. 👍🏽

I have a buddy who bought one about four years ago. He put 100K miles on it then switched to a HD Ultra Limited last year. He said the Kawi was a great bike but he always wanted a Harley.

Nice job on your assessment of this particular bike I just bought a 2023 and I'm enjoying it very much so. Thank you for the RU-vid video

I Have the 2019 voyager. Same bike. What a value !!!! Nailed it Jerry !!!!

I have a 2017 (Red). I love it, except the previous owner added the V&H exhaust and removed the baffles. I'm installing the stock pipes and send my ECU to IVAN's. Other than that, I enjoy riding it as much as I can. Ride Safe & God Bless!! (RS&GB!!)

I want this Vaquero so bad!! Ill be buying it this summer!

Jerry - Awesome review. Appreciate your honesty and open-minded approach you bring to your commentary.

I know a guy in Canada that got over 400K miles out of his 2009 Voyager which has the same engine. You can also send the ECM to Ivan's performance for a flash that really perks up the engine. With the flash, slip-ons and air kit it does 90hp and 115 torque at the rear wheel without loss of reliability.

Hey Jerry, I follow all of ur vids & as being a fellow Vaquero owner I would like to thank you for test ridn the Kawasaki brand!! The vaquero is an awesome bike. There are a few upgrades tht u can do to increase power! You wouldn't b disappointed. But thank you for not being bias, as to testing other brands!!!

I owned a 2010 Vulcan Voyager for 60,000 miles. Good bike for the money. I now own a Road Glide and I love how it can easily be transformed from a street bagger to full up touring in a few minutes.

Nice Job!! I own a 2014 vaq. and love it. Almost bought a Road Glide and then I test rode mine. No brainer but, I've always been partial to Japanese bikes. THe RG was nice but the $9k less sold me.....and the wife.

I own a 2014 Vaquero. Bought it brandnew in the crate for $13,500.00 Canadian dollars in 2015. Plus tax and tag. Best Motorcycle I have owned so far. Year 5 on the battery and still starts right up. Great value for the money.

Nice looking bike! I love your road tests! Thank you Jerry!

Love mine! Got a 2016 for 10k with 8,000 miles

By the way motorman, it's pronounced Va-care-oh ....and anyone in ga, I got mine at freedom power sports in McDonough and they absolutely let you test ride motorcycles!!!

Im a HD rider, but have always been a Kawasaki man, used to riding the ZX-14. That is beautiful and I am sure that torque is massive.

Love the bike. I have 4 hogs from 1957 to 2005. Looking for a bagger myself. I want a Harley but its becoming like buying tools off of a tool truck. Buying the brand name is all. There are quality tools out there that are 80% cheaper. Same with baggers. Gotta go look at one of these.

Jerry, good informative video. Thanks for explaining the speaker demonstration. I've always been disappointed with other videos not testing the sound system and had no idea why, but glad you mentioned the reason.

Just bought a Vaquero, love it! Ivan flash with roaring toyz intake, Vance and Hines slip on's, and 21" PM front wheel. 🤘😉

The 1700 engine was all new in 2009. 5th and 6th gear are both overdrive.

really appreciate your open minded presentation. We don't all drive Ford, Chev, Mopar, but respect each others choices. This is America.

I thought about getting one for years. Currently on an ultra classic. The vaquero styling is just awesome.

Far and away the best motorcycle channel on RU-vid. Jerry is a trustworthy authority especially when it comes to riding at low speeds.

Looked great, loved my 2013 Honda f6b as well.

The 2020 model is blue and it is Pretty Pretty!!! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

Probably the best V-Twin tourer for the money and a bike that anyone could be proud to own. Very dependable motorcycles.

NICE bike Sir !!! I grew up on Kawis ..... Both dirt & street bikes .... ALWAYS very dependable machines for me .... "Thanks for the review" !!

I've always liked that bike and it looks great in white. Never leave you stranded, that's for sure.

Thanks Jerry - the king of safe riding !!!

I have the 2014 Special Edition Vaquero candy burnt orange, best bang for your buck for sure. If you ride the Vaquero that has had the ECU flashed by Ivan, like mine, your opinion on power may change. Whole different bike after its been Ivanized. Good Review Jerry.

Yes, love that paint job

I have the same bike. 2016 pearl white. Only about seven thousand miles but absolutely trouble-free. Traded a 2007 Electra Glide for the Vaquero. Just a very smooth and quiet engine that for very little money can be made nearly 100% Ivan's remap of the computer and a set of Cobra slip-ons is all you need and the bike will have a ton of more power a nice Rumble and still get 45 miles per gallon. Just an incredible bargain for the money compared to what you pay for other baggers.

We're in a whole new world now Motorman. I have a feeling motorcycle dealership's will soon offer many incentives to come in. Best regards!

I’ve owned 2 Kawasaki’s, a 2001 Vulcan Nomad 4 years 45k on it traded it 05 for a 2004 Vulcan 2000, I had it 8 years and put 100k on it. They were solid bikes, great handling and very reliable.

That dark shield is like driving blindfolded !! I like the clear low one. Very nice and the price, even new if a great deal

Vaquero...pronounced vuh-CARE-oh. Spanish for cowboy.

No test riding ? Wow. The reason I bought my Vic was a testride on advice of a freind, when i was actually on my way to buy an Ultra. We have a lot of twisty mountain roads around here and i like to attack the corners and at 80 k and counting, the Vic does it very well . Think Ill go find a used Vaquero to try. Looks like a great bike ! I also like that new HD Electra glide of yours ! Ride on !

Had one for 1 year...ran great..rode rough...top heavy...crazy vibs...but a good bike for the price

Good ride along as usual Jerry. Don't worry with showing how good the radio sounds because we hear it through a little cell phone speaker.That would be like showing how bright the headlight is through our phones.

They probably don't let you test drive it because there is not enough profit to cover insurance cost, I would still provide used options for people to kick around the block or even rent.

Beautiful bike

I’m very happy to see you riding a Vaquero, I’m a proud owner of a 2019 Vaquero and have to say they are wonderful machines, plenty of power and lots of features for the price. One very famous mod is to get the ECU modded by Ivan, that’s when all the potential of the bike is released another great things is how great the Vaquero community is, they’re very helpful. Again thank you for reviewing this bike and keep up the great work.

It is utterly moronic how Yamaha dealers won't let you ride their bikes. Just like you said, I walked into a HD dealership a few years ago, and took a brand-new CVO Road Glide Ultra out for a ride, fell in love with it, and bought it on the spot. (I have since gotten rid of that bike - it was plagued with electronic issues.) I went to a Yamaha dealership to test ride a Star Venture Transcontinental - but they wouldn't let me try it out. Walked out, went down the street to the Honda dealership, and they immediately let me take out a Goldwing - which I bought. Dealerships that don't let people try a bike are pretty stupid. I'm not saying they should just let everyone take out a new V-Max - but if you ride up on a CVO Road Glide Ultra and are interested in a luxury tourer - why would they say "No"???

Thanks for giving an honest review Jerry.

Hey Jerry, I'm the original owner of the bike you were riding, so I can fill in the full history on it. I traded it for a 2018 Goldwing ECT tour.

I have a 2009 Vulcan 2000 and have really been considering a Vaquero or a Voyager for more serious long distance touring. This video is really pushing me closer to getting one. 😁

Looks interesting but my Harley Davidson 2018 Road Glide Special has been rocking my world for 2+ years. Thanks MotorMan for the variety of quality content. 👍🏼 😎 🇺🇸 🌎

Thanks for an honest evaluation

I believe Kawasaki had that 1500 motor a lot earlier than 95. I think I remember looking at them in the showroom in 1990 and I think they were around well before that.

I liked the 2010 matt black paint I’ve got a 2010 -900 Vulcan custom, 64,000 trouble free miles.... So far👍

Great video, thanks for taking the time and effort on making it. I have never understood the whole "buy it first and then you can make up your mind if it's for you or not" mentality with the Japanese motorcycle dealers.

I have a HD Road Glide Special that i like a lot. That Kawasaki has a nice retro look, digging it.

The Kawasaki 1500 v-twins been around since the late 80s. For many years they were the biggest V-Twin motor on the market.

Great review 👍 The Vulcan Vaquero is a cool looking cruiser. I'd be happy with that.

Great price and value, Thanks for the review

Very nice analysis of this beautiful motorcycle. Thanks.

I do want one of those. Just started riding last October. First bike was a boulevard c50 not to bad, not big enough for me. So I found a 13 victory cross country, bought it and I really like my victory. Maybe sometime down the road I will get one of those or even a road glide.

Based on reports from various channels on YT. They like these bikes but they go and have the computer "flashed" in the aftermarket for, some say, vastly improved performance.

The 1700cc didn't come out until 2nd half of 2000s cuz I bought a 2004 kawi custom was first year the 1600cc came out. 1-3 years later they upgraded the nomad to 1600cc and after that 1700cc arrived. My 1600cc was 5 spd and it could go to 132km/hr in first gear before the Rev limiter cut in. It was faster than sport bikes off the start. Loved that beast.

The 1700 is not a bigger version of the 1500-1600, it was an all new design but does share some parts with the 2000. I have the 1500 and it does not have a personality like a Harley but it is supremely comfortable and easy to ride. I do agree the FL bikes are much easier to handle in a parking lot. Great bike. Don't regret buying it and not looking to get something else. Thank you for the review, interesting channel

Luckily here in OH there are a few dealers that will let you test ride their Kawasaki bikes. They have bikes set aside just for that purpose. And after they hit a few hundred miles they have no problem selling their demo bikes.

I had an old Vulcan Nomad 1500. It was a bagger and had everything on it. Great bike. Sold it because it was older with no 6th gear. But other than that, it was a Great bike.

Wish Harley had that feature to find Easy Neutral... Its Hard sometimes to find neutral on Harley's Gotta love em

The best deals are always in the no-frills brands. It's like how in the supermarket, the Kellogg's cereals cost twice as much as Wegman's generic. When you buy a Harley, one of the frills you're paying for is the test drive. Personally, I prefer brands that have their money in the bike, rather than the sales floor. Not saying Harley is making a cheap product, but that sticker price has more non-bike product baked into it than other brands have. That said, I think it would be a worthy investment for the Japanese brands to get some limited test rides to social media influencers of a certain size. From where I sit, motorcycle RU-vid seems heavily biased toward talking about HD, which I think is in large measure because anyone can get an HD test ride. Which is one thing that makes it ridiculous when I see social media influencers whining about how HD marketing isn't respecting them- why would they put any effort into that when they are getting it for free?

That’s what I call a clean used bike , great color and it puzzles me also about the test ride policy

Great bike. Had a 2015 Voyager, BUT can't compare it with my 2018 Roadmaster. The Kawi is top heavy compared to the Indian Roadmaster and even with the steering mount fairing, the Indian feels way better and lighter. Okay, it is also way more expenisive. Never regretted it. Kawi = great value for the money.

Water cooled and half the price of a Harley.

I like the easy neutral feature. But I'll keep my Harley.

Hell yeah!!!! I have a 2017 vaquero....I took my ride like a pro class here in Atlanta on it....this bike is born to lean....by the end of my class I was leaning at the maximum that it can physically go. Head and eyes people!!! Great class and great instructors!!! ...

I love the paint on that model year. This was the exact bike I wanted to buy - test rode one that had been modified a good bit and it just felt squirely. Rode a used Ultra Limited right after it and went home on it. Still really love the looks of this Vaquaro.

I test rode a 2017 heritage soft tail and a street glide this past week. For me, 6'3" 210, the HD heritage rode better. My next look is one of these. Thank you for the video. Awesome.

Quick search doesn't indicate any problems with the oil pump drive gear as in the Vulcan/Voyager line so I guess the Vaquero is rock solid👍

Nice one Jerry as always. We need to see you on a Triumph Rocket next!

I bought the same exact bike in red. Spotless & flawless, 2011 with 30k miles for $5700 off of fb. Can’t be happier

Nice lines. Die hard HD guy here. But the last couple decades have potential catastrophic possibilities. So I built my own. Love it. Not a bagger tho. Do miss my roadking. Dont miss the ultra. Softails my favorite. But damn need big cash for moco stuff anymore. This looks good Jerry.

I owned a '16 Kawasaki Voyager. Great bike, sluggish throttle response compared with my '17 Indian Roadmaster or the Milwaukee 8 HD's

Great, non biased review. 👍

They are nice. You can pick up a used one very reasonably. So long as you don't want to customize too much they are decent but don't sound quite right.

I wonder if the reason some dealers won't let folks do a test ride has to do with the break-in period? Maybe they don't "trust" prospective buyers to treat the motorcycle properly for the first 0-100 miles? I suspect (guessing only) that my local Harley dealer has some of each model already "broken in" that they use for test rides. Or, is the recommended break-in type riding just a myth? I love your videos, all of them! Thanks.

That was one huge u-turn (for you) at the end of the video before you parked it. :-) I have an '18 Vaquero and love it.

Got the 2018 model of this bike. Great bike at a great price. Mine was 13,999.....I added the Ivan's Flash and the Freedom Performance pipe. Better bike and much better sound, even though it's a great bike stock too.

Excellent video and a great review of the Vaquero Jerry. I am ready to trade my '08 BMW R1200rt and my '14 Yamaha Roadstar Silverado S for the 2020 Vaquero Blue.....looks gorgeous. I want one.

Same with Triumph they allow test rides. They have confidence in their products and know that once you have ridden it you will probably buy it. Honda Kawasaki get your act together.

My dream bike

The Vaquero is a great bike and the price makes it affordable for someone just getting into the bagger market The only things I don’t like about them is 1) dashboard needs an update/upgradable to a gps system 2) the color choices are very limited. For the current year If you don’t like electric blue or the racing stripes then you’re screwed lol

I just looked at the local dealer's website. They have a brand new 2019 for $15,000! If it had an electric windshield, I'd be sold.

Good review Jerry. I didn't believe it when I first heard that dealers there wouldn't let you ride a new bike before the sale. In NZ the dealers all carry a range of dealer demo bikes for their new models. So you can't ride the show room floor model but chances are they will have the same model as a demo bike on hand. Can't see why your dealers won't do that. Then when the new models come out or they don't need that particular demo bike anymore, sell it as last years model as a used bike. It works well here and our dealers are pretty small compared to what I have seen in various videos just in Florida

Two questions: Do the metric bike dealers allow you to test drive the bikes before you buy them? And if not, how do you feel about that? You didn’t make it very clear in the video.

I dunno where you live, I’ve never been told I could test ride a Harley,Only on their demo days. I’ve Been all over the country as well. I test rode my vaquero before I bought mine. With the 350 dollar tune from Ivan performance and an intake/exhaust, it’s the best bike I’ve owned. My last bike was a Harley ultra classic 2013 with the 103. Junk. I have heard the new ones are better though. Nice review

It would be great if someone made a bagger that can go 300 miles (realistically) on a tank of gas. There have been plenty of road trips when I did not want to start looking for a gas station at 190 miles.

This will outlast any Harley 10 to 1 guaranteed.