I'm in LOVE!!
Written: Jul 16 '04
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Pros: Styling, Comfort, Smooth ride, and over all beauty!!
Cons: After market accessories are slow coming out but they are coming little by little
The Bottom Line: This is a GREAT bike and I'd recommend this bike to anyone.
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| crump13's Full Review: 2003 Kawasaki Vulcan 1600 Classic |
I started riding cruiser style street bikes in Sept 2000. I grew up riding dirt bikes as a kid and had always wanted to get a cruiser style street bike one day. I started off with a 1999 Marauder 800 and LOVED that bike. It was very comfortable and did everything I wanted it to do. After 32,000 miles on that bike I decided to upgrade to a larger bike.
My decision to upgrade was more power than anything else. I wanted a bike that I could ride for long distances at highway speeds without feeling like I was pushing the bike to it's limits.
In 2002 I started looking at different bikes and comparing the different features each had. I knew I wanted a bike that I could put bags on and dress it up so I can tour with it. That pretty much eliminated any of the new "Performance" cruisers (Mean Streak, VRod, and Warrior). Those bikes just didn't look good dressed up as a tourer.
When Kawasaki came out with the 1600 Vulcan Classic I was in LOVE. The first thing that attracted me to the bike was the lines of the tank. This is the best looking stock tank out there. It's a seamless tank (no bottom edge) that is stretched out. It's a 5.3 gallon tank. As most people know the tank plays a big part in the over all lines of a bike and this tank looks awesome.
Then the next thing that attracted me to the bike was how comfortable it was while sitting on it. Now anyone that rides motorcycles know that a bike can be comfortable on the show room floor but the true test is how comfortable it is after an all day ride.
I had the opportunity to test ride a Vulcan 2003 while in Dayton Biketoberfest October 2003. We took a 20 minute demo ride and that was just a tease. As we started the ride I noticed how smooth the bike handles. It seemed to ride itself. The shifting was smooth. I was concerned that the additional weight of the bike (220lbs heavier than my other bike)would be too much but I didn't really notice the added weight. This bike is set up with wide handle bars (35" across) which automatically puts you in a position that helps balance the bike right off the bat. After the demo ride I knew that I was going buy one as my next bike.
No more than a week after I came home from Biketoberfest in Daytona I had my own 2003 Vulcan 1600 classic. I found a used one with only 930 miles on it and got a GREAT deal on it.
It is July 16, 2004 and the bike currently has 16,750 miles on it. You can say that I have been riding it. I barely get off of the bike. I absolutely LOVE the bike. The bike is the most comfortable bike I have ever ridden. I can ride this bike for miles and miles.
I will be taking my first long trip in August 2004. I'm riding from Florida to South Dakota for the Sturgis Rally. The trip up will be 2400 miles in 3 and half days via back roads.
To date the most miles I have done in one day was 850 miles.
Below are the accessories that have been added to the bike:
Hard Krome 3" Big Straight pipes
S&S Thunder Air kit
Techlusions TFI fuel box
Corbin Classic Solo seat
Kuryakyn Highway pegs
Kuryakyn Tombstone tail light
Fire and Steel Driving lights
Phat II 4" risers
MC Enterprise front fender rail
Custom World Solo rack
Custom World Chrome Radiator cover
If I had the chance to do it all over again, I'd get the same bike. I don't regret buying the bike at all. This bike is the perfect bike for me.
There had been three recalls on the bike:
1. Fuse for the fan needed to be replaced with a larger fuse.
2. Oil filter on some models was replace with a canister style oil filter system. There was a faulty pressure relief valve in some 2003 models.
3. The exhaust bracket on some bikes were cracking and Kawasaki replaced the OEM pipes with new OEM pipes with better brackets.
My bike fell in the category for all three recalls but only the first two I needed to make changes. The exhaust bracket didn't affect me because I had already put after market pipes on the bike. Either way, all the issues were fixed and they didn't cause any problems with my bike. They were caught before the bike showed any signs of problems.
Even with the few recalls that this bike has had they weren't significant enough to cause any problems (at least not for me).
The power band on this bike is excellent. It obviously isn't a racing bike but it has some get up and go to it when you need it. It will hold it's own when put up against other bikes of the same weight and size. It has excellent braking power in both front and rear brakes. It shifts smooth between gears and rides like a dream. There's a little vibration when idling but once you get moving all that vibration goes away.
I'd suggest to anyone that is interested in this bike to test ride it and once you do that you'll be hooked, I can promise you that!!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 8,800
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2003
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Epinions.com ID:
crump13
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Reviews written: 6
Trusted by: 0 members
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