This is a motorcycle of compromises
Written: Aug 10 '07
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Pros: Comfortable, good mileage, does not pretend to be a clone.
Cons: Requires a Ph.D to do maintenance, lack of accessories
The Bottom Line: The Vulcan 500 is a comfortable cruiser that performs well and gets good gas mileage, but prepare to spend a lot of time or a lot of money on maintenance.
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| misspiggy57's Full Review: 2003 Kawasaki Vulcan 500 LTD |
If you don't mind spending endless hours maintaining your bike, or paying a dealer a small fortune to do it, this could be the perfect motorcycle. The reason I bought my Vulcan 500 was because it was comfortable, light weight, easy to handle around town, and promised to deliver good gas mileage. With a 4-gallon tank, it has enough range to keep going when my buttocks has already given out. It handles well on the highway, thanks to the raked out front end, but is light enough to maneuver around town with ease. Power is acceptable, but the transmission does not match the engine's torque curve as well as it should. The Japanese manufacturers tend to make "parts-bin" bikes and this one is no exception. Kawasaki took the Ninja 500 engine and retuned it for more low-end power, but they used the same gear ratios as the Ninja. It's not a big problem, but you'll spend more time shifting gears than on a conventional cruiser. The plus side here is that shifting is so easy even a caveman can do it.
One thing that attracted me to the Vulcan 500 was the fact that it didn't pretend to be something it isn't. Every time I see a Japanese V-twin clone bike, it makes me think the rider wants everyone to think he's riding a real Harley Davidson. The Vulcan 500's parallel twin makes no such illusion.
The forward-mounted foot pegs are generally comfortable, but I had no way to brace myself when riding into a headwind. Fortunately, I was able to mount a pair of universal footpegs on the tubular frame exactly where standard foot pegs would be. Now I can move my feet forward or mid-way, depending on the need at the time.
This bike is made to ride, but maintenance is a different story: nothing is easy to do on this bike. The owner's manual calls for a valve adjustment at 600 miles. Imagine buying a new Vulcan 500, riding it 600 miles the first week or so, then taking it to the dealer for its required valve adjustment. The quotes I've heard from local dealers run from about $250 to $400 for this job. Then, it must be done again every 6000 miles. If you can adjust the valves yourself, plan on spending a few hours because you have to remove the speedometer, the gas tank, drain the coolant,and a few other chores before you even get to the valves. Checking the coolant level is no piece of cake either. You must remove the speedometer and instrument cluster from the gas tank, remove the speedometer cable and all the electrical connections, then pull it out so you can check the level. You must go through this operation if you want to add coolant, too. Just about everything on the Vulcan 500 is maintenance intensive. If you can do it yourself, you'll save a lot of money, but you'll miss a few days riding every year.
Another issue is the lack of available accessories. Look hard and you will find some, but expect to pay top dollar. Speaking of top dollar, I would recommend against buying a new Vulcan 500. The dealers tend to jack up the price with charges for prep, set-up, and delivery. Japanese motorcycles tend to depreciate quickly, so a new one is really going to cost. Mine was 4 years old when I bought it and had only 1900 miles. Basically like new, I paid a little over half what a new one would cost, and I won't have to do that nasty valve adjustment for another 4000 miles. If you live in or near a major metropolitan area, you should have no trouble finding an excellent used Vulcan 500.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 2800
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2003
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Epinions.com ID:
misspiggy57
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Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 0 members
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