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New Bike Tests: 2009 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic LT - From RoadBike October 2009
 Accidental Tourer By Jon Langston, hotos by Alphonse Palaima and Bob Feather Road pigs, slab sleds, highway hogs — whatever you want to call them, it’s generally accepted that touring bikes are the sloths of the motorcycling world. While everyone agrees they’re fine once you get them going, not everyone is capable of doing that. These bikes are long, heavy, and laden with stuff; to expect a rider of smaller stature to be able to wield a bike this massive is to put that rider in an uncomfortable spot, and the first rule of riding is if you’re not comfortable with it, don’t do it. The logical solution for many women and less experienced riders is to acquire a midsize cruiser, bolt on aftermarket saddlebags and a windshield. It’s a relatively inexpensive fix, and one that works just fine. The OEMs’ predictable response to the aftermarket is to take the best of what these companies offer, and produce their own version. Case in point: the Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic LT. Kawi’s 903cc tourer is a fine midsize motorcycle. The 900 Classic LT, with its light curb weight, at 657 pounds, weighs more than 230 pounds less than the Vulcan 2000 LT, and low seat height combined with the strong motor keep it from being a true entry-level bike; this baby’s got enough juice to get up to highway speed in a hurry, yet not so much grunt that it will ever be mistaken for powerful. It’s solid and dependable, user friendly, and pleasing to the eye. What more could you ask for? (Semantic digression: with the 2000cc engine becoming fairly commonplace in recent years, the term middleweight has shifted meaning; we’d like to avoid any unfair comparisons to cruisers in the 1300cc range, so I’ll refer to the Vulcan 900 as simply a midsize bike.) Speaking of comfort, I must tout the rider-friendly approach of the Vulcan 900 LT. Not only its lightness and all the other stuff I mentioned, but also its cockpit. The instrumentation isn’t flashy or gaudy, which is nice (especially considering those gawd-awful studs) — but it’s more than that. The handlebar reaches out to you, presenting its controls eagerly; the grips are acquired without stretch of any kind on the part of the rider. A seat height of just less than 27" means it’s easy for pretty much anyone to throw a leg over. Furthermore, these rearview mirrors are by far the best I’ve ever encountered on any bike. This is not hyperbole, people. Mirrors usually only warrant mention when they create problems, be it their size, their vibration, whatever. But these well-made mirrors are large (not too big), flat (not convex), and sturdily mounted, meaning zero vibration. Zero. They don’t jar out of position, and — best of all — items in them are exactly as close as they appear. What a novelty. As far as handling, the 900 LT is quite the anomaly. I’ve ridden bigger tourers, but never one this size, and its lightness is a revelation. I would prefer a little more sure-footedness around corners at freeway speed (our LT tended to launch into a strange, rhythmic shimmy when it encountered the slightest bump in such situations, almost akin to a speed wobble. This was something I got used to pretty quickly, but had no choice but to blame its low weight), but overall this bike can be ridden almost like a standard motorcycle. Whereas most large cruisers and virtually all tourers encourage countersteering, and respond better when the rider leans back and uses the throttle to pull the bike through twisties, the Vulcan 900 Classic LT seems to obey the slightest weight shift or handlebar pressure, allowing you to scooch forward on the seat, lean down on the bars, and attack corners, if so desired. While my wife, as passenger, wasn’t too fond of that particular maneuver, I found it exhilarating to ride a touring bike this aggressively, eagerly peering at the next turn with my face only a few inches behind the windshield and the handlebar just below my chest. It added a welcome, sporty dimension to the normally staid touring ride. The 903cc engine is plenty strong enough to push the LT around the sweepers or down the interstate, and its enthusiastic, single-cam whine at high speed is quite charming, and lets you know the motor is keen. The five-speed transmission? It’s fine, with decent ratios for either city or country and a heel/toe shifter that moves readily and is quite accessible on the large stock floorboards. My only beef is the same as with most other imported touring bikes, but especially in relation to a smaller-cc one: why on earth are these bikes produced without a sixth-gear overdrive, as on most Harleys? Larger engines would save a bundle of gas, probably extending their tank range by a dozen miles or more, and smaller ones like this wouldn’t sound as if they’re winding out at 75 mph (top speed on the Classic 900 isn’t too much farther up the dial than that; the 130-mile-per-hour speedometer is, shall we say, precocious). Obviously, a highway gear wouldn’t provide much top-end torque — especially in a small engine — but who cares? For a touring bike doing highway speeds on a flat, open road, torque is a luxury, and easily acquired, if need be. With the Vulcan Classic 900 LT, my desire for a highway gear is strictly in relation to its engine whine because this bike definitely doesn’t need any help in the gas mileage department. The distance between fill-ups is yet another fine characteristic that sets this bike apart from its larger brethren, cruiser or tourer. Our demo achieved an eye-popping 48.4 miles per gallon, and with its 5.3-gallon fuel capacity, that’s a combination city/highway range of over 250 miles on a single tank of gasoline. Impressive. With its fine mileage and saddlebags, Kawasaki’s 2009 Vulcan 900 Classic LT makes for an ideal commuter bike; its lightness, accessibility, and handling mean it’s perfect for smaller or newer riders ready to take their motorcycling to another level; and with its good looks, plush seat (and backrest), and capable windshield, my usual weekend passenger also enjoyed it immensely, for hours on end — as long as I didn’t take those turns too tightly. RB Tech Sheet List Price $8,799 (LT); $8,099 (SE)
Deliberate Fun By Steve Lita, Photos by Bob Feather Something for everyone (if you’re into badass cruisers and midsize tourers).” That must be Kawasaki’s motto. Based on the same Vulcan 900 cruiser platform as the LT in Jon’s accompanying review, Kawasaki also offers a stripped-down version called the Vulcan 900 Classic, with floorboards and wire wheels. Plus, there’s a Custom version, with peg-equipped forward controls, cast wheels, and a hot rod-looking 21" tall front rim, which this stunning Vulcan 900 SE is based on. I was immediately drawn to the 900 Special Edition when I saw it at the Kawasaki dealer conference last fall. I mistook it for the SE Mean Streak from a distance, and I always thought that model was as cool a stock-looking muscle bike as has ever come from an OEM. The Mean SE even appeared on the cover of RoadBike in August 2007. I remember everyone on staff commenting on that “custom” we ran on the cover. The Vulcan 900 SE uses muscle bike styling cues like Special Edition Ebony paint with tribal orange and white pinstripes and a matte black frame. Don’t worry, the orange isn’t really pumpkin orange, more of a burnt orange/almost red. The pinstripes are pure bobber cool and the absence of chrome allows the midsize bruiser to give off a “don’t mess with me” attitude. There’s blackout treatment on the pipes, air cleaner, and engine cases (except the engine is highlighted with orange valve covers). The silver accents on the wheels and straight handlebar is more of a lava gray than bright silver. Nice work, Kawasaki. I’ve had several opportunities to ride the SE, and it suits me well. I find it comfortable even for my long-legged frame. For extended cruising periods, the forward footpegs are in just the right place to rest my ankles. They’re almost a foot and highway peg-in-one combination. There’s plenty of ground clearance for having fun in the twisties with the higher-than-floorboard pegs. The one-piece gunfighter-style seat is comfortable, puts me in just the right place, and adds a custom look. The drag handlebar doesn’t use conventional bolt-on risers; instead, twin tubes curve back from the upper triple clamp and are welded to the bar. The handlebar and twin tubes are all one piece. The muscle ’tude continues with a 180mm rear tire mounted on a 15" wheel, which projects a powerful stance. That’s a wider tire than is found on some large-displacement cruisers. Power gets there through a quiet belt drive. A 300mm front and 270mm rear disc have twin-piston calipers and provide plenty of wo-a-h. Go power from the able, rubber-mounted 903cc V is enough to satisfy most. Just don’t get in a drag race with a modern muscle bike, some of which have engines twice the size of the Kawi’s. One thing that impressed me was the finned cylinders and heads; air cooling combined with liquid cooling makes for an efficient, well-behaved engine. This combination better maintains consistent engine temperatures, which is good for the output and long-term health of the engine. An automatic electric fan also helps keep things cool. With the SE model, you get some differences from Jon’s LT. Overall length is slightly shorter; rake and trail figures are recalculated to work with that tall front wheel, and the seat height of the 27" is just a hair taller than the classic or LT. The SE is lighter, thanks to the lack of long-distance touring hardware, and you can have any color you want, just as long as it’s bad-boy Special Edition Ebony. About the only special edition treatment you don’t get is the standard warranty: only 12 months compared to the LT’s 24. Oh, you do get to pay a little less than the LT, but the SE’s MSRP of $8,099 is $400 more than a chromed-up 900 Custom. Only $400 to look this cool? I’ll pay up. RB
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The touring version of the 900 Classic is ideal for those riders I previously mentioned, ones who want touring amenities, but are leery of the massive package to which they’re attached. That goes back to my point: the only factors that distinguish the LT from the standard 900 Classic are the four-bolt adjustable windshield and studded leather saddlebags. That’s essentially it, aside from the touring saddle with passenger backrest (both adorned with faux-macho studs that match the bags). But when the manufacturer makes these bolt-ons specifically for a certain bike, there’s a confidence that comes with them, an assurance that they will fit properly and accent the bike proportionally. And Kawasaki has nailed it here. The shield is large, but not aesthetically overpowering in relation to the bike’s size, and the bags offer ample room without being bulky — or worse, touching the pipes. The seat and backrest are both ultra-plush, providing comfort for many miles. 
Kawasaki spent some energy to come up with a line of cool, blacked-out accessories just for the SE. You can get a black tach, highway bar, lightbar, passenger backrest, radiator cover, and luggage rack right from your dealer’s parts counter, and you won’t have to break out the rattlecan of satin black paint. 