Kawasaki Vulcan 1600 Classic Tourer first impressions ride and review with pillion

Yet another new bike ( to me) joins the Grey Wolf pack, the Kawasaki Vulcan VN1600 Classic Tourer. It's a beast of a bike weighing in at close to 400Kg's wet or 800lb in American money. Comfort is second to none for both rider and pillion. The rider having an upright riding position, the pillion having the security of floor boards, a back rest ( Sissy bar), grab rails and large well padded seat.

The bike although very heavy does carry its weight low, so it is only really felt during initial pick up, slow manoeuvres and braking. It handles corners pretty well with little input required to change direction. Clearance although reduced due to the floorboards copes with bends at average speed pretty well. I have yet to ground it but no doubt that will come as my confidence in handling her weight increases.

Despite having such a large capacity engine Horse power is lower than you would expect at around 70HP @ 4,700 revs. Torque however is far from lacking at 127 N-m or 93.7 ft-lb @ 2,700 rpm. The bike does not have a rev counter but doesn't really require it as short shifting to keep in the torque range is most beneficial.

The bike is quieter than expected ( by Harley standard) after market exhausts are available at a price. I'm not sure I'd want them when cruising as already a good throb meets your ears with every throttle twist.

Speaking of "thobs" there is a bit of vibration felt more through the floorboards and seat less through the handlebars. It's not overwhelming, just a characteristic of the V-twin engine which does have balancer cams to reduce excessive vibrations. When idling in traffic a slight twist of the throttle sends a reassuring rumble up through the seat, letting you know your astride 1600cc's of V-twin Power.

Braking requires a firm squeeze of the front brake lever combined with the rear. Initial bite is slow but then it begins to bite hard. Steering whilst cornering is a breeze and the bike has great stability. However at very slow speeds and when trying to do tight turns the steering column appears overly loose, too easy to lock in either direction, the weight of the bike wanting to go with it.

Thank you all for watching, questions, praise, even constructive criticism and suggestions are always welcome in the comments section. Please like, share, and subscribe to see more of not only this bike but my ZZR1400 and KTM 890 Adventure R. Along with some stunning Scottish countryside with great biking roads. Cheers Grey Wolf and Mrs Wolf 👍😁