Ended up trading my 2013 Ninja ZX6R in for a 2015 Vulcan S today. $500 out of my pocket but I get to keep all of my aftermarket parts from the ZX6R which hopefully should net me around $1,500 in sales...so in theory I just got a brand new bike with zero miles and made ~$1,000 doing it.
Gonna miss this bike, it was a beautiful piece of machinery, but tastes are achangin and so is my life situation with the starting of a family soon, etc. Need to slow down and change it up a bit.
No more dealing with flaky buyers, craigslist, ebay, etc. (had two buyers say they are coming and never show up).
Happy as a clam right now even if I might have gotten considerably more for it in the spring.
Pick it up on Wednesday and I'll start a proper build log thread for it once I have it . So pumped. Been on here for almost 2 months hoping to get one soon. Hoping to do the break-in before the season is over and then be ready to really ride come spring time.
I'm 6'1 extended reach on my bike, granted I have only put 50 miles on it so far. But I don't get where complaints about the seat and suspension come from. I'm totally comfortable and feel I could ride hours without any issues.
It's like this bike was designed for just me. I would take anything said with a grain of salt, everyone's body is different. Enjoy the ride!
That's awesome man! I'd like to follow your build. And don't be afraid to ask if you may end up with some questions. I plan on installing the PCV Saturday and making a YouTube video of my bike. You've got some catching up to do. Congrats!
Thanks! It'll be slow progress at first because I have to be smart with my money...I popped the question on the 13th lol. But I'm budgeting a few bucks here or there for my hobby (which she supports) so eventually I'll get this bike juuussstttt right.
And yes, definitely curious to see how the PCV is on this bike. Would love it if Bazzaz would make one for the Vulcan S.
I just past 5500 miles on mine this week and I am more in love with this Bike than anyother I have owned, street bike that is.
I purchased the Mid Reach and changed it over to Extended Reach Seat first and just put the foot pegs forward and believe it or not the seat actually feels better.
I think the Vulcan S will be around for a long time....the local dealer where I got mine has sold five just since November 2015. I just helped him sell the 5th one. He called me and asked me to bring in my bike so a customer could checkout the two up seating. He was like myself, been out of it for some time and was looking to get back in for local runs. His wife loved the Vulcan S.
So good choice and have a great time with what I consider one of Kawasaki's best creations...
Congratulations on your new bike. You have picked a great ride, once you have the first service done take it out and open her up some. The Sport bike engine will come to life and 4000-5500 could become your favorite rpm range. Enjoy!! You may not even need a tuner.
My 2016 Vulcan S just turned 1000 miles this month. It is the finest around town bike I have ever owned. Of course I have put 2000 miles on my new 2015 Vaquero. It turns out, it too is a good around town bike just a little heavy, but it really shines on the open road.
Ivan tuned my Vaquero because it just didn't seam right that a new bike would pop,pop,pop on deceleration. It now is more of a rumble,rumble,rumble between shifts.
I come from two Ninja 300's and a ZX6R. None of which I 'broke in' by babying. Was told by multiple dealers (since I've used two - this 3rd purchase is from the one I got my very first bike) to just ride it like I would any other day. Obviously I'm not going to red line it in every gear the whole ride...but I'm certainly not going to keep it under 4k rpm. Never done that and never had any problems. Engines of today are machined to such exact precision that it's insane...the old days of having stuff like seals, etc. break in are long gone. Engines are ready to rock the second they are bolted together.
That being said, FurEBear...how tall are you? I'm 5'11" and planning to go mid-reach seat and short foot controls...or maybe mid/mid.
I am 6' - 6'1" in the morning..lolol....I am 275#'s....I got the Mid Reach as it was off the showroom floor. After reading some reviews here on the seat, and as the dealer still had my bike putting on the accessories, I ordered the Extended Reach Seat and Passenger Seat, best decision I made as I got to keep my Mid-Reach Seat and rode it for about a month before getting my Extended Reach...The Extended Reach was a BIG improvement over the Mid Reach. Just last week I changed the Shift Rod to Extended Reach and put on a Heel Shifter which I had to modify to make it work.
On breakin, my dealer told me that the recommended breakin was 500/600 miles and to be kept below 4000 rpm...but he added...don't be afraid to open it up once in awhile it would not hurt it. My experience is to keep the rpms varying with frequent shifts and a lot of up and down rpms. The only real thing to avoid is lugging it, making the engine kick and buck...hard on the Cam Chain & Tensioner, bearings, gears and drive chain....
Yeah I think it's something like oil changes at 100, 600 (first service) and 1000 or something. Memory is fuzzy and I haven't looked at the owners manual or what their 'suggested' break-in (which I think manufacturers use today for 'legal' reasons rather than engineering reasons as there is always a 'chance' something may go tits up).
For reference, I did the following on my ZX6R (which I also bought brand new):
Oil change 1: 591 miles
Oil change 2: 1,800 miles (switched to Mobil 1 10W-40 Racing 4T synthetic)
Oil change 3: 4,086 miles (part of my winterization process of getting the bike stored for the winter)
Oil change 4: 8,349 miles (winterization)
I'm due for another change, but I'll let the new owner (dealer) do that lol.
I'm 5-11" and I started with the mid reach. I highly endorse the extended reach. It gives you a little more room to scoot and the padding (gel) is better. Perhaps you could reach out on here and see if someone nearby that has the extended reach is willing to meet up? That being said, the only downside I've found is a lack of a rear passenger seat made for the extended reach here in the US. I went with the rear carrier and a military tool bag that I sewed straps on for now, so I don't care all that much.
I just got home. 94 miles on it already, after owning it for 4hrs lol. Freakin love this thing. My test drive 3 weeks ago was awesome and now owning one is even awesome'er. Gonna miss my ZX6R but this thing is BEAUTIFUL in every way.
Where is the 'storage' place on this bike (like I used to keep my registration and insurance in the little 'compartment' under the rear seat of my 636). Is there no such thing on this bike? If not, what do you guys do with that information? Carry it in your wallet? What if you have a money clip and don't believe in wallets?
I used to keep it in my jacket pocket until I got my saddlebags, now it all stays in there. (In a ziploc of course) I've seen where some guys tape it to the inside of that side cover, but it's a pain to get reattached imo.
Hmm...will have to figure out some sort of contraption for that. How is the side cover removed? I put the key in and got one end loose but the other part I was scared would break. Do I slide it towards the bike? Do I pull it towards me?
I'm thinking to get a small waterproof document holder (thicker plastic than a ziplock bag) and put some velcro strips on it and on the bike cover...and secure it that way. That way it doesn't move around and it's waterproof. Just gotta find the right size holder.
Ziplock bag and double sided tape has worked fine for me so far. But that is def the easiest place to keep that stuff. Only other viable place is under the seat which would be a pain.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Kawasaki Vulcan Forum
712.7K posts
67.8K members
Since 2008
A forum community dedicated to Kawasaki Vulcan motorcycle owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, modifications, Vulcan 1500, Vulcan 2000, Vulcan 500, Vulcan 1600, Vulcan 900 and all other Vulcan motorcycles.