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More powerful Vulcan S dream.

26K views 61 replies 23 participants last post by  Cpt.Evil 
#1 · (Edited)
So we all agree the Vulcan S is a great bike with enough grunt to get by, but there are some of us left wanting more.

Kawasaki have just released a new 950cc 4 cylinder power-plant which needs to be integrated into a cruiser style along the lines of our beloved Vulcan S.

If the powers that be are listening, this is what we want:

  • 950cc engine
  • Belt drive
  • greater auxiliary power (at least triple the pathetic 2A currently available)
  • more comfortable wider seat as standard. Lets face it, we ride cruisers for comfort, not speed
  • 25% more rear suspension travel
  • Dual front disc brakes like the Z900
  • Assist and Slipper clutch off the Z900
  • Replce the headlight with something more masculine like the XDiavel but not go too far and make it look like a Deceptacon!
  • LED lighting all round as standard
  • Remove the horrible chunk of plastic off the rear fender as standard
  • Widen the mirrors so we can see past our own shoulders
There are many other minor things which are easy to overcome affordably such as foot peg extensions from R&G but the main ones listed above definately need to be addressed.
If this package came together at a price point about 40%-50% more than the current Vulcan S I would buy one now.
There are options with all this and more available now such as the XDiavel but the price is out of my reach.:frown2:

Share your thoughts and lets see if we can create enough ground swell to make it happen.
 
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#15 ·
Sounds to me like you're sensitive about everything. Maybe it's from riding a bike with a "feminine" headlight. :)

Neither of my bikes would fit any reasonable description of nostalgia. My Yammy is packed with tech and my Triumph is one of the most 'outside the box' bikes on the road.

I gotta laugh though.

I was stupid to think this thread wasn't going to go down quicker than the ABS brakes thread on this forum.


Respect to those that like to roll "Old Skool" but just like KeepRidin said we've been bundled together on this forum by the common Vulcan name.
I think you're wanting this to be controversial. (I gotta check out that ABS thread though, sounds fun:))

Why bring the nostalgia/old skool point up anyway? You can't possibly believe that Kawasaki considered the "Heritage" demographic a serious concern when designing the S.
NOBODY that's drooling for a springer front end, wanting to live the SOA image is even remotely considering buying an S.

You, you're the exact demographic they designed it for. You and a million people with similar ages, riding styles and....bank accounts.
If you want mfgs to use more tech; you're going to need to support them with your $$.
 
#12 ·
I gotta laugh though.

I was stupid to think this thread wasn't going to go down quicker than the ABS brakes thread on this forum.


Respect to those that like to roll "Old Skool" but just like KeepRidin said we've been bundled together on this forum by the common Vulcan name.
 
#16 ·
Sorry, no. :frown2:

I have to say, when I first saw pics, I didn't like the S.
But, after sitting on the displays at the Motorcycle show; I changed my mind. They look better in person and the adjustable ergonomics are a great step.

I wish I had a bigger garage and budget. I think I'd have a lot of fun hammering around in town on one.
 
#18 · (Edited)
You, you're the exact demographic they designed it for. You and a million people with similar ages, riding styles and....bank accounts.
If you want mfgs to use more tech; you're going to need to support them with your $$.
that's it in a nutshell .... champagne taste, beer budget. Add the wish list together and its well over a 25 to 30% increase .... as you know, there is a big push for in line 4 cruisers .... that's why every manufacturer has them .... now if Honda only put their inline 6 into a cruiser back in the day ... hell I would have bought one ... for only a 25% price increase over my 350 twin of course.


To Cpt.Evil
As a foot note .. why do we need a inline 950 4, after all, these are you words, not mine ..
Lets face it, we ride cruisers for comfort, not speed

Could it be possible your a bit of a Hoon ...
 
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#20 · (Edited)
If you're going to hold me to numbers, at least use the correct ones and read my posts properly instead of creating your own biased statements.
How did the assumption come about that with all these improvement I didn't expect a price increase. Get over what ever crap you read in other peoples posts before and take it for what it is. People want more and I'm certainly not the only one.
Did you continue to ride your push bike your whole life or did you progress to something else?

Question, Why then does the average cruiser start around the 900c mark and go up to a ridiculous 2.3L making more power and torque than my wife's car. Just for cruising?
Also, would it not be possible to to reconfigure the Z900 engine to have more bottom end torque instead of high end horse power, just like they did with the Ninja650?

Can I get some actual feed back here as to the age demographic of actual owner of this bike please. So far there's nothing but opinions and speculators who don't even own one.

For the record
I'm 39. Also it would be good to see how many current owners would like to see a similar alternative based on a larger engine platform.
 
#21 ·
For the record
I'm 39. Also it would be good to see how many current owners would like to see a similar alternative based on a larger engine platform.
Had my 650s for just under a year now, and whilst on the one hand the idea of a bigger engine'd Vulcan S appeals (I mean, you can never have too much power, right? :) ), in real terms I've never found the current engine lacking. Use the whole rev range and there's ample grunt for any scenario I've found myself in so far, you can be well into licence-losing territory in a few seconds. Admittedly I'm in the UK rather than AUS so my experience is based on our roads rather than yours, but for me personally I don't know that the bigger displacement would justify the extra outlay.

The styling of the bike is bang on though; I was always sold on getting a more traditional cruiser until seeing the S in the flesh, but I'd not take anything in the sub-litre class over it now (the new Triumph Bobber does look awesome though!).
 
#22 ·
Thanks BigMacDaddy. Its refreshing to hear constructive input.

While I haven't had the need for 2 up riding yet I am planning on it. I have heard feedback from owners saying it lacks enough grunt to do so comfortably without wringing the guts out of poor motor.
 
#24 ·
Ah I see, yes two-up and you might reach the limits of the 650 engine, depends on how big your passenger is I guess (I'm of, well, let's call it "sturdy" build and it's still fine solo lol), but then the other issue is that with a pillion you're adding extra weight further back too which probably has a bigger effect that just increasing the solo rider weight......
 
#25 ·
My contribution to this thread is a business standpoint. I agree that this would never happen.

A Vulcan S Big Engine, would not fit in the current line up of Kawi motos. The Vulcan S fits into the entry level of 3 classes of cruisers available from Kawi. The next step is a V-Twin, Harley alternative and the next level being the touring 1700s.

Introducing a halfway point between the vulcan s and the 800s doesnt make any sense. While I agree it would be great to have a bit more juice in our bikes, we are barking up the wrong tree.
 
#26 ·
I agree with "inquisition"....there is no where to put the 1000cc vulcan S....the logical step would be Harley type Vulcan.....otherwise you have Z900, Z1000 naked bikes...you have to admit.....vulcan S is more naked and it rides more like naked bike than a cruiser....for me and my style of riding the next bike is Z900 or somewhere there or there about
 
#28 ·
While I haven't had the need for 2 up riding yet I am planning on it. I have heard feedback from owners saying it lacks enough grunt to do so comfortably without wringing the guts out of poor motor.
this is where your argument goes south, the 650s puts out around 65 hp at the rear wheel, the Vulcan 900 puts out around 43 hp at the rear wheel. The S weighs in at 495 lbs and my classic 900 weighed in at 642 lbs, pulling a 300lb trailer loaded and the wife and I at 300 lbs combines for a total of 1242 lbs rolling down the highway. I can run all day at highway speeds and still get in the low 40's mpg.



Considering I did 2 trips of over 6000 miles in 14 days covering 23 states in the US, from sea level to 13500 ft above, at no time did I have a lack of power. I just traded my '15 ninja 650 and my 900 for a new '16 versys 650, so when it comes to the power question, I am well qualified to respond to the post.

You enjoy a power to weight ratio over the 900 ... and its still not enough, maybe you just bought the wrong bike or your expectations are just up the creek, only you would know.

Don't like the RPM's on your S ... go to a 16 or 17 tooth front sprocket, the 16 tooth will correct the speedo and drop the revs, the 17 tooth will drop them even further but over correct the speedo.
 
#29 ·
Remember the peak power output isn't the biggest factor in how well suited the bike is for load carrying/towing though. The 900 puts out around 52lbs of torque at 3250rpm, the Vulcan S only manages 42lbs and doesn't do so until 5600rpm. In much the same way as a 130bhp GM turbodiesel is better suited to towing than a 200bhp Honda vtec :wink2:
 
#32 ·
Marine: You beat me to it! I was going to post that exact same image. Ha ha.
 
#35 ·
I think it's the sh*t-show rather than the topic.
But, I bet when your or my name is listed as the last poster; views go up.
 
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#37 ·
Haven't been in a bad mood. :)

Glad to see you're making passive aggressive comments rather than outright insults.:laugh:
 
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#39 ·
So we all agree the Vulcan S is a great bike with enough grunt to get by, but there are some of us left wanting more.

Kawasaki have just released a new 950cc 4 cylinder power-plant which needs to be integrated into a cruiser style along the lines of our beloved Vulcan S.
I have just returned from a 1hr test ride on the new Z900. Absolutely awesome! That engine ain't no cruiser motor, though, and never will be. Tuning it for more bottom end is not necessary, it has plenty of bottom end AND mid range AND vision blurring top end!
I could not imagine it would be at all enjoyable with a Vulcan S riding position and the limited suspension travel that goes with the look.
Maybe that's why the V-rod is no more and Victory are out of business?. :-(
 
#41 ·
Cheers for the Z900 review.

It can be very difficult to understand how different an engine can feel by modifying just a few key elements to target a completely different goal.

The classic example is the 1986 B186. For those that don't know it was the Benneton F1 car that Gerhard Berger drove. It's engine used the same 1.5L 4 cylinder block that powered the 75hp M115, but by the time the boys from Toleman were finished with it, it generated over 900hp during racing, and a mind boggling 1400hp during qualifying.

My point is the current Z900 is made to go like a rocket to suit its superbike format. It is most definately at it's uppermost limit of performance without spending big money and going the way of Kawasaki H2.
It's almost impossible to generate big horsepower without torque. But it is possible to generate more torque with relatively lower horse power as whiting57 showed with his 900 cruiser. Even by simply changing the air intake and ECU tune you can generate more torque at the cost of upper horse power which would be very little sacrifice from a 950cc block.

It wouldn't be difficult to utilise the same block with modified cams, crank and ecu tune to make a completely different feel engine to suit a cruiser format.
 
#40 ·
Good to know....I know it is hard to compare with the vulcan s but anyway.....so the Z900 is way way more powerfull.....how is the throttle responce(jerky, difficult to control the power....)...an of course how does the bike handle the curves(I am asking because I ride the vulcan often dinamically through the curves and more often as not I scrape the pegs).


THX
 
#42 ·
If you want blinding speed and still lightweight, just put a 600 Ninja engine into the bike. That would be a handful to hang onto but fun as hell.

But really, what this bike needs is a great sounding inline 4, 750cc or 900cc. (I'm not a V-twin thump-a-thump fan)
750-4 with about 90-100hp, belt drive, better seat and 1 1/2" more rear suspension and I could ride that all day long.
 
#51 ·
If you want blinding speed and still lightweight, just put a 600 Ninja engine into the bike. That would be a handful to hang onto but fun as hell.

But really, what this bike needs is a great sounding inline 4, 750cc or 900cc. (I'm not a V-twin thump-a-thump fan)
750-4 with about 90-100hp, belt drive, better seat and 1 1/2" more rear suspension and I could ride that all day long.
You nailed it.
1-1/2" more travel would be #1 for me.
I don't think vendors will *ever* put a long distance, quality, stocker seat on any bike...
No excuse not to have a belt drive on this class bike. Even HD's 750 Street (and 500) have done it (and the Vulcan S blows away the Street on almost every level).
 
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#43 ·
If you want a faster bike, get a standard or sports bike? A cruiser is something different. I realize that cruisers are comfortable and look amazing but they just aren't meant for the purpose you want.

Going at a corner at high speed, you need to lean hard, and i often scrap my pegs because of it on the Vulcan S
 
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