Thinking About Buying a Vulcan 900

[Chas63]

Hello everyone. Although I don't own a Vulcan, I've been riding motorcycles for MANY years...... mostly Harleys. I currently have a 2005 Harley Electra Glide Classic..... a big HOG.

I'm thinking of buying a second bike and I'm considering the Vulcan 900 Classic LT although I don't know a great deal about them at this time. Looking forward to learning more about them. This seems to be a friendly and informative site. I hope to learn a lot here and may even be able to contribute something from time to time.

Chas

[Mad Kaw]

I have a 900 LT as well as a couple of other bikes which are much bigger and heavier. The thing I like about my 900 is it's lighter weight and it's nimble handling in town. It's a great bike for cruising around town and short trips. Long distance, my bigger heavier 1500 Classic is more comfortable, for me.

My 900 LT has proven to be very reliable and fairly inexpensive to maintain. My son has a 900 Custom. ZERO maintenance issues with either motorcycle...ZERO! They are good bikes. You won't go wrong with a 900 LT. Of course your personal preference will depend on what you're wanting to use the bike for. If you're wanting a good reliable bike for short trips and cruising, you'll be very satisfied with a 900 LT.

[Blockhead]

I have a 2011 900 Classic and I would have to agree with everything Mad Kaw says. This is the first bike I've ever owned so I don't have much to campare it to but it's been a great bike thus far. Unfortunately winter has really settled in to western Pa. and I haven't been on her since a short ride on Christmas Eve. having bigtime withdrawal!

[Chas63]

Originally Posted by Mad Kaw

I have a 900 LT as well as a couple of other bikes which are much bigger and heavier. The thing I like about my 900 is it's lighter weight and it's nimble handling in town. It's a great bike for cruising around town and short trips. Long distance, my bigger heavier 1500 Classic is more comfortable, for me.

My 900 LT has proven to be very reliable and fairly inexpensive to maintain. My son has a 900 Custom. ZERO maintenance issues with either motorcycle...ZERO! They are good bikes. You won't go wrong with a 900 LT. Of course your personal preference will depend on what you're wanting to use the bike for. If you're wanting a good reliable bike for short trips and cruising, you'll be very satisfied with a 900 LT.

Thanks for your remarks. It's good to have opinions from someone who has experience not only with the 900 Classic LT, but also who has experience with larger, heavier bikes. My riding is mostly on good 2 lane roads with speed limits of 55 mph. That's the kind of riding I enjoy the most.

I also, of necessity, have to do some town/city driving, but I try to keep that to a minimum. I don't care much for the Interstate type 70+ mph riding even though I do that occasionally. Mostly I like smooth cruising on good, slightly curvy 2 lane roads.

[Chas63]

Originally Posted by Blockhead

I have a 2011 900 Classic and I would have to agree with everything Mad Kaw says. This is the first bike I've ever owned so I don't have much to campare it to but it's been a great bike thus far. Unfortunately winter has really settled in to western Pa. and I haven't been on her since a short ride on Christmas Eve. having bigtime withdrawal!

Thanks, Blockhead. Yeah, I know what it's like to experience riding withdrawal. Fortunately for me, here in Florida I dont usually have to wait more than a couple of days for the weather to improve.

[dwhit]

Why not the harley 883? I have the vulcan and like it ut was wondering if you have the harley why not stick to the 883. just curious what differences you have noticed

[Chas63]

Originally Posted by dwhit

Why not the harley 883? I have the vulcan and like it ut was wondering if you have the harley why not stick to the 883. just curious what differences you have noticed

Excellent question. Since I haven't yet ridden a 900 Classic LT, I can't comment on how it rides, but I have ridden a 883 Sportster recently. In fact it was just about 3 days ago. Here are some of my comments on that bike.

It had a quick detachable windshield, but it was woefully inadequate at blocking much wind. The wind noise was terrible, IMO. I'm not sure if any larger windshields are available for the 883.

The small size 21" front tire doesn't suit me for riding, handling, or looks. In addition, it doesn't do a very good job of absorbing the bumps in the road.

The bike had no saddle bags.

The bike had no footboards, only pegs.

It had no passenger seat or passenger backrest.

It had a solo Mustang seat, but the handlebars were too far forward for me to be able to sit upright and ride comfortably in the seat. Consequently, I spent most of the 25 mile test ride sitting on the front edge of the seat rather than sloping my shoulders forward to reach the grips. BTW, I'm 5' 11" tall. At a minimum, I'd have to replace the handlebars or add some risers that brought the grips back toward me.

The mufflers were rather quiet, though with enough money they could be replaced and/or improved.

The bike just didn't handle bumps or irregularities in the pavement very well. There was some vibration, though that wasn't a major problem.

My back didn't hurt when I took the ride, but that evening and for the next day or two it was sore in the lower back. Perhaps if I weren't 60+ years of age I wouldn't mind, but since my age is what it is, I want something that is comfortable to ride.

Overall, the Sportster just wasn't what I was looking for in a bike. I'm sure that I could have spent $3,000 or so in improvements and made it much more to my liking, but I just couldn't see sinking that much extra money into it in addition to the purchase price.

For about the same money, I could buy a 900 Classic LT and not have to spend much if anything extra to get the ride and features I want. I'm assuming here that the 900 LT rides much better than the Sportster I rode. I don't know that for a fact, but hope to find out soon.

Chas

[dwhit]

All good points, stick to the classic and not the custom as the custom has some of the features you mentioned that the 883 has but the custom is probably a lot more comfortable than the 883. I have the custom and love it , i also have back problems and had to get risers but that was because i changed to a saddle man seat which completely made the bike worse on my lower back but softer on my rear. The oem seat was fine and i had no problems with it, i just did not like the way it looked on the bike so i had to change it to a better looking one. One other thing i do like better on the Vulcan than the 883 is the gas tank size. I am not gassing up everytime i go out and i have absolutely no vibration whatsoever. not in the handlebars nor in the seat. none, zilch, which to me is a big plus.

Hope your search goes well and the vulcan fits your needs

[Chas63]

dwhit,

Thanks. Yeah, the vibration, at times, on the 883 Sportster was quite annoying..... such as when I rode over asphalt that had "washboarded" or even over some moderately coarse asphalt. My Electra Glide would glide over that stuff without me even noticing it.

I just took a ride on my EGC this afternoon. Even at 60-65 mph, the wind noise is scarcely noticeable. I could hear my exhaust sounds quite well and it sounded nice! On the Sportster, anything over about 25-30 mph and all I could hear was the wind noise. Couldn't even hear the engine or exhaust. Very annoying. It reminded me of being on my very first motorcycle, a 350cc BSA, MANY years ago.

Chas

[Blockhead]

Chas63,

Im not sure how long you've been checking out this forum being that you don't have many posts under you belt but may I suggest that you look into buying a used bike? You can probably pick up a 900 that is only a couple years old with low mileage for less than $5000. I see them on Craigslist often....lots of folks start out on 900s and then get the itch for something bigger.

Good luck in your search, ride safe