WORDS & PICS: Big Dave
RIDDEN KAWASAKI VULCAN
I
was on the VN1700E9F Kawasaki Vulcan when the Ed pulled up on the new MV Brutale. And whilst he was occupied, just for a laugh, I sat on the Brutale. The most comfortable, and quite workable, riding position for me was from the pillion seat. That fitted great! When he returned I did what I do when confronted with most compact sportsbikes; put on a lame Forest Gump impersonation and asked if ‘they have one for the other But-tock?’ There are plenty of us big guys out there and they’ll be glad to hear that Kawasaki have made another ‘Big Man’ Special. Jumping back on the Vulcan was like returning to a favourite lounge chair for comfort.
EASY RIDER Size-wise Kawasaki’s Vulcan 1700 fitted Big Dave down to the ground. Once he settled into it he got to quite like the bike’s low-slung laid-back vibe as well.
You don’t have to be a giant to ride the Vulcan, the seat height is a mere 720mm and its 345kg (wet) mass is well balanced and is centred low in the vehicle, so it’s not out of the Jockey league entirely, but it works really well for a Second Rower. LARGE & ROOMY It doesn’t feel like such an enormous machine once onboard, but it is a large and roomy machine nonetheless. The saddle is two cheeks wide – easy, it’s massive. Lounge chair comfort. A pillion is reasonably well served also and has a good view over the rider. Fit a backrest or a grab-handle option at time of purchase if mum gets on the back regularly. Just for the peace of mind when giving the liquid cooled, 1700cc, SOHC, 8-valve engine’s 147nm of torque a work out. It has quite a nice surge and the sort of pull that can arrive suddenly. The pistons in the 102 x 104mm square-ish bore and stroke have serious Classic silhouette and stance means heads turn when Vulcan 1700 rolls by. Model shares strong retro look with state-of-the-art metric cruiser mechanicals. Ergos ideal for 2 metreplus fraternity though less vertically endowed can still appreciate the low seat height and good low-speed dynamics.
mass and you can feel each cycle of the engine, particularly when you ask it some questions via the throttle. LIKES A REV It took me a while to get the 1700’s mojo. The gearing is tall. At first I thought maybe too tall, but I was failing to take into account that it enjoys a bit of a rev too. The big mamba likes to be spooled up a bit for a huge donk, despite the peak power of 59kW (79PS) being developed at just 4,500rpm. That said it will happily take off in third gear and the gear ratios are nicely spread to keep it on song and the tall gearing boosts economy from the 20 litre tank. Final drive is by belt and is quite an attractive set up. The overall styling of the
QUICK FLICK Bike: Kawasaki VN1700 Vulcan Type: Custom cruiser Engine: Liquid-cooled fuel-injected SOHC 170cc V-twin Frame: Tubular steel Wheelbase: 1665mm Fuel tank capacity: 20L Seat height: 720mm Curb weight: 345kg RRP: $23,995 Test bike: Kawasaki NZ Ltd KIWI RIDER 43