Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic Light Tourer 2015 — Specifications

Who said that mid-displacement customs had to give up on long-distance travel? Kawasaki refuses this logic with its Vulcan 900 Classic offered in a Light Tourer version. The youngest of the Akashi custom range dons the gear of the laid-back traveler, a tall windshield mounted on the 41 mm telescopic fork, a sissy bar riveted behind the saddle perched low at 680 mm, and two leather side bags of about fifteen liters each. The package has what it takes to appeal to anyone eyeing an escape without wanting to tame an ocean-liner-sized machine.

Beneath the 20-liter tank purrs a 903 cc V-twin that plays the torque card over raw horsepower. The announced figures are honest but no more, 48 horsepower at 5700 rpm and 78.5 Nm from 3700 rpm, transmitted by a silent belt through a five-speed gearbox. The short 88 mm bore and 74.2 mm stroke, along with a modest 9.5:1 compression ratio, betray a mechanical package designed for long-legged cruising rather than sporting flights. Top speed is capped at 180 km/h, enough to swallow a motorway without drama but without thrills either. The steel double cradle and the 282 kg fully fueled anchor the machine to the tarmac, while the braking, handled by a single 300 mm disc at the front and a 270 mm at the rear, each squeezed by a two-piston caliper, remains functional provided you don't attack like on a roadster.

Facing the competition, the price tag of 9799 euros places this Vulcan in an aggressive position. A Harley-Davidson Sportster SuperLow with equivalent touring features demands two to three thousand euros more. The Yamaha XVS950 plays in the same court with a similar pitch, and the Suzuki Intruder C800 remains a more rustic alternative. Against its big brother the 1700 Nomad, the price gap exceeds 6000 euros, and the mechanical difference looks like a chasm, some twenty horsepower and nearly 50 Nm separate the two machines. The 1700 pushes toward assertive long-haul riding, the 900 offers a gentler reading of travel, that of the extended weekend and sunny country roads.

Who is this lightened take on custom touring aimed at? At newly licensed riders looking for a stable mount to rack up kilometers without flinching at the bill, at riders returning to customs after a detour through other worlds, or at smaller builds reassured by the remarkably low saddle height. The feet-forward riding position, the low center of gravity, and the belt that spares you maintaining a chain make it an undemanding companion. Criticisms nonetheless exist, the brakes would deserve a double disc at the front on a machine of this weight, the suspensions with their 150 mm at the fork and 100 mm of travel at the rear mono-shock quickly show their limits on loaded speed bumps, and the five-speed gearbox seems dated when several rivals offer six speeds.

This Vulcan 900 Light Tourer invents nothing and does not pretend to rival the barges of the higher category. It offers an honest formula, coherent touring equipment straight from the factory, a characterful and accessible engine, all for a reasonable entry ticket. An unapologetic touring motorcycle, with no track-day pretension or continent-crossing ambition, tailored for those who prefer the scenic route to the glowing tachometer.