Kawasaki Vulcan S 2026 — Specifications

Shaking up the custom world doesn't happen often. You can do it violently, like when Harley created the V-Rod; or with a mix of cheerfulness and freshness, like this 650 Vulcan S.

But Vulcan is the American designation for Kawasaki customs. Are the greens going to give the small customs a piston kick!? Yet, the VN models are part of machines with a very classic approach to the category: V-twin, cruiser look, American style. This little cruiser injects pieces of roadster into an engine that smells of defiance.

This Vulcan 650 S isn't unattractive; it's even somewhat provocative. From the beginning of the headlight, you can feel that Kawa wants to stir up the segment. There's no question of equipping it with the traditional round headlight. The choice fell on an olive-shaped element, carried on the style as would be a Suzuki Gladius. Let it flow, it's behind that it strikes.

Regarding the frame and engine, it smells strongly of roadster. The laterally mounted shock absorber has already put a chip on your shoulder. Indeed, it is a characteristic feature of the ER-6 family. The propulsion is thus ensured by the sparkling block that few would have imagined here: a parallel-twin of 649 cm3 - the same as the old Versys, ER-6n and F. At Kawa, it's been many years, since the 500 EN, that we haven't put an engine like this in a custom. De-vitaminized to meet the canons of the category, the twin shouldn't deprive itself of giving character, and compensate for its "modest" displacement. It is true that you are more accustomed to 883, 900 or 950 to initiate yourself into the world of "bikers". The V-twin does its job: it delivers 61 horsepower, and claims to be revised for more availability at low and mid-range. Torque peaks at 6.4 mkg; a little tight, but don't forget that this engine is there to introduce you to the world of VulcaN, not to rival the mammoths.

A custom with a roadster heart promises some palpitations. And if you still doubt its sense of provocation, the Vulcan 650 S displays without restraint a cycle part derived from the aforementioned ER6. The perimeter steel tube structure clearly draws inspiration from the ER-6 phase II (2009->2011) scheme. The wheelbase is however much greater, by approximately 170 mm; a custom is long, it is low, and it likes to extend its lines from one wheel to the other.

It also likes low seats. Designed for the general public, beginners, and intending to be particularly accessible, the Vulcan perches its saddle at only 705 mm. Take a seat while the Kawa harangues you about what it has planned for your comfort, like the longer stroke of the shock absorber or the rider and passenger footrests adjustable in 3 positions. The dashboard is also original... for a custom. No simplistic or vintage-inspired speedometer. Apart from a few minor retouching, the instrumentation is taken from the roadster - we would have appreciated something more typical. Braking is entrusted to a 300 mm disc at the front with a 2-piston caliper, and a 250 mm disc bitten by a single-piston at the rear. Very conventional and sufficient, complemented by ABS as standard.

Kawasaki has a rather fun custom with this Vulcan 650 S, at a contained price. We will appreciate the bold ingredients of the machine, we should more than be satisfied with an urban behavior that is both cruiser and probably pushed with a zest of cheerfulness.

M.B - Manufacturer photos