Menus
- Discovery
- In the saddle
- Contact
- In the city
- Highway
- Departmental
- Comfort
- Braking
- Consumption
- Convenient
- Conclusion
The VN 1700 Classic Tourer is the natural evolution in displacement and equipment of the VN 1600. If the twin gained nearly 150 cm3 in the operation, going from 1552 cm3 to 1700 cm3, it especially gained a complete equipment of origin… ranging from cruise control and hard saddlebags to the backrest, a large windshield, a passenger footboard and ABS as standard. From almost exclusive, the custom has therefore become on paper at least a model designed for the duo and for travel. On paper only? Test….
Discovery
The VN 1700 is naturally imposing, in length, width and height, notably with its huge windshield and the passenger backrest, largely padded. We hardly notice the superb beige and red livery, reinforced by the two-tone tone of the side cases as well..
The rider saddle is huge, wide, padded, apparently soft. And for once, the passenger seat does not look like a folding seat for SDS in need of SM, but offers a real saddle, comfortable, well placed. Everything shines under the sun with all possible chrome, ranging from the front fork, to the side guards and the cases also featuring large chrome hinges. The engine is ideally highlighted in the center, chrome-plated from the tip of the cylinder heads to the enormous dual exhaust. Only the huge front radiator hides under a matte black tint.
The details go to the rear light, V, wide, massive … Here again the chrome is abundant and reflects the world at 360 °.
In the saddle
The VN 1700 overlaps, with its very wide saddle, immediately particularly soft. And despite a wide saddle, the feet feel flat on the ground, even for the 1.60m riders. The motorcycle can be lifted up without undue effort from its side-stand position, even by women of small stature.
The arms are positioned a little in height and width on the handlebars. The back can be kept straight and the feet relatively little forward. The position is suddenly quite natural, and less custom than some models where you find yourself with a round back with your feet lost in front. Here, we are clearly more upright. The pilot can wedge himself well at the bottom and thus has ease to find his position and his ideal distance. The knees can naturally enclose the tank, effortlessly, which is not always obvious on a custom.
Smaller female riders will find the handlebars a bit high, which can suddenly give the impression of having their wrists broken..
The dashboard is found like the VN1600 on the tank. If the analog meter is traditional (without tachometer) displaying a presumptuous 200 km / h, a double digital display now allows to display a real fuel gauge (with 5 sticks), the estimate of the number of remaining kilometers in autonomy , a totalizer, a double-trip, a clock, consumption and the gear engaged.
On the handlebars, everything is there, including the warning, and especially the cruise control…. ideal for this type of motorcycle.
Small detail very appreciable, the tank cap is locked, with a retractable lock guard of the most beautiful effect. And as on the VN 1600, you can remove the ignition key once the engine has started … a very practical detail to avoid scratching the chrome and the fuel tank with the bunch of keys..
On the passenger side, the position of the arms falls naturally. Once comfortably installed, all you have to do is grab without thinking or looking for the bars of the passenger seat (sometimes located too far back on roadsters) which are neither too big nor too thin nor with sometimes unpleasantly protruding edges. . Here, nothing of all that, and moreover, the grip is easy, even with winter gloves.
Contact
The big twin with single ACT but 8 valves and liquid cooling snorts with a low growl and low sound. It’s deep, manly, powerful without disturbing the neighborhood like a Milwaukee machine.
The first engages with a loud, unmistakable loud "KLONK" that makes you feel like you’re driving a truck. The custom starts smoothly and the apparent heaviness is forgotten from the first few meters. With the double-branch selector, the next gear takes place at the heel … and this quickly turns out to be very practical so as not to seek gears at the tip of the foot forward. !
A look in the mirrors…. and we can see everything, very well and above all without seeing the elbows. When I told you that the handlebars were wide ….
In the city
The first is quite short and goes from 45 km / h, although it accepts to go up to 70 km / h. This gives straightforward thrusts, reinforced by the ETV electronic throttle control system – the very first from Kawasaki – which allows the engine management module to regulate both fuel volume (via the injectors) and fuel flow. air (via the butterflies) which feeds the engine.
The second happens naturally, as does the third and the VN winds up on torque without knocking, even at low speeds. The maneuverability is there but the scale makes you hesitate to pass between the lines of cars, size and width oblige. The handlebars are wide and you are afraid of the bags scraping wide. So you have to push yourself a little to dare to follow the roadsters and scooters in interlocking. It is doable but at the cost of a few cold sweats.
The first roundabout arrives fairly quickly…. and it scrapes off immediately … if you thought you were on a roadster. The VN accepts a tiny bit of angle, but not too much…. with an exhaust bottom that quickly touches the bitumen.
The pace is therefore rather calm in the city and we take the time to admire the architecture. Either way, the saddle is comfortable. We do not feel the weight of the passenger behind. It just lacks the radio in fact ….
The only difficult maneuvers are related to the U-turn in alleys. The wide turning radius takes a little getting used to when maneuvering. Fortunately, the feet touch the ground flat, and we start to perform maneuvers and the small back steps necessary with the feet..
Highway
The VN 1700 voluntarily engages on the motorway, especially since the windshield provides effective protection from the wind. At 130 km / h, we are still only in 3rd, but each subsequent speed only gives 20 km / h better. And if the 6th exists, it really is a geared OverDrive, which actually allows for a slower top speed than the 5th. Even at the cleat, quickly reached, the windshield offers flawless protection. We just feel some eddies in the calves, despite the side deflectors positioned on the fork. There is no particular strain on the helmet either, so you can cruise at high speeds without any worries. Even at high pace, the VN remains very healthy with suspensions doing their job impeccably and a total absence of waddle..
You just have to forget about the quick overtaking, which the machine does not allow. That said, we are already at the speed limit authorizing the withdrawal of licenses. Beyond 130 km / h, the acceleration is indeed very smooth and regular … the fault in returning to a power of only 73 horses against the 382 kilos fully loaded. But the VN is made for cruising, not for breaking speed or pickup records on the last gear..
Suddenly, this is where we start the cruise control. The buttons fall naturally under the fingers, it is easy to engage and adjust to the desired speed. The simple use of the brake allows it to be disengaged at any time.
The saddle offers excellent comfort and you can then cruise without stopping until the huge 20 liter tank empties..
Departmental
After the motorway, the VN 1700 quite readily finds the departmental roads. By oscillating between 3rd and 4th, it is possible to have pickups worthy of the name, with a powerful torque of 13.9 kg-m from 2,750 rpm. Without being dazzling, the covers are rather voluntary. It is especially here that the custom shows its enormous torque by accepting all revs, agreeing to wind in overdrive without knocking in the slums and resume smoothly at the exit with a pleasant growl from 60 km / h.
The curves follow one another with pleasure, always in the same gear, and without feeling the need to change. We could then almost eliminate all the intermediate speeds between the 1st and the 6th overdrive in fact…
Comfort
The saddle, rider and passenger, is soft and comfortable. The suspensions are flexible but healthy and perfectly erase the defects of the road. The windshield offers excellent protection, whatever the pace, and even in the rain. The passenger backrest allows the passenger to practically doze off, without danger. All this allows 300 km trips without any hesitation on the driver and passenger side..
Braking
The double 300mm double piston front disc combined with the 300mm single rear disc do their job perfectly and are up to the power needed to stop the monster’s full 382 kilos. The feeling is good and the power is there. It’s almost difficult to keep your arms straight and locked on a bit of heavy braking. That said, the moving mass however requires to anticipate a minimum of braking under penalty of some fears.
Consumption
Consumption at stabilized speed on departmental in OD mode turns around 6.8 liters but easily rises to 7.5 liters in town and as soon as the driving becomes a little more dynamic. With a 20-liter tank, the range of the VN 1700 can go up to almost 290 km..
Convenient
We immediately appreciate the hard side cases, each offering a capacity of 38 liters. This makes it possible to accommodate the necessary to go on a trip for several days. Only downside, the suitcases are a little capricious as to their closure; nothing prohibitive but you have to go slowly.
The lock is easily placed between the sticks and the disc holes.
The gear indicator light is a real plus, as the VN allows you to roll into all gears at practically any speed. No 6th displayed, but an "OD" for overdrive. On the other hand, the meter placed on the tank really forces you to take your eyes off the road to see where you are in terms of speed and gear..
Conclusion
The VN 1700 Classic Tourer is the ideal custom for going on long trips as a duo. It opens the way to a certain art of living and relaxation and the pleasure of an exceptional motorcycle that makes passers-by turn around. Because at almost every red light, eyes turn and admire…. and for once, women’s eyes are also turned away, just as much as the men! And at "only" 15,499 €, the VN 1700 is 6,000 euros cheaper than the FLSTC Heritage Softail® Classic, its "equivalent" of Milwaukee … enough to limit long questions despite an engine that deserves a little more power.
Strong points
- comfort
- protection
- the couple
Weak points
- maneuverability when stationary
- consumption
Competitors: Harley FLSTC Heritage Softail, Honda VTX 1800, Suzuki VL 1500 Intruder, Yamaha Wildstar
1600.
The technical sheet VN 1700
Read also the customs comparison Kawasaki VN 900, VN 1700 and W800
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