All Tests – Vulcan S Test: the little green men’s custom – The latest addition to the Kawasaki custom family

Posted on by admin

Vulcan S test: the custom of little green men

All Tests - Vulcan S Test: the little green men's custom - The latest addition to the Kawasaki custom family

A new 650 cc custom will land in the French Kawasaki dealerships in a few days! Called Vulcan S, it has just been observed in southern Spain, not far from Almeria. Site participated in the launch: 3, 2, 1, fire… green !

The latest addition to the Kawasaki custom family

Launched thirty years ago, the range of Kawasaki customs is called in the United States "Vulcan", a term which for some evokes the Roman god of fire, patron of blacksmiths, to others the home planet of Mr. Spock (from Star Trek!) or the Papua New Guinea volcano, or even the bomber from the British firm Avro … In any case, explosive references !

Vulcan S: availability, colors and price

  • Availability: mid-February 2015 in the

  • Colors: Purple "Metallic Royal", Black "Flat Ebony" or White "Pearl Crystal"

  • Price: € 6,899 (ABS + € 400)

"Americans like to name their motorcycles", explains to Site Antoine Coulon, marketing and press director of Kawasaki France,"for reasons of rights very often, the denominations of the models differ in Europe: it is the case for example of the "Concours", which is called in our country 1400GTR".

Since 2014 however, the "VN" series has been renamed Vulcan on our side of the Atlantic. And this year, this family welcomes its youngest: the Vulcan S, based on the best-seller of – little green men in France, the ER-6 (see the video again).

Unlike its big sisters therefore (read our and), the new little Vulcan is not powered by a V-Twin and does not use a belt drive…

At the heart of this new Kawasaki model indeed beats the parallel Twin 649 cc of the ER-6n roadster, already grafted with some success on the ER-6f road and the Versys 650 trail. To answer its – fourth! – specifications, the twin cylinder was reworked in the Akashi offices and workshops…

"We wanted it both softer and more vigorous", revealed to us during the press conference Martin Lambert, spokesperson for Kawasaki Europe. For this, the Japanese engineers notably revised the ducts and the intake horns, the profile of the two camshafts, the shape of the crankshaft and the increased weight of the flywheel.

Externally, the mill – water! – the small custom is distinguished from its three cousins ​​by its milled cooling fins, its cylinder heads and its light finely brushed radiator casing as well as its pot, still low, but more streamlined – limit "shot" – and matt black.

On the other hand, Kawasaki has selected a chain drive for its new entry: "compared to a belt, the chain is lighter and reduces mechanical losses", argues quite clumsily the manufacturer.

So, bikers – and bikers! – urbanites targeted as a priority by this new Kawasaki model will have to fill up its maintenance – more tedious than a belt or a cardan … – and this, without having a central stand of course.

The tubular steel frame on which the Vulcan S’s engine is mounted – "rigid" – resembles that of the first generation ER-6s. Kawasaki wanted its motorcycle as thin as possible, in order to increase accessibility. However, the suffix "S" of the Vulcan does not mean "Small", but "Suitable" (or "kivabien" in MNC language)…

Whatever your builds and tastes, Kawasaki guarantees that this new bike will fit you like a glove: "this is the Ergo-Fit concept", reveal to us the responsible Kawa,"ergonomics are customizable: footrests, handlebars and saddles can be adapted".

In detail, the original supplied footrests are adjustable in three positions: standard and forward or backward by 25 mm (which requires the purchase of specific selection forks). Available as an option, a second handlebar moves the controls back by 44 mm and two additional saddles are intended, one for small (53 mm forward), the other for large wrapped (comfort saddle).

On the occasion of the press launch organized near Almeria in Andalusia (southern Spain, great sun and ten degrees in the shade, "Aye Caramba!"), Kawasaki told journalists about standard models "which correspond to the size of the average European biker".

Variations "Extended reach"(for large dadais over 1.85 m) and"Reduced reach"(for little girls under 1.60 m) were also available on the second day of testing, but with her eighty meter and 72 kg (73 kg with paella), MNC kept her model"Mid reach".

Widely put forward in the Kawasaki argument, the accessibility of the Vulcan S is threefold: from an ergonomic point of view, we have seen it – and it is not finished! – but also economically and dynamically.

Question price, it is clear that the Kawasaki Vulcan S plays placed: € 6,899 without ABS, € 7,299 with. In both cases, it is much less than its target "Number One" the Street 750 of Harley-Davidson displayed on the French official site "from 7890 €"with ABS (read our).

Against its compatriots, Kawasaki is also very aggressive: the entry-level custom department at Suzuki (Intruder M800) and at Yamaha (XV950 "Bolt") cost respectively 1300 € and 1600 € more than the Vulcan S 650, in considering versions without ABS.

Finally, only the Reds of Honda could have countered the offensive of the Greens with their VT750 S and its unbeatable price: 6,590 € when it was released in 2010 (read our). But the little Honda custom is no longer in the catalog, for lack of success in France! Does the Vulcan S have a better chance of winning? This is what Site will study on the superb Andalusian roads …

Related articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *