Kawasaki Vulcan 500

The Kawasaki Vulcan 500 is a range of cruiser bikes that was introduced by Kawasaki in 1986. Since then, it has been produced until today. It is a great bike for beginners and veterans of the motorcycling scene alike.

The bike is a cruiser in the Harley Davidson mould and has an engine of 498cc displacement. The Kawasaki Vulcan 500 uses a vertical V-Twin engine that is the same as the Kawasaki Ninja, a sports bike. This is gives it the power and acceleration that is far superior for this category of bikes. It is also powerful enough for long distance touring and can cruise at ninety miles per hour comfortably. The transmission of the bike is chain driven and uses a 6 speed gear.

The low seat height and wide seat of the bike makes it a comfortable ride. The lower centre of gravity gives it greater stability when going at low speeds. Also, the width of the bike is narrow and lets you squeeze through traffic easily. As with a cruiser, the floor boards for the rider are far in front to give it a comfortable at ease position. It presents great handling for beginners as the bike is relatively light and nimble. This makes it great for city riding. However, the long wheelbase of almost 1.6 meters renders parking and turning more difficult than normal.

For a bike of this size, it has a relatively good gas mileage of fifty miles per gallon. The gas tank of the bike is 4 gallons (15 litres) and can give a ride of 200 miles before hitting reserve.

There are plenty of aftermarket parts to compliment and customize the Kawasaki Vulcan 500 with. The floorboards and pillion foot pegs can be changed to bigger and more comfortable ones. The headlights and signal lights can be changed to better looking or more powerful ones.

It’s a must to change the mirrors to give the bike a custom feel. The handle bars can also be replaced to wider or taller ones, depending on your preferences. Throttle grips are essential as you will be relying on them for good control of the grip. However, they can also be changed to give it more chrome. Windshields are a necessity if you are planning on long distane touring as they will protect you from the rain and other small flying objects. There are also many luggage options for the cruiser, such as rear and side boxes or bags. Depending on your needs, these can be bought at the local motorcycle shops or straight from the Kawasaki dealers.

With the Kawasaki Vulcan 500, you are bound to get a great bike for its low price.