Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic LT
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This web page is a review of the Kawasaki Vulcan 900LT. I am giving my opinions as an owner since July 2007 and 18,000 km. This blog is an extended road test. If you would like to comment or ask questions, click on [contact me] near the top of this page to see my Q&A blog. --- Robert


Introduction

I decided to buy a Kawasaki Vulcan 900 LT in the summer of 2007. For me this was a huge deal, as I had never, in my 37 years of motorcycling, ever considered owning a cruiser. In fact about all I had were sport touring bikes. At first I modified my standard bikes, and later bought specialized machines as they became available. As they say, “You are what you ride” and I went touring, long distances at a sporting enough speed. I always thought of cruisers as bikes for the beer and tattoo crowd hanging out at the pool hall. And so it was a big change for me.

Immediately I set about modifying the Vulcan to suit my purpose. Like most cruisers, the Vulcan has the low seat, and the floorboards mounted forward to stretch your legs. Aside from the lifestyle issues, I was most concerned about ergonomics on the Vulcan. Recently I started having back pains while riding, and I can see in my mind's eye how a cruiser with a backrest could be as comfortable as sitting in my easy chair watching TV. I knew from experience that it was a lot easier to raise a seat than to lower it. I first added some layers of foam on top of the seat. Then put my duffel bag on the passenger seat as a backrest. It wasn't too long before I confirmed that this setup solved my back problems. I always carry a duffel bag on longer trips, so I didn't even need to pay for a custom backrest.

The only real change was the motyorcycle, not so much the lifestyle. No change of wardrobe was needed, and no tattoos either. I still wear my full face helmet, Joe Rocket jacket, leather overalls, and touring boots. No beanie helmet, fringe vest, assless chaps (I know, its redundant), or cowboy boots. Although I actually have some of these items.

Tip on Rising Rate Linkage or Unitrak Suspension

The Vulcan has a rising rate linkage on the rear shock, meaning the leverage changes as the shock absorber compresses. The more it compresses, the stiffer the suspension gets. Now for all you owners wondering where to set the preload adjustment, I am going to throw this unconventional idea out there: the softest setting is #7, the one that raises the back of the bike highest. This is not the only bike I have had with this type of suspension and they all seem to work the same way – softest ride is on the maximum preload. This heretical idea goes against the common wisdom which says the softest ride is at the lowest preload setting. Which, by the way is bull, even for a simple rear suspension that has no links or levers. Feel free to ignore the advice of all the well meaning Vulcan owners who suggest lowering the suspension for a softer ride. Setting it at 7 may not work for you if you have short legs, or if you have smooth roads and want the low customized look, but for me it's a set it and forget it deal. There is no situation where I need to adjust it down. Admittedly, the suspension is still a bit stiff, but that is the because of the original shock, which feels even stiffer at lowered settings. There is an additional benefit of more ground clearance, which this bike lacks in some situations.

If you have any comments on this piece of advice, or anything at all actually, email me, click on email at the top of this page. The rest of the page is written in journal form, starting at the top from the day I took the bike home from the dealer.


With the vest
My Journal

Tuesday July 10 2007. (6 km.)

I rode the bike home solo, then went out for a ride with Mary Ann as passenger. Mary Ann said she could feel every bump in the road. The seat foam is very thin, and the passenger section is only 10 in. wide. So I added 4-6 layers of carpet underlay tied down with nylon straps, and a sheepskin on top. Then I raised the suspension to position 7 out of 7. It is a variable link single shock with about 4 inches of travel, so in theory should give a smooth ride like my Honda GL500. The back tire is 32 psi. (Recommended for over 215 lb load.)

The drive belt seems tight to my inexperienced eye, but apparently that's according to Kawasaki specs, also Harley belts are similarly tensioned. Seems to be a debate on the internet as to whether the factory setting is actually too tight.

Friday July 13, 2007 Driving Experience 600 Km

I think I will be able to match about 300 km per tank. I have 270 right now, and the needle is almost at the red mark. The 3 liter warning light has not come on yet. Last time I filled up at about the same needle position it was 11 liters and 220 km.


Cornering clearance: I have not dragged the floor boards yet. I don't think clearance is going to be an issue for me, regardless of other people's opinions. I did change my driving style a little by leaning my shoulders into the sharper corners. It helps keep the bike more upright. Also I have slowed down a bit from my BMW days, but that just means I don't come up behind slow moving traffic as often.

July 16, 2007

The reserve light started flickering on at 340 km, and I ran it to 378.4 km where I put in 16.745 liters (part way up the neck). The gas gauge was reading empty at about 270.

There seems to be a general feeling that Japanese bikes such as the Vulcan are Harley clones. I'm not so sure about that. This bike has 4 valves per cylinder, liquid cooling, fuel injection, and a short stroke motor. Maybe having 2 cylinders in a V is a rip-off, but really, lots of other bikes have had that layout for over a hundred years. Harley was not the first. It seems like most Americans like the look of a V-twin, so Kawasaki will build them for their customers. Now how about the stuff Harley copied from Japan? For starters, their entire manufacturing process was copied in the early eighties. That was just about the time that Harleys became reliable, and it's no coincidence. If you would like to read about it, here you go with this link. By the way, the linked page is actually pro-Harley.

http://stroked.virtualave.net/casestudy.shtml

Mental Adjustment

Just as I had some problems adjusting to the BMW K1100LT when I first bought it, now I am having some problems getting used to the Vulcan.

  1. I am not used to chrome, it is almost blinding.

  2. Do I need to take it in for servicing to keep the warranty? With the BMW I played it safe for the first three years, and was glad I did.

  3. The Vulcan's passenger seat is too narrow narrow. But the length is OK, and Mary Ann says it is better than the BMW, especially the backrest.

  4. The drivers seat is extremely low, actually causes some pain trying to lift my legs to the floorboards.

  5. Inner tube tires are hard to repair beside the road, the BMW had a handy CO2 repair kit that I never used, never had a flat tire.

  6. No tachometer? Not since my Honda CD175 have I owned a bike without a tach. But the Vulcan does have a rev limiter, I've hit it several times.

  7. The Vulcan looks like a Harley to many people, even sounds bit like one. Nobody ever asked me if my BMW was a Harley. But then one person asked if my Vulcan was a BMW! I don't get that at all.

  8. No drain plug for forks (remove fork to change fork oil). No replaceable fuel filter (replace fuel pump to change filter). That's the way cars are made today too.

Things I Admire

  1. Maybe the drive belt is the way of the future. I love it so far.

  2. Big gas tank/ up to 400 km per tank.

  3. Big fenders, round headlight, I like the retro look, and the splash protection.

  4. The driver's seat may be too low for me but at least it's wide enough.

  5. Almost no vibration, not enough to be a problem for me, anyway. The BMW always buzzed at almost any speed, at times it was bothersome in the handgrips.

  6. Monoshock linkage is actually more sophisticated than the direct link shock BMW. But no damper adjustment.


July 17, 2007 1295 km. I went back to the dealer today. Jeff introduced me to the parts guy and I got a discount on two oil filters (one for the Burgman), a shop manual.

I changed the oil for 10W-40 Castrol, and put in a new filter. I can hold the bike vertically by putting boards under the sidestand, and a block under the right footpeg bracket.

The oil came out clean, I was surprised the oil filter was almost empty (but not dry). I had to buy a new filter wrench adapter $6.00 at Cdn Tire. The original filter was on real tight.

Adjusting Drive Belt Tension. I felt the tension was a bit tight, and not only Kawasaki owners, but Harley owners agreed that belts are mostly too tight from the dealer. And it was riding to the left side of the sprocket. (It's supposed to, according to the manual- Ed.) So I backed off the left adjuster 1 turn and the right adjuster backed off 1 and 3/6 turns. Now the belt is not banjo tight, but tight enough (say 10 lb. gives 9 mm deflection?). I didn't have a 27 mm flat wrench for the right axle nut, so I bought one. I sighted along the tires, and the wheels are centered.

After a ride, I didn't notice any extra suspension softness, but I don't think it's harder either. And there was no oil leaking.

July 20, 2007 1350 km

According to the shop manual, the headlight adjuster screws are the opposite of the Owners Manual. i.e. The vertical adjusting screw is actually on the port (left side facing forward), not starboard.

There are a lot of cautions in the shop manual about the drive belt. I found the inspection window, which has marks spaced 5 mm. apart for reference. It also cautions about worn fabric on the belt, but I don't know what that looks like, I need some pictures.

July 22, 2007

I removed the tank badges that cut into my knees, and it's nice paint underneath. It was tedious removing the thick glue, though. Took about 2 hours. I sit forward, and I like to keep my knees in near the tank.

July 24, 2007

Found gardener's kneeler pads, dense foam, about 1 in. thick. Bought 2, and fit them with some cutting and shaping. Driver seat has two layers, passenger seat, one.

Looked at the headlight adjustment. I figure I can raise it a bit more than the MOT says without causing a problem, as there is a very sharp low beam cutoff, and as long as that stays below the oncoming drivers eyes, it should be OK.

July 25, 2007 1911 km .

I added a fly screen windshield, and moved the handlebar levers forward and up. Took a drive to Mitchell, and came back in the dark, again not a problem with the headlight adjusted properly. I felt very comfortable at the seat height with two layers of kneeler pads. I was running up to 140 in the dark on the way back, following another bike.

RAIN

Today I took the bike down to Port Dover, and watched a tall ship come in. I also got to test in the rain. And I got soaked. I only had a fly screen on, and now I know why it's called a fly screen. The vents on the short Joe Rocket jacket were not properly closed, so water got in there. My hands were black with the dye from the black riding gloves (reminds me of why I like the natural leather gloves.) My pants got wet, but I could keep my legs warmer by I putting my feet on the passenger pegs. My wallet stayed dry, but I guess it would not be able to take 2 hours of rain or more. The sheepskin was starting to absorb water where I was sitting, because of water running down my front. The rest of it appears to be dry (foam and sheepskin). I was wearing running shoes and they were totally soaked.


July 31, 2007 2657 km. I decided to bend (or straighten out) the heel shifter, so that I can rest my foot on the back edge of the floorboard, and also use the heel shifter when I want to. The pedal ends up about 45 deg. from square, otherwise it doesn't look too bad. I can bend it to the original if I need to, or simply get another gear lever if it breaks. I used sheet aluminum for scratch protection, big pipe wrench, a hollow tube extender, and a piece of wood to act as fulcrum. I also needed to remove the floorboard to give me space.

Now the Vulcan is 21 days old, seems like I'm averaging over 100 km a day, hardly seems possible! Today I took the longest, most tiring trip so far, in 32c. Heat plus two rain showers taking Barry as a passenger down to Clare Cycle to pick up his Harley. I left at 2:00 and got back at 7:45 PM. The worst for the wear was my lower back. No pain in the fingers, seat not too bad, no upper shoulder pain. I took Barry over some bad roads and at speed, the progressive link suspension needed no adjustment, and never bottomed out. Didn't get too wet in the rain, but if it was cold I would have dressed differently.

August 21, 2007 2900 km. 10C drizzle.

I went for a cold wet dark ride to test the gear and weather protection for a trip to Sept Iles on Sept. 7th. The results were satisfactory. I have put the original windshield back on minus the badge in the front. I also bungied two bags on the seat to give me a backrest. On the first test the buffeting was extreme at 120 kph, giving me double vision. Then I tilted the windshield back, and raised it to the top level. Now I can move my head to get a smooth quiet air flow.


August 29, 2007 I have been testing my bike recently for the ride to Sept Iles on Sept. 7th. It is feeling comfortable enough for a full day's riding with no physical symptoms (I hope). It's packed with all the cold and wet weather clothing I need, with bags on the passenger seat for a makeshift backrest.

September 1, 2007 3637 km.

The seat now has a plain 2 cm. foam on top of two kneeler foams, feels about right, as the kneeler foams are actually too hard by themselves. I also added air to the tires, 38 psi rear, 32 psi front. Apparently Dunlop thinks Kawaski's recommendation is too low, and I didn't notice a harder ride with more pressure. Actually may feel a bit more planted on the road than with the 28 psi I had at the rear.

September 11, 2007 7208 km.

I just returned from Sept Iles without problems. Unless they were problems of my own making. I managed to run down down the battery, because I shut off the motor with the kill switch, then forget to turn off the key. A 30 minute ride charged it up enough to start twice the next day. But push starting the bike was difficult with the Kawasaki "Neutral finder" gear selector. This system prevents you from shifting into second gear while the bike is stopped. You have to push pretty fast just to be able to shift to second, and the bike will not start if you pop the clutch in first, the tire locks.

I did one 900 km. day on the freeway, where my back was quite tired at the end. I don't really want to put in longer days than that anymore. The rest of this trip included mountain roads, including some rough pavement, and the bike handled everything without complaint.

October 20, 2007 Partly cloudy 16c 8726 km

Just returned from Port Dover, first time ever scraping the floorboards (left side) while trying to stay ahead of a blue sport bike. But I was not leaning my shoulders into the curve, as I had almost forgotten about the "cornering clearance problem". It scraped at the rear of the floorboard, without touching the protective scrapers on the front. I realized the scrapers should have been mounted at the back of the floorboards. Maybe that's why I couldn't scrape the floorboards, while many testers said it was easy to do.

The coolant overflow tank is normal, which I checked today. And I washed the bike for the first time since I bought it (I mean a full wash with bucket of water and rag etc.) Wow does it ever look new again.

October 29, 2007 Sunny 8918 km

Went for a short ride to Elmira. Took a peek under the chrome plastic cover on the left of the engine, it covers the ignition coils. I really like the look of the bike when it is shiny and clean. Maybe I won't turn it into a rat bike after all.

November 3, 2007. 9471 km. 8c to 12c Sunny

A run to Ipperwash beach where you can ride on the sand, and Ravenswood where the new wind turbines are going up. Next run to Port Dover, where I just barely touched down the left floorboard scraper (now installed correctly). I met a woman on a Sportster who wanted me to feel her hand because it was warm with her surgical gloves under her riding gloves. Much as I appreciated the demo, I will not be getting surgical gloves any time soon.

November 7, 2007. 9500 km. 1c Light snow

For cold weather, I added two aluminum brackets for mounting mud flaps in front of the floor boards. They will protect my feet. Then I p ut two hand muffs on the handlebars. They are called Sidewinder ATV Handlebar Mitts. They were on special for $36 at Crappy Tire. There were problems in using the ATV muffs. With the stock mirrors, the closure at the front can't close tight especially on the right where I have the throttle cables coming out. Still, I was able to ride in the dark for about 45 minutes in summer gloves under the muffs, working all the controls easily and even able to take my hands off the bar and get it back on. I also went on the freeway to make sure they work at speed.

November 8, 2007. 9500 km. 1c Light snow

This morning, to make the muffs fit better, I removed the stock mirrors and replaced them with two Emgo universal handlebar mount mirrors, which I got for $11 each at Zdeno's. Now I can tighten the muffs completely over the control pods. I still needed to add a spacer on the left to keep the muff from rotating.

November 10, 2007. 9600 km. 4c Partly Cloudy

I took a ride out to Two Wheel Motorsports to pick up oil filters for the Burgman and the Vulcan.

It's about the coldest I've ridden in with the Vulcan. I wore one pair socks, winter motorcycle boots, light jeans, bib leather pants, sweat shirt and the inner liner from my parka, my long Joe Rocket jacket, winter gloves. No scarf. On the bike I had the mud flaps in front of the floor boards, of course the windshield, and the new handlebar muffs.

Observations on the ride: The new mirrors have an extremely narrow field of view. For five minutes on the 401 at about 120 kph, the vibrations were making my rear end numb, although my hands were OK.



November 12, 2007. 9653 km.

I decided to tighten the drive belt a bit today. The belt was starting to feel a bit loose. I got some use out of my $27 wrench for the 27 mm axle bolts. I tightened it 3 flats (½ turn) on each side, and it's pretty tight but actually when I got it new, it was ½ turn tighter than that. .

November 13, 2007. 9903 km. Sunny AM 5c up PM 13c

Filled up with gas at GTO and headed to Toronto. I wore 2 pr. Socks instead of one, my neck warmer/balaclava instead of a scarf. Otherwise same street outfit as Nov 10th. But this time I was never cold, sometimes actually too warm and had to remove a few items of clothing. I first stopped at Tim's on Dundas and Kipling, then came back to Parker Bros. After that, went down 427 to Lakeshore all the way to Bay St. Then north on Bay St. past the Starbuck's to Bloor, turned right on the next street where it was permitted, then right again on Yonge, down to Queen's Quay, headed east past the Second Cup coffee shop with a couple of bikes parked in front on the sidewalk. Then down the QEW to Guelph Line. I went north on Guelph Line and stopped at the Ice House for pie and coffee. There was a group of six riders (Harleys and BMW's) at one table, a couple riding a Triumph Tiger at another. Then back home on the 401. Departed at 9:30, Arrived at 2:15.

My handlebar muffs were absolutely perfect. I could use my left hand to give the V sign to a school bus full of kids out at 110 kph, then stick the hand back in with no problem. And my hands were warm all day.

November 17, 2007. 9903 km. Light Snow AM 1c up PM 3c

I connected the electric vest for Mary Ann on her scooter, and while I was out testing it, I bought an electric vest for me, it's a Blackjack by Electrowear in Vancouver. It was $100 at Zdeno's, plus $15 for an on off switch on a pigtail extension. A thermostat was available for $40, but I didn't buy it.

The battery on the Vulcan was easy to find, just remove the tool tray, but the tray leaves little space under for the wires. I finally got everything back in place, now for the riding test.

Notes on electric vests: They are worth the trouble in freezing weather. When I get cold on the motorcycle, it happens from my insides, because my outside is well protected. But no matter how many layers I am wearing, I'm breathing in cold air, which cools the inside of the lungs. You don't immediately feel the cold in your lungs (not at 0c anyway), but you are gradually losing body heat with every breath of air. This is where the electric vest helps. It can offset the gradual loss of body heat. Also, because I can turn it off while riding, I don't get too overheated at the start of my ride. And I don't have to wear so many layers of clothes, and yet I feel really warm riding around all day with the vest on. I've used electric vests in cold weather since 1987, but it's still a strange sensation, which is almost as good as riding in warm weather. If the vest fails for any reason I can usually still ride about an hour before getting too cold.

Sunday November 18, 2007. 10,000 km. Sunny/clouds 10 AM -4c up 1 PM +2c

Port Dover: Departed 9:45, arrived home 1:15 PM. Because it was so cold, I was wearing my new electric vest. Also, two pairs of socks, winter gloves, long johns > jeans > bib leather pants. T-shirt -> sweatshirt -> electric vest -> parka liner -> long Joe Rocket Jacket. Balaclava around the neck, earplugs, full face helmet. Handlebar muffs.

I saw only one other bike, right in Port Dover. I had spare winter mittens and rain pants if required, but I didn't need them. Part of the time, the vest was too warm, and I shut it off, in towns for example. On the open road, the vest ran full blast and felt OK. But I can see now the potential of a thermostat, which I did not buy. If it is inside the jacket, it might be able to regulate itself without all the fumbling with the switch. I forgot to disconnect the plug while gassing up, but I didn't pull it hard before I noticed. Another time I dropped a glove after I had sat down and connected the vest, and had to disconnect and get off the bike to reach it.

More notes on electric vests: If you are dressed right, you should not need to turn it on for the first 20 minutes of riding. It would be nice to have a connector that pops free with a light tug on the wire. The connector should go on the left because it's the side you get off the bike, and the best spot for it is near your left knee or inner thigh. Finally, don't wad up an electric vest when packing in your saddlebag, you can break the wires. Try to keep it flat (or wear it).

Saturday December 8, 2007
I have not been riding since Nov 18 because of wet roads, ice and cold. But I did go to the motorcycle show in Toronto yesterday with Barry and Bob. We took the subway to Union Station in and walked in on the skywalk, which was the first time I ever heard of it.

Lots of interesting things to see. I was surprised to see a booth for north eastern Quebec, Sept Iles, Mingan etc. It was sponsored by the Province of Quebec. Saw a Kymco 500i scooter, a Hyosung Aquila 650 (looks like a V Rod), three Vulcan 900 LT's, a Honda Varadero 1000 (coming this spring to Canada)

I also got a chance to sit on (or in) a Mustang saddle. It was the one with a backrest. I could feel that the foam was not as thick as mine (which is now a total of 4 inches.) The backrest was kind of small, compared to a full bedroll. I think I will use my efforts to try to find newer handlebars that are narrower and reach further back so I can lean back more.

Wednesday January 9, 2008 +3c Damp roads, cloudy, winds up to 75 kph
I went for a 40 minute ride, first time since November 18, it started as easily as if it was the middle of summer, easier than the BMW in cold weather. I have never used the electric charger yet on this bike. We had three days of temperatures over 10c, melted amost all the snow. I wore the same outfit as on Nov 18th except no long johns and I didn't need to turn on the electric vest at all. The main challenge was the wind, almost knocked me down while I was fumbling with the electric vest switch, crossing an intersection in the city centre. It was a wind tunnel. But out on the highway, the Vulcan felt very stable and easy to keep on a straight line.

Sunday January 13, 2008 +1c Dry roads, cloudy 10380 km.
I went to Port Dover in almost the same conditions as last time (Nov 18). I saw no motorcycles until I had finished my coffee and was gassing up. A man riding a BMW and a woman on a blue Indian stopped across the way at Tim Horton's. Her bike had the big fenders and said Indian on the gas tank, I didn't take the time to look closer, as I wondered if it might be a Kawasaki Drifter in disguise. I saw one other motorcycle on the way home, a woman passenger, too. I flashed a V sign, and saw a huge grin on her face. When I got home, Mary Ann said she must be dead and the smile frozen on. I was doing the <cough> speed limit and didn't get a really good look. I was wearing long johns and the electric vest was on and I was actually quite warm all over.

Lately I've been doing more singing while riding as the Vulcan does not have a stereo. I gave up on bike stereos because of the noise of the wind, and all the complexity and weight. But singing to yourself has some possibilities that I am just starting to think about. It's actually more fun and mentally challenging than playing a stereo! It is really a big help to know the words, you can find them all on the internet. I'm going to try to memorize more songs. It may be safer than using a stereo. And if you pick a song in a foreign language, you can learn another language at the same time. Here is one to try if you want to learn French: "Sacre Charlemagne" by France Gall. You can find it on YouTube, and the lyrics are on various websites.

Saturday March 22, -4c Sunny, Dry roads 10,450 km.
I went to Paris and back, about 90 minutes. Started on the first push of the button. Either the shock absorbers were stiff, or the road was rough, or my back was sensitive, but altogether a bit of a punishing ride. This was about the coldest weather yet, and my feet started to get a little cool after 90 minutes, but my hands were actually toasty warm, using the handlebar muffs and my winter gloves. I forgot to unplug the electric vest after I got home, but the plug came apart as I stepped off, without breaking anything I hope.

Oil change: Castrol 10W-40. No oil filter at this time.



RECALL NOTICE
I got a recall notice in the mail about the fuel line connector. This is the first recall notice I have ever received for any vehicle I have ever owned. It says "DO NOT RIDE THE BIKE". A bit late for that since I have over 10,000 km on it already. Anyhow, I went out and checked the fuel line connector - the notice doesn't say anything specific, but I read about it in the online Kawasaki forums. Seems OK to me, I'll stop by the dealer when I get a chance.

While surfing the Kawasaki forum for the recall notice, I came across a new owner upset at having bought the LT model with the luggage, windshield and sissy bar included. He thought it would be better if he had got the plain 900 and added aftermarket accessories himself. It was his first bike. I have had plenty of experience mounting accessories on bikes, and here is why I got the LT with the factory accessories. In almost every case, factory accessories fit perfectly, mount solidly, are good quality and don't cost as much as if you ordered separately. This was certainly true of the 900LT accessories. Best of all, you can see them all mounted on the bike before making your decision to buy that model.

Aftermarket accessories are a crap shoot. They may be very good, they may be junk. It takes a long time to carefully research each one, order, and install it. Universal accessories always come with a set of brackets to adapt them to your bike. Sometimes the brackets need to be forced, or drilled. If you are adding more than one accessory, one might interfere with another close by. Finally, the good aftermarket accessories are usually more expensive.

With the LT accessories, I didn't care that the saddlebags did not lock, and were not removable. Locking saddlebags are great when you are parking at a mall or at a movie theater. They are not really necessary at Tim Horton's, McDonald's, or at most motels, which is where I park. I don't leave valuables in the saddlebags. Even when I had my BMW with the removable bags and trunk, I would leave the bags and trunk on the bike, and just take out my overnight or clothes bags to take into the motel. I tried it the other way for a while, it was just so much easier to leave the (usually) dirty saddlebags on the bike.

One problem I had was with the windshield on the LT which stands up a bit too vertically for me, but it is large and solidly mounted. I was able to tilt it back a bit and it's perfect for long trips and cold rainy weather. In the summer I can remove it for day trips. The sissy bar is great in that it is really solid, and I can tie luggage to it without worries. My back rest for long trips is a duffel bag strapped to the back seat.

It would not be a good idea to buy an LT thinking that you could buy different bags, windshield, and sissy bar later that would attach to the factory brackets. No aftermarket supplier would design their stuff to use a Vulcan VN900 LT's brackets, as it would not fit other bikes, and the LT (as you can see) comes with it's own accessories. Aftermarket suppliers would not get a lot of sales with that kind of thinking.

Anyhow, it's easy to understand how a new motorcyclist might make some mistakes on their first purchase, because they are unsure of what they want in the bike itself, let alone all the accessories. However I knew what I wanted, the accessories are functional, relatively inexpensive, solid, convenient, and no waiting.

June 1, 2008. 17c 11589 km
While cleaning the bike, I noticed the middle clamp on the front heat shield was loose, and the shield was rattling a little. I tightened it, and after a test ride I found my knocking sound had disappeared. Good, because I was using premium fuel thinking it was preignition. Now back to the "cheap" stuff. (i.e. $1.34 per litre)

And by the way, I got a chance to see what the exhausts would look like without a heat shield. I put them back on. As much as I dislike pretty bikes, that uncovered exhaust was just a tich too ugly for my taste.

September 3, 2008. 27c 16610 km

Another trouble free 5,000 km, doing day trips this summer. The fuel line recall still has not been inspected officially. I did actually drop by at the dealer, but they would not look at it without an appointment, as it apparently takes half an hour. We have been getting rain almost every day all summer so far, and I don't want to make an appointment because I can't be sure of the weather.

September 12, 2008. 19c 17100 km

I have been doing some local riding and have a few odd observations. I changed the mirrors last year, so this is not with the factory mirrors. But the left one was steady on the freeway while the right was blurred from vibration. Must be the weight of the brake reservoir that changes the vibration frequency. Another observation: Driving into my mother's carport over about a 3 inch rise, I heard a bang under the bike. The middle grease fitting for the rear suspension is damaged.

My mother had some memory foam for me to try under my sheepskin seat cover. I have never used memory foam before, it will take a while to assess whether it helps.

I often feel a sharp pain around the kidney area when I hit a bump. The problem seems to be getting worse, so I wonder if my back is getting weaker, or if the rear spring is sacking out. One solution is to sit further forward. There are reasons why this works, but no time right now to analyse. I fixed up my memory foam so I could sit forward and it really helped, it felt like I was floating over the bumps.

September 17, 2008. 19c 17600 km

Today I took a look at the suspension links, thinking I would try to lubricate them through the fittings. One of the grease fittings got a little bit crushed last week, so I went to Canadian Tire to find another one, and I also wanted some kind of 90 degree fitting because my grease gun will not fit on the nipple straight, not enough ground clearance. The metric grease nipples at Canadian Tire are so close, but do not fit the Vulcan. I brought some home, but they only screwed in about one thread then jammed. I also bought a right angle grease gun adapter for $6, and it actually works. By taking off the fittings, I found that the inside of the nipples had no grease. If the suspension links have any grease at all in them, it must have been put in before the final assembly of the suspension at the factory, not through the grease nipples. The joints took a lot of grease from my grease gun before they finally filled up. I guess Kawasaki saves millions on grease bills by putting the bikes together like this. Hoping that greasing the suspension made it smoother over the bumps, I went for a test ride. I also dug out an old kidney belt that I bought over 20 years ago, but have never used since. It was a real squeeze! So I don't know what helped, but I did not feel any painful jarring over the bumps on my ride.

September 21, 2008. 18c 18461 km

I did an oil and filter change, 10w-40 Castrol. I put in 3.2 litres, as the book says to do with a new filter. And now the sight glass level is right in the middle.

I rode the bike a short distance yesterday without earplugs or a helmet, and noticed a little ticking noise in the engine. I did it again today, but didn't hear anything.


September 23, 2008. 16c 18650 km

Yesterday the windshield was flexing in the wind, and the lowest nut and bolt on the right side was loose. Next I checked the spokes, for the first time. I thought the rear spokes sounded a bit dull when tapped with a screwdriver, so I got out my 6mm wrench and tightened them all about one quarter turn. It's a bit tricky with the Vulcan with no centre stand, so I used bits of tinfoil to mark the spokes while I rolled the bike backwards to get the next batch of spokes into view. I also had to switch sides of the bike because the spokes on the left are not easily accessible from the right. The front spokes seemed OK so I left them alone. I also boosted the rear tire pressure from 25 to 29 psi. I think the manual calls for 28 solo and 32 with a passenger. Actually it says 215 lb load is 28 psi, and I weight about 200. The next level is up to 397 lb. so that should be safe with Mary Ann as a passenger.



September 24, 2008. 21c 18680 km

The rear tire looks bald down the middle, lots of tread on the edges. It makes the bike a little skittish on uneven pavement. And, according to the book it is more likely to get a puncture when worn. I got a new rear tire installed today. Metzeler Marathon ME880 180/70x15B, bias ply, tubeless, made in Brazil. It cost $200 for the tire, $60 installation, and $18.99 new inner tube. I really appreciate that you can watch this mechanic work on the bike, a rare event these days. I have two wheel weights now, the other tire only needed one. My re-usable cotter pin was discarded and replaced with a new one. But I did ask for the old tube back. From what I could see, he did a careful job of mounting the tire. I noticed that the tire does indeed have a “safety bead” meaning it takes a lot of force to break it away from the rim, similar to a tubeless tire. They pumped the tire to 40 psi, I lowered it to 30. I also think the belt is tighter than I had it.

These Brazilian Metzelers have had a few complaints on the Internet, so I'm going to keep an eye on the tire. Sometimes these complaints turn out to be baseless.

October 1, 2008 19083 km.

I needed a little exercise today, so after sweeping the driveway I pulled the Vulcan out of the garage to adjust the belt tension and rear wheel alignment. I wanted it loose enough to give .5 cm. with a one fingered push. I know that is not scientific, I just don't like it when it's a tight as a banjo string (another scientific term). So I loosened the adjuster one half turn. Then I loosened the other adjuster a full turn to line up the front wheel (using my precision guided eyeball). Then I tightened up the axle nut with my $27 wrench and slipped in a new cotter pin. It still bugs me that the mechanic who changed the tire tossed the re-usable clip I had in there – he threw it about 30 feet probably a world record for discarding parts off my motorcycle.

October 7, 2008 19600 km

Today was sunny and cold. I needed a couple of sweaters under my short Joe Rocket jacket. I went on a trip to Niagara Falls, taking the scenic route through Port Dover. I left at 11 AM and returned at 7 PM after spending all the time riding except for a couple of Tim Horton's breaks. This was a big test for the memory foam in the seat, and for my kidney belt. I think the Kidney belt worked well for me, I actually only put it on after the first hour and a half. Even at the end of the day I was not feeling lower back pain. The memory foam I'm not so sure of, my rear end hurt more than my lower back. Usually it's the other way round, at least in the last four years. But I was still in good shape by the time I got home, nothing hurting bad enough to spoil the fun.

The bike was really fun to ride today, I guess being comfortable makes everything seem better – the gear shifting, the suspension smoothness, even the engine power and sound. I got into a little high speed riding in rush hour traffic on the freeway, and the Vulcan seems to have the same kind of lunge forward that my old BMW did. Although, to be honest, that's physically impossible with only half the horsepower of the BMW. But it was cutting through traffic just like the BMW, except that one time there was a Gold Wing ahead of me that simply vanished in the distance – the BMW would have reeled that one in. The only bike I actually passed was a sportbike. I thought “good going”, until I went by and saw it was a Ninja 250.

October 13, 2008 19876 km

I went for a ride today, 22c and sunny. Mary Ann rode her Burgman with her sister, I took the Vulcan. At one point the engine seemed to bog down and then cleared itself. That was after about 4 minutes of running, just where it normally goes into warm running mode. One way I can tell when it warms up is by the idle speed dropping, if I'm at the traffic light. It was the first time I have ever felt the Vulcan 900 falter for more than a split second.

The handlebars bend does not seem to fit me, when I try to raise them, the brake reservoir hits the edge of the windshield. The problem is not with the original design of the bike, because when I bought it, the seat was much lower and the windshield more vertical. But now I need to raise the bars and they hit the windshield. So I found some used bars off a V-Star 650, and tried them against my bike, but no luck. They would need some long risers to get them within reach, and away from the windshield. So then I decided to raise the standard bars as far as I could and see what happens. Now the bulky brake fluid reservoir on the right handlebar is pressing against the windshield and bending it out a little. I put a split rubber hose on the edge of the windshield to prevent chafing. Finally, I think the bars are high enough. Too bad I can't return the V-Star bars, but they were only $40 anyway, and I may be able to find some risers later and experiment with them. I would also probably cut some off the ends of the V-Star bars to make them narrower, as they are just as wide as the stock Vulcan bars.

October 16, 2008 20200 km.

A 400 km. all day ride in the cold (9c to 12c). Mary Ann came with me, and with a couple of friends on an old Gold Wing, we visited a road called MacLean Lake Road, with an offshoot on to Wylde Nature Road (more like a wide path through the bush.). I would like to go back one day to get a picture of the Vulcan sitting on a big slab of exposed bedrock, as this road (like most of Canada) is in the “Canadian Shield” area.

I had one more episode of sluggish engine after about 2 minutes of running, again it went away within seconds. Now I'm thinking I need to put some fuel injector cleaner in the gas tank, like I did with my BMW a few years ago.

I was very comfortable with my kidney belt, and the higher handlebars. At the end of the day, there were no sore parts, and I felt ready to go even further. Mary Ann commented on how comfortable the passenger seat on the Vulcan is compared to the BMW K1100LT. Well, I never rode on the passenger seat of that bike, ever. But I know the helmet banging was pretty intense, and I never get my helmet knocked by Mary Ann's on the Vulcan. The passenger height, longer seat, backrest, and less aggressive shifts all contribute.

One more note, Roly was complaining about all the wind, and it was blowing the Gold Wing around, but for some reason the Vulcan was almost unaffected by it. I was thinking maybe the fairing, or top box, or the steering geometry might play a part. I know my BMW K1100LT used to get blown about more by the wind, but this Vulcan seems almost immune.

May 20, 2009 24032 km.

I decided to do an oil change today, 10w-40 oil. I have been out for 4000 km of riding already, including both Friday 13th's to Port Dover (February and March). I am having a lot of trouble sitting on the seat, I'm going to see my doctor about it, it has very little to do with the bike itself. So I have removed my extra foam layers and instead I'm using an old fabric air mattress, rolled up and of course with some air in it. This solves my problem entirely so far anyway. I can ride for hours with no discomfort. But it does feel like riding a jello pudding especially while accelerating or going around corners. Actually kind of fun, at low speeds anyway. And a lot more fun than what I was feeling before.

I was reading the 2008 Kawaski Vulcan promotion literature and I came across a funny comment, on the Vulcan 900 custom, so of course I need to put it out here: “The Vulcan 900 Custom offers a very low seat height of just 685 mm while its hidden rear shock offers the look and feel of a traditional hardtail-type rear end” A hardtail is a bike with a rigid rear suspension. A softail looks like a hardtail, but feels like a normal bike with rear shock absorbers. This magic is accomplished by adding a hidden rear spring and shock. Although some people like the traditional LOOK of a hardtail, most don't want the FEEL.

August 19, 2009 29,070 km.

I have reverted to the stock saddle only again, and now I can sit on it without discomfort. This summer we have had a lot of thunderstorms, but I only got caught once so far. I did tighten the exhaust pipe nuts at the head because I thought I heard some exhaust leaking. I will need to check the steering head bearings soon, I think I feel the bike wandering at low speeds.

December 2, 2009 32445 km Dry roads, no snow 8c

Today I had a chance to ride my motorcycle in December. One of my goals is to beat the winter by riding my bike at least once each month. November was easy this year, no snow at all, an all time first for the Toronto weather station. Last month Mary Ann and I went to Port Dover for Friday 13, November 2009, she rode her Burgman. Now that it's December I have the handlebar muffs on, but they were not really needed today with a high of 8c. It was another trip to Port Dover and I saw about 10 other bikes either on the road or parked at gas stations or coffee shops.

A few weeks ago, I broke down and purchased an Air Hawk seat cushion. It works well enough, but I can still get numb butt if I don't move at all for over an hour on the bike. This seat pad allows me to remain comfortable with much less moving around. I would have preferred the 14” wide seat, but all they have available around here seems to be the 12” wide seats, so I made do, and this size might even be better if can also use it on my Honda CD175.

A month ago, I was going to Toronto on the Vulcan, and it ran on one cylinder almost until I hit the onramp to the freeway. One cylinder is doable in the city, but not on the freeway, and I was almost ready to turn back and change vehicles when it suddenly cut in again. I decided to throw some STP fuel injector cleaner in the gas tank . I split the can of cleaner with Mary Ann's Burgman because it's too much for one bike's gas tank. That was about a week ago, and today the Vulcan started up easily and ran clean. I don't know if Mary Ann and I both got some bad gas this summer, but both bike acted up. Hers refused to start once. Mine ran on one cylinder that one time. I tried fuel injector cleaner once before on my BMW and it cleared up a long standing problem I was having. If it's faith healing, at least it seems to work and it's cheap and easy.






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