Rumors that Kawasaki is working hard on an ER-6-derived cruiser turn out to be true. The house of Akashi has pulled the wraps off the all-new, hot, Vulcan S cruiser. It’s nice to see that Kawasaki decided to carry on with the Vulcan heritage, even though this new cruiser has little (if anything at all) to do with the rest of the bigger Vulcans.
Even so, kudos to Kawasaki for delivering a bike which mixes the classic cruiser attire with today’s and even tomorrow’s looks. The 2015 Vulcan S is definitely one of the best-looking middleweight cruisers, and even if it cannot brag with the history of the Scout, I would say it looks better than the new mid-sized Indian.
A breath of fresh air in the cruiser segment
The Vulcan S arrives with a steel perimeter frame, which adds an instant novelty factor to the segment and makes everything look more compact and somehow, aggressive in a most pleasant way. The traditional shroudless forks are complemented by the same offset rear suspension of the ER-6 machines, and this is yet another intriguing, yet cool fact.
Now it’s no longer a secret that Kawasaki is on a revamping spree which might extend to more models in its future line-ups. The headlight is also on the “today” side, as Akashi opted for a low, modern-looking single unit with a dash of Ducati Diavel touch, but retaining its intact individuality.
A tweaked ER-6 parallel twin
Kawasaki loaded the all-new Vulcan S with a 649cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin engine “borrowed” rom the ER-6/ Ninja 650 machine, and which apparently powers the Versys 650, too. The mill has however, been re-tuned to change its character and allow it better power and torque delivery in the lower and mid-range revs.
Since the bike is somehow aimed at the new riders, the 61 hp at 7,500 revs and 63 Nm (46.4 lb-ft) @ 6,600 rpm should do just fine. The transmission is a manual 6-speed unit, and the fuel delivery is obviously, EFI.
Big, tall guys, forget about it
As sweet as the 2015 Vulcan S is, tall, big riders will not feel too welcome aboard it. The bike does indeed come with 3-way adjustable pegs and other Ergo-Fit choices, but it looks like these features are rather intended for smaller riders. So we might have a bike that looks and feels fine, but which may be too small for certain riders. Not a dramatic issue, but we do hope Kawasaki has plans for other cruisers sharing the new design trend.
All in all the prices and colors for the 2015 Vulcan S are already known. Kawasaki will sell this bike in the US for $6,999 and $7,399 for the non-ABS and ABS-equipped versions, respectively. The North American will be offered in Candy Lime Green, Pearl Crystal White or Flat Ebony. Europeans will be able to claw this bike in Metallic Royal Purple, Pearl Crystal White and Flat Ebony, with the price to be announced soon. And of course, an A2-compliant version will also be offered.
Truth is that the 2015 Kawasaki Vulcan S is sort of a “didn’t see that coming” bike. We knew that something was brewing up at Akashi, but a Ninja 650 going cruiser is always a spectacular sight.
Google News