2024 Kawasaki Vulcan S Review | Motorcycle Test

2024 Kawasaki Vulcan S Review

Test by Kris Hodgson. Images by Linda Read

The Vulcan S harks back from 2015 as a LAMS-legal cruiser in the Kawasaki range. It does away with the more traditional styling seen originally on the Vulcan 750, and later 400, 500, and larger models, while offering one of the few really credible options in the class, if you’re more focused on performance.

Within Kawasaki’s own offerings, it’s since been joined by the Eliminator, and outside that, more recently by the Royal Enfield Super Meteor, while bikes like the Yamaha V-Star 650 and Harley Street 500 have fallen by the wayside.

With its tenth anniversary coming up, it was a good time to revisit the Kawasaki, especially since I had not ridden one in almost eight years. I rode it hot on the heels of the Eliminator I’d recently sampled.

I’d expected the new Eliminator to leave the larger and slightly more expensive Vulcan S in the shade going into this test, but I was so wrong.

As a quick run-down, the Vulcan S uses a 649 cc parallel-twin, pumping out 35 kW and a meaty (for a learner legal bike) 53 Nm, with a six-speed gearbox and chain final-drive.

A perimeter steel frame is matched to 41 mm telescopic forks with 130 mm of travel. The off-set single rear-shock offers pre-load adjustment and a relatively short 80 mm of travel, which to be fair, is pretty run-of-the-mill for cruisers

An 18/17 wheel combo isn’t too extreme, with a single 300 mm front disc and a dual-piston caliper, with more power seeming to come from the smaller 250 mm rear rotor and single-pot caliper. And of course, with ABS.

The Vulcan S weighs 226 kg with a full tank of 14 litres of fuel, but that seat height is a very inviting and manageable 705 mm, which is actually 30 mm lower than the Eliminator.

In standard trim, the Vulcan S doesn’t have room for a pillion, bit it has a cool little feature Kawasaki calla the Ergo Fit system, which means the bike’s controls are adjustable, with 18 combinations between the footpegs, ‘bars, and seat.

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That’s essentially three seat options, three peg positions, and two ‘bar positions, which is very good for a beginner-friendly 650.

I’m a fan of the styling, which is more futuristic than traditional, and you get an almost fully blacked-out engine save for the contrast-cut fake cooling fins and head. The exhaust is largely hidden away, but there’s a pretty decent collector there weighing the bike down.

After spending a couple of weeks on the Eliminator, I did expect the Vulcan S to feel heavy and large, but was immediately surprised when leaving Kawasaki HQ. The torquey P-twin was giving good punch from down low, and was quite a nimble package. I’d have never believed this bike was 226 kg on the scales.

That seat for me, at 180 cm with a 32 inch in-seam, is nice and low, but I was frequently trying to find the forward controls with my feet when setting off. There’s a decent reach to the ‘bars, too, which I liked. But that stretch does become more noticeable at highway or high speeds for longer periods, and I reckon I’d have liked the pulled back ‘bar position more.

The dash is simple, but there’s a tachometer which is a big box ticked for me on this kind of sportier cruiser, and those square mirrors are a bit dated, but do the job well. Adjustable levers are also appreciated as the span was quite large, and I pulled them back in a notch or two.

Not that you’ll really see it while riding, but there’s a big expanse of tank in front of you, with my normal line-of-sight just catching the dash and my own hands on the mini ape-hanger styled ‘bars

The quality of the finish is also really solid, with good paint, and there are no ride modes, no traction control, and no phone connectivity. Keep in mind the bike hasn’t been slapped with the update stick in a while, but for a no-nonsense cruiser I was pretty happy with the overall package.

Being a parallel-twin in a cruiser world traditionally ruled by V-twins, there’s a lot riding on the Ninja-derived engine. But it delivers in spades. Obviously you’re never going to get that traditional V-twin character, but you’re getting great torque from down low, with a revvability that ensures this bike outperforms anything else in the 650 LAM Cruiser class.

That torque comes on with a decent kick at low rpm, which makes the bike a little bit more of a handful, particularly compared to the Eliminator, or its more direct competition, such as the Super Meteor. For a brand new rider, I’d suggest a little bit more caution if you’ve chosen to make the jump straight onto a 650.

That torque carries through the entire rev range, and you can easily knock the bike up a few gears and really cruise at low rpm if that’s your thing. It’s not so much mine, but a few times I did find myself in sixth gear at 50 or 60 km/h, scratching my head somewhat and pondering how I’d got there.

The Vulcan S doesn’t run out of steam on the freeway, either, with that Ninja-derived twin making good acceleration and power in the higher rev-range. So cruising at 110 or 120 is an absolute breeze, and smashing well past those speeds an easy option.

You’re probably catching the hint I really liked the sporty aspect of this engine, both as a good V-twin substitute down low, but still with an impressive top-end – particularly for a LAMS bike.

A lack of wind protection and the tall ‘bars and forward controls will make longer highway trips a bit more of a chore, which are not the bike’s forte if you’re my build. However, I was left wondering what a screen, turning those ‘bars down and towards me, and a slightly more rearward ‘peg position would net me in terms of highway-cruising comfort.

You certainly won’t be let down on the handling either. Riding through Sydney, from the urban to the suburban, the Vulcan is responsive and quite agile – for a cruiser.

The wide and tall ‘bars offer you plenty of leverage, with the weight not really noticeable thanks to a low centre of gravity. That handling character does put a bit more emphasis on the particularly low rear-end of the bike, but the bike is responsive to inputs and body language, and again, in comparison to the Eliminator, it offers a bit more of a traditional cruiser feel and attitude to the ride.

Kawasaki probably could run dual disc brakes at the front, but with good power at the rear, it’s opted for one disc. I will say I didn’t get as much feel from forward foot-control positioned brakes, but that just might be me being less familiar with them. You can, of course, get lots of weight onto the pedal, but I’d say finesse is always preferable, even with ABS as your backup.

Suspension was good on better road surfaces and around town, but a bit on the harsh side for my 75 kg weight at speed, on iffy road surfaces. The rear wasn’t as controlled as I found on the Eliminator, which runs dual shocks. That came to my attention when I was getting knocked up out of the seat, with the rear rebounding quite aggressively. By cruiser standards, I still rate the bike highly, with this issue pretty common on machines with limited rear-suspension travel. It is an ingrained drawback of the cruiser platform pretty much across the board.

Before dropping the Vulcan S back, I took a final opportunity to just head out for a couple of hours and have a ride along some nice country roads, mainly at 80-90 km/h, and do what the class of bike suggests – cruise – and was rewarded. The bike is torquey and responsive even with fairly lazy gearbox use, the handling is accurate and stable, while that low seat has you very much in the bike, rather than just perched on top of it.

The Vulcan is an endearing machine, fun and rewarding to ride in these conditions, even for someone who hasn’t been on a restricted license for a very long time.

For a new rider, there’s no doubt the Vulcan S will be a little more of a challenge than the smaller and lighter bikes available. It is heavier, although far less than a spec sheet comparison may suggest, and the punchier torque is more likely to catch the inattentive out. But I’d probably say that moves this bike closer to a traditional cruiser than the vast majority of the competition. And that burst of grunt is certainly enjoyable.

For just over $12.3K ride-away if you’re in Sydney, the Vulcan S is competitively priced, even against the 500-class cruisers, and is well worth consideration if you’re in the market and able to stretch your budget that little bit more.

It’s by no means the most technologically sophisticated offering available, but it is easy to see why the Vulcan S is still here, while so much of the competition has fallen by the wayside.

Head to the Kawasaki Motor Australia website for more information, or into your local dealer to check one out, and don’t forget to ask about Ergo Fit!

I like the Kawasaki Vulcan S because:

• Great engine, particularly for a P-twin.
• Proper cruiser feel and character.
• On the sporty end of things for a cruiser.

I’d like the Vulcan S more if…

• A better shock for the NSW goat tracks would help.
• I’d take one of the accessory windshields as standard please.

2024 Kawasaki Vulcan S LAMS Specifications

2024 Kawasaki Vulcan S LAMS Gallery