Length 2360 mm / 92.9 in
Width 825.5 mm / 32.5 in
Height 1171 mm / 46.1 in
Wheelbase
1,625 mm / 64 in
Seat Height
712 mm / 28.0 in
Ground Clearance
160mm / 6.2
in
Dry Weight
225 kg / 496 lbs
Wet Weight
239 kg / 527 lbs
Fuel Capacity
15 Litres / 3.9 US gal
Consumption Average
19.4 km/lit
Braking 60 - 0 / 100 - 0
14.1 m / 42.8 m
Standing
¼ Mile
13.7 sec / 151.2 km/h
Top Speed
179.6 km/h
The VN800 Classic is a stylish custom cruiser, designed
to look like a Harley-Davidson. Powered by a modern, liquid-cooled V-twin
engine with four valves per cylinder, the VN engine is a development of the
reliable, long-running VN750 engine. In this application, it allows the long
wheelbase, low-slung cruiser to top 169km/h (105mph), while providing smooth
low- to mid-range power. The Classic differs from the base VN800 mostly in
the styling, although it has the 40cm (16in) spoked wheels of the Drifter
rather than the 53cm (21 in) front wheel of the VN. Deep, valanced
mudguards, a chromed air-filter housing and fat fork shrouds complete the
Classic's authentic styling. It is an unremarkable bike to ride, best used
for round-town cruising.
OK, so America hasn't exactly honed a new cutting edge of
motorcycle technology in the last few decades. But we have shaped how the
well-dressed, real steel, big-bore street-bike should look. The cruiser is an
all-American icon, pioneered after WWII by Yankees, primarily out West, who
figured that their Harleys, Indians, BSAs, Triumphs, Ariels, Matchlesses and all
should make a more provocative visual statement. In other words, they chopped to
suit.
Soon motorcycle manufacturers— Harley, Norton and, in time, the Japanese—were
taking those homegrown customizing ideas and turning them into production
streetbikes. Harley excelled, perhaps partly because it took an American company
to understand an American art form and partly because a big V-twin is the most
fashionable centerpiece for an American-style custom. Harley's astounding
success in the last decade is well documented, but, despite the fear of being
stung again with something like the tariff erected to protect Harley during the
1980s, the Japanese have served notice that they won't ignore what has become
the hottest segment of the motorcycle market, both in the U.S. and abroad.
Honda's 1100 Shadow A.C.E. showed how far the Japanese were willing to go to
imitate the sound and feel of an American custom. Now Kawasaki's all-new 800
Vulcan goes to even greater lengths to offer its own version of
made-in-Milwaukee magic.
Kawasaki, however, still manages to
cruise its own road. Solid engineering advances the state of the cruiser art on
every front. Although styling was clearly the primary concern, the engineers
also delivered components that perform better than the usual cruiser fare. The
look is pure American chopper. The front end could have rolled out of a
customizer's shop: widely spaced 41mm fork tubes raked out with a 35-degree
steering-head angle straddle a relatively skinny 21-inch front tire. The bottom
triple clamp disappears behind a polished chrome cover, and the top clamp, which
supports the pullback handlebar on short chromed risers, could have been carved
from billet. To keep the lean, uncluttered look up front, a diminutive
single-piston caliper pinches a single 300mm disc, while the speedo cable is
routed to the rear wheel.
No fork adjustment of any sort is
provided, but the suspension is better sorted out than that of most cruisers.
Although it will bottom if you smack a bump while braking hard, the fork
provides a respectable ride, without excess softness or slack damping rates. The
ride is comfortable over most surfaces and road-holding is better than most.
Despite the severe rake and 5.87 inches (149mm) of front wheel trail, steering
is neutral and generally light, slowing down just a bit at ultra-slow speeds.
Out back, the Uni-Trak's single
damper and linkage disappear behind the bodywork to maintain the visual
deception of a hardtail rear end created by the triangulated steel swingarm.
Your only adjustment option is a seven-step spring-preload cam, but here, too,
good rate choices provide a smooth ride and good control, unless you drop a
heavy passenger on the top step of the saddle and overload the spring. Although
large, sharp bumps thump you a bit, most unevenness flows underneath pretty
smoothly.
The brakes provide confident
control but modest power.
Connecting the wheels is a straightforward steel frame with single-backbone-tube
design, chosen to make it easy for customizers to swap fuel tanks, although the
stock 4.0-gallon item is pretty and offers reasonable range. The thin radiator
hides between the twin front downtubes, and most of its hoses are tucked in where they
are almost invisible. The right front downtube unbolts to remove the engine in
the event it requires major repair.
Although based on the 750 Vulcan engine, with which it shares a common stroke
measurement and 55-degree "V" angle, the 805cc engine shares few common parts.
Besides the 3.1mm-wider bore, it has 0.8 of a point less compression and uses 50
percent heavier flywheels. The biggest changes are in the top end, where the
750's dual 34mm carbs have been replaced by a single 36mm carb feeding both
cylinders from the right through a siamesed manifold. The 750's no-maintenance
hydraulic valve adjusters were replaced by adjusting shims atop each cylinder's
four valves. Sliding rocker arms permit access for shim swaps, which appears to
be a fairly straightforward task.
Valves are the same size but a new shape, and the cam profiles provide less
duration. Perhaps most important, the obviously water-cooled cylinders of the
750 were replaced by heavily finned jugs on the 800, giving the engine a much
more traditional appearance. The electronic ignition of the 750 was replaced by
a more sophisticated digital system in the 800.
The changes substantially rearranged the power characteristics. Although the 800
makes the same peak torque as the 750, it arrives about 3000 rpm sooner, at
3250, according to the Bartel's dyno. Peak horsepower drops about 12 percent,
with our test bike cranking out 50.8 rear wheel ponies at 7250 rpm. This
arrangement better suits a cruiser than the revvier 750's power characteristics,
and extra flywheel mass gives the 800 a smoother flow of low-rpm power. Heavier
flywheels would have mad it harder to shift smoothly without careful
engine-speed matching. The 800 will chug along without lurching at low rpm, yet
still pick up revs reasonably quickly, and flywheel mass isn't so great that a
sloppy downshift chirps the rear tire.
The changes and slightly shorter
gearing produce a mixed bag of measured performance differences when we compare
the 800 with the 750. At 14.22 seconds and 92.8 mph down the dragstrip, the 800
is 0.6 seconds slower but 1.0 mph faster. In our top-gear roll-on test, however,
starting at 50 mph and measured 200 yards later (comparable to passing a car),
the 800 hits 75.9 mph—8.8 mph faster than the 750. Open the throttle at moderate
speeds and you get a lot more acceleration than on the 750.
In other respects, the 800
drivetrain is agreeable after you get past some cold-bloodedness during warm-up. Throttle response is crisp and
power delivery glitch-free. Clutch action is light and progressive, and the
five-speed gearbox shifts quietly and smoothly with no surprises. On the
highway, it can return up to 50 mpg, which dropped to 39 mpg during heavy-handed
urban warfare. One of the new Vulcan's targets was a price under $7000, and one
of the cost-reducing measures was chain final drive, which counts among its
advantages traditional appearance and efficient, lash-free operation.
The gear-driven balancer has been carried over from the 750, and in concert with
rubber mounts at the front of the engine, it quells most of the single-crankpin
V-twin's vibration, although some buzzing still comes at you through the stepped
saddle at highway speeds. The saddle itself is made of soft foam, which bottoms
out almost immediately, leaving a fairly firm perch that soon turns into a sore
spot.
You get the standard-issue cruiser riding position, with hands high and feet
forward, a posture which not only concentrates most of your weight on the
saddle, but also erects you sail-like in the wind. Kawasaki and others offer
windshields to cut the wind and we recommend them to reduce the pressure on your
arms and improve comfort at highway speed.
Since Kawasaki intends the bike to be customized, it has its own line of
accessories, including a sissy bar, rack, three different windshields, an engine
guard, and a variety of leather (with or without studs) and cordura luggage. In
addition, the bike was designed with an eye on enticing customizers to swap
parts. For example, the portion of the rear fender normally hidden by the saddle
was completely finished and free of holes or fasteners so a solo saddle can be
mounted. Kawasaki has loaned prototypes to aftermarket companies to measure for
bits and pieces.
The plan is to get people involved
with their Vulcans.
Even without strong aftermarket support, the Vulcan looks like a winner.
Japanese cruisers are experiencing a renaissance of sorts, and manufacturers are
scrambling for a piece of the action. Despite its ugly duck looks, the 750
Vulcan has held a top-10 spot in the American cruiser market, and Kawasaki
regards it as something of a sales success in other markets. The 800 retains and
improves on the functional virtues of the 750, but puts Kawasaki back in the '95
boulevard styling race. With the 800, Big K returns to the lines of the all-Amer-ican
cruiser traced so successfully with its first LTD models back in the '70s, and
we expect it to carry the theme throughout the Vulcan line with future releases.
In the meantime, the 800 Vulcan shows how successful a cruiser can be when it
combines ail-American style with Japanese engineering. EH