Kawasaki motorcycle reviews


Read Kawasaki Vn motorbike reviews. These have been written by owners of Kawasaki for the benefit of fellow bikers. Read other Kawasaki owners' personal opinions of Kawasaki motorcycle ownership. You can also submit your own Kawasaki Vn review.

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All Kawasaki VN Reviews
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Kawasaki VN 900cc Apr '09 (09)
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I bought this cruiser a few weeks ago,and i certainly made the right choice of bike.Its an absolute joy to ride,handles well, takes corners smoothly. gets about 230 miles on a full tank, not too bad for insurance (around about £100 for fully comp)....its so cool . plenty custom parts to add on. An absolute bargain for less than £5000 FOR A BRAND NEW BIKE.
Submitted by
DODE on 25/06/2009
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Kawasaki VN 800cc Apr '00 (W)
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Kawasaki VN800

This bike will always 'do what it says on the box', only one problem, after 30 miles you need a stop to get the blood flowing back into your ass cheeks , the seat is as hard as nails!!
Submitted by
hillbilly1 on 22/07/2008
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Kawasaki VN 800cc Sept '04 (54)
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Kawasaki VN800
I admit to liking the polishing and cleaning side of bike ownership, the VN800 has alot of chrome on board which keeps me busy, it's a great bike, reliable and comfortable, manages regular 200 mile trips to Cornwall with no problems. The only downside is (apparently) the rear pillion seat which I've been told is a bit too hard (shame)!
Submitted by
chelsea on 22/07/2008
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Kawasaki VN 900cc Sept '07 (57)
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I made such a muck-up of the previous review ( ignore it, I misunderstood the scoring system ) I'm writing it again.
Mine's the latest VN900 Custom model, so much prettier than the fat-looking Cruiser: I know this because ( at age 63 ) I can't stop admiring myself or it in shop windows as I glide by.So do others, so don't buy this if you are as shy as a Glaswegian bus driver or as retiring as a used car salesman!
Its a funny thing to me, having owned lots of cruisers of which the biggest was the VN1500 Meanstreak, how they all seem to perform exactly the same, although some of course do handle a lot better than others.It doesn't seem to matter whether its got a 1500 cc engine or - like mine - a 900 cc engine and that being the case, this model has to be one of the best being so much cheaper than most others.
I've got other bikes that give lots of speed but that's not what these bikes are about.
I find it exceptionally comfortable with plenty of room to wiggle about as and if the bum gets numb.Performance quick off the mark but obviously tails off quite quickly: cruises at 80 or so.Economy excellent - never less than 50 mpg and I don't hang about.
I even find it easy to clean in spite of it dripping with chrome - all in all a great buy and by far the best cruiser I've had.
Submitted by
crusty in Taunton, Somerset on 11/12/2007
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Kawasaki VN 900cc Sept '07 (57)
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Mine's the new model VN900 Custom - nicer- looking than the Classic in my opinion - less fat. What a brilliant cruiser: looks ( well, that's what we buy them for really , if you're honest with yourself )performance,ease of maintenance and cleaning, feel-good factor, very cheap to run - and buy!



Performance - well,OK it's not a Suzuki GSX- R750 ( I've got one of those as well, so I know!)but the funny thing is that having had a shed-load of cruisers - the biggest was a Kawa Meanstreak - the performance doesn't seem to vary that much: perhaps not surprising when you see that the BHP/ton also doesn't change much either.Plonks along all day at about 80-90 which is absolutely all you need for this type of bike.



Looks? - you'll get a lot of these - so the bike is not for the shy retiring type. Sorry to say I get rather a belt out of seeing myself glide by in the reflection of shop windows - however,so far,no georgeous young things have thrown themselves at me, worse luck. Perhaps being 63 and fat ( like the Custom version)has something to do with it.
Submitted by
crusty in Taunton, Somerset on 06/12/2007
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Kawasaki VN 750cc 92/93 (K)
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I came to the Vulcan from a Yamaha Virago 750 which was only one year older. Put them side by side and you can see they are closely related - same outline, v twin engine layout, upright riding position. However the Vulcan has dual overhead cams on each cylinder, 4 valves per cylinder, water cooling and is altogether such a more sophisticated engine the difference in soon apparent when you get on it. Everything about the Kawak seems better engineered, the preciseness of the gear changes, the smoothness of the engine and lack of vibration, the stronger acceleration, the much better handling, the effortless speed. The virago redlines at 7,000 revs and the kawak at 8,500 - modest by modern standards, but it means I often don't need to get out of 2nd gear around town. You need plenty of room to overtake on the virago and while you probably could get 100 out of it, it stops being comfortable above 85. The Kawak is just cantering at 80 and is still comfortable at 100 with plenty left in the engine if you want to go further. This one really can keep up with modern traffic - if you want to get into the outside lane these days you've got to be talking 90mph or you are just an obstacle.
It can be difficult to re-start when the engine is hot - like refulelling in the middle of a journey, but my battery is weak and a replacement might fix it.
The headlight is great, whereas the virago's is crap and the petrol tank is slightly larger too. You even get the small luxury of a fuel gauge - on the virago I had to reset the odometer and look out for the reserve tap going on at 70 miles.
Just one small thing. The virago is well baffled and kind to the neighbours, but as the revs rise to 6000 or more it starts to make a howling noise which I quite like - and this I shall miss, because the Kawak has a deeper note on starting but is baffled all the way up. Otherwise the Virago looks like a carthorse next to the Vulcan. Next stop a V Max.
Submitted by
Simon in London on 21/03/2007
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Kawasaki VN 1600cc Sept '99 (V)
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Came about before the v-rod harley if my memory serves me rightly. Looks mad, long and low which is I believe the right mix for this type of tool. Very very torquey engine and quite smooth for its size. Nice to ride even though you have trouble in the bends as the cornering ability is limited by its very poor clearance. Anyone can scrape the undersides of this thing without trying. Suprisingly quick off the line for a bike that's the length of your average small town. Not great on top end but fairly matched to its riding position; any more could get very uncomfortable. Wind up the trouser legs canny cold? Brakes work well but to be fair you could just use the engine braking to slow you down even though it is huge. Can be very heavy on fuel which is not - just imagine how big those pistons must be; like two buckets getting thrown around in there. God knows how it manages to be so quiet. In all a good alternative to the pricey harley as long as you have no speed bumps in your street!!
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UKBike Archive in Hassocks, West Sussex on 30/11/2005
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Kawasaki VN 2 Litre + Sept '06 (56)
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The fact that they are really hard to find used is telling... A cruiser with almost unlimited power and great handling that looks nice and costs way less than a comparable HD is something. The HD guy kept talking about resale value. Resale value is always 0 when you never sell the bike.....
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UKBike Archive in Hassocks, West Sussex on 28/05/2006
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Kawasaki VN 800cc 98 (S)
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I bought this bike used with 13000 miles three years ago. I now have over 22000 miles on it. There were a couple minor things I had to fix when I got it. (fuel valve and acceleration pump). It ran decent after that. But took long to warm up and would cough hesitate and backfire till warm at times. I then put a set of after market pipes on it and jetted and tweaked the carb and installed a performance intake system with k&n air filter. And removed and blocked off the cold air induction that caused the popping noise on decelleration. I have got it pretty well set up now. It runs like a bat out of hell. I barely even have to give it much choke in the morning. I lost a little bit of fuel mileage but it was worth it. I still get about 40 miles per gallon in town and about 50 miles per gallon on the highway at 75-80 miles per hour. This little engine is made to turn at higher RPM than the bigger V-twins. I ride with a friend who has the Vulcan 1500 with a set of performance pipes and my bike actually outperforms his bike. He is shifting into second while my 800 is still winding out first. When I shift into second I pull ahead of him. The 800 will do 80 miles per hour in 3rd gear easy. I was cruisig on a rural highway at 75 mph the other day and came apon a slower moving semi. I down-shifted to 4th and gunned it. In no time I was passing him, when I checked my speedo it read 110 mph. Don't have a tachometer so I don't know what revs the motor is rotating at but this little engine likes to rev. I have rode it on several poker runs and 100 mile and more trips. It starts every time and has never broken down or given me any trouble. The seat is ok but after about and hour or so my butt starts getting sore. An aftermarket seat or pad would be a good idea if you were going to do any touring or very long trips. The handlebars are set up for longer arms than mine, I'm 5'7. I put a longer set of bars on it, but risers with some set-back would also help instead. I ride two-up with my wife quite often and this bike has plenty of power for that too. For the money I have in this bike (about $4500 U.S. including the bike and add-ons),I can't complain. I also ride with some guys who have Harleys with about $20,000-$30,000 invested in thier bikes and lots of performance stuff done to thier engines. I have no problem keeping up with them either.
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UKBike Archive in Hassocks, West Sussex on 25/05/2006
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Kawasaki VN 1500cc Sept '99 (V)
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Had this bike for 5months through the winter. Quite comfy below 70 after that a bit scary tends to wobble if there is a side wind engine is FANTASTIC IT JUSTS PULLS AND PULLS in any gear at any speed. It gives about 150 miles to a tank. Nice to ride 2 up and does attract attention where ever you park it cheap insurance not bad but i do miss my sport bike
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UKBike Archive in Hassocks, West Sussex on 24/05/2006
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