Yamaha v-Star 650 Silverado edition

[dhgeyer]

I've been fortunate enough to own both a Vulcan 500 and a Ninja 500. Let's get one thing clear: these two bikes have the same engine and transmission, with slight modification of the cams on the Vulcan for more mid range torque at the expense of a bit of raw horsepower in the high end powerband. In fact, when I tried to get a Kawasaki service manual for the Ninja 500, the dealer found out that one is not available. They use the one for the Vulcan. I once went to pull away from a light real fast on the Vulcan 500, and, being fairly new to my second incarnation of riding at that point, popped a wheelie by accident. Scared the crap out of me! Not too many cruisers out there will get air that easily!

The Vulcan 500 is a cruiser in its body configuration and riding position, and the handling is like a small to mid size cruiser. It has a longer wheelbase than a sportbike, and different steering geometry. But the engine response, powerband, sound, and torque characteristics are still much more typical of a sportbike than a cruiser. So, it's kind of a unique bike. And, yes, it absolutely will walk away from cruisers with much larger displacement engines. Given the engine it has in it, that shouldn't be a surprise. Comparing the Vulcan/Ninja 500 engine to the typical cruiser V-Twin is comparing apples to oranges.

BB, here is some genuine, free, do as I say and not as I did, advice. Enjoy your Vulcan for a few years. A couple of years at least. Learn about, and test ride some bikes that aren't cruisers. Try a few standards and sportbikes. Learn a lot more about what's out there, what different bikes are for, and what you might like/dislike about them. There is so much variety now, much more than when I was in school 40 years ago. You can go through a dozen or more bikes in a few years like I did, but that's an awful expensive way to learn about motorcycles. I should have spent a lot more time reading, test riding used bikes at dealerships, riding friends' bikes, and etc. Buying a bigger cruiser may or may not give you what you really want. Cruisers, as a rule, compared with other types of bikes, look cool, and sound cool. Compared with other bikes, they don't really actually DO anything well. They aren't generally as fast, certainly don't handle as well, have seriously limited cornering clearance, and they aren't as comfortable for touring (as in long days in the saddle).

What I'm saying is, don't just buy a bigger version of what you have without exploring the alternatives. You might find yourself disappointed, as I did when I traded in the Vulcan 500 for a Vulcan 1500 Classic FI. I thought that by going big like that I'd get more long range comfort, and this just didn't turn out to be the case. I tried everything to make the big Vulcan work for me - the Mustang saddle which you describe so well, complete with adjustable driver's backrest, highway pegs, pullback bar risers, gel seat covers. Nothing helped much. The riding position of a cruiser doesn't work for me for long periods of time. That lesson cost me $10,000, and I could have, and eventually did, learn the same thing from books and articles on touring. The first time I got on a standard, it was a revelation.

I've owned a couple of cruisers since then. Have kind of a love/hate relationship with them. They do look cool and sound cool. But, to be honest, I don't consider cruisers to be appropriate motorcycles for serious riders, or at least serious rides.

Free advice, and worth every cent you paid.

Dave is now ducking.