The end of the Kawasaki Vulcan?

[MarkinFairfax]

While staging for today's Rolling Thunder Run to the Wall here in Fairfax a Harley Guy asked me what I thought of Kawasaki ending production of the Vulcan 1700? Is this true?

[DragonLady58]

Well, its not the end of the Vulcan line....its too popular and established....might be the end of the 1700 series....
MaKawa will probably go 1800/1900 w/6speed for the new Vaquero's, Nomads to contend with the big Yama's, the Stratoliner, Raider, etc....
But hey, we'll still be outlaws riding out 99-2007 baggers....better stock up on the EFI Tuners....

[OldSchool]

Kawasaki is a world seller and their market spans to every country. Something we Americans forget from time to time. There is this thing coming up in Europe called Euro4 specs. All motorcycle manufacturers are going to have to adhere to it's regulations including Harley Davidson. Euro4 is going to bring some changes to the motorcycle industry. Some are good like anti lock brakes standard on all bikes. But it also has some near impossible emissions regulations built in as well. I think this is what may have sparked Yamaha's new touring model change and will probably affect many other manufacturers with dropped lines and modifications. It will be interesting to see what comes of all this.

[MarkinFairfax]

I wonder about the sluggish big cruiser bike sales in general that could be a driving force in Ma Kaw decision in ding the 1700? Or maybe skip a year or two production for better times? In my area there seem to be more than a few leftover Vaqs and Voyagers in the dealerships. There are even leftover Harleys (according to the HD folks I met today) from 2016 which a situation that used to be unimaginable.

[skullbagger]

I just read an article today that HD is opening a plant in Asia to corner the china market


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[gv550]

Originally Posted by MarkinFairfax

While staging for today's Rolling Thunder Run to the Wall here in Fairfax a Harley Guy asked me what I thought of Kawasaki ending production of the Vulcan 1700? Is this true?

I believe it is true, Kawasaki is dropping the Vulcan lineup with the exception of the 650S. There has been discussion of this on another forum and Kaw USA has apparently said the 900 and 1700 is history and there is nothing in development to replace them. Neither model meets Euro4 and have already been dropped from most markets around the world. The market for cruisers in general is soft and Kawasaki sales are low and the profit margins even worse, they will focus on sport bikes and side-by-sides.

[Ridefree]

I've been thinking about pulling the trigger on a Vaq or Voy for the next season and have been looking around my area for one . The dealer's pretty much stock dirt and sport bikes . If I want one it's looks like I may have to go out of province to get one . I only seem to see HD and sport bikes . I don't think I've seen another Kaw/bagger in the past few years .

[redjay]

I just got back from a couple of weeks in BC and from what I saw the biggest majority of bikes there were Harleys. I never saw a Voyager or a Vaquero.
I saw one 1600 Nomad.

It will be interesting to see how well the new Yamaha tourer sells when it is unveiled on June 5th.

[ToddM]

I live in southern New Brunswick, Canada and other than the 2 Vaqueros I saw sitting in a local shop in 2014 (a pair of Candy Burnt Oranges) that were 2013 left-overs I have never seen another Vaquero. I bought one of these and the other disappeared a few months later.

I think sales of baggers/tourers are very popular. 90% are Harleys which is the main reason I don't own one (there are many others). The new BMW bagger looks awesome.

[DragonLady58]

Well, these bikes are gonna be bought up bigtime after people realize how well they hold up, how durable they are.
Speaking for myself, I think MAS might be in the same boat....I have enough backup pieces/parts to probably throw together 2 other complete bikes....thats not including my bobbed 1500, and my trike build....
Folks will be searching these bikes out for years....better grab all the parts while you can....they're gonna get scarce in a few years....

I think the Nomads/Vulcans are becoming every bit as much a stepping stone as the Z1's have been....
The Bagger market is every bit as big as it ever was....
Folks just getting tired of the ordinary, Plain Jane, LookLikeEveryBodyElses Bagger....no ones really stands out & does what its supposed to from the showroom.
Plus, the costs....bikes are getting way too damn expensive.
I can get a older bike, customize it the way I like, exactly like I like, custom paint and alterations, and be completely custom, with rebuilt drive train to go another 150,000 miles for less than 1/3rd the price of a new bike, and have better performance/fuel mileage....not to mention not having a bank note every month....

[DragonLady58]

Just think of it like this:
1. Good used 2002 1500 Nomad- $3500/$4000
2. 21/23" frontwheel kit $1500/$1700
3. V&HBaggerDuals or Equiv.-$599/$699
4. TopOfTheLine BatWing Fairing-$1500/$1600
5. PerformanceEngineRebuild- Stock-$1500/$1800, HiPerformanceModded- $2600/$2800 +.....
6. Good Custom Paint Job-$1500+....
7. Custom Bars, hoses, seat, etc.-$1500/$2000
About $10,000/12,000. Knock about 1/3rd off that doing the stuff yourself....or checking prices. Depending on what you want....
New 2016 model? $16,000.
You do the math!

[bsilver1968]

Originally Posted by DragonLady58

Just think of it like this:
1. Good used 2002 1500 Nomad- $3500/$4000
2. 21/23" frontwheel kit $1500/$1700
3. V&HBaggerDuals or Equiv.-$599/$699
4. TopOfTheLine BatWing Fairing-$1500/$1600
5. PerformanceEngineRebuild- Stock-$1500/$1800, HiPerformanceModded- $2600/$2800 +.....
6. Good Custom Paint Job-$1500+....
7. Custom Bars, hoses, seat, etc.-$1500/$2000
About $10,000/12,000. Knock about 1/3rd off that doing the stuff yourself....or checking prices. Depending on what you want....
New 2016 model? $16,000.
You do the math!

I actually got my 2016 Vaquero for $13,500 out the door. Not much more than the $12,000 and it is a new bike and I didn't have to put the pieces together.

[Snowtop57]

Originally Posted by MarkinFairfax

While staging for today's Rolling Thunder Run to the Wall here in Fairfax a Harley Guy asked me what I thought of Kawasaki ending production of the Vulcan 1700? Is this true?

I'm wondering if he was thinking of Polaris ending production of the Victory? Both names start with a "V". I'm not an expert nor do I claim to know all about motorcycles but since reading this I have been searching for this type of news on the internet and have found nothing. Of course, I'm not an expert at searching either. But I have noticed that there are not many new Voyagers/Vaqueros available in my area as well. We have 1 dealer in Missouri that keeps advertising they have 1 leftover 2014 Nomad and a 2016 Vaquero but they don't. They are just trying to bait the people in to sell something else.

[ToddM]

Originally Posted by ToddM

I live in southern New Brunswick, Canada and other than the 2 Vaqueros I saw sitting in a local shop in 2014 (a pair of Candy Burnt Oranges) that were 2013 left-overs I have never seen another Vaquero. I bought one of these and the other disappeared a few months later.

I think sales of baggers/tourers are very popular. 90% are Harleys which is the main reason I don't own one (there are many others). The new BMW bagger looks awesome.

Of course I spoke too soon. Driving home from work yesterday a black Vaquero passed me.

[recumbentbob]

And Yamaha is unveiling their new trans continental tourer on June 5th.
https://www.yamahamotorsports.com/tr...nental-touring
Doesn't make sense to me why Kaw would discontinue the Vulcan line....