We love Harley-Davidsons. They have that certain something about them that endears them to people. It’s a combination of the looks, the V-twin character, and the history. Another known fact is that they are exceedingly comfortable.
However, they do not have the best reputation for reliability or being easy on the pocket. The gold standard for reliability remains Honda, no matter the segment. So what if you were not brand loyal and wanted a cruiser with all of Harley’s good points but none of the bad ones? You’d want a cruiser with Honda reliability and Harley-level comfort, and this is what we recommend.
The Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Is The Cruiser With Honda Reliability And Harley-Level Comfort
There was a time when Harley-Davidson was the cruiser that everyone wanted, and the profit margins were fat enough that everyone wanted a piece of the pie. So everyone made their own versions of the quintessential American cruiser, and Kawasaki threw its hat in this ring with the Vulcan series of cruisers and tourers. There is only one cruiser left after a couple of decades, and that is the Vulcan 900. It has aged well, though, and today, it is the cruiser with Honda reliability and Harley-level comfort.
Midrange Price For A Midrange Cruiser
The Vulcan 900 is priced a little under $10,000, which is par for the course. It is almost as expensive as the basic modern American V-twin cruisers as well, and this makes for an interesting choice for the potential customer, because there is such a variety available from $9,000 to $10,000. The Vulcan sits solidly in the middle of it, and the costs of ownership make it a frugal buy if you plan to keep it for a long time.
Rare Japanese V-Twin Thump
The Vulcan 900 is powered by a 55-degree V-twin that displaces 903 cc. It does have a cruiser-ish laid-back compression ratio of 9.5:1, although it is a short-stroke design. This isn’t like a Harley engine, though. You get modern features despite being 20 years old, like liquid cooling, fuel injection, and a second, computer-controlled throttle valve in line with the first set to smooth out power delivery.
It’s almost like a rudimentary by-wire throttle system, but it exists solely for cold starts and to help smooth out abrupt changes from the cable-actuated throttle. The result is 51 horsepower at 5,500 RPM and 58.3 pound-feet at 3,500 RPM, which doesn’t sound much, but is adequate. A wide-ratio five-speed gearbox and a belt final drive complete the driveline.
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The Vulcan 900 Has A Conventional Steel Chassis
The Vulcan 900 is quite traditional here – a semi-double cradle frame is used as the backbone. There are Showa shocks at the front, and the rear is sprung by a hidden link-type single shock with seven steps of preload adjustment. Travel is 5.9 inches at the front and 4.1 inches at the rear. The brakes are also quite modern with discs at both ends. A 300 mm disc at the front and a 270 mm disc at the rear are paired with a two-piston floating caliper, and there is no ABS available, even as an option. 16/15-spoke wheels are chosen for the Vulcan 900 cruiser, and we do so love the whitewall tires that are mounted on them. They aren’t tubeless, though.
Nearly A Full-Size Motorcycle
The Vulcan 900 is nearly a full-size cruiser by today’s standards, measuring 97 inches long and with a 64.8 inch wheelbase. It is quite heavy, at nearly 620 pounds wet, but the low seat height of 26.8 inches should help manage that weight well. The ground clearance is good enough, at 5.3 inches, and the 5.3-gallon fuel tank will give it a decent range.
No Feature Updates Since Its Launch
The Vulcan 900’s styling and features haven’t changed since its launch in 2006, so you get a tank-mounted, mostly analog instrument cluster. It is dominated by the analog speedo around the circumference, with a smaller analog fuel gauge in the center at the bottom. In the middle, there is a small LCD that displays information like the clock, odometer, and trip meter.
Some warning lamps are housed in this pod, while the neutral, turn signal, and high beam indicators are placed separately at the bottom of the cluster, outside of the circular pod. Finally, the accessories are quite short, so the aftermarket will be a much better place for the Vulcan 900, since it has been around for so long.
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Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Competition
There are quite a few cruisers available at this price point, even if they haven’t all been updated to 2026 models, and they all make a good case for having Honda reliability and Harley-level comfort. The Yamaha Bolt R-Spec ($8,999) is quite literally modeled after an old Sportster, so it has the ‘Harley’ bit covered, and it is a mature platform with no complex bits, so it will be extremely reliable. But you can do better at the price.
There is the Suzuki Boulevard C50 ($9,299), which follows a similar formula as the Vulcan but opts for a shaft final drive. There is a Honda as well – the Rebel 1100 retails for $9,699, and is the only one here that has features like a TFT display and an automatic gearbox. It is also the only one that chooses a chain final drive.
Among the other modern V-twin cruisers, the Indian Scout Sixty Bobber ($9,999) stands out because of how similar it is to the Vulcan 900, with its cradle frame, five-speed gearbox, liquid-cooled engine, and belt final drive. However, there is a better option at the price, and it is a Harley.
The Nightster costs $9,999, offers a wholly liquid-cooled engine, has modern handling and a low curb weight thanks to the trellis frame, and is quite reliable as well, thanks to the good engineering behind the Revolution Max engine. It even has safety features like traction control, drag-torque slip control, and ABS, a combination which none of the other cruisers mentioned here offer.
Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Vs Harley-Davidson Nightster
|
Model |
Kawasaki Vulcan 900 |
Harley-Davidson Nightster |
|
Price |
$9,599 |
$9,999 |
|
Engine |
55° V-twin |
60° V-twin |
|
Displacement |
902 cc |
975 cc |
|
Power |
50 HP @ 5,700 RPM |
91 HP @ 7,500 RPM |
|
Torque |
58.2 LB-FT @ 3,500 RPM |
72 LB-FT @ 5,750 RPM |
|
Curb Weight |
619.6 pounds (wet) |
481 pounds (wet) |
Source: Kawasaki USA