Kawasaki 2006 New Motorcycles: New 900 Vulcans, More 2000 Vulcans

Kawasaki unveiled a new middleweight member of its cruiser line, the Vulcan 900, and additional versions of its Vulcan 2000 flagship. The Vulcan 900, which displaces 903cc like the company's landmark 1973 Z-1, includes fuel injection and belt final drive. In addition to the basic model, called the Vulcan 900 Classic, there is the Classic LT version, with windshield, leather saddlebags, a passenger backrest, and a studded saddle.

The 900 replaces the Vulcan 800 Classic and 800A. The only remaining version of Kawasaki's trio of 800s, is the already announced the Drifter, priced at $7399 for 2006.

Kawasaki also announced a new Classic version of the 2053cc Vulcan 2000. Its most notable departure from the original Vulcan 2000 is a conventional headlight instead of the huge nacelle of the original. There is also a different handlebar, a redesigned passenger seat, restyled speedometer face, and minor styling details. It is available in black or silver.

Finally, Kawasaki also announced an LT version of the 2000 Classic, with the same additions as the 900 LT—windshield, saddlebags, and backrest.

Pricing is as follows: Vulcan 900 Classic, $7299; Vulcan 900 Classic LT, $8499; Vulcan 2000, $13,499; Vulcan 2000 Classic, $12,999 2000 Classic LT, $14,499; Vulcan 2000 Limited, $14,999.

Kawasaki's press releases for the new bikes appear below, except for the 2000 Classic, which had the same release as the 2000 Classic LT on Kawasaki's media site.

KAWASAKI'S NEW VULCAN 900 CLASSIC BRINGS BIG BIKE STYLE TO THE MID-SIZE CLASS

Cruising motorcycle enthusiasts, whether experienced or new to the fold, find themselves seeking that perfect combination of power, torque, styling, and comfort. For those just joining the mid-size cruising "family" prior choices have been short on many attributes that signify the rider's perception of "why" they found motorcycles so appealing. And, for the experienced "big bike" riders, the inclination to seek a better balanced mid-size with the look and feel of the larger V-twins hasn't been an option. Kawasaki evens the playing field for 2006, with the introduction of the Vulcan 900 Classic, a motorcycle that will find a quick home with both of these groups.

Highlighted by styling that is drawn from the long, low look of Kawasaki's Vulcan 2000 Classic, this entry in the mid-size cruising category is a sure winner. Both entry-level riders and those who have never been able to tap the feeling that goes with a heavyweight ride, will enjoy this maneuverable mid-size package.

Its 903 cc engine--delivering exceptional roll-on acceleration--places this Vulcan firmly at the top of its class. With a style and physical presence that were previously unavailable in this displacement arena, it will not only fit in with many larger cruisers, it will do so while offering a better value, easier maneuverability, and better performance than some. The Vulcan 900 lays claim to the highest power and torque in its class.

Designers matched the "extra" displacement of the Vulcan 900 power plant with "extra" physical charisma and class-leading ergonomics. The freshly styled fenders and fuel tank add a slight curve to the traditional cruiser shapes. Its polished chrome-accented air cleaner and chrome headlight design keep it connected to its cruiser roots. Adding to the stylistic "eye-candy" are a very modern flair emanating from its new bodywork, an LED taillight, and new low-slung seat height.

Curved engine fins add visual interest to the traditional look of the big, fuel-injected V-twin, while the four valves per cylinder, liquid-cooled reliability, and smooth highway cruising aided by the engine's counter balancer make this a worthy new entry in Kawasaki's Vulcan stable.

The Vulcan 900 Classic features a belt drive that not only keeps the overall weight down, but also improves rear-end styling and provides the rider with additional customizing opportunities. Any mention of rear-end styling has to include this unit's use of a large, 180mm wide rear tire, largest in the category. The beefy, "big bike" look inherent with the larger tire adds to the guttural, classic V-twin sound that is produced by the use of a single-pin crankshaft. Both look and sound evoke the feel of a much larger motorcycle.

But the larger look and feel need not exclude any potential rider. The low seat height makes the Vulcan 900 accessible to shorter riders and its tapered seat flows comfortably into the large capacity fuel tank and lower chassis rails and provide a narrowed shape, which makes it comfortable for all riders.

At home around town or when the open road calls it, this motorcycle is built for hour upon hour of riding pleasure. The wide handlebars offer an ideal relationship between the seat, and footboards, making for an extremely comfortable mount. The ergonomically designed front bucket seat is comfortable enough for any distance, and the pillion pad make sharing the two-wheeled experience with a friend effortless.

Some of the other features that make the Vulcan 900 so appealing to such a wide audience are:

- It employs the same combustion chamber and intake/exhaust porting design concept as that used on Kawasaki's Vulcan 2000 model.

- The dual throttle valves control an electronic fuel injection system that helps insure smooth responsiveness and easy-to-control torque characteristics.

- Similar to the Vulcan 2000, it is equipped with an auto-fast idle system, featuring an rpm feedback relay that helps insure a fixed engine speed in all starting conditions.

- Easy-to-control torque, thanks to the fuel injection system, making ultra-low speed riding surprisingly easy; matched with gutsy, low-rpm torque that makes the roll-on acceleration characteristics such a rider plus.

- The fork offset and rake geometry are set for light, low-effort handling when maneuvering at low, in-town speeds.

Available in four color selections--Ebony, Candy Fire Red, Metallic Ocean Blue, and Galaxy Silver--the new Vulcan 900 Classic will give prideful owners more reason to hit the road.

KAWASAKI'S VULCAN 900 CLASSIC LT BRINGS A NEW LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE AND STYLE TO THE MID-SIZE CRUISER CLASS

Kawasaki is matching the introduction of its new Vulcan 900 Classic with another new model with added performance and style. The new Vulcan 900 Classic LT will find a place right alongside its sibling when it comes to acceptance by a wide audience of riders, but the classic LT will be particularly attractive to those seeking an out-of-the-crate cruiser dressed up for cruising around town, or ready for open road touring.

This new V-twin entry for Kawasaki delivers all of the same riding characteristics as the Vulcan 900 Classic--featuring a category-leading 903cc engine displacement combined with "big-bike" look and feel, and torque to spare--but does it in an eye-appealing invitation to those for whom touring represents the ultimate get-away.

Kawasaki accessorizes the Vulcan 900 LT with saddlebags, a special seat, passenger backrest and an adjustable windshield. The only add-on that doesn't show-up on the showroom hang-tag is the riding enjoyment that this new Vulcan addition will provide its owners.

The stylish saddlebags are made of reinforced top grain cowhide that has been carefully selected to minimize leather flaws and deep-dyed so the finish can't be scraped off. These perfectly sized bags provide a slant-top opening, fastened with two 1.5-inch wide leather straps that feature chrome buckles and quick release stealth fasteners. Rounding out the look of these bags is an embossed Vulcan logo on the reinforced, dual panel lids, and chrome plated brass stud accents. Helping to protect both the bags and their contents are metal reinforced upper edges to help maintain shape, and rolled and riveted top lids to help keep unwanted moisture out.

The seat and passenger backrest combine to offer both comfort and a look that helps this touring machine take its place among the most stylish on the highway. The seat is detailed with chrome plated brass studs to match the bags, while the classic, tombstone-shaped passenger backrest sports identical studded appeal.

This long, low ride takes wind protection seriously; thick, optically correct acrylic plastic is used for the windscreen that's shaped to smooth the airflow around the rider.

Once past the packaged look of the new Vulcan 900 Classic LT, the motorcyclist finds himself astride a ride that previously was only found with larger cruisers. Based on much of what has propelled acceptance of Kawasaki's Vulcan 2000, the two new 900 Vulcan models deliver exceptional roll-on acceleration, easy maneuverability, and performance the equal of larger displacement competitors.

Curved engine fins add visual interest to the traditional look of the big, fuel-injected V-twin, while the four valves per cylinder, liquid cooled reliability, and smooth highway cruising aided by the engine's counter balancer make this a worthy new entry in Kawasaki's Vulcan stable.

The Vulcan 900 Classic LT features a belt drive that keeps the overall weight down and improves rear-end styling. Any mention of rear-end styling has to include this unit's use of a large, 180mm wide rear tire, largest in the category. The beefy, "big-bike" look inherent with the larger tire adds to the guttural, classic V-twin sound that is produced by the use of a single-pin crankshaft. Both look and sound evoke the feel of a much larger motorcycle.

But the larger look and feel need not exclude any potential rider. The low seat height makes the Vulcan 900 accessible to shorter riders and its tapered and studded seat flows comfortably into the fuel tank and lower chassis rails and provides a narrowed shape, which makes it comfortable for all riders.

At home around town or when the open road calls for long-range stability, this motorcycle is built for hour upon hour of touring pleasure. The combination of wide handlebars and an ideal relationship between the bars, seat, and big-bike looking footboards offers an extremely comfortable mount for any motorcyclist. The ergonomically designed front bucket seat is comfortable enough for any distance, and the pillion pad make sharing the two-wheeled experience with a friend effortless.

Some of the other features that make the Vulcan 900 so appealing to such a wide audience are:

- It employs the same combustion chamber and intake/exhaust porting design concept as that used on Kawasaki's Vulcan 2000.

- The dual throttle valves control an electronic fuel injection system that helps insure smooth responsiveness and easy-to-control torque characteristics.

- Similar to the Vulcan 2000, it is equipped with an auto-fast idle system, featuring an rpm feedback relay that helps insure a fixed engine speed in all starting conditions.

- Easy-to-control torque, thanks to the fuel injection system, making ultra-low speed riding surprisingly easy; matched with gutsy, low-rpm torque that makes the roll-on acceleration characteristics such a rider plus.

- The fork offset and rake geometry are set for light, low-effort handling when maneuvering at low, in-town speeds.

- The Vulcan 900 Classic LT will carry a 24-month factory warranty.

The new Vulcan 900 Classic LT will be in Kawasaki showrooms in two color combinations: Metallic Ocean Blue / Metallic Phantom Silver, and Ebony / Candy Fire Red. With either selection, owners of this new classic LT will be noticed by everyone they pass along the highway.

2006 VULCAN 2000 CLASSIC LT FINDS ITS NICHE AMONGST FOUR BIG-BORE CRUISERS FROM KAWASAKI

For the 2006 model year, Kawasaki has spread its wings in the big-bore V-twin cruiser arena by adding two more unique versions of its Vulcan 2000 to the growing line-up of cruisers populating America's back roads and highways. The Vulcan 2000 Classic LT is the one that responds to consumer interest in an off-the-showroom floor dressed up cruiser--one that comes with accessories designed to compliment the overall 2000 styling, yet adding a flavor all its own.

The Vulcan 2000 Classic LT will make its mark with those more interested in weekend jaunts than simply getting back and forth to work. It will help Kawasaki further establish its dealer showrooms as the place for big bike motorcyclists to do their shopping. And more than anything, it will marry the performance inherent in the 2,053cc family of top-of-the-line cruisers with Kawasaki's own take on individualized styling. While it comes with special accessories as part of the package, this motorcycle is eminently slated to be further customized by its purchasers. And the company's broad offering of accessories will give owners of this new entry every opportunity to do just that.

The accessories coming standard with this new, stylish cruiser are saddlebags, passenger floorboards, passenger backrest, and a windshield.

The bags are constructed of reinforced top grain cowhide (selected with minimal flaws and deep dyed so the finish won't scrape off), and are highlighted by chrome plated brass stud accents on the bag lids, a slant top opening on the lid which is fastened with two 1.5-inch wide leather straps featuring chrome buckles and quick release stealth fasteners. To protect the contents from moisture getting into the bags, the rolled and riveted top lid minimizes water entry. A metal-reinforced upper edge keeps the bags holding their shape, while they hold the rider's gear.

Chrome plated brass studs adorn the special seat and match those attached to both the bags and the passenger backrest. Together, they provide a styling line both attractive and distinctive. The backrest is a classic new style that takes both visual appearance and comfort into consideration.

The adjustable height windshield is made of thick, optically correct acrylic plastic and is shaped for smooth airflow and classic cruiser style.

Power for this stylish cruiser comes from a massive V-twin engine featuring a bore and stroke of 103 x 123.2mm, forged pistons, alloy-steel connecting rods, huge 220mm flywheels, dual cams located within the one-piece crankcase and right-side pushrods actuating four valves per cylinder. Notably, Kawasaki engineers chose to utilize a push rod design in order to reduce engine height, which directly contributes to the Vulcan 2000 Classic LT's low center of gravity and relatively low seat height. Plus, hydraulic valve lash adjusters automatically maintain zero valve clearance for smoother, quieter operation.

Cruiser fans will appreciate the Vulcan 2000 Classic LT's V-twin sound thanks, in part, to the single-pin crankshaft, while dual counterbalancers and rubber engine mounts keep it running smoothly.

To provide sharp throttle response at any rpm, the Vulcan 2000's electronic engine control unit (ECU) manages electronic fuel injection with its dual 46mm throttle bodies and sub throttle valves, as well as the iridium spark plug ignition system. The sub throttle valves provide the Vulcan 2000 Classic LT with smooth throttle response, while the highly sophisticated fuel injection system's fine atomizing injectors deliver an ultra-fine mist of fuel/air mixture to the cylinders for greater combustion efficiency, increased power and optimum fuel economy.

The top quarter of the V-twin engine is liquid cooled, while temperatures for the bottom three-quarters of the engine are managed by stylish and highly functional cooling fins. Plus, the engine and transmission feature built-in oil and water pumps, with the transmission also serving as the oil tank.

The chrome air cleaner cover is nestled between the cylinders, which feature a black matte finish, and the cooling fins are polished to a bright metallic shine. Dual exhaust pipes and mufflers emit a distinctive V-twin rumble, and include honeycomb catalyzers to reduce emissions.

A Hyvo primary drive chain transfers torque from the big V-twin engine to the five-speed transmission case, which houses a multi-plate wet clutch. To fully benefit from the Vulcan 2000 Classic LT's advanced electronics, a gear position sensor in the transmission sends signals to the ECU, further enhancing fuel injection volume and ignition timing, and thus improving performance. Final drive to the rear wheel is provided by smooth, quiet and low maintenance belt drive.

The V-twin engine is utilized as a member of the Vulcan's steel, double-cradle frame, which features a large-diameter, box-section single-tube backbone. Coupled to the frame is a simple but elegant rear steel tube swingarm suspension with a direct-action single shock. The rear suspension provides 3.9 inches of travel, and includes spring preload and rebound adjustment. Up front, large 49mm forks provide precise steering feedback and 5.9 inches of travel.

Styling queues that put the Vulcan 2000 Classic LT at the forefront of cruiser design include a bullet-style headlight. Adding to its high-end status is the chrome instrument panel with its large-face speedometer; mounted on a stretched, 5.5-gallon fuel tank, the V-shaped panel keeps the rider informed with an LCD display and warning lamps.

This Vulcan motorcycle rides on bright, cast aluminum 16-inch wheels with a 150/80 front radial tire and a huge, 200/60 rear radial tire - the biggest stock rear tire on a production V-twin cruiser. Dual 300mm front disc brakes with four-piston calipers and a single rear disc brake with two-piston caliper bring this big cruiser to smooth, powerful stops.

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