A great bike for the experienced; or those who want to experience!
Written: Feb 27 '08 (Updated Feb 27 '08)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Reliability: |
 |
|
| Comfort: |
|
|
| Handling And Control: |
 |
|
| Quality and Craftsmanship: |
|
|
|
Pros: Lots of power and torque; great center of gravity!
Cons: Tribal look for some is not appealing; relatively heavy bike.
The Bottom Line: As previously mentioned, I would recommend the bike, but mainly for those with experience. Beginners will find the bike too weighty, and the bike's punch may be too much.
|
|
|
| txsizzler's Full Review: 2003 Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 Mean Streak |
My story:
Back in the late spring of 2007, I decided I wanted to start riding, due to the high cost of gas, and the thrill of having the wind go through my hair. In the beginning, I bought a Honda Elite Scooter, then on to a 2006 Honda Rebel. The Rebel was a nice bike, light weight, and dependable, but it simply would not hold up at interstate speeds (maybe 75-82mph tops if I was lucky).
Anyhow, in October of 2007, I was at our local rice dealer, just window shopping, when I happen to spy this gorgeous gold colored Kawasaki Mean Streak, with only 11,020 miles (now has 12,000 on the odometer!), complete with a windshield, Vance & Hines Exhaust, a sissy bar and back rest, and more! I asked the dealer about it, they had it on sale (of course), and the negotiations began! With my Rebel trade-in, I only spent $3600 (including taxes)!
Performance:
This bike is fast! Of course, I made the jump from a 250cc bike to a 1500cc Mean Streak, so my opinion on this is somewhat biased, I am sure. But, boy... does it move! It probably does 0-60mph in about 4 seconds, and can run a quarter mile in just under 13 seconds (@ 102mph!). The top speed of the bike is 140mph (not that I have tried it or anything... hehheh). Braking is stellar on this machine. It uses two disc brakes on the front, and a single disc brake on the back. Thus, it stops on a dime! This bike has Electronic Fuel Injection too... no carburation here! The bike has a rated horsepower of 72, and delivers a strong 79.7 lbs of torque! My average gas mpg is about 40, on a 4.49 gallon tank. One thing to note is that this bike is rather heavy (around 670 lbs wet, and with accessories, at or over 700 lbs). However, the bike has a good center of gravity, and you really don't feel the weight when riding!
Style:
This bike embodies the cruiser style, with a touch of sport class. Kawasaki likes to use the tribal type appearance on the bike, and overall, it looks decent. There is some chrome accenting, but it could use more for this big of a bike.
Comfort:
For a stock seat, its really not bad! I can go about an hour on it, before my butt starts to numb up. The pillion seat is relatively small, but it too isn't bad for stock. My worst complaint about the comfort of the bike has to do with riding position. Without handlebar risers, I am always leaning across the gas tank to ride, which starts to make my back sore after awhile. The shocks are very good on this machine, thus the bike absorbs most of the impact before you do. Further, you can adjust the rear suspension to your liking, as an added plus.
Aftermarket accessories:
This is one area that you will really like about the Mean Streak; there is a lot of products available for the bike. You will find everything from saddlebags, to exhaust and performance upgrades, to face lift and chrome accessories, and much more! And with the Mean Streak still well in production, you can be sure to find parts for the bike easily.
Reliability:
The bike is shaft driven, and being that it uses hydraulic lifters rather than valve, you never have to have any valve adjustments made! With a shaft system, there isn't any chain to have to oil. Just be sure to change the oil as specified by the manual, watch your coolant and brake fluid levels, air up your tires and replace as needed, and you should have a bike that will last a long, long time!
Overall:
A great bike for the enthusiast; I wouldn't recommend this bike for a beginner though, and to be honest, I should have got a bike in between this one before buying the Mean Streak. Jumping from a 250cc to this monster was a bit too much of a step. Plus, the weight of the bike was a rather big surprise (the Rebel only weighs in at 360 lbs wet). So, to sum this up, if you are an experienced rider, who wants something that will fill the need for a high end cruiser, this one is for you!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 3600
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2003
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
txsizzler
|
|
Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 0 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.