A Short Motorcycle Review: Kawasaki Vulcan 1700 VAQUERO 2012

Cool, low, long, ultra stylish – all these adjectives fit the Vulcan® 1700 Vaquero™ plus one more – plenty functional. This bagger, introduced just last year into the Vulcan cruiser line, proves that practicality and cool can co-exist on the same bike.

Its aggressive and muscular styling makes any Vaquero rider stand out from the crowd. And with a powerful 1,700cc engine, electronic cruise control and full-featured audio system, the Vaquero begs to be taken out on the open road.

Custom, blacked-out details are your first clue to the Vaquero’s mission, and there’s plenty to see. It all starts with the beautiful Candy Plasma Blue paint on the abbreviated fairing, sculpted tank and curvaceous bodywork that looks as if it could be a mile deep.

This Special Edition takes it a step further with its Candy Lime Green with Ebony paint job and a custom marbleized paint graphic. Luxurious chrome accents (engine guards, exhaust, mirrors, etc.) provide a beautiful counterpoint to the glossy paintwork, but it’s perhaps the multi-textured blacked-out engine and chassis treatment that best highlights the Vaquero’s radical aesthetic look. The engine, air-cleaner cover, wheels, fork assembly and tank cover all get the blackout treatment, which gives the bike a true custom look that’s beautiful and menacing at once. It’s definitely not a motorcycle you’ll easily forget.

Beneath all that beautiful bodywork, paint and chrome is a superbly engineered motorcycle, one that blends power, handling, durability and confidence-inspiring character in a massively functional package.

It all starts with the Vaquero’s 1,700cc liquid-cooled V-twin, which powers all four Vulcan 1700 models – Voyager®, Classic, Nomad™ and Vaquero. A thoroughly proven design, this 52-degree Vee boasts the very latest in engine technology yet looks like a throwback to the past, a time when the V-twin was the engine to have powering your motorcycle. Features include an overhead cam design, high compression and a long-stroke dimensional design that results in the sort of effortless low- and mid-range thrust that’s so desirable and useful in a big-inch cruiser.