2012 Voyager Review in Rider Magazine

[Turbo4x4]

.....To think this thread started about an article in a magazine, What a spirited debate was had !! the full gamut was reached,,, ending with tire pressure ! ( perhaps I am presumptuous that it has ended )
cheers !!

I think you'll find these forums very much like traveling an unmarked path in the forest. You never know where they'll lead. Rest assured, you'll never be disappointed in the knowledge you gain by completing the trip.

[David (N. Alabama)]

.....To think this thread started about an article in a magazine, What a spirited debate was had !! the full gamut was reached,,, ending with tire pressure ! ( perhaps I am presumptuous that it has ended )
cheers !!

You also have to take into consideration that you have die hard I-4 motorcycle owners who would never consider owning or even riding on a V-twin. That brings in a bias to conversations regarding the new Voyager.

I have two single cylinder, a parallel twin, two V-twins, and an I-4 bike in the garage. I love them all and they all bring something different and unique to the table. I love variety. Through riding many different styles of bikes I have come to the conclusion that there is no one perfect bike. The bikes that come the closest are the large adventure touring bikes.

[Bruce in OK]

You also have to take into consideration that you have die hard I-4 motorcycle owners who would never consider owning or even riding on a V-twin. That brings in a bias to conversations regarding the new Voyager.

I have two single cylinder, a parallel twin, two V-twins, and an I-4 bike in the garage. I love them all and they all bring something different and unique to the table. I love variety. Through riding many different styles of bikes I have come to the conclusion that there is no one perfect bike. The bikes that come the closest are the large adventure touring bikes.

Well said, David. I love the VXII for highway travel or riding two up with my wife. Otherwise, I prefer something smaller (currently a CB250 Nighthawk) in town or day trips. I don't do much off the paving anymore. But, the adventure tour bikes look pretty attractive. I think we have a small difference of opinion, though. To me, liter bikes in this category are a bit of overkill. I remember how bulky a TT500 felt riding trails when coming off of a RM250.

If you have diverse riding interests, having just one bike will always be a compromise.

[Kevin B in Illinois]

Having owned 5 Voyager XII's , 3 Harley Davidson Ultra's (twin cam models) , a BMW K1200LT , 2 Gold Wings , a Royal Star Venture and a Kawasaki Vulcan Voyager 1700 as well as 65 other motorcycles and having ridden these bikes and others high mileage, I would have to say that the Voyager 1700 does eat rear tires. Being a stickler for tire pressure readings due to having BMW soft rims on the Beemers that bend I can attest that I have never gotten more than 9400 miles out of a rear tire on the Vulcan Voyager 1700. The stock Exedra tires only lasted 6200 miles for the first two rear tires before switching to Dunlops. The Voyager XII usually reached 17000 miles on the rear. The Beemer reached 15000 miles on the Metzler ME880 and when running a softer compound for carving some curves achieved a mileage reading of 9000 miles. I was a little shocked at Rider's review of the Vulcan Voyager 1700 , I wasn't surprised by which forum members jumped on the let's slam the Vulcan Voyager bandwagon as these forum members seem to slam any new bike no matter what make or model. The rear tire issue is something that HD owners of full baggers have come to experience over the years. I realize that Rider's original article by Clemente Salvadori seemed to be a warm greeting for the new Vulcan Voyager. The second review which was a comparison of four bikes, Venture Royal Star, Victory Vision, HD Electra Glide and Kawasaki Vulcan Voyager started to show that their comparison ranked the new Kaw lower than these in a ratings battle. My biggest complaints of the Vulcan Voyager have been the placement of the headset connection locations, which require being moved to a new location. Also the size of the gas tank (5.3 gallons is a little small for a full dresser touring bike , even HD figured this one out increasing their's to 6 gallons back in 2007) . The bike does run smooth and handles well. The biggest selling point was the price as it was several thousand less than other touring bikes. It's hard for me to imagine as an enthusiast why anyone would hate a motorcycle , they all offer something and are enjoyable because THEY ARE MOTORCYCLES.....Every bike I have owned has had something that I would change on them, from iginition location to oil filter location , etc. That's why the aftermarket exists. Beemers used to have terrible stock seats.. and reviews usually mentioned that as the first thing they would change. If you select a new Vulcan Voyager you will find that it is a smooth running touring bike that will make you smile. If you choose another brand we still will welcome you to any of our events. Life is a Voyage so enjoy the Ride.

Kevin Braddy
IPVMC
President (my little girl says "Daddy I love the Black and Blue paint, it's pretty")

[Turbo4x4]

Very eloquent wrap up, Kevin. Kudos.

[voyager rider 1700]

I bought a 2011 Voyager 1700 last Feburay and I'll tell you what, it's the best riding bike I've ever owned, the stock seat impressed me and my passenger has plenty of room. As far as cornering, not a problem at all. Everything about the bike is awesome.

[voyager rider 1700]

I bought a 2011 Voyager 1700 last Feburay and I'll tell you what, it's the best riding bike I've ever owned, the stock seat impressed me and my passenger has plenty of room. As far as cornering, not a problem at all. Everything about the bike is awesome

[biggersm]

The amount of miles that the rear tire on the Voyager 1700 gets is interesting and a little disturbing. What is the front tire versus rear tire weight ratio? Do the people who get less miles on the tire use the rear brake a great deal? When we had a Suzuki Intruder 1500 which looked similar to the Voyager 1700 we rarely used the rear brake and even the rear tire could get into the low five digit figures.

We just finished a pair of E3 on our Goldwing which of course means mean radials. We still got about 11,000 out of the pair and still had about 3/32" front and 4/32" rear (original specs from memory is about 6/32" front and 9/32" for a fresh pair). We changed them only because they were getting noisy in turns and we had to get a fork leak fixed so we figured it was the best time. Do the Bias Ply E3 get noisy in turns?

I bring this up because hopefully there could be something to fix the center of gravity or people can modify riding habits to get more rear tire wear.

One more question, has Kawasaki changed the max load rating? If I remember correctly it was about 379 pounds. Two people plus gear gets over that weight pretty quickly. If raised over 400 pounds it might be beneficial for sales.

Did I read somewhere once that the 2011 and 2012 are quieter than the 2009 and 2010?

We otherwise like the Voyager 1700 and think it is a good motorcycle for the money. I remember it going up against an comparably priced Electra Glide (not an Ultra) and the Voyager came out on top in one of the magazines (I think the HD still had the 96 c.i. engine and no lower leg warmers at the time).

[Turbo4x4]

Mike,
I don't remember hearing anything about the 1700 Voyager's GVWR being increased to accommodate a higher load rating. I believe that it will definitely & safely accommodate a higher rating, but it's not my opinion that matters. I consistently run over GVWR, but that's me. It's also one of the reasons I switched to the dark side. Higher weight ratings of the tires. I still haven't been able to ride the Voyager with the new rear tire due to weather, but will let you know when I do. .

[David (N. Alabama)]

Hey Mike, I visit several Vulcan forums and the variance in mileage on the Voyager is pretty spread out. I have read from 5000 to 12000 miles on the OEM rear tires. and 8000 to 16000 on replacement tires. There are many variables when it comes to tire wear that have to do with the evironment, riding style, and weight of riders and gear.

Cruiser riders typically use the rear brake way more than they should, but I haven't paid attention regarding whether the ABS (linked brake) bikes are reporting more or less mileage.

I changed my OEM tire at 7000 because I had a long trip planned and didn't want to run out of tire on the road. I sent the front to Chris and I believe he got another 5k or so out of it. My first E3 went 16,000 miles and my second E3 went 13300 miles. I am now trying the Michelin Commander II.

The darkside does not fit with my riding style, and based on why you changed out your rear tire, I doubt it would fit your riding style either.

[Chris near Kansas City]

I sent the front to Chris and I believe he got another 5k or so out of it.

[HMB Don]

Just read the Rider Article about the 1700 over the weekend, I had to find a copy, and while at the Corbin Seat Factory I found it. Seemed like the guy was angry about the way a standard Voyager 1700 comes equiped. The last one he rode was a factory demo which come loaded with everything. Everything else was that he was riding a V-twin touring bike. Not an inline 4 or 6, or even a flat 6.

It has taken me 14 months and 30k to get to really like my 1700, just this weekend while on a NorCal club ride my son was on my old 1200. My old 1200 is till good looking but I now enjoy my 1700 much more.

About tires, orginal rear tire 5,800 miles, E-3 19,000 miles. Front orginal front 12,000 miles, Comander II 18,000 miles and it's about down to the replace part of the tire. I'll be trying an E-3 on the front, Duane tells me to back to the Bridgestone's. I do almost all braking with the front brakes, and I load the front end of the bike when I'm riding twisting roads. Loading the front end means that I sit way up toward the tank, and I trail brake into the corners. I have the rear shocks set at #4 and run 40 lbs of air in the shocks. I like a firm ride, plus also lifts the rear of the motorcycle to help load the front end. No wiggle out of the frame, but I get the shocks to pogo when pushed real hard. Dragging the floor boards; once I learned how to ride the 1700 I stopped draging the floorboards. But it had to be ridden different, I use long flowing turns, then start feeding throttle to lift the motorcycle to give me more clearance. I also added some spacer under the floorboards to give me more clearance. But if ridden like a sport bike the floorboards start dragging before you enter the turn.

About the long wheel base on the 1700. I like it; gives me a much better ride on rough roads. The rear speakers on the 1700 you don't need them, much better audio then the 1200.

This is my Voyager 1700

Don Medina
President
NorCal Voyagers Club
AVA boardmember

2012 Voyager 1700

[fellowship]

No doubt the best ride ever on the Voyager XII with the CT. Darkside is for me. Thanks to all that have taken the venture and provide the specifics to make this happen.
PROS:
Better control,
Quieter than MT,
smoother than MT,
More responsive,
Better at slow turns,
Better price on NEXUS,


CON:
CT not as good at rear braking
CT presently has a slight wobble occasional during lane change at high speed
CT is one ply compared to MT five ply
My mechanic gave me a 30 minute lecture about how wrong it is to put on CT
Same mechanic refused to mount to rim

POSSIBLE SOLUTION:
CT requires more front brake application
CT seems to improve with time, PSI adjustment, recheck installation for proper torque
CT will require routine checks. Avoid curbs and other such hazards to side wall as much as possible
Listen to people that are care, but may not have all the facts straight
Learn how to mount to rim (self) (I already have the knowledge, but letting others know it is so easy to do yourself)

EXPECTATIONS:
More miles
More fun
No more Rear MT on the Voyager