The Touring Bike With The Longest Riding Range That Is Not A BMW

The majority of the touring motorcycles out there with the longest-riding range are BMWs. The likes of the R 1250 RT, the R 18 B, and the popular K 1600 GT slide into the top 5 ranks of longest-riding tourers. But there’s a problem. These are expensive options, with the most affordable one hovering around $20,000. What if one wanted an affordable mile-munching touring bike? That too without compromising on the riding range.

We have an affordable Kawasaki touring cruiser with more riding range than some of the above-mentioned BMW heavy-hitters. The best part? It costs half as much as them while offering ample features to be your companion on long open roads. Also, despite being a metric cruiser, this Kawa still packs an old-school charm that reciprocates well with a classic American V-twin cruiser bike.

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The Kawasaki Vulcan 900 LT Is An Old-School Touring Cruiser With Impressive Riding Range

Total Riding Range: 291.5 Miles

The Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic LT is a middleweight touring cruiser bike. In fact, it is the souped-up version of the barebones Vulcan 900 Classic, which lends its underpinnings and engine to the LT. The only difference is the addition of touring-specific features like saddlebags, a pillion backrest, and a tall windscreen. Giving this Kawasaki cruiser its impressive riding range is its frugal engine.

That enables a commendable 55 MPG. Couple this with its sizable 5.3-gallon fuel tank, and this low-slung chrome-laden tourer can do over 290 miles on a full tank of gas. To give you an idea, this number puts the Vulcan 900 LT in the top 3 touring bikes with the longest-riding range, outclassing even the BMW K 1600 models with gigantic 7-gallon fuel tanks.

The Vulcan 900 Classic LT Is Powered By An “Authentic Looking” V-Twin

Power: 47 Horsepower

The only thing that connects this Kawasaki V-twin to an old-school American twin is its looks, laden with chrome and flaunting a chunky air cleaner cover. But underneath all that bling, this 903 cc V-twin is a properly modern mill. The 55-degree four-stroke engine is liquid-cooled and has an oversquare construction with a short stroke. This should technically allow it to rev quicker than long-stroke V-twins.

It gets four valves per cylinder and flaunts a single overhead camshaft design. The performance curve is linear, and the lower rev-band is meaty, with its nearly 60 pound-feet of torque peaking at just 3,500 RPM. Power is sent to the rear wheel via a 5-speed gearbox and a Kevlar-based belt drive system. Features like electronic fuel injection and digital injection control complement this cozy V-twin’s refinement levels and help squeeze out commendable MPG figures.

Engine And Gearbox Specs

The Vulcan 900 Classic LT Promises To Be A Capable Mile-Muncher

With A Tall WIndscreen And Gorgeous-Looking Leather Saddlebags

The Vulcan 900 Classic LT’s underpinnings complement its relaxed V-twin’s character. It is stretched out with a wheelbase of 64.8 inches that should aid in highway stability. The rake angle is notable at 32 degrees, which further elevates its stance. It is complemented visually with chunky fork covers and a full-sized teardrop-styled front fender. This Vulcan offers a very accessible seat height of just 26.8 inches. Moving on, the hardware suite is straightforward, with no complex components.

It packs a double cradle frame that cocoons the V-twin. This is suspended by chunky 41 mm forks up front and a preload-adjustable hidden monoshock at the rear. The wheel travel is commendable for a low-slung cruiser, with 5.9 inches in the front and 4.1 inches at the rear. Braking duties are courtesy of a 300 mm disc up front and a 270 mm disc at the rear. This Kawa utilizes a 16-inch front and 15-inch rear spoked wheel layout and flaunts a chunky 180-section rear tire.

The rider triangle is very relaxed, with a deep, scooped saddle, forward-biased footpegs, and a pulled handlebar layout that promotes an upright riding posture. Kawasaki even offers an optional gel seat for added touring comfort. Features like leather saddlebags, a passenger backrest, and an adjustable tall windscreen elevate its touring qualities further.

Dimensions And Hardware Specs

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Is The Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic LT A Good Beginner Bike?

Its Weight And Lack Of Features Spoil The Show

Kawasaki has tuned the Vulcan 900’s engine to be beginner-friendly. Unfortunately, other aspects do not align well with this idea. To cater to the “big bike” look, Kawasaki has ignored the Vulcan 900 Classic LT’s weight. Its stretched-out dimensions, chunky body panels (like the front fork covers and lavish footboard), and heavy all-metal build shoot its weight past the 650-pound mark.

That’s very heavy for a middleweight touring bike with barely 50 horsepower. Its low-slung design indeed adds convenience and accessibility with a low seat height. But that alone doesn’t induce confidence in a newbie riding this heavy touring cruiser. Additionally, the Vulcan 900 lacks even basic safety features like combined braking or ABS. A heavy motorcycle without a basic safety net is not a good recipe.

2025 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic LT Rivals

It Locks Horns With Affordable Touring-Ready Cruiser Bikes

The closest rival to this Kawasaki is a metric cruiser from Suzuki that also follows a similar template. The Boulevard C50T packs a shiny middleweight V-twin and produces 51 pound-feet of torque. It is also the only shaft-driven motorcycle in this bunch. It is a classic-vibing, low-slung, touring-ready cruiser with standard saddlebags and a tall windscreen. There’s also a lower curb weight of 644 pounds, but it has a higher seat height and lower torque.

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The Honda Rebel 1100T is a far superior rival to the Kawasaki. Its liter-class parallel-twin produces an impressive 86 horsepower and 72 pound-feet of torque. It also gets a 6-speed gearbox that elevates highway speeds and is insanely lighter at 520 pounds. Lockable hard saddlebags are standard, unlike the strapped leather ones on the Vulcan. But it does lack one thing—an old-school charm that the Vulcan recreates beautifully.

Its most affordable rival also happens to be the cheapest bagger available today. Despite packing a smaller engine, the Moto Morini Calibro 700 Bagger stands tall against the V-twin Kawasaki. This is because of its “sportier” twin-cylinder engine, which produces 68 horses and over 50 pounds-feet of torque. At just 443 pounds, this is the lightest motorcycle of this bunch and the only other bike with lockable hard saddlebags. But it also lacks the old-school American V-twin charm that attracts people to the Vulcan.

Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic LT Vs Affordable Baggers

*2023 MY Data Is Mentioned Here As It Is Still Listed On The Official Suzuki Website.