[wbsprudels]

I just wondered if there were any opinions out there about favoring Kawasaki’s Vulcan 750 (1995) or Suzuki’s Intruder 800 (1993). Kelly Blue Book retail prices are similar (about 2400 in my area), both have shaft drives, mileages are similar, decent reviews at Total Motorcycle, etc.

I am leaning towards the Intruder but am wondering if anyone has advice that would tell me I’m crazy.

[Jon D.]

I would hate to be in your shoes right now, both are great bikes. Recently rode a buddy’s S50 and although I am not a cruiser fan, it was a neat ride. +1 to Elwood, have a seat and the one that feels best will probably be the most enjoyable. Good luck and have fun. Jon D.

[SantaCruzRider]

I looked at these two as well. Both (IMHO) are really nice bikes and awesome values on the used market. I really like the Intruder styling, but it’s also an old school cruiser that can be a turn off for some. The Vulcan is more neutral looking. I think both ride well and it’s a matter of personal preference. From a practical standpoint, here’s how I broke down the advantages:

Wheels: ++Vulcan for cast wheels (Intruder has spokes–look cool, but it’s dirt bike tech)
Range: +Vulcan 166 miles on a tank vs 143 for Intruder. Vulcan’s got the bigger tank and better mileage
Speed: +Intruder-leaves everything in it’s class (exept a Magna) in the dust. Still, the Vulcan is less than a half second behind in the quarter, and if you really want fast, you don’t want a cruiser anyway, so it’s all relative.
Engine: Draw: both liquid cooled with shaft drive. It didn’t (and doesn’t) get much better.

I never bought either, but I think the Intruder has an awesome look (even with the spokers) LOL

Buy either one!

[Matt]

Wheels:

Spoke wheels require an inner tube, making them heavier and accelerate slower, they also flex when leaned hard. BUT, the flexing also acts as another layer of suspension giving you a smoother more comfortable ride than the same bike with cast wheels.

Sit on ’em, and if you can, ride them around the block.
You aren’t going wrong with either one, just find the one that speaks to you.

[Clay Dowling]

“Speed: +Intruder-leaves everything in it’s class (exept a Magna) in the dust.”

Which brings to mind: see if you can find a Magna. Obviously, by the picture I’m biased. Beauty is that the Magna, while fast, isn’t prone to launching you into space. If you go fast it’s because you meant to go fast, not because you twitched the throttle when you flew through a cloud of june bugs.

[wbsprudels]

Thanks for the replies. It will be difficult to compare them at the same time as they are each more than 2 hours from my house. I think I will start with the Intruder because I like it’s looks. If that falls through, I will pursue the Vulcan. I have pictures I would like to show, but I can’t figure out how to upload them.

[eon]

Look for the image below the box you type in. Clicking that allows you to upload images.

[wbsprudels]

Thanks, Eon. Took me a while to figure this out (I didn’t realize I was inserting the thumbnails). Here is the Intruder…

and here is the Vulcan…

[Matt]

Going on nothing but photos, the intruder gets my vote too!

Mind you, the photo of the Vulcan is pretty poor… if we clean it up a bit, it doesn’t look so shabby.

But still, the intruder is pretty slick with the red frame, red shaft (nice touch) and spoke wheels…

[Jon D.]

That Intruder is beautiful….no more to say. Jon D.

[Author]

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