Kawasaki Vulcan 1600 Mean Streak

I have ridden my Mean Streak over 55,000 mile in 4 years and have found that it is great on the road if you do the following things to it. First thing is a new seat. I have the Mustang and the only limit now is the gas tank size. I can go 140 mile before I really need to find gas fast. I also put 3" risers on the handlebars so that I don't have to lean forward so much. The Mean Streak comes with drag style bars and they put you in that position. A Memphis Shades shield, soft leather saddle bags and a luggage rack make it ready for the long ride. By using a Cruizer II bag on the sissy bar and a Nelson Rigg bag on the seat behind me I've been able to go for 2 weeks on the road. I added driving lights to the highway bars for added visibility for myself and others. A Garmin 250W is mounted just below the handlebars. This position works very well.
An ongoing issue that I've had is the short life of tires on this bike. I have tried every brand that fits. The Dunlop Road Smart tires with the dual compound seems to be the best. Great feel and long wear. I am not happy with their front tire though. It has a sloppy feel and seems to be wearing as fast as all the others I've tried.

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Permalink Reply by Robin on December 24, 2008 at 8:30pm: Glad to hear that kind of longevity! I just got mine in July this year and put abput 8000 on it so far, I love this bike! So far I've added pipes, fuel controller, intake, and a CWI backrest at the request of my wife, lol, she's rode most of those miles with me. I got right 6k out of the stock tires and switched to Avon Storms, wonderful tire so far, but I only have about 2k on the Avon. The stock seat doesn't bother me much, I've done a couple 500 mile days with no problems, but my wife will beg to differ!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Howard Bond on December 24, 2008 at 9:44pm: 10-4 on your wife begging to differ on the seat. I changed me seat to a Mustang w/o backrests. My wife loved it as much as I do. She got tired of the riding on the back though. One time she was falling asleep on the ride from Myrtle Beach one year. She took the MSF rider course and got her own bike. She has ridden over 30,000 miles beside me and is now a pretty good rider.
A little more on the tires thing. I use a Dunlop Road Smart 180/55/17 on the rear and am very satisfied for the first time with a tire on this bike. The Road Smart for the front is not very good. I have had the best feel and life with the stocker Dunlop 130/70/17 on the front. I tried Bridgestone BTO22's or 21's on the front and they wore out fast and uneven.
I also have found that this engine is VERY HARD on oil and should be changed at 3000 mile intervals. My wife's bike (Honda 750 Shadow ACE) is so easy on the oil that it hardly changes color in 5000 miles.
If you have any questions about this bike I can probably give you the answer. I do all the work on my bikes and always have to them all.
Merry Christmas,
Howard
Talk to you later.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Robin on December 25, 2008 at 12:01pm: Howard, have you stuck with one particular brand of oil/filter over the miles? I'm thinking about moving to Amsoil at my next change.

Merry Christmas!
Robin; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Howard Bond on December 25, 2008 at 6:18pm: I like the Valvolene V-Twin Oil in the 20w-50 weight. My favorite oil now is Castrol Actevo oil especially formulated for motorcycle engines with wet clutch. Also I use a Fram oil filter on oil changes for both bikes.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Rob on February 16, 2009 at 3:54pm: Hey Robin. A close friend sells Amsoil and swears by it, on a Kawasaki Rider's forum folks complain about the excessive engine noise that occurs with it's use (because of it's particular properties) I had an oil change last week and asked my Kawasaki tech and he recommends Kawasaki Oil. He rides both street and dirt bikes and swears by stock oil. Anyway, thought I'd share that.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Janna Colaizzi on January 7, 2009 at 12:59pm: Hi there, I have an 02' Meanstreak that I just love. It has 43,000 miles on it and I have never had a problem. It has Cobra pipes, a Power Commander, Corbin seat and a little Harley style windshield. I have had the best luck with the stock Dunlop tires, always getting over 11,000 miles on them. Also, I change my oil every 3 months or 3000 miles (which-ever comes first). I use the castrol actevo 10/40. I used the 20/50 in the hot summer and my bike didn't like it. The motor made more noise than usual. I also use a purolator oil filter, which in tests, was one of the best for filtering. Also, there is a great online forum for Meantreak owners : Meansteak owners club, or something to that effect. Lots of helpful, and very knowlegdeable people there. Happy Streakin'. :); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Rob on February 16, 2009 at 8:54am: Hey all! This is to the Mean Streak riders here. Does anyone have passenger complaints on the passenger peg vibration off the exhaust mount? If so, I have a mod I can share that removes the problem completely.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Howard Bond on February 16, 2009 at 9:08am: I've never had a passenger complain about this. I would suggest changing to some wider pegs or some mini floorboards for the rear. Also check all your engine mounts for tightness and especially the right side of the frame. The section that extends from the upper portion of the radiator to the rear of the engine is prone to get loose. I have found that this is the case for most of the Vulcan 1500/1600's.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Nick Charest on May 14, 2009 at 7:00pm: I'm pleased to hear how much you folks enjoy your bikes. I'm 57 years old now and started riding at about 10. My Dad was an old hill climber. Got into bikes with old Triumphs, BSA's , Valacates. My first teaching job, right out of college, bought a new FX 1200 Harley. I think all bikes are great. Any size, any model. In the past decade my Son, got me into sport bikes. I rode FJ 1200 for quite a few years. The "meanstreak" handles so well, and has plenty of power. I just got it new, rode 125 miles yesterday. Now I'm retired there are lot's of great Vermont roads and places to visit. I feel like I'm 12 again.
Nick Charest; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by E-Rokk on June 5, 2009 at 1:24am: I really like the look of the Mean streaks, I think they did a great job. I personally like buying old barn bikes so I am forced to rip them apart and learn every piece of them, but that is the first bike I have ever considered buying new.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by zero26tb4u on June 10, 2009 at 9:26pm: Hey Nick, I'm currently considering purchasing a mean streak but I currently own a 1993 FJ1200. Having now owned and rode both of these bikes how would you rate the power of the mean streak as to that of the FJ? Thanks in advance for the input.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Rob on October 21, 2009 at 3:20pm

I love the power! I have a 1988 Magna (750 V-4) and the Mean Streak runs good and strong. I did some mods to the bike to up the power from 62 to 73 horse and the torque is at 94 ft. lbs. which is respctable.
If you read the reviews you'll find the Mean Streak is a top all around bike. It handles better than most cruisers, stops on the dime (Best rated braking and handling bike other than a Valkyrie). Personally, I push the bike to it's limits and it doesn't complain!
Took it to the Blue Ridge Parkway and US 129 (Dragon), and Deals Gap twice this past summer and it did well both as a long haul touring cruiser and as a sport cruiser. The bike is a gem.

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