Kawasaki VN800 classic Review

The bike was very smooth to ride with no nasty surprises, and the engine was very free revving for a budget v-twin, pulling well (considering its size) throughout the rev range. The gear change is also excellent, and Kawasaki has a feature that works when the bike is at a standstill, which only allows you to change up to neutral from 1st which is superb. It is worth noting that getting the chain adjustment right is critical to get that good gearchange on the move. Also the tank range or rather lack of it can be a pain. Even with gentle use I would be lucky to get to 110 miles before the splutter meant that I had to flick it onto reserve (the control is by the left knee). This always seemed to happen when I was overtaking or in the outside lane!

The quality of the bodywork, chrome and plastics are good but not so good is the black paint finish on the frame, which despite my example being pampered and never taken out in rough weather, started to rust in some vulnerable areas. Also not so good is access to the fuses which are buried under a chassis bracket under the seat, and you have to remove the battery before you can get to the fuse box, all very fiddly. The standard pipes are way too quiet and heavy, but this can be remedied cheaply with a set of aftermarket pipes, and there are plenty to choose from. I chose a set made by BSM also known as thunder pipes, which I purchased from Custom cruisers in Derbyshire, and for £200 a pair they transformed the sound of the bike and also were a lot lighter than the originals.

Taken into context that this is a budget bike and a cruiser, the suspension and brakes are perfectly acceptable and never gave me any nasty surprises. The rear suspension has a clever concealed monoshock arrangement and gave a very smooth ride.

One aspect of my ownership that I wasn’t expecting was just how relaxing it was to ride without the pressure to chase sports bikes if they pass. With a bike of this type you can just take your time and do your own thing, and quite often catch the sport bikes up at the next set of lights anyway. I have rated the bikes performance taking into consideration it’s a cruiser not a sports bike.

I enjoyed my many miles on my VN800 and would not hesitate to recommend one to anyone who was looking for a middle weight Japanese cruiser, just keep an eye on the frame paint work and the chain adjustment and you should have many smiles per mile.