Scenario: you are new to riding, or curious about getting into riding, and you definitely like and want a cruiser; you like the look, vibe, the chill riding position, and not being rolling probable cause for stunting.
Problem: you sat on a Harley once, and were put off by the reality of keeping an eight hundred pound obelisk upright, and really don’t wanna be on the hook for dropping a bike that costs more than a lot of cars. Everything that makes cruisers cool tends to also make them not beginner friendly.
Solution: the 2026 Kawasaki Vulcan S Cafe.
The Kawasaki Vulcan S Cafe is a sporty, lightweight, comfortable, manageable, super easy-to-ride, cool-looking bike, with a proven engine and chassis, and simple tech. There’s no learning curve, there’s no menus, there’s no fussing around, no having to develop serious core strength, just get on and start having fun right now. All this on a brand new machine from an established brand for just over ten grand: $10,299 for the bike shown here.
Defining "S" and "Cafe"
The Vulcan S is a completely different, much more athletic platform than the more traditional, heavier, torquier, V-twin powered Vulcan. This Vulcan S Cafe model adds a sleek bullet fairing around the headlight and eye-catching Candy Plasma blue paint. Beyond that, it's no different from the base Vulcan S models.
Engine & performance
The Vulcan S is powered by the same engine as the Ninja 650R sport bike, a 649cc parallel-twin producing 61 horsepower and 46 foot-pounds of torque. This is a workhorse of an engine that Kawasaki has been building for twenty years now, and it’s developed a reputation for being about as reliable as a clock, and a fair bit more exciting.
It is particularly quiet at low speeds; it fires instantly and settles immediately settles into a nearly silent idle - great if you don’t want to be lumped in with the obnoxious cruiser crowd waking up the neighbourhood. It’s smooth and has a very linear, progressive spread of torque, and, breathing through dual throttle bodies, has a very distinct, sports-car-esque intake howl when you crack open the throttle and push it towards its nearly 10,000 rpm redline.
The gearing is fairly aggressive to favour brisk acceleration - combine this with the engine’s proclivity for revving and the bike’s low weight, and it’s surprisingly quick, comfortably able to hang with the heavyweight Harleys despite them having about three times as much engine on hand.
The 6-speed transmission shifts exceptionally well, with a long-ish, decisive throw that rewards a good cruiser-style kick. The very progressive clutch and linear throttle response make it very easy to work at speeds high or low; it’s a great way to learn rev-matching, and forgiving when stuck in traffic. The whole package is quite efficient too, with an average fuel use of 4.4L/100km.
Chassis & handling
The Vulcan S doesn't use a traditional cruiser style frame, because it isn’t a traditional cruiser. Instead, it uses a high-strength steel perimeter frame that makes use of the engine of a stressed member to save weight and improve rigidity. It’s very much like a sport bike, and that’s no coincidence; it’s a heavily modified Ninja frame, with a steeper front fork rake and an offset horizontal rear shock to accommodate an exceptionally low 27.8-inch seat height. The very low stance makes its 503-pound curb weight (with a full fuel load) disappear, and it’s very, very easy to maneuver around town.
The seat is fairly comfortable, and can be adjusted, along with the foot pegs and handlebars to comfortably accommodate a wide range of riders, and is very friendly to both the vertically challenged and my tall lanky frame. Either way, you sit upright, with your arms at a comfortable height, and your feet fairly far forward - not all the way lounging, but decidedly more traditional than say, a Honda Rebel.
The 41mm front forks are not adjustable, and tuned to be quite firm. This helps resist brake dive typical of cruisers, and it gives the front end excellent feel and a sense of agility, but it is quite hard over big heaves. The rear shock is adjustable for preload if you’re carrying cargo, or have the bike fitted for a passenger, but it’s not tool-less like some.
Brake feel is good, and easy to modulate, with good front and rear balance. It’s bike that easy to ride briskly and very much encourages it, and it’s generally fairly comfortable most of the time; I may just be getting old and my iron butt is getting rusty. Either way, it didn't stop me from wanting to take it out for a ride.
Wrap it up
The 2026 Kawasaki Vulcan S Cafe takes all the things that work against cruisers and turns them on their head, resulting in a curious creation that’s part sport bike, part classic, and all fun. It’s super beginner friendly, and more than interesting enough to entertain a more seasoned rider, too, and it does it all for a very fair asking price and a promise of long term reliability through simple, proven hardware.