How The Kawasaki Vulcan Rivals The Honda Gold Wing At A Lower Price

Hands-down, the most luxurious and heritage-rich touring bikes available today are from the houses of Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycles. But outside America, the likes of BMW and Honda have formidable rivals in the form of the K 1600 line-up and the legendary Gold Wing series. The latter is in a league of its own because the Gold Wing is the only luxury touring bike today that can be equipped with a 6-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, and that makes a lot of difference. Moreover, the amount of technology and convenience features upholds the Gold Wing’s luxury appeal. Its sharp and futuristic design is a bonus.

However, all of this comes at a steep price of over $25,000, and the full-dresser Gold Wing costs well over $28,000. So what do you do if you want a Japanese rival to the Honda Gold Wing without spending that much? And it still boasts a charming old-school American design, and leaves no stone unturned when it comes to comfort, luxury, and convenience? Lucky for you, there is a Kawasaki touring bike that checks all these boxes. Let’s dive in.

The Kawasaki Vulcan 1700 Voyager Is Over $8,000 Cheaper Than A Honda Gold Wing

Kawasaki

There are very few cruiser-based touring bikes from Japan, and the number of full-dressers is even fewer. In fact, there are just two—the Kawasaki Vulcan 1700 Voyager and the Honda Gold Wing Tour. While Honda has a cult following for its legacy and the comprehensive package it offers, the Kawasaki Vulcan Voyager is the underdog in this regard. Sure, it’s not as tech-savvy or sharp-looking as the more powerful Honda Gold Wing, but the Kawa blows its rival over with insane value for money.

For just $20,199, the Vulcan 1700 Voyager offers a comparable luxury touring experience, complete with a comfortable saddle, a relaxed rider triangle, standard back support for the pillion, oodles of storage space, and an audio system with intercom support, to name a few. It also edges the Honda in old-school charm with a shiny big twin. Moreover, despite being of similar grandeur, the Kawa has a lower and more accessible seat height.

*Base Trims Compared Here

The Kawasaki Undercuts The Base Honda Gold Wing Bagger

Kawasaki

The Vulcan 1700 Voyager’s value proposition is dialed up even further when pitted against the standard Honda Gold Wing, a bagger. In theory, the standard Gold Wing should lock horns with the $19,499 Vulcan 1700 Vaquero bagger. However, we are making this comparison to show how aggressively priced the Voyager is. The Gold Wing loses out on the standard top box here, which in turn also eliminates the added back support for the pillion. So, comfort and convenience are where the Voyager truly shines, even when pitted against the technologically superior and more powerful Honda Gold Wing.

*Base Trims Compared Here

Tackles The Sharp And Modern Honda With Old-School Charm And Size

Kawasaki

The Vulcan Voyager has been around since 2009, and the current-gen model continues to flaunt the same design language as the original. Kawasaki has barely updated the Voyager over 16 years, which has actually contributed to its timeless and old-school charm. Forget the Gold Wing, this Kawasaki can easily stand tall with the likes of heritage-rich Harleys and Indians. The Vulcan 1700 Voyager looks like a beautifully proportioned land yacht with curves.

A unique design feature on this Kawa is its cool batwing-inspired fairing that also neatly houses the auxiliary lights for a cleaner look. It gets chunky fairing lowers and a tall windscreen for elevated wind protection. A dual-tone Metallic Ocean Blue / Metallic Moondust Gray dual-tone paint job elevates its visual appeal further. While the Voyager is a tad bit more compact than the Gold Wing, it is still a large touring bike, with a wheelbase of 65.6 inches and a width of 39.2 inches.

Design Features

• Chunky nine-spoke cast wheels.
• Gorgeous dual-tone paint jobs that complement its old-school-vibing design.
• Showered with chrome elements all around, including the engine and exhaust.
• Unique front fairing design that integrates the headlamp and auxiliary lights into one assembly.

Dimensions And Curb Weight

No Compromise On Comfort And Convenience

Kawasaki

This is where the Vulcan 1700 Voyager’s VFM tag truly shines. Despite being an “outdated” offering, it still matches the current modern line-up of touring rivals with comfort and convenience features. Starting with storage, the standard top box is huge and enough to fit two full-sized helmets with ease. The lockable side hardcases, each with a 10-gallon capacity, leave ample storage space for a weekend getaway for two.

Kawasaki

While the standard technology feature list is barebones, it includes vital bits like two LCDs among a four-pot analog housing, dual-channel ABS, and cruise control. It also gets an audio system with front fairing-mounted speakers as standard fitment. The optional list is a lot more vibrant with features like a helmet speaker kit, a passenger communication kit, removable inner bags for the top box and side cases, more comfortable gel seats, taller windscreens, and even visually enhancing billet and chrome trims. Even after configuring a 2025 Vulcan 1700 Voyager with all its available accessories (including dust covers), the final price didn’t breach $24,000, making the fully loaded Kawasaki Voyager full dresser still more affordable than the base Gold Wing bagger.

Standard Features

• 40W fairing-mounted speakers.
• Cruise control and dual-channel ABS.
• Lockable saddlebags; 10 gallons each.
• Top box with integrated back support for pillion.
• Integrated audio system with SiriusXM and intercom headset compatibility.

Powered By A Shiny Big Twin

Engine Displacement: 1,700 cc

Kawasaki

The biggest Kawasaki engine of 2025 powers the Voyager. The 1,700 cc liquid-cooled V-twin has remained unchanged since 2009. But thanks to its ahead-of-its-time features back then, it is still very much a refined and capable mill today. It has a distinctive 52-degree layout, which Kawa claims offers a unique rumble. It produces 82 horsepower and 107 pound-feet of torque. It is a meaty mill, with peak torque arriving at just 2,750 RPM, and the surge starting from as low as 1,500 RPM.

Power is transmitted to the rear wheel via a 6-speed gearbox coupled to a durable carbon fiber belt drive. The fifth and sixth are overdrive gears that help relax the engine and offer a relaxed “highway-speed” cruising experience. A testament to its overengineering is ride-by-wire technology, which has been available since 2006. In fact, this land yacht got this feature well before the sporty likes of the Kawasaki Z900 and the Z1000 streetfighters did.

Engine And Gearbox Specs

Solid Underpinnings Designed To Gobble Down Miles All Day Long

Main Frame: Double-cradle Steel Frame

Kawasaki

Things are fairly simple yet robust here. A sturdy double downtube cradle steel frame underpins the Vulcan 1700 Voyager. The frame is suspended by 43 mm telescopic forks up front with 5.5 inches of travel and twin rebound-adjustable air-assisted rear shocks with 3.1 inches of travel. Braking duties are taken care of by twin 300 mm discs coupled to 2-piston calipers up front. The rear gets a single 300 mm disc coupled to a 2-piston floating caliper. Apart from dual-channel ABS, it also gets linked braking for superior braking confidence. Complimenting its old-school and majestic visual charm are chunky tires wrapped around 16-inch alloy wheels.

Chassis And Hardware Specs