Simply pick any gear, twist the throttle, and you are gone. Thankfully, Kawasaki has bucked the dumb-down trend of cruiser engine architecture. Inside, the black box continuously monitors functions like throttle position, coolant temp, air temp and exhaust mixture. It crunches the numbers and instantly adjusts the fuel flow to the injectors. This means that the big Vulcan runs cooler, makes more power and gets better mileage over the carbed bike.
Vibration is tamed by incorporating a gear-driven engine balance shaft.
It is further reduced by using rubber in the engine mounts. Another smart touch are the hydraulic valve adjusters. No shims, buckets or lock nuts. No maintenance, period. The gearbox has five ratios, but with all of that torque, it doesn't even need four.