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►Touring riders are
supposed to be rich as Midas, with saddlebags full of money they're practically
panting to spend. Maybe so, but for those of us with buying power a few clicks
down, Kawasaki offers its Voyager. If you want proof by the numbers, try these
figures on for size: At $8700, the Voyager is $1100 less expensive than the next
priciest tourer, Yamaha's Venture; $2800 less than Honda's GL1500; and a
whopping $4300 less than Harley-Davidson's FLHTC Ultra Classic.
Kawasaki's Voyager is also the quickest in its class. The
liquid-cooled, 16-valve, five-speed inline-four provides acceleration both from
0 to 60 mph and through the quarter-mile that whips every other big-rig tourer.
It complements that impressive speed with an almost ethereal smoothness
(courtesy of twin gear-driven counterbalancers), a broad powerband, tack-sharp
carburetion and instantaneous throttle response. The Voyager's the class
lightweight, too—at least of the big Japanese tourers. Only Harley's FLTC and
FLHTC and BMW's K100LT scale under the Kawasaki's 803-pound wet weight.
But then,
the Voyager entered the high-stakes touring game in 1986 with those attributes,
as the quickest, least expensive and one of the lightest. Not much has changed
since then. In 1987 the Voyager gained a cruise control, rear speakers for the
AM/FM cassette deck, winglets on the fairing's trailing edges and different
paint. Otherwise, the firm's flagship tourer remains the same, with steel-tube
frame, triple-disc brakes, manually adjustable suspension, 16-inch front and
15-inch rear wheels, hydraulically adjusted valves and a multitude of
adjustments for rider and passenger accommodations.
Out on the
superslab, in the land of chicken fried steaks and bottomless cups of coffee, a
rider rarely feels he's had to give up much of consequence in trade for the
Voyager's bargain-basement price. The fairing offers good wind protection for
average-height riders, the riding position is roomy and relaxed and, set in the
lower range of its adjustment, the suspension lets the bike fairly float over a
wide variety of road surfaces. There's abundant small-item storage, the stereo
offers decent sound quality plus a host of adjustments to amuse the rider, and
the cruise control works competently, exhibiting only a slight jerkiness in
maintaining speed on downhills.
Still, there
are shortcomings, and first among them is the saddle. The soft, thin padding
practically guarantees you'll be ready to take a break well before the bike runs
through its 6.1-gallon fuel supply. The Voyager lacks a particularly refined
sense of straightline stability, too. The Dunlop Gold Seal F21 front tire
follows rain grooves and pavement ruts, and even on a smooth surface the bike
wanders slightly. And a passenger will complain about both a shortage of weather
protection and a surfeit of wind noise.
Once a rider
reaches the bright lights of the big city, he'll be thankful he's not paying for
some things most other tourers have aplenty; namely, weight and clumsy low-speed
handling. The low mass, 16-inch front wheel and tillerlike handlebars help yield
remarkably light, quick steering, making the Voyager one of the most agile
touring bikes at slow speeds. That same steering quickness, though, exacts a
penalty. It's tough to maintain a precise course at slightly more than a walking
pace, especially if the bike's burdened with a full load and passenger.
Many of
those traits characterize the Voyager's twisty road behavior as well. The bike
feels nimble, with slot-car steering response that gets it in and out of corners
quickly. Such assets help rank Kawasaki's Voyager—again—near the top among
touring bikes for back road handling. Still, a rider needs to exercise a gentle
hand at the helm. Flicking the bike into turns makes the front end feel rubbery,
and discourages further exploration of the rather limited cornering clearance;
the footpegs touch down first and at a lesser lean angle than almost any other
modern motorcycle. For
a solo rider, setting the suspension to eight psi in the front, 25 psi
in the rear (5.7 to 8.5 psi and 21 to 36 psi are the suggested ranges,
front and rear) and clicking the shocks' rebound damping to the fourth
of their four adjustments gives the best compromise for ride and
handling.
 The low mass, 16-inch front wheel and
tillerlike handlebars make the Voyager one of the most agile touring
bikes at slow speeds. 
Unfortunately, the Voyager's lengthy roster of bests and mosts is accompanied by
a similarly long list of annoyances. Of all the available adjustments to the
handlebars, trunk, passenger saddle and windscreen height, only the bars offer
any useful range.► |
Bike Tests 
