Faults:

I ride my bikes hard. This is the 6th Voyager I've owned. The previous 5 were all 84's with the 6 cylinder which were a lot of fun. This 2000 I have now is a 4 cylinder, but lacks no power. Recently went to North Carolina and rode the Tail of the Dragon (318 curves in 11 miles), and scraping pegs in almost all the corners was a blast.

I absolutely love the Voyager and recommend anyone interested in a big bike to check it out before buying a Goldwing.

Faults:

Oil leak.

General Comments:

The Kawasaki Voyager 1200 is dated but still a rock solid performer.

Best touring bike for the money. Less cramped than a Gold Wing.

Lots of power, storage, comfort.

Faults:

Wrong alternator fitted by a previous owner (Suzuki) shorted and fried a lot of electrical (including the speedo/revcounter) components.

Clutch cage bearings worn out.

Speedo drive/gear rusted solid.

Turn signal cancelling stopped working.

General Comments:

I live in Germany and it's very difficult to get any of the plastic parts. However many of the components are used on other Kawasaki models. So with a bit of patience and the internet, alternatives can be found.

After a bad crash caused by a mysterious uncontrollable tank slapper at about 90mph, the fairing and trunk are destroyed and it's too expensive to get the parts second hand from the States to here (price + freight + import taxes + customs).

So it'll get rebuilt with the help of Vetter...

Apart from that, a wonderful bike that I enjoyed riding. Sure it had problems with the front end wobbling, but that was mostly a problem with fork pressure/tyre pressure and/or rear suspension set up.

It was a joy to ride either on the autobahn or in town, alone or two up with all our junk.

I'm thinking about buying another, but here in Germany they can be very expensive...

Faults:

Well, it's a very well engineered machine, as every Kawasaki I have owned through the decades has been. Fairly low maintenance machines. After 80,000+ miles, keep some synthetic 20-50 weight oil on hand.

General Comments:

Well, the main issues with this particular bike are that the forks tend to shimmy at take off at times, and when sharp bumps (holes, rocks, etc) are hit. Also, try to keep both hands on the handlebars, as it will start to shimmy a little going down the road sometimes, and could get uncontrollable. I'm looking at adding an aftermarket superbrace to see if that controls the forks shimmy issue.

The other issue is that it is very top heavy. You sit higher than the other full dress 1200+ bikes. Reminds me of my 1960s, and 70s Honda CBs; top heavy and 800-900 lbs, plus a rider sitting even higher, can get to be quite a workout!

Overall, it should still be on the road for much longer, as it's a "Kow", built in Nebraska!