The first thing that struck me when seeing the 900 Custom in person was that it looked pretty cool, especially for a bike that lists for $7,349. Right away, my eye was drawn to the automotive-style cast aluminum 21” front rim, with its double flanged and tapered spokes. The dual staggered slash-cut mufflers also and to the 900 Custom’s visual appeal, even if tiny exhaust outlets hide inside them.

The motor, of course, is less exciting to peruse visually. It’s your typical water-cooled V-twin with faux fins to simulate air-cooling. I hate faux, but I guess there’s no way around it so I suppose I should be more accepting of the virtually inevitable. Inside the motor, performance (rather than appearance) fans will find a bit to cheer about. Each cylinder houses an overhead cam and four-valves, each individually EFI-fed by a 34mm Keihin throttle body. Oh, that’s right. These are the same guys who bring us the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14. But, still, we’re looking at a 903cc V-twin cruiser. As I wondered earlier, how exciting could this bike be?

As it turns out, it may not be the most exciting bike you can buy, but the Vulcan 900 Custom is certainly an unexpected pleasure. Over 60 ft-lbs of torque at 3,500 rpm doesn’t really tell the story; instead, look to decidedly oversquare 88mm bore and 74mm stroke. Unlike the two-liter Vulcan, which suffers from a lumpy power delivery, induced by a mega-stroke, the 900 Custom revs both smoothly and quickly. It never gets in its own way, because it is simply moving too fast for that. No, it’s not a sport bike, but it’s not stretching things to call the 900 Custom a sport custom. (Click image to enlarge)

The 900 Custom’s handling cashes the check written by the motor. Intuitively, the narrow 21” front tire and 180mm (x15”) rear rubber suggests a bike that doesn’t want to hang in the corners. Nothing could be further from reality. This bike loves to carve in the canyons. While it doesn’t have sportbike ground clearance or brakes (single discs at both ends), as long as you don’t expect to go diving into corners and nailing the binders and cranking it over, you’ll be fine. The 900 Custom craves fast sweepers, where it will confidently hold a line at a surprisingly fast speed. Credit the Dunlop rubber for its part in the bike’s canyon performance.

Suspension also exceeds expectations, especially if you’ve been riding around on Sportsters lately. There are six inches of travel in the front and four in the rear, but, most importantly, these inches are properly sprung and well damped. Potholes are not cause for alarm, and the suspension is composed at high speeds—in both straight lines and when heeled over. For boulevard cruising, the suspension isn’t going to win you any tough-guy awards, as it treats you gently. Ergonomics add to the package. The pegs are definitely feet forward, but the drag-style bars come back to the rider, keeping everything comfortable and stylish, yet ready for spirited riding.