[burkbuilds]

Pete, I switched from the GZ to a Vulcan 500 about 14 months and 19,000 miles ago and I highly recommend the bike to you. My manual says it weighs 473 lbs dry, but I would never have guessed it weighed that much based on how it feels and handles. The acceleration is much greater than the GZ and the top speed is over 100 mph (personal experience). I ride a lot of highway miles and it really handles the turbulence of the 18 wheelers without a problem. My mileage is about 60 mpg which is less than I was getting on the GZ by about 10 mpg but not bad considering it's two cylinders and twice the cc's of the GZ. The bike is well balanced and I walk it into the garage and back out every day while sitting on the seat without any problem. Now, having said that, I'm 6'1" and weigh about 215 lbs, so if you are 5'6" and weigh 150 lbs, that would be much more of a challenge. If you get an opportunity, try to test drive one and see what you think, I would have guessed the weight at about 375 -400 if someone had asked me.