Skip, First, rich running isn't what discolors an exhaust pipe... lean running does. Next, it wasn't the stock exhaust that discolored, was it? On a Vulcan, you can't see the stock exhaust which is hidden under some "heat shields". Last, the plugs look just about perfect for a VN... VN plugs tend to soot just a tad if you putt around on the bike since their combustion chambers are way-small for a bike with that displacement. I would run some Sea-Foam in my gas and also spray some Sea Breeze (the aerosol form of Sea Foam) in my carbs now and again to avoid excess sooting. In colder weather, don't be afraid to use one heat range warmer spark plug. This helps the combustion chamber stay clean.
The VN family has a few quirks that confound some of the standard advice for a KZ as I noted above. Your plugs look great and don't worry so much. BTW: The Sea Foam product is a petroleum distillate and won't hurt your performance, the gas or internal components and it does work reasonably well to clean things. When you spray it in the carbs with the bike running, the smoke will scare you but that is normal. I know the VROC crowd is rowdy but they are a better source of Vulcan related info than you will find here. Don't be afraid to ask me questions regarding Vulcans either as I am VROC #2420 and have owned a bunch of them and have done a lot of mechanical work on Vulcans in the past.