Kaw Nomad

[SilvrT]

Went and road tested a couple Kawasaki Vulcan Nomads on Sat. First one was a '08 .... not a bad price either ( $11,700) brand new. Second one was a '06 for $8,800 ... had 19k km's on it...very clean and the only extras were Vance & Hines slip-on's and nicer hand grips. I like the looks of these scoots and have been toying with the idea of getting one.

 

They were quite comfortable to ride... even Nina was impressed...we both thought they would be considerably rougher. She liked the rumble of the V-twin and the V&H slip-ons.

 

I did find them considerably under powered tho...a lot less than I expected for a 1600cc V-twin and no match... not even close to my VR.

 

Am wondering what improvements can be done power wise... I know I could get a power commander or something like that. Anyone have any thoughts on this.

 

Was also wondering why these bikes which are fuel injected have a manual choke???

[BuddyRich]

Don't know. I had an 01 FI. Never really had to use the choke. They are way under powered. The power commander won't make enough of a difference but will allow you to get rid of the ping. I did like the side opening saddlebags. Well, the one on the left can be a bit challenging sometimes. They are lighter than these. I was in the process of adding a trunk to mine. That's when I went ahead and got the RSV.

Did you look at an RSTD yet. There ain't no cruise control on the cowee .

You'll really miss the V4 when your on the NAD.

[SilvrT]

Don't know. I had an 01 FI. Never really had to use the choke. They are way under powered. The power commander won't make enough of a difference but will allow you to get rid of the ping. I did like the side opening saddlebags. Well, the one on the left can be a bit challenging sometimes. They are lighter than these. I was in the process of adding a trunk to mine. That's when I went ahead and got the RSV.

Did you look at an RSTD yet. There ain't no cruise control on the cowee .

You'll really miss the V4 when your on the NAD.

 

Really hard to find one of these for sale around here and if it's a private deal, I don't want to bother the owner just so I can get to road test it. I have looked at a new ones but never road tested. Eventually tho, I will. Got at least a year before I'll be ready to get a newer ride. Just doing a lot of comparisons for now.

 

Cruise control.... heck, I've used the cruise once...no, twice in the last 9 or 10 years... once on my '85 and once on this one.... both times was when I was on a major freeway with minimal traffic riding solo doing 140 plus. Fact is, most of my riding rarely takes me onto such highways (when there is minimal traffic). The freeways around here are so busy, cruise is useless.

 

I never noticed any pinging on these 2 bikes. Aside from fuel injection, from 2005 on, the engines are 1600 cc (not 1500), have hydraulic lifters, and crank balancers... they are fairly smooth for a V-twin I thought.

[Guest Boomerbiker]

I owned the '05 KAw Nomad, the first year they upped the displacement. It was the bridge bike between the C50 Suzuki (a sweet ride after 30 years) and the '06 RSV. Wife doesn't ride and I weigh 160, but still thought the bike could use a little more power and it burns premium fuel and mileage okay. Also, no cruise. Looked at the new Harley tourer yesterday; improvements to exhaust system and frame are nice. Cost money for the name, though. The Kaw may handle better, but I like the effect of winding the RSV in third gear when there are a few grannies out in front.

[SilvrT]

Found this interesting comparison...

 

http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/roadtests/open_road_ramblers/index.html

[davepa]

Went and road tested a couple Kawasaki Vulcan Nomads on Sat. First one was a '08 .... not a bad price either ( $11,700) brand new. Second one was a '06 for $8,800 ... had 19k km's on it...very clean and the only extras were Vance & Hines slip-on's and nicer hand grips. I like the looks of these scoots and have been toying with the idea of getting one.

 

They were quite comfortable to ride... even Nina was impressed...we both thought they would be considerably rougher. She liked the rumble of the V-twin and the V&H slip-ons.

 

I did find them considerably under powered tho...a lot less than I expected for a 1600cc V-twin and no match... not even close to my VR.

 

Am wondering what improvements can be done power wise... I know I could get a power commander or something like that. Anyone have any thoughts on this.

 

Was also wondering why these bikes which are fuel injected have a manual choke???

 

I bought a Nomad new in 05' and enjoyed the appearance and ride. There was a fair amount of helmet buffeting at speed and IMO lacked throttle response. The counter balancer is a bit noisy but removes most of the HD type of V-twin vibration. I sold mine simply because I was wanting to add a fairing (Quadzilla) for tunes and a early venture tour pack, that being said, I bought a 87' Venture Royale that came factory with everything I wanted. Now on that note I have been again looking at the Nomad and may buy one and turn it into a tourer.

 

That knob is not a choke...It just increases rpm for cold start ideling...I seldom needed to use it.

 

 

This site will answer all your questions http://www.gadgetjq.com/gadgetsfixitpage.htm and you might as well join this forum also http://forums.delphiforums.com/kawvulcan/start .

 

Any other questions on the Nomad drop me a line

Regards Dave

[SilvrT]

That knob is not a choke...It just increases rpm for cold start ideling...I seldom needed to use it.

 

This site will answer all your questions http://www.gadgetjq.com/gadgetsfixitpage.htm and you might as well join this forum also http://forums.delphiforums.com/kawvulcan/start .

 

Any other questions on the Nomad drop me a line

Regards Dave

 

Thanks Dave... I had visited those pages some... a lot of interesting info there for sure.

[az1103]

Found this interesting comparison...

 

http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/roadtests/open_road_ramblers/index.html

 

 

Excellent test!!! As an ex Nomad owner I pretty much agree with the test conclusions. Although my Nomad was carburated and when I got through with it there was deffinitely NO shortage of power. But even without tweaks it will smoke a stock Harley.

It always amazes me how all these Harleyphiles can turn it's defficiencies into positives:

1. Skimpy equipment-what an excellent opportunity to customize with overpriced components.

2. Weak antique of an engine - Wow! what an opportunity to buy super expensive Screaming Eagle components!

3. The sound!!! Worth every cent of the thousands of extra dollars you will pay for this undependable, antique!

4. Oh and let's not forget the permanent oil slick on the garrage floor - What an oportunity to waste money on absorbents and floor coverings.

 

Yah! a true achievement of US manufacturing!

Edited July 28, 2008 by az1103

[rod]

I helped JQ aka "gadget" with his mods and we ran together a lot. The one thing that made the HP on the nomad was the air box mod. The rest of the stuff helped some but I was there when it was on the dyno and we ran various combos of performance parts and the air box was the big winner. Stock I would give him the jump and some distance and out run him quickly. After the mods the RSV was still faster but I cut him no slack. Rod

Btw JQ has hung up riding, sold his bike 2 yrs ago but has still kept the web site up. He now lives in Scotsdale az

[SilvrT]

Excellent test!!! As an ex Nomad owner I pretty much agree with the test conclusions. Although my Nomad was carburated and when I got through with it there was deffinitely NO shortage of power. But even without tweaks it will smoke a stock Harley.

It always amazes me how all these Harleyphiles can turn it's defficiencies into positives:

1. Skimpy equipment-what an excellent opportunity to customize with overpriced components.

2. Weak antique of an engine - Wow! what an opportunity to buy super expensive Screaming Eagle components!

3. The sound!!! Worth every cent of the thousands of extra dollars you will pay for this undependable, antique!

4. Oh and let's not forget the permanent oil slick on the garrage floor - What an oportunity to waste money on absorbents and floor coverings.

 

Yah! a true achievement of US manufacturing!

 

 

yep, those "comments" were kinda funny.

[padavidj]

My friend Mitch has an '07 Nomad that he likes alot better than the '01 Vstar 1100 classic he used to have. He tried to find a RSTD at the time but they were far and few between. He ended up with the Nomad but bought it from a dealer in Berkley Springs, WV. I do believe his price before trade was about $10,800 for a brand new one.

When we go out for a ride he might beat me in the hole shot but he quickly losses steam when we start hitting top end, plus his bike doesn't have an overdrive. So far he has put new grips and a few other things to deal with the bike's vibration. (and I thought you only had to deal with that type of vibration on a Harley, but that's another story!) Overall though he does like the bike but he still wishes he would have held out for a Venture or Tour Deluxe.

 

Dave aka the 'Chubby Ape'

[davepa]

I helped JQ aka "gadget" with his mods and we ran together a lot. The one thing that made the HP on the nomad was the air box mod. The rest of the stuff helped some but I was there when it was on the dyno and we ran various combos of performance parts and the air box was the big winner. Stock I would give him the jump and some distance and out run him quickly. After the mods the RSV was still faster but I cut him no slack. Rod

Btw JQ has hung up riding, sold his bike 2 yrs ago but has still kept the web site up. He now lives in Scotsdale az

 

I remember when John sold the Nomad but he said he was going to play with something else..what is it? And you are right John is still active on his site along with some others, he still adds some pretty good info. on the Delphi Vulcan and touring forums. You can expect John to chime in and answer your questions with good well thought out cures and ideas. I can't believe he is not riding???

 

Regards Dave

[waterbug]

I looked at a new nomad before I bought the new RSV and by the time they put on a radio (cost of 1795) and there was another package I dont remember the bike was more money and it doesnt have the warenty or the pep. I didnt like the way the bike would shake and vibrate alot I could feel it in my hands on the short ride I took also. It is a nice looking bike and I was really leaning that way till I looked at the venture and compared options.