Used '99 too old?

[mushinspace]

Hi.

Found a couple of '99 Nomads on my semi-local craigslist ... what sort of gotchas should I watch out for?

One says, "havent rode all season so she must go. needs minor carb tune up." ... is the '99 1500 fuel injected? I'm wondering what might mean in terms of rehab work.

Anything else I should be checking if I get to go look at any of these?

Where in the model line is the '99? (i.e. first year of that model or?) Like the '09 looks nice, but it's a first run, so ...

Thanks,
Sam

[ells]

Several here have or had '99s. As I understand it, no issues at all except that there was a plastic oil pump gear that year only and tends to fail. Most have been replaced or should be replaced. Others will chime in soon.

[razor]

The '99 is carbed,is the first run (98-99) Emerald Green. The only thing to watch for is the steel oil gear.It came with the Plastic oil gear that failed in some. Ma Kaw replaced these free of charge in most cases with the steel unit.Look at the POG issue listed in the VROC forum for more info. Razor

[billmac]

I agree with Ells and razor. And I think any bike that needs work should only bring a fraction of the normal value. No telling what is needed for sure and bike parts ain't cheap..

[audiogooroo]

Just the plastic oil gear. Make sure it's been replaced and there's no reason you shouldn't be good to go for many miles as long as it's been well maintanied and hasn't been down.
99s are carbed. In 2000 there were available as both carbed and FI.

[coacha]

Got a '99 here in red. POG is the only issue I have heard of. Still trying to get my hands on a steel gear.

[mushinspace]

How hard is the POG replacement, if it hasn't been done, and I can get my fingers on one?

I don't mind doing some maintenance on a bike (been practicing on my little bike where the worst I can do is break it :) ), but I also don't want to spend $$$ on something I will just have stuck in the garage until next year in parts.

Thanks,
Sam

[ringadingh]

There is a really good chance that Kawasaki will cover the repair of the POG, but only after it has failed, try to find out if it has already been replaced. There is also a Judges oil gear replacement that you can do, but its a bit of work depending on your mechanical ability's

[rksaw]

I bought a '99 from a friend this summer and love it. The POG (Plastic Oil pump Gear) did go out two weeks ago, but Kawi fully covered the replacement, and since they have to split the crankcase to get to it, I got a free oil change and radiator flush out of it as well. Other than that, I love the bike and would fully recommend it.

I have had four Hondas and now a Nomad, and the Nomad is definitely my favorite. She rides nice, handles nice, loves riding two up, has lockable hardbags, shaft drive and so much more. If you find a good deal, and the POG has already been taken care of, then I'd go for it.
Rich

[rksaw]

hey Razor!!!
Welcome to the forum. You will certainly enjoy the discussions and all the great people you meet here.
Rich

[dantama]

Because Kawasaki only pics up the tab on the pog after it fails, and it is prohibitively expensive to do prior to failure on your own.............If it hasn't already been taken care of, I get one of the other ten years worth out there.

I had a new 99 and it's pog went out in the second year during the regular warranty (20,000 something miles) and was replaced. I got another used 99 when mine had 63,000 miles, and the new one only had 2,000. I found that I didn't like keeping an eye on the oil light so much, and at that time it wasn't established that kawi would pick up the tab even after warranty, so I sold it and got an 05.

If the pog has been done (and how do you really know?) I'd get one and not worry. They go a lot of miles no problem. If it hasn't been done, you'll have to judge how much you like riding with something hanging over your head. As I said, there are ten years worth of Nomads out there, and only one has a problem.

Just my thoughts

[schoeney]

I think I would wait to find a 2003...they are the fastest!

Good luck + Welcome!

[waterman]

Actually Dan,

Doing the JOG is not that bad. You just take off the right side, break the POG and replace with the steel gear. I was ready to order one from Judge until MaKaw said they would pick up the tab. If I remember right the JOG was about $150 plus a new gasket for the cover. Probably would have take a couple of hours with breaks to put in.

Muchinspace,

If you do find a good one which the POG hasn't been replace. If you do buy it I strongly suggest to put in the JOG for peace of mind. I was planning on doing that for a winter project before mine went out but I didn't make it that far before it went.

[dantama]

Actually Dan,

Doing the JOG is not that bad. You just take off the right side, break the POG and replace with the steel gear. I was ready to order one from Judge until MaKaw said they would pick up the tab. If I remember right the JOG was about $150 plus a new gasket for the cover. Probably would have take a couple of hours with breaks to put in.

Muchinspace,

If you do find a good one which the POG hasn't been replace. If you do buy it I strongly suggest to put in the JOG for peace of mind. I was planning on doing that for a winter project before mine went out but I didn't make it that far before it went.

I forgot about doing a JOG, I was meaning replacing the gear when it breaks. The whole pull the engine out of the frame and split the cases. There is a big tab that goes with that job.

[waterman]

Actually Dan,

Doing the JOG is not that bad. You just take off the right side, break the POG and replace with the steel gear. I was ready to order one from Judge until MaKaw said they would pick up the tab. If I remember right the JOG was about $150 plus a new gasket for the cover. Probably would have take a couple of hours with breaks to put in.

Muchinspace,

If you do find a good one which the POG hasn't been replace. If you do buy it I strongly suggest to put in the JOG for peace of mind. I was planning on doing that for a winter project before mine went out but I didn't make it that far before it went.

I forgot about doing a JOG, I was meaning replacing the gear when it breaks. The whole pull the engine out of the frame and split the cases. There is a big tab that goes with that job.

I agree with you there. My plan was to replace it during the winter. About 3 or 4 weeks before winter hit, the POG took the crapper. At least MaKaw stepped up.

[dantama]

It's amazing to me that Kawasaki is still picking up the tab on something that was built 10 years ago.

[kenb]

Just the plastic oil gear. Make sure it's been replaced and there's no reason you shouldn't be good to go for many miles as long as it's been well maintanied and hasn't been down.
99s are carbed. In 2000 there were available as both carbed and FI.
Whats the definition of "down"? Slid for 300 feet at highway speeds? Fell over at a stop sign? Lost control on gravel during a 10 mph turn? Why do people make a big deal over a bike that has been "down"? I bought my 08 Nomad that was "down" and it has some minor cosmetic problems that are easily repaired. I rode it 700 miles home in its "down" condition. It runs great! Saved a ton of $$$ too! Does being "down" always affect the way a motorcycle runs? I've gone down with a bike before. Was able to make the proper repairs and put another 20,000 miles on it. Sure, I would like the bike to be "perfect", but, I got a bike with a few battle scars. I think it adds some character to the bike. I would never overlook a motorcycle that has been "down". Just know what to ask and look for.

[dkdixie]

Just the plastic oil gear. Make sure it's been replaced and there's no reason you shouldn't be good to go for many miles as long as it's been well maintanied and hasn't been down.
99s are carbed. In 2000 there were available as both carbed and FI.
Whats the definition of "down"? Slid for 300 feet at highway speeds? Fell over at a stop sign? Lost control on gravel during a 10 mph turn? Why do people make a big deal over a bike that has been "down"? I bought my 08 Nomad that was "down" and it has some minor cosmetic problems that are easily repaired. I rode it 700 miles home in its "down" condition. It runs great! Saved a ton of $$$ too! Does being "down" always affect the way a motorcycle runs? I've gone down with a bike before. Was able to make the proper repairs and put another 20,000 miles on it. Sure, I would like the bike to be "perfect", but, I got a bike with a few battle scars. I think it adds some character to the bike. I would never overlook a motorcycle that has been "down". Just know what to ask and look for.

Couple points come to mind:

Most of us are probably afraid of hidden damage after a bike has been down. At least I would be.
If I knew the owner and exactly what happened is another story.

I would like to put on my own scratches. Hopefully though, no "battle scars."

[kenb]

Whats the definition of "down"? Slid for 300 feet at highway speeds? Fell over at a stop sign? Lost control on gravel during a 10 mph turn? Why do people make a big deal over a bike that has been "down"? I bought my 08 Nomad that was "down" and it has some minor cosmetic problems that are easily repaired. I rode it 700 miles home in its "down" condition. It runs great! Saved a ton of $$$ too! Does being "down" always affect the way a motorcycle runs? I've gone down with a bike before. Was able to make the proper repairs and put another 20,000 miles on it. Sure, I would like the bike to be "perfect", but, I got a bike with a few battle scars. I think it adds some character to the bike. I would never overlook a motorcycle that has been "down". Just know what to ask and look for.

Couple points come to mind:

Most of us are probably afraid of hidden damage after a bike has been down. At least I would be.
If I knew the owner and exactly what happened is another story.

I would like to put on my own scratches. Hopefully though, no "battle scars."

Well, there are those who have to buy everything new. Never have seen any used vehicle without a non-factory blemish or two.

[ringadingh]

You could check the VIN with Kawasaki and they should be able to tell if the POG has been replaced under warranty or not. If its a clean bike at the right price, I would consider buying one if I was in the market.
As far as buying a bike that has been dropped, I came off my GSX1100 at 65 mph about 25 years ago. The bike was a rightoff according to the shop because the frame had a very small ding in it where the crash bar bolted to it. Other than that it needed a new foot peg, handlebars, and had a few minor scrapes on the fairing. I bought it back from the insurance company for $500.00 fixed it within about one hour, and rode it another couple years. Then my brother bought it from me and rode it for another 6-7 years before he sold it. It went down the road as well as it did when it was new, and you would never had realized that it was dropped previously.

[mushinspace]

OK, I finally got some info back from one of the CraigsList posters ... THIS IS IMPORTANT, SO LISTEN UP!

Here's the reply:

Hi,

The bike is in great condition, has been properly maintained, has never been dropped or abused in any way. It has a clear title and the price I`m selling it for is $3100, which is including all shippings charges.

I live in Westminster but I`m currently working in the UK (London) and I`ll be staying here for the next approximately 7 months, anyway I`m using MoneyBookers services so I can sell this bike without difficulty. I left it at their warehouse before leaving to the UK. They are supervising the entire process from payment, shipping with a 14-day inspection period included, returns (if needed) and refunding.

If you want to purchase it, let me know and I will explain you how MoneyBookers works and how we can move forward.

Now, reference: http://craigscrimelist.org/tag/moneybookers/

Notice anything similar in the verbiage? It's a fairly common scam on CL. My sister almost fell for it for an iMac ... same deal ... from the US, in the UK, use moneybookers.

Anyway, just to mess with the scammer, I replied back asking for more details ... that usually gets them to disappear, but I wanted to see how far they would go to scam me. :)

The price they were asking was $3100 ... just a little too low. Plus, the pictures of the bike looked like it was in a dealer somewhere, so I called all of the local dealers to see if they had it ... nope (this was before the response ... I was being impatient to get details!).

So, I hope this helps someone not get scammed ... is there a proper way to cross post this (or a new post, I guess) on the forsale forum as a warning? (is it already there? didn't look, sorry).

Thanks,
Sam

[dantama]

Nice catch and thanks for the heads up.

[mushinspace]

OK, the other '99 that I was looking at (the one that needs "minor carb tune up") ... more info:

i did start it a couple of times over the summer but not in a while.as far as the tune up i was told it is a carb adjustment.bike has always been in a garage.as far as the oil gear, im not sure if it has been changed but i can tell you that i had over 2k worth of work done to the motor a couple years ago. they changed things like the cam and chain, couple of tensioners lifters etc. i think if they would of thought the oil gear needed changing they would have changed it.

The pics show it in good shape, as far as I can tell ... dusty, and his garage looks like mine (i.e. full o' crap).

I'm going to find out if the "carb adjustment" is because the bike came from a lower altitude, or if it's gunked up or ?

If it's not ridable to get home (~1h ride on the interstate), then I'll probably pass. If it's just gunky from sitting with old gas, some seafoam and the ride home should help quite a bit. If it needs a carb rebuild or something more major, it gets a bit more iffy.

How hard is getting to the carbs on a '99 Nomad? I've ripped the carbs apart on my little bike, but they are pretty easy since you don't have to pull the tank, just the air box on one side, and the faux cover on the other side. I've ripped that one apart a few times cleaning as well as replacing the jets, adjusting the needle, and modifying the airbox to get more air into it. Runs much better now (especially considering it came from sea level to altitude here), and starts w/o even needing the choke at all.

Fired up today in the 45F with no issues as I rode to my lunch meeting (where's the 70F, partly cloudy, Mr. Weatherman!!??).

Thoughts on how much effort I should expect to put in, and what I can use for haggling? :)

Thanks,
Sam