Reasons for Nomad

[waterman]

Haven't seen this posted yet.

What were your reasons for buying a Nomad over other bikes?

Mine, loved the looks with the hard bags. Most everything I wanted on a bike was on the bike, had to put a trunk on.

[Todd]

Looks was big in my decision but also fit. Not much out there that fits any more comfortable than the Nomad for someone 6'3..6"4". I also knew I wanted shaft drive, hard bags and water cooled.

Nothing else really came close to comparing for me....oh, and the final reason...my wife saw it in a show room and said..."I REALLY LIKE THE WAY THAT BIKE LOOKS AND THE WAY 'MY' SEAT FEELS"....nuff said..off to the bank to withdraw money!!!

[rflnomad]

Our reasons are as follows.
Fit. I am 6'2" and 235. I need something I can stretch out a bit when riding.
Comfort. The wife and I are very comfy when on the Nomad.
Shaft drive. My last three Harleys were belt drive which were fine, but shaft is the way to go.
FI. No more carb and slower warm ups. Hit the button, zip up my jacket and I'm outta here!
Looks. Wow, I just love the looks.
Price. Compared to others, this thing is a bargain.
Reliability. Solid as a rock.
We compared the Yamaha Road Star Silverado and when everything was on the table, We bought the Nomad.

[naugaman]

I am also 6' 2" and the feel of the legs was good for me. My prior bike was a Honda Shadow Spirit with the forward controls. That worked for the legs but I did not like the pegs. When setting on the bike, I asked my wife if the seat was big enough for her. That was almost a death sentence statement. Anyway, I was able to redeem myself as the Honda had a narrow passenger seat and she did not like riding on it. Since getting the Nomad, I have had her out on several long rides and she seems to enjoy it. I like the shaft drive except for when it leaked. But I can say this, I have had all of the mechanical work done on the bike for free as Kawasaki stood behind their warranty and also the extended warranty. The two year factory warranty, price, feel, sound, power, saddle bags, comfort, and many of the other things that have been said were all reasons for me getting the Nomad over another bike.

[audiogooroo]

Love the classic look. Awesome V-twin and super comfortable, plus I really wanted a water cooled bike. That and price point eliminated Harley right from the start.

[trip]

Over two years ago, I started my search for a replacement bike for my 1998 Honda Magna 750. I had a modest list of qualifications:
- it had to be 1500cc or larger
- it had to have shaft drive
- it had to be water cooled
- it had to have hard bags for my travels

So, I started looking......after looking at every bike that fit those quals, it came down to two bikes....the Honda GoldWing and the Nomad.

I had already test ridden a GW, so I test rode a friends Nomad and talked to other Nomad owners. I had already talked to many GW owners. After getting the pros and cons, I chose the Nomad. To me it was a better value and rode and handled great.

Trip

[tylerai]

I can't say much more that anybody else has. I rode a 93' Honda Shadow for the past 7 years and just did not enjoy long rides. I don't know if it was the seat, pegs or just my 6'4" 230 lbs frame trying to ride it. I was introduced to the Nomad by Privateer after looking about deciding on buying a Yamaha. I couldn't believe everything that came on the bike from the factory. It looked good. It had the water cooled engine, shaft drive, boards, windshield, hard bags, and so much more. The ride is no comparison to my old Shadow.

[blowndodge]

See Todd..

Actually Trip screwed up my logical mind and I started watching his freeking videos at work! Several months later I went to the Long Beach Motorcycle show and saw and sat on a Green/Silver Nomad. Came back to that booth 5 times and just got dizzy staring at her. Jerk from Kawasaki comes up and tells me if I buy one I get a free MaKaw leather jacket too. Thanks guy! Went to bank.......

[Top Cat]

In 2006 I bought a 650 Silverado Yamaha. It was a nice bike but for 2-up riding it was a little cramped. The power was ok but just to small a bike as far as comfort was concerened.
I added a Mustang seat, didn't help.
Bought a tour deluxe passenger seat for Cindy,that helped.
Put on risers, lowers, taller passenger backrest, drivers backrest,front crashbar, highway pegs etc. When I first was looking for a bike in 2006 Cindy didn't say a word about which one to buy. I looked at a lot of them.
After riding to Americade I deciced to get a more comfortable bike. The Nomad had every option I wanted already installed.
( or so I thought )
I showed it to Cindy in the Cycle World buyers guide and said "What do you think?" She said "I will drive you to the Kawasaki dealers."
The rest is as they say history.


oh yeah, I wanted a bike with tubless tires also. That ws a high priority for me.

[donoller]

it reminds me of my old indian feels the same if you close your eyes and by the way did i say its pretty i have two wings 1500,1800 i smile more on the nomad

[Todd]

See Todd..

Actually Trip screwed up my logical mind and I started watching his freeking videos at work! Several months later I went to the Long Beach Motorcycle show and saw and sat on a Green/Silver Nomad. Came back to that booth 5 times and just got dizzy staring at her. Jerk from Kawasaki comes up and tells me if I buy one I get a free MaKaw leather jacket too. Thanks guy! Went to bank.......

Didn't know Trip made THAT kind of videos!!! I cant see em at work anyway....our system blocks out anything with adult content . http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif

[trip]

[quote:60xkg4g0]See Todd..

Actually Trip screwed up my logical mind and I started watching his freeking videos at work! Several months later I went to the Long Beach Motorcycle show and saw and sat on a Green/Silver Nomad. Came back to that booth 5 times and just got dizzy staring at her. Jerk from Kawasaki comes up and tells me if I buy one I get a free MaKaw leather jacket too. Thanks guy! Went to bank.......

Didn't know Trip made THAT kind of videos!!! I cant see em at work anyway....our system blocks out anything with . http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif[/quote:60xkg4g0]

Yea....the girl starring in 'em is one of the best movers and shakers....Ruby Earl...LOL.

[cactusjack]

I had a pretty sweet 2005 Suzuki C50T, and was starting to feel like I was outgrowing it. They are decent bikes, but they are what I consider an entry-level machine. My buddy pays $17k for an 07 H-D Softail Deuce. It's nice, but it is a stripped down bare bones bike. The Nomad has 2x the engine of the C50T, has hard bags, crash bars, wind screen, lowers, FI... a bigger, more robust bike than the C50T and loaded with more options than the H-D. The value received for the amount spent can't be beat. The Nomad is hands-down the best cruiser/tourer on the market. My only regret is not buying one sooner.

[waterrat]

For me it was.
Fits me better than any other bike I have ridden so much so if I could afford it I would buy a new one and just store it for when my present one is wore out.
I had a 1500 Wing and it was a great bike but did not fit me as well as the Nad.
The GW is in my opinion a better built bike. I put over 100,000 miles on the Wing and only had to replace regular maintenance items.

The Nomad as well as all the other 1500/1600 Vulcan's do have a few draw backs like the clutch spring that has to be replaced every so often and the leaking cam seal plugs that the motor has to be pulled to fix and I'm sure there are other things that are common problems for the 1500/1600 that I'm forgetting about.
But even with its down falls I would not hesitate buying a new one for a second.

Now if they ever make a 2000cc Nomad and it fits me like the 1500 does I'm gonna want one real bad, might just have to trade the Nad and Streak in if that ever happens.

[dantama]

I've ridden since I was 14, got in a bad (many broken bones) wreck, rode dirt bikes only in deference to wife's feelings after the wreck. Divorced said wife and was free to get a street bike again.

Looked at used V-65 magnas, and was surprised to find that they went up in value since wrecking mine. Couldn't bring myself to pay more for a bike with twice the miles, so I started looking new.

I saw a 1500 classic in the window of the local Kawasaki dealer, and loved the fat look. I had been partial to Honda for all my life. Picked up a brochure and took home.

I test drove used bikes out of the paper, I wasn't going to buy just on looks. Tested a shadow 1100, out of Honda loyalty. Was amazed at the lack of power and the need to downshift all the time.

After testing a handful of others, I went back to the Kawasaki dealer and this time saw a Nomad. I had anticipated doing a lot of travel (just divorced after 13 years) and the windshield and bags really talked to me. I loved the look.

I test drove a new Valkyrie, going well over 100mph, decided I needed a bike that would force me to go slow. Was now considering a Yamaha Road Star and the Nomad, both slow bikes. In the end, I suppose it was the overall look of the Nomad, plus the desire for the hard bags already set up for touring. Had briefly consider a Concours for same reason, but was won over by the fat look, and the need to have a slow bike to enforce good sense on me.

That's the long explanation on how I got a Nomad in 99, so why the three more after that one?

After 63,000 miles, it just seemed that the Nomad did everything I needed a bike to do. I had been on a 3,800 mile ride, many, many, 1000 mile rides. Lots of commuting, lots of pleasure riding in the canyons etc.

It did everything I needed a bike to do, and at sane speeds. I could be lured by another bike, by buying a set of Nomad hard bags off ebay (I already bought the mounting brackets a few years ago, just in case) and mounting them on another bike.

But the final clincher that keeps me loyal to Nomads is the warranty. I can handle the original price of the bike just fine, but I hate unexpected repair expenses. I love the extended warranty.

[mlogsdon]

Had a Suzuki C50 all drerssed up for touring with lots of aftermarket doodads and a Victory Kingpin. Loved the comfort on the C50 and the power of the Kingpin. They were both beautiful bikes and got their share of compliments...but neither could do what the other could.

The Nomad does both. Great touring bike that gets me up to speed on the freeway outside of Philly...but smooth sailing on the backroads heading to Pennn State for the weekend. What's not to love?

[bobzinger]

I rode a 99 Roadking for 6 years until the main bearing crapped out. I decided to go watercooled....so I checked out the older Valkyrie Touring model, but they are carburated and hard to find. The Yamaha Royal Star Tour Deluxe, again carburated and pricey. The third bike I looked at was the 1600 Nomad. I always loved their looks, they were watercooled and injected. I sold my burnt Roadking for $11500 and went the same day to our local Kawa shop and bought my 2005 Nomad with 2800 miles for $10k OTD.

The only only thing I miss about the Harley is that there was a buttload of accessories from 100's of different Mfg's.

[ds06nomad]

Same here, Waterman. I love the looks of the hardbags and dual exhaust. Everything else just seems to be right in line with how I feel a big bagger should look. I compared it against the Yamaha RoadStar Midnight Silverado (my second choice after the Nomad, but didn't like the disproportionate hardbags and the two pipes on one side style exhaust). The other bike was the Honda vtx1800. Could have picked up a NEW '05 for ~ $9000, but it didn't come loaded like the Nomad did. Once you get through making the vtx1800 into a Nomad, you're at or above the price of the Nomad!

I contemplated the HD RoadKing and/or Electra Glide Classic. Guess I just love hardbaggers with dual exhaust. But, the price was prohibitive for me and basically I just found myself going back to lusting after the Nomad. So, I stuck to my initial gut feeling and bought an all black, dual exhaust, hard-baggin', big V-Twin Nomad... which is what I wanted from the git-go!

FWIW, the Yamaha Stratoliner was also in the running, but again, I like dual exhaust. That IS one helluva bike though, the Strat.

My $.02,
Daryl

[rlfaubion]

A friend and I had riden in the past, but were without bikes two years ago when we went to lunch. He said, “We should buy a couple of bikes and ride together”. I said, “Yeah right, why don’t you just buy lunch, and shutup”. However, I agreed to do some research on the net for him. I read articles comparing cruisers. Afterwards, I thought the VN1600 was the best and even went to see one at a dealership. The next day I saw a Classic for sale locally. I told him about it, but he said he thought we wanted a Honda. I went to look at it anyway. That lunch was on a Thursday. I bought the classic the following Monday. A year later I had to have that bike serviced. It was going to be in the shop for awhile. I decided I didn't want to be without, and always wished I’d found a Nomad instead of the Classic anyway. So while the Classic was down, I negotiated for several weeks and ended up with the Nomad. No regrets. It’s a great machine! Anyone want to buy a Classic?

[rcashell]

Similar to Dan Lund, I bought a bike after a divorce. Many years between bikes. I started out with a Honda Shadow 1100. I decided it was too small and not equipped enough for the riding I wanted to do. Like many others, Trip's videos were a selling point. I researched the Honda VTX 1800 and 1300 and Yamaha's line of touring bikes. After comparing all of them, I decided on the Nomad for value. Since I got it, I have not been disappointed one time.

[ponch]

I had a vulcan 800 classic and it really wasn't working for a 57 mile each way commute. On top of this, I needed something that had storage. The nomad gave the biggest bang for the buck and I could have spent more if I wanted to. Had the C14 been out when I purchased the nomad it might have made things interesting, but I am not sorry at this point.



Haven't seen this posted yet.

What were your reasons for buying a Nomad over other bikes?

Mine, loved the looks with the hard bags. Most everything I wanted on a bike was on the bike, had to put a trunk on.

[ringadingh]

For me it was good value for the money, I was looking at new Nomads at the end of the 2006 season, then one day a used 2002 came up and it was loaded with accessories just the way I would have dressed up a new bike at a fraction of the price so I jumped on it. I bought it over the internet and had it shipped to me from 2000 miles away. Its been a perfect bike so far with only regular maintenance required. Recently I have been thinking of getting a newer bike, but I get so many favorable comments on this one, and it runs so nice that I think I will hang on to it for now.

[Idaho]

I had a pretty sweet 2005 Suzuki C50T, and was starting to feel like I was outgrowing it. They are decent bikes, but they are what I consider an entry-level machine. My buddy pays $17k for an 07 H-D Softail Deuce. It's nice, but it is a stripped down bare bones bike. The Nomad has 2x the engine of the C50T, has hard bags, crash bars, wind screen, lowers, FI... a bigger, more robust bike than the C50T and loaded with more options than the H-D. The value received for the amount spent can't be beat. The Nomad is hands-down the best cruiser/tourer on the market. My only regret is not buying one sooner.

Well said CJ

[blowndodge]

For me it was good value for the money, I was looking at new Nomads at the end of the 2006 season, then one day a used 2002 came up and it was loaded with accessories just the way I would have dressed up a new bike at a fraction of the price so I jumped on it. I bought it over the internet and had it shipped to me from 2000 miles away. Its been a perfect bike so far with only regular maintenance required. Recently I have been thinking of getting a newer bike, but I get so many favorable comments on this one, and it runs so nice that I think I will hang on to it for now.

That's such a beautiful Nomad I'd run that into the ground Ringadingh before I'd update!

[jayc]

1. It's a Kawasaki
2. Water cooled
3. Shaft drive
4. Windshield and hard bags
5. Price/value

[ringadingh]

Thanks BD, I know that when I first laid eyes on it, that was the bike I wanted, two of my neighbours have Ultras, and they don't get near as many comments as that Nomad does. Their bikes are very nice, but I think they lack the individuality that a Nomad has.

[socwkbiker]

1. It's a Kawasaki
2. Water cooled
3. Shaft drive
4. Windshield and hard bags
5. Price/value

What he said.

[flightdoc]

After reading an article in , I think Rider magazine, which featured the 2005 Nomad on the cover and then checking out the roadking, I liked the more up to date Nomad that had all the latest technology ie: radiator and shaft drive.
I could've bought an Ultra but I thought the Nomad was a better value. As an added plus, the dealer was willing to negotiate. The Harley dealer was willing to discount down to list since I was an MSF rider coach. WOW.

Yeh... the HD dealers turned me off when I lost my mind and decided to go check out a Road King.... "We'll get you into a Harley!" lol

[blowndodge]

[quote:avykiscv]1. It's a Kawasaki
2. Water cooled
3. Shaft drive
4. Windshield and hard bags
5. Price/value

What he said. [/quote:avykiscv]

<marquee>That's DEEP Jeff</marquee>

See Todd..

Actually Trip screwed up my logical mind and I started watching his freeking videos at work! Several months later I went to the Long Beach Motorcycle show and saw and sat on a Green/Silver Nomad. Came back to that booth 5 times and just got dizzy staring at her. Jerk from Kawasaki comes up and tells me if I buy one I get a free MaKaw leather jacket too. Thanks guy! Went to bank.......


http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u272/DrNickDC/Numbnuts.jpg

[cheeseyrider]

My Nomad is my primary transportation. Daily commute means I need storage for portfolio/laptop/lunch. Bought a Vulcan 900 with the idea of putting bags on, etc...

Wife decided she really liked riding 2 up with me, so I wanted bigger bike for those road trips and bags/trunk for daily ride.

Wanted to stay with Kawi, so Nomad fit the bill perfectly.

Only thing I miss about the 900 is the mpg - I was getting 49-52 mpg. Now I get 28 mpg...