Thinking of "soloing" the nomad

[tkd]

Ok,

So it's -7 as write this and that gives me time to think. My wife has her own bike, so 2-up is probably not going to happen much if at all. I have seen several pics of bikes on here where the 2nd seat & backrest has been removed.

My question is for those of you who have done that, how do you like it? It seems to be a pretty straightforward deal to pull the seat & backrest, but I notice that many of you add a drivers backrest after doing it.

So, does not having the seat & handles change anything about the way the bike sits or handles? Would you do it again? Should I just shut up now?

Curious.

Thanks

[spirello]

Just try it it only takes about 5 min to do. As for the drivers back rest I think most people had the with or without the back seat on.

[cactusjack]

A driver's backrest is personal preference, has no relation to solo or 2-up.

[ice793]

its how i ride when i know the misses isnt gonna get on for awhile,i like the look just my preference.hey spirello what kind/brand of white walls are those? try it youll like it

[dabull]

I've thought about going solo seat...but you lose the luggage rack...just preference...it does only take 5 minutes like spirello said...so do---try it:)

[timebandit]

I just removed the back rest and handle in case somebody wants a ride to the corner store I don't have to do anything!

[dantama]

I love the solo look, but I keep mine all there for the occasional passenger, and it makes it easier to bungee things on the passenger seat if the backrest is still there.

[shnyroq]

Do it! Just get something to cover the seat holes...

[dabull]

Do it! Just get something to cover the seat holes...

what is that piece you have on the fender of your bike?

[Top Cat]

I did the solo look when Cindy bought her own bike. I added a rack where the passenger seat was. You can see it in my sig pic.
I think I am going to put the passenger seat back on but leave the grab rails and passenger backrest off. I think the rear of the bike looks out of proportion the way I have it.
I think timebandit has the look I am going with this year. As soon as this snow is gone and it warms up.
I had the drivers backrest before I went to the solo look.

[v0lusia]

Do it! Just get something to cover the seat holes...

what is that piece you have on the fender of your bike?
Fender bib

1500
http://www.cruisercustomizing.com/detail.cfm?Category_ID=44&manufacturer_ID=56&product_ID=4629&sli=KawasakiVulcan%201500%20Nomad%20Fi&model_id=25
http://www.cruisercustomizing.com/detail.cfm?Category_ID=44&manufacturer_ID=56&product_ID=4630&sli=KawasakiVulcan%201500%20Nomad%20Fi&model_id=25

1600
http://www.cruisercustomizing.com/detail.cfm?Category_ID=44&manufacturer_ID=56&product_ID=8666&sli=KawasakiVulcan%201600%20Nomad&model_id=102
http://www.cruisercustomizing.com/detail.cfm?Category_ID=44&manufacturer_ID=56&product_ID=8665&sli=KawasakiVulcan%201600%20Nomad&model_id=102

[glwilson]

Just try it it only takes about 5 min to do. As for the drivers back rest I think most people had the with or without the back seat on.

I think spirello's bike is exactly how the Nomad looks best. I think his bike; especially with the whitewalls is absolutely the way the Nomad was designed to look.

I wish I could do that to mine; but my wife rides two-up so I have to keep my seat on.

Again, nice bike spriello.

CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT WHITEWALL TIRES YOU HAVE ON THE BIKE?

[wanderer]

I never have a passenger, and I wanted a trunk for my helmet, but, I don't like the look of most trunks hanging so far off the back of the bike. So, I replaced the passenger seat with a helmet sized trunk.

[mercianbike]

I decided to go solo after my wife made it clear that she had no intention of ever joining me as a passenger. I was also inspired on how good 'spirello's' bike looks. I originally bought the Mustang bib to cover the holes. But then I thought, "there's a lot of nice looking paint that's covered up with the bib." So I went to the auto store and bought some of the plastic/chrome caps that go over license plate bolts. They are only $2.98 for a package of four and I was pleased how it turned out.

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc243/Kawabike/DSCF0049.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc243/Kawabike/DSCF0001.jpg

[dabull]

I decided to go solo after my wife made it clear that she had no intention of ever joining me as a passenger. I was also inspired on how good 'spirello's' bike looks. I originally bought the Mustang bib to cover the holes. But then I thought, "there's a lot of nice looking paint that's covered up with the bib." So I went to the auto store and bought some of the plastic/chrome caps that go over license plate bolts. They are only $2.98 for a package of four and I was pleased how it turned out.

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc243/Kawabike/DSCF0049.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc243/Kawabike/DSCF0001.jpg



yhat is nice and clean lookin;)

I love mine solo'd. I agree with others on this thread that have sead you need to do something to plug the holes. I have used the mustang fender bib and I like it. I solo'd mine out for a three day tour I did last summer. If I go longer than that, I prefer to put my back seat and sissy bar on so I can put another bag on or spider bungee something to the sissy bar. If your just at home and around town I think thats how the Nomad was designed to look. My project for next winter will be to fab a quick release system that looks good and is functional for my sissy bar.

[madcow]

i ride mine as a solo and really love it. the bikes lines looks a lot cleaner and it allows you to sit right back in the seat without the pillion seat rubbing on your back. i am going to copy mercianbikes lead and put some chrome caps on mine as my holes are left exposed at the moment.

[VulcanE]

I love the solo look, but I also love the versatility of a trunk. If I made my bike solo, I would probably be divorced. My wife loves to ride, but only as a passenger. If I were to make mine solo, It would probably look a lot like this one. I don't know who that is, but I like the look of his bike.



http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg40/vulcannad/SoloTrunk.jpg

[mikesth]

I originally bought the Mustang bib to cover the holes. But then I thought, "there's a lot of nice looking paint that's covered up with the bib." So I went to the auto store and bought some of the plastic black body plugs. They are only $2.98 for a package of four and I was pleased how it turned out.


A: Just do it - I know my bike handles tight corners better and it lightnes the back end a bit. It takes me about 15 minutes as I remove the passenger boards and all the extra, then plug the holes, but the bike feels totally different - better in my mind and I can go back if I need to.

I Fully agree with the note about the Mustang Bib - plugs are much cleaner!-
With Black plastic body plugs - see sig line also
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj87/mikesth/seat-1.jpg

With Mustang Bib
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj87/mikesth/DSCN0811.jpg

[shnyroq]

Since the 1500 has 4 seat mounting holes and the previous owner had the seat on all the time, the paint around the holes isn't the best - the Mustang bib was really the only option short of a repaint. One word about the bib, I had heard of someone using a magnet glued to the bib instead of the velcro and I liked the sound of that and tried it... but, it would flap around on the freeway and it rubbed the paint a little - I have since just put the velcro on.

[taranis]

Mikesth, excuse me while I salivate all over that gorgeous beast.. DAMN! I was all set to paint my bike the pearl white. Thanks a lot for putting me back in the undecided column, dang you.

[mikesth]

Mikesth, excuse me while I salivate all over that gorgeous beast.. DAMN! I was all set to paint my bike the pearl white. Thanks a lot for putting me back in the undecided column, dang you.
Why thank you http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif It's even better with the Black fairing now...

It will get paint eventually, but the Black will stay as a base.

[taranis]

Yeah, I saw that in the tassles-or-not thread. Damn. I'm not much into fairings, but I LOVE the look you got going. If I did the fairing, I'd have to get really good at electrical stuff, because I'd want my gauges where I could see them.

Black.. white.. black.. .white... black..

Crap.. ???

Remind me to flog you for this someday. http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif

[mikesth]

Yeah, I saw that in the tassles-or-not thread. Damn. I'm not much into fairings, but I LOVE the look you got going.
Remind me to flog you for this someday. http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif

Yeah, after standing back and looking, I think I built a Street Glide ::)

[soldierboy3502]

I solo'd mine as well since the wife doesn't ride at all!! I have been thinking about a driver's backrest though. Right now, she's got the stock seat but looking into upgrading it to a two piece Mustang with a driver backrest. Bought a Mustang fender bib to cover the holes and it looks great considering I have the leather saddlebag chaps too.

[Bdog]

I think the nomad looks great fully decked out and soloed. I don't have a wife, so no problem with going solo. If I wanted to ride two up it would only take about 1/2 hr to set it up. As for luggage..with the bag and fender racks..no problem...Bdog
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u319/blackiedog/nomad/100_0315.jpg
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u319/blackiedog/100_0243.jpg
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u319/blackiedog/100_0133.jpg
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u319/blackiedog/000_0093.jpg

[dantama]

I think the nomad looks great fully decked out and soloed. I don't have a wife, so no problem with going solo. If I wanted to ride two up it would only take about 1/2 hr to set it up. As for luggage..with the bag and fender racks..no problem...Bdog

Guy spend a lot of time in the shop building Nomad parts and installing them. How does he do all that?

Ah, has no wife!

[Bdog]

Dan ..you would be amazed how much time one has when you don't have someone nagging at you to do this and do that all the the time..lol..Bdog

[pooker]

I bought my 2008 1600 Nomad for this reason, I can turn it into a bagger.
One of the terms of the sale was to have rails on the bags and fender.
The dealership put rails on the bags and put a Yamaha fender rail on the fender. They had to slot the holes on the fender rail where the rear seat fits.
Once done, the bike was put back to two up. The fender rail was in the saddlebag waiting for me.
I don't have any picks of it yet as a solo bagger but here they are;
http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i145/pooker_langton/1600%20Nomad/

[dabull]

TKD - did ya do it????

[kenb]

If I could find a rack similar to what Bdog has made, it would be sold. I like function as well as looks. If a 150 lb passenger (give or take) can sit there, why not a few pounds of cargo. Especially cargo that is too big for a saddlebag.

[kenb]

Ok, Possible stupid question/observation. Why, if you are "Solo", would you keep the passenger foot rests, boards, mounted? I figure someone would have fabricated something to cover the swingarm in place of the foot rest.

[mercianbike]

Ok, Possible stupid question/observation. Why, if you are "Solo", would you keep the passenger foot rests, boards, mounted? I figure someone would have fabricated something to cover the swingarm in place of the foot rest.

I considered just removing the passenger foot rests. But when I looked behind them, it's not very pretty. It does help that the bottom side of the foot rests are chrome so when they are folded up, they lose their idenity as foot rests and look as good (to me)as something that would be fabricated.

[dabull]

Ok, Possible stupid question/observation. Why, if you are "Solo", would you keep the passenger foot rests, boards, mounted? I figure someone would have fabricated something to cover the swingarm in place of the foot rest.

I considered just removing the passenger foot rests. But when I looked behind them, it's not very pretty. It does help that the bottom side of the foot rests are chrome so when they are folded up, they lose their idenity as foot rests and look as good (to me)as something that would be fabricated.

Hey mercianbike...do you know a Chris Imhof? He was weather too....retired now though...

[Bdog]

mericanbike..nice looking ride. what kind of pipes do you have?..Bdog