Is a Harley better than a Nomad?

[Bearbait53]

It's been 26 years since I've owned a motorcycle. Because of available funds, I bought a Vulcan Nomad for pleasure trip cruisin ( 200 miles or less per trip).
My question is this. Is a Harley Davidson Road King (similar to our bikes) a better ride, better quality than a Nomad? Everyone in my area (North Alabama) seems to ride a Harley Davidson. I feel inadequate because I don't own a 15000 or 20000 dollar bike. Is a Harley really that much better? Or is it just a status thing? There are some things about my 1600 Nomad that I don't like. Shaft drive and Hydraulic clutch, but other than that I like the Nomad. What is it about the Harley that everyone likes?

[waterman]

My Nomad is 10 years old and it is getting about time to think of an upgrade. I love the Nomad but I have had to add a bunch but still don't have everything I would want. By the time you figure your upgrades that price difference isn't as much.

Unless MaKaw comes out with something more in the touring line up with a larger frame, I will be looking elsewhere. The Voyager seating position is not like the 2006 Nomad.

[tony]

i looked long and hard before buying my nomad. a deciding factor was a review i read were they test drove the vulcan, Yamaha's Road Star, Suzuki Boulevard and harley road king and all three reviewers picked the nomad. plus for $10000 cheaper than the harley... no brainer.the review is out there, google it up.

[dale55]

Originally Posted by Bearbait53

It's been 26 years since I've owned a motorcycle. Because of available funds, I bought a Vulcan Nomad for pleasure trip cruisin ( 200 miles or less per trip).
My question is this. Is a Harley Davidson Road King (similar to our bikes) a better ride, better quality than a Nomad? Everyone in my area (North Alabama) seems to ride a Harley Davidson. I feel inadequate because I don't own a 15000 or 20000 dollar bike. Is a Harley really that much better? Or is it just a status thing? There are some things about my 1600 Nomad that I don't like. Shaft drive and Hydraulic clutch, but other than that I like the Nomad. What is it about the Harley that everyone likes?

Honestly why do you care what anyone else rides? You are on an awesome bike that is just as good as the Harley in all the ways that matter and costs a lot less. IF you are not happy go shopping for a Harley, victory, indian or whatever bike you want. You are the one riding the dang thing so please yourself noone else sir.

By the way the Nomad is awesome and much more reliable than most harleys.

[mnbk]

I've had a Road King, a 2001 Nomad and a 2008 Nomad. In my opinion there is no comparison, the Nomads were much better in every aspect.

Just my opinion.

[eagle]

I have both a Nomad and a Road King. I still find the Nomad more comfortable and economical to operate.

[dshelly]

I just bought a 2014 Harley Ultra Classic back in May of this year. Before that I had rode my Nomad to the last three rallies and it did fine. I've put 15K on it since I bought it 3yrs ago. As Joel pointed out, I have modded the thing to death trying to make it more of what I wanted. However, the Harley is (to me) hands down better for long distance riding. Better power and torque, smoother at speed and after a long day I don't feel as if I just ran a marathon. I still have the Nomad, it's my "bar hopper" now. One of these day I'll sell it, but for now I have the best of both worlds.
Guys here that think they know about harley and have never owned one are talking out their asses (IMO). They don't leak anymore and are just as reliable as any other bike as long as you do your scheduled maintenance. Any day of the week you can get on this forum and read about someone have trouble with their clutch, tires, brakes , engine noises, electrical problems and so forth...

So my suggestion to you sir is to ride whatever makes you happy. Go test ride some bikes and make your own decision.

[tony]

reading these posts, i guess its an individual experience. you make you happy! :)

[paul]

http://www.vulcanbagger.com/forums/a...1&d=1446776465

.Here ya go.

[MJ07Nomad]

Originally Posted by Bearbait53

It's been 26 years since I've owned a motorcycle. Because of available funds, I bought a Vulcan Nomad for pleasure trip cruisin ( 200 miles or less per trip).
My question is this. Is a Harley Davidson Road King (similar to our bikes) a better ride, better quality than a Nomad? Everyone in my area (North Alabama) seems to ride a Harley Davidson. I feel inadequate because I don't own a 15000 or 20000 dollar bike. Is a Harley really that much better? Or is it just a status thing? There are some things about my 1600 Nomad that I don't like. Shaft drive and Hydraulic clutch, but other than that I like the Nomad. What is it about the Harley that everyone likes?

I had a 2001 Road King, riding around I met a guy on a 2001 Vulcan 1500 Classic and we became friends. One day we each wanted to know how the others rode, so we switched for the day, following each other, each leading the way at times. At the days end, I traded him my road king for his 1500 Vulcan. That is how I got into riding Vulcans, never rode one before, only had HD's for 20 plus years before that. Now almost 15 years later, I have owned, 7 Vulcans, I would never go back....Yes I now have a Nomad which is a very nice bike, the newer Road Kings are nice too buy not for the money. Most (almost) every Nomad has a fairing and trunk added and more things to make it more like a HD Ultra. So if you like the Nomad and keep it stock (mostly) then yes it is better then a Road King, and if you add the faring and trunk yes it is better then a HD Ultra. For the money and ride the Vulcans are great bikes. Now if you want all the bells and do-dads then maybe you should start with a HD Ultra and remove the things you do not need. HD sells bikes and then asks the owner to make it their own with that big ass book they have. It all comes down too which base bike you want, then add things or remove things and make it your own. When you buy a Vulcan you get a great bike at a fair price, When you buy a HD you pay too much for the bike but you get into the club of HD riders and owners and dealerships are way better in service, you get the hole HD thing. Not for me, just like to ride my bike, a bike set up for me and how I ride....many times I am out group riding and have 10 to 15 HD bikes following me on great roads and we all have fun. At days end no one cares what brand of bike you rode that day only that we all rode together and had a great time doing it. And if they did mind what brand of bike I was riding they would not be riding with me again anyway. I ride my bike and it happens to be a Nomad Ultra, part of me went into making it and all of me, go into riding it.

[OldSchool]

Pretty simple if I would think that Harley's are " Better", than the Nomad, I would be owning a Harley. The things you mention you don't like are all reasons I wanted the Nomad. 80 percent of the guys in my area own Harley's. Here are the words of Sonny Barger on this subject: " F***k them Harley's. We should have gone to the Japanese bikes long ago." Me I like Harley's for a number of reasons but not because they are "Better".

[Top Cat]

95% of the Harleys ever sold are still on the road, the other 5% made it home

[skiman]

Oh Boy

[Bud2rat]

Welcome Tony. I ride a 2001 1500 with the added fairing and trunk as well as a few other add-ons. I absolutely love my bike and wouldn't trade it for an HD. My best friend rides an HD Ultra. One day, he and I traded rides and I was not impressed. It didn't ride any better than my bike. It felt cramped and not as comfortable as mine. I have my bike setup the exact way I like it. If you are ever in the Fayetteville area look me up. Just drop me a line on the forum.

[cactusjack]

I would say "yes, if the Harley is better equipped for what you want to do". I bought a 2007 Nomad brand new, it had 5 miles on it when i rode it out of the dealership. I hit my 600 mile break in within the first week. After buying the Nomad, i found out i liked touring and spent thousands trying to make the Nomad better suited for touring. I could have bought a Harley for what i had invested in the Nomad. Three and a half years and 42,000 miles after buying the Nomad I totaled it. I don't buy used bikes and the 1700's had been out a couple of years. I didn't like a number of things about the 1700xs, so Kawasaki really had nothing to offer me, so i had to look elsewhere. Victory hadn't launched the cross country tour yet, but Harley had a nice lineup of touring bikes. I bought a 2011 Ultra Classic Limited because it had the options i wanted. The Harley is a better built bike than the vulcans. The paint is better, the chrome is better, and nobody can match Harley's dealer network and aftermarket accessory market. You take a Harley in for service and you get an experienced, trained technician, not a high school kid who assembles lawn mowers and quads and who might see a touring bike now and then.

To all of you former Harley riders, if you haven't ridden a 2009 or later Harley, you have no basis to compare. The Harley handles so much better than my Nomad, it's ridiculous. There's no flex in the frame and it handles like a sport bike by comparison. There's a big difference between owning a bike designed for long distance touring and trying to turn a cruiser into a touring machine.

Speaking of service, how many visits to the dealer have i made in 4.5 years and almost 30,000 miles? Once for the 1000 mile break in, once for a brake switch recall, and once for a set of tires. I do my own maintenance.

I offer this information not to pick on Kawasaki, but because someone asked the question. There is a difference in qualty and design between a Vulcan and a Harley. Is it worth the price difference? It sure is to me. There's nothing wrong with a Vulcan, and if the Vulcan fits your price range, great. Just don't think that the only difference between a Vulcan and a Harley is the price.