Something I just found out regarding my Nomad

[burkazoid]

I found out something this weekend about my Nomad that had me scratching my head. Whoever assembled the bike put the front guards on backwards (turn them upside down and put the right on the left side, the left on the right).

Some of you might recall I had posted about having difficulty finding a replacement front left guard that had been damaged when I dropped it a few weeks back. The replacement I ordered came in, and I sat down to swap the parts out. When I was done I stepped bike to admire it's perfection again, and was puzzled why the left side looked different from the right. Basically, it had two left front guards on it, the one attached to the right side was simply turned upside down.

I'm going to go back to the dealership and talk to them about this. I had never noticed this before, never even gave it a thought. But I'm a little pissed off that now I have a part I can't use, and I have to order the correct replacement, which costs me extra.

I'll also contact the shop I bought the part from to see if they wouldn't mind swapping out for a right guard.

Anyone else ever have something like this happen?

[lowrevs]

My 2005 Nomad (purchased at Wild West Kawasaki in Katy) also had the engine guards installed the wrong way. I was a bit luckier I guess, since I had the correct engine guards... they were simply installed on the wrong sides (and upside down). I didn't realize it until I tried to install Airlite engine guard chaps and the set I purchased didn't fit. The guy that I bought them from asked me to email pictures and he spotted it right away. He said it wasn't the first time he had someone with the same trouble. The dealer also neglected to mount the choke in the bracket (leaving it rubbe banded to the engine).

I really like my Nomad, but its things like this that makes me wonder if Yamaha or Harley Davidsons are worth the additional $$$. The dealer network for Kawasaki is really bad, and the aftermarket parts are almost non-existent.

When I told gadget about my new purchase the first thing he told me was to look for the cold idle knob that was probably still rubber banded to the spark plug wire sure enough it still was. When I was at the dealer and they were showing me the bike right after I bought it the head mechanic leaned down to show me where it should have been and when he didn't see it he just said "oh well this one is fuel injected so it doesn't have it!" Its not a true choke but it has the choke symbol on the knob and it makes the bike idle faster. (easier for cold starting)

Whoever assembled the bike put the front guards on backwards (turn them upside down and put the right on the left side, the left on the right).

The angled part of the bars are supposed to be on the bottom...Right?

[dip]

had the same problem with choke knob rubber band under the tank. still not sure what coke is supposed to do on this bike. also had trouble figuring out what i was missing on the tool boex till i read gadget's page and realized the empty space was supposed to be there, unless its the cali model.

i guess i'll find out soon about the engine guards, cause they are being replaced due to the accident.

[kingcruiser]

dip,
There is a bracket you can put your choke knob in attatched to the frame just in front of the choke knob.
KC

[burkazoid]

Well, if it's that common than I'm not concerned about it. I never tried to put footpegs on the front guards, so that coupled with the fact they were both symmetrical (whether upside down or not), and I just never noticed it.

lowrevs: I'm pretty frustrated with the dealers too. They couldn't even find the replacement part for my left front guard, and it's an oem part. I love my Vulcan, though. I couldn't bear to part with it. I almost cried when I traded in my Vulcan 800 classic on the Nomad.

wolfman: Yes, the angle is supposed to be at the bottom, which is where mine wasn't. I've ordered the right guard now, and I'm just waiting for it to come in. At least I'll have a replacement for one of them, I guess. Funny; I took both guards off so at least it wouldn't look strange for the time being, and it just kind of looked like something was really missing from it.

And, on a side note, I was following the instructions in the nomad assembly manual for torquing the fasteners for the guards, and whoever originally put those things on had them torqued WAY beyond what the manual specified. I though I was going to break my ratchet just breaking them lose. I torqued them, took it for a spin, came back and re-torqued, and they were fine at what the manual specified.

Well, if it's that common than I'm not concerned about it. I never tried to put footpegs on the front guards, so that coupled with the fact they were both symmetrical (whether upside down or not), and I just never noticed it.

If they are upside down just make sure they don't scrape in a turn. Maybe thats why they are angled at the bottom to give you more clearance?

[burkazoid]

I'm sure you're right about that. I never thought I would drag anything on a cruiser, but I distinctly remember dragging a peg on a couple of occasions on the old vulcan 800 classic I had. So, it does happen.

Well, once I get the right front guard in this week, I fully intend to put them on correctly.

[jeffm]

"oh well this one is fuel injected so it doesn't have it!"


Thats funny that is exactly what the salesman said on delivery when going through the bike with me. Must be in the sales manual, when in doubt say "this model doesnt have it".

[nightflight1]

Maybe we need a survey to see how many bike came from the dealer with the choke knob installed correctly. Mine was tucked up under the tank too. Now I'm gonna have to check the crash bars. :)

yep, in the other thread about the choke knob, Doc said his salesman said the same thing "this model doesn't have one"

[rflnomad]

My choke knob and bars were OK. But, the handlebar clamps were not installed correctly. The front gap was zero and the back gap was about .150!! These gaps should be equal. I mentioned it to the dealer and he apologized quickly and fixed it.
This is the important thing. I understand that mistakes happen. The point is, How do the dealers react to them. Even my salesman was involved with this very minor issue. They then were seen walking the showroom to look at the other bikes to see if they were correct.