'07 Nomad 1600 - Maintenance/upgrades - results

[Caveman]

Hi guys/gals,

I've been enjoying my Nomad since buying it a month ago. Many of you have read my thread about the Iridium Spark Plugs:
http://www.vulcanbagger.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=41830

That prompted me to start a new thread describing the little things I'm doing & how I feel it affected performance & reliability.

To start, this is a 2007 Nomad 1600 with just over 27k miles when I bought it a month ago. The bike shop mechanics went through the bike, changed the oil, filter, etc. before sending it out the door. It ran fine when I picked it up. With that being said, I'm particular with the way my vehicles run. I like to spend money on items that will improve how it runs overall, including mileage and performance. I won't sacrifice reliability and mileage for performance gains. I also don't want to spend a ton of cash for little to no improvement.

The first thing I did was research on the different new plugs. It's been a while since I did my own wrenching. I decided on the NGK Iridium Spark Plugs as you'll see in my thread here:
http://www.vulcanbagger.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=41830

In the first month I put about 900 miles on the bike & the only thing that I did was run two tanks with Seafoam and change the plugs. The plugs alone made a significant difference. For me, it was money well spent. I will change the plugs every year, even though many people will say it's a waste of money. It's $28 for peace of mind.

Now that I'm in my second month & am very comfortable with the bike, here's what's next:

A few days ago I cleaned the throttle bodies. I used a combination of spray carb cleaner, clean shop rag, tooth brush, qtips and a little bit of Seafoam. They cleaned up nicely. There was mild to moderate buildup and was easily removed. It took about 45 minutes overall, as I took my time and cleaned it well. I also left the throttle wide open for about 10 minutes before I put the covers back on to make sure any remaining fluid dried up.

Results: Improved idle, even had to lower the idle speed a bit. It even sounds a little bit better. Overall performance feels about the same, possibly slightly better but it may just be my perception is a bit jaded since I know how clean it is now. I will likely do this twice per year since it's easy and very inexpensive.

Next up: K&N Air Filter, model KA-1603. It just came in & I'll be putting this on the bike later today. I'll report back with the results.

[Hacksaw]

a clean throttle body is a happy throttle body!

[cactusjack]

It's amazing what a simple thing like cleaning the throttle body bores will do. I had my Nomad serviced by the dealership for first year I owned it. The mechanics never cleaned the throttle body, they just increased the idle speed to compensate. When I finally cleaned it myself, it idled at about 2000 rpm.

[Caveman]

Absolutely! I grew up learning auto mechanics out of necessity through my Dad and the library.. no internet back then... but used cars were only a few hundred dollars & I had to keep them running as long as possible.

As far as how the little details make a big difference, I learned that about 15 years ago when I briefly started racing on road 1/10 scale electric and nitro r/c cars. My driving ability was decent but my attention to detail is what made up the rest. I would spend hours cleaning, tuning, balancing, polishing, etc.. just to have the best running car on the field so I could compete at a high level.

The Nomad is sounding better and better to my ear. Mileage is improving & it's running well. No complaints here.

Originally Posted by Hacksaw

a clean throttle body is a happy throttle body!

Originally Posted by cactusjack

It's amazing what a simple thing like cleaning the throttle body bores will do. I had my Nomad serviced by the dealership for first year I owned it. The mechanics never cleaned the throttle body, they just increased the idle speed to compensate. When I finally cleaned it myself, it idled at about 2000 rpm.

[Acire37]

Inspiring sir. I should look into swapping plugs and doing a deep cleaning.

[Caveman]

UPDATES:

K&N Filter installed. After running it for a few days, I can say that there is not much difference. It did seem to slightly change the tone. This was definitely the most I've spent on the least amount of improvement in engine function. I'm thinking the cost will even out over time, as this is washable and lasts for a very long time.

Now I have a right side exhaust rattle right at the muffler. I checked the clamps yesterday.. no change yet. Maybe it's time for a new exhaust system.

RATINGS:

#1 Definitely the Iridium Plugs, by far
#2 Throttle body cleaning
#3 but a distant 3rd, K&N Filter

Now keep in mind my driving weather this time of the year is usually 100+ during the day and 90+ at night... the heat definitely affects engine performance, especially in stop and go traffic.

I filled up today & put some Seafoam in the tank, as well as a little bit into the crankcase.. oil change coming up.

[Caveman]

Found the rattle-- right side lower guard clamp split.. changed it out & we're all good now.

Oil change today: K&N filter and Mobile 1 Synthetic motorcycle 10W40.

This bike is really coming along nicely. New thread with photos of the new trunk coming up.

On another note, I did find that the previous owner mounted a Metzeler 880 tire on the rear, though he used a 180/70 - 16 which makes for too tall of a tire, thereby changing the final drive ratio. A 180/65 is much closer to the stock recommended 170/70. Tossing right now between Metzeler 888 or a Michelin Commander II - in the 180/65 size as a soon to be replacement.

[Caveman]

I rode for about 80 miles today with the new oil... wow. The dealer I bought the bike from put in regular oil... I used synthetic, listed above. This bike loves the synthetic oil. It sounds and feels better, definitely shifts better and seems to be running slightly cooler. Looks like I'll be staying with this oil.

[Navigator]

Good thread Caveman. I too purchased an 07 Nomad and am just getting to know it. I rode it to BC for the Salmon Arm rally and had thought to start a thread like this concerning my thoughts on the bike, the good features and how I plan to improve mine. Right now I have the controls off to cut the handlebars back two inches.

I just returned from a week at the Sturgis 75th Anniversary event, never again, so if you don't mind will piggy back on your thread with some of my observations once I recover.

[lar]

The Michelin CommanderII is a much better tire.

[Caveman]

Please do. I plan to keep this bike for quite a while, so learning more about it will be helpful.

I will be saving up for a fuel management system & this is the one that I want:
http://www.cobrausa.com/kawasaki/vul...ner/92-1963AT/

I know there are many opinions regarding different brands, with PCV being one of the most popular. I'm not interested in manual tuning at this time... the Cobra automatic processing model looks promising, though it's pricey.

After that I'll get an exhaust system, though I'm not in a hurry. Mine sounds great. The previous owner must have removed the baffles or did something to it. I'm thinking it's still the stock exhaust.. took a photo & tried looking it up but didn't get anywhere:

Originally Posted by Navigator

Good thread Caveman. I too purchased an 07 Nomad and am just getting to know it. I rode it to BC for the Salmon Arm rally and had thought to start a thread like this concerning my thoughts on the bike, the good features and how I plan to improve mine. Right now I have the controls off to cut the handlebars back two inches.

I just returned from a week at the Sturgis 75th Anniversary event, never again, so if you don't mind will piggy back on your thread with some of my observations once I recover.

[Caveman]

That's what I'm leaning towards.. thanks for the input. How do you like the overall driveability & road sensitivity?

Originally Posted by lar

The Michelin CommanderII is a much better tire.

[Caveman]

Update on fuel mileage: Filled up today 4.541 gal and 160.4 miles = 35.32 mpg.
Much improved over the initial 30-32mpg when I first got it.

[Acire37]

Great review Caveman.

[Texas nomad]

Caveman, I love the column you've started. Great news to hear. My Nomad is an '06. Due to multiple deployments, I've just recently hit the 10,000 mark on my Nomad. The only ugrades I've made to date is the Stebil Nautilis air horn, and the Iridium spark plugs. I'm poking to adding a fairing and a tour pak, but all of that's on hold for now. Need t get some bills paid off first.