Which to buy

[lrs]

I'm a brand new member to KawaNow and am sitting on a fence in regards to exactly what to buy. I have wanted a Nomad for a long time, my brother has a 2001 1500 that has given him great rides & lots of miles with no problems. I gave up riding ~30 years ago when babies came along and my wife got 'security/safety' fever, but now after just having my 55th birthday I really wanna get back into the touring scene. There is way too much of Texas that just should not be seen only through a truck windshield. {I have done the 337 route on a bike - 30 year ago.....) :-/
My problem is that I have two ways to go, and I know that this is a Vulcan Forum so I thought that I would just toss this out and see what you all think. The Vulcan Nomad is a great bike - but what about a Stratoliner? Yeah - it does cost more, but it does weigh less. While the Nomad wins all of it's shootouts in the 1600cc class, the Stratoliner wins all of the shootouts in the 1800cc+/- class. So here I sit gathering my money together, hoping to have enough by fall to buy a bike, and I can not make up my mind........ Please let me know your comments. I am looking foreword to joining you all rolling down the Texas back roads very very soon..... LRS