Nomad 1700 vs Yamaha Stratoliner

[ndsailor]

I previously owned a 2007 1600 Nomad and absolutely loved it. I then sold that wonderful machine to move up, I thought, to the 2009 1700 Nomad. Well, after 11,000 miles on the 2009 1700 Nomad, I sold it and bought a 2008 Yamaha Stratoliner for the following reasons:

CONS of the Nomad 1700:
1. Cramped riding positon. While I found the stock seat the most comfortable on the market, I could not move my legs to a comfortable position over a long haul. It was like sitting bolt-upright in a lawn chair with your feet tied to the legs of the chair. Meanwhile, the floorboards on the 1700 LT are properly angled and about 3 more inches forward. Nice. Why couldn't they do that for the Nomad and Voyager? As an example, look at the foot position in the Kawasaki promo video, you have to sit duck footed and only use the forward 1/3 of the floorboard to even approach being comfortable. http://www.kawasaki.com/Products/pro...scid=28&id=420

2. Engine heat. I have never riden a motorcycle, especially one that is liquid cooled, that put out this much heat. Even with the new remedy that Kawasaki provided.

3. Intermittant slow return to Idle or throttle stuck at high speed. The throttle never did work like it should, even after repeated visits to the dealer and talking with the Kawasaki technicians, they just couldn't fix the problem. You can hear it for yourself in the opening of the 2009 Kawasaki video. http://www.kawasaki.com/products/pro...id=376&scid=28
and again in the 2010 verson at 2:08 into the video. Watch his wrist return to the idle position, but the throttle continues wide open.
http://www.kawasaki.com/Products/pro...scid=28&id=420

4. Low top speed. I couldn't get the bike to top 92-95 mph. It had a higher top speed in 5th than in 6th.

5. Poor Gas Mileage. When new, she barely topped 28 mpg at highway speeds. After she was broke in ( after about 2500 miles) mileage improved to about 32-34 mpg on the highway.

6. I miss the hinged gas cap that the 1600s had.

PROS for the 1700 Nomad.
1. Very comfortable seats, especially for the passenger.

2. Air adjustable shock absorbers. Again, added comfort for the passenger.

3. Electronic Cruise Control. What more can I say.

4. Low rpm's at highway cruising speeds in Sixth gear, but trade off in acceleration, gas mileage and top speed.

5. Volumnous SaddleBags.

6. Nearly completely outfitted for touring, bags, windshield, engine and bag guards. It should come with a luggage rack to complete the outfitting.

7. Improved reach to the Handlebars. It was standard to get risers for the 1600 Nomad because of the long reach across the extended gas tank.

8. Ignition switch...you can remove the key and turn the engine on and off without it.

Stratoliner Cons:
1. Long reach to the handlebars. Had to get risers and narrower bars to boot.

2. Small fuel tank at 4.5 gallons. Although it gets as much mileage out of the 4.5 tank as the Nomad does with the 5.3 gallon tank.

3. Small saddle bags.

4. No engine guards, bag guards, or luggage rack, those are after market items.

5. Passenger comfort sucks....8 inch wide pillon with very little padding and no passenger floorboards, again...aftermarket items.

6. It is sometimes hard to get the key into the ignition, particularly if you add a fairing as I did. The fairing puts the ignition slot in the dark.

7. No cruise control. But even so, I don't miss it and I don't miss the 6-speed.

8. Harsh suspension. Again, aftermarket products will help, but it is an added cost.

Stratoliner Pros:
1. Smoothest running V-twin you will ever ride with excellent throttle response and tons of torque.

2. Ultra smooth shifting. I don't miss the 6-speed at all.

3. High top end. 120 mph+ and it takes no time at all to reach that speed.

4. Come standard with radial tires. The Nomad was advertised with radials but comes with biased ply tires.

6. Gas mileage 40-45 mpg on the highway (70-80 mph). Even better around town.

7. Lots of after-market parts to make it your own. (I guess this is a personal preferrance).

8. Leg room. I can move my legs either forward or back on the longboards.

9. Lower seat height. I can stand flat footed with a bend in my knees. Although I could get my feet flat on the street on the Nomad, my knees had to be almost locked straight.

Conclusions: NO MATTER WHAT BIKE YOU CHOOSE TO RIDE, THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SOME TRADEOFFS.

1. You have to add alot to the Stratoliner to make it as complete as the Nomad for touring, but if the engine aint right, you aint got Sh**.

2. I don't miss the cruise control because you need such a little twist of the throttle to reach highway speeds on the Stratoliner.

3. Although the engine on the Stratoliner is air cooled, it runs MUCH cooler than the Nomad.

4. With a shorter wheelbase, the Nomad handled better at slow speeds, but even this has been eliminated by adding a narrower handle bar to the Stratoliner.

5. Still, that passenger comfort thing. Despite all its faults, I may have to return to the Nomad to keep touring with my wife. She has some bad discs in her back that become very painfull after a few hours on the Stratoliner, whereas we have toured throughout the mountains on 1500 mile trips on the Nomad without tiring. Just the danger of running up the back of a stopped car or truck if you don't watch the throttle closely.

Just my 85 cents worth of opinion