Nomad 1700 Review

[Sin City Stan]

2009 Vulcan 1700 Review

As posted earlier I bought this bike in Chandler, AZ and rode it back to Henderson, NV (Las Vegas) area. About a 300 mile trip. I will try to be as objective as possible. A little over 440 miles on the clock now.

Fit / Finish / Ergonomics
Close inspection did not reveal any fit problems anywhere on the bike. The paint finish was good but not as good as other factory paint I have seen.

Now how did the bike fit me? I’m 6’0”, 225 lbs..

I fought the seat for about 200 miles. Cruising around Scottsdale it was not noticeable. However on the road back my lower back was continually creased by the back of the seat (where it meets the rider’s seat). I wiggled, squirmed and was pretty much uncomfortable until I stopped fighting it and just let myself sink down into it. No problems with the seat since.

The heal-toe shifter is placed perfectly for me. The brake is forward of the footrest and again fits me just fine. I have a 10 1/2 boot, a pair of size 12s might not fit as well. Clutch and hand brake action and placement is pretty much standard with no noticeable problems. Same for turn signals, lights, kill switch and starter.

The cruise control was another matter. Or maybe I just have small hands. The problem with the cruise control is after you push the On/Off button and are cruising down the highway you have to slide the set button to engage the cruise control. This is to resume a previously set speed or to set a new speed. The problem being is that as you try to reach the slide button with you thumb your hand is sliding off the throttle. More often than not you lose speed before the cruise kicks in. Also, it took a little trial and error with what you did with your hand while the cruise is on. A slight back twist on the throttle or if you rest your hand on the brake and hit a little bump the cruise would kick out. Ended up with a light grip on the throttle which didn’t disrupt the cruise control.

The helmet storage locks are in a God forsaken place. Low, on the front of the rear crash bar. You virtually have to stand on your head to use it. The rear seat comfort and fit have not been tested yet.

Instruments
The good thing about the cruise is that it’s dead on solid. Up hills. Down hills. It maintains speed within 1 MPH. Only car I ever had that would do that was a 2001 Corvette. I think it’s an engine torque thing. The cruise also offers 1 MPH adjustments of speed by sliding the switch left or right. Sliding the switch left or right and holding it there will cause the bike to accelerate or decelerate depending which way you push it.

The speedometer is 1 MPH low at 55 MPH (checked by RADAR). The MPG meter seems to be very close. My actual MPG for the first 374 miles was 35. I consistently saw 35–39 MPG on the road and 33-35 in city riding. The highest MPG was 45 going downwind at 70 MPH in both 5th and 6th gears (break-in mandated). Two electronic trip meters. A fuel gage that was surprisingly accurate. The miles to go before empty meter/calculator constantly varied depending on throttle position. Really not much use considering the fuel gage accuracy. Had a clock and gear indicator also.

The Ride
As I said before, Scottsdale to home is about 300 miles. Couple this with a break-in schedule and 20-40 MPH winds and you have a long day. We (my wife was driving our Durango) started off directly into the wind. I was moving 55-65 MPH and didn’t have too much problem with the wind. When we turned to the North just outside a small town and protected from the wind, my wife was about a quarter mile ahead of me. I pulled into the left lane in 5th gear going about 50 and caught up to her as I shifted to 6th. I looked down and saw I was traveling effortlessly at 90 MPH. I had gobs of throttle left. Slowed it right down as I pulled in front of her.

Stopped for fuel and put in 2 gallons of Regular 87 (R+M) octane. Had a shot of water and back to the road. As we ventured North we became more exposed to the wind. The bike didn’t like it and neither did I. Crossing bridges that were about 300’ above the dry river bed below, with cross winds was especially exciting.

Another stop for a little over two gallons of regular again. A shot of water and on the road. Left the gas station in second gear. Don’t ask how that happened. However, After a slight kick it motored right up to the 3rd. gear shift without a problem.

We motored North to I40 where we turned into the West wind again. 20 miles of hell. These were the strongest winds I experienced and coupled with trucks traveling 80 MPH made it very tense for 20 minutes.

Kingman, AZ; Gas and water again. Premium (91 Octane) this time as I was experiencing slight knocking when accelerating into the wind. Traveling North now and the wind has shifted to the Southwest. Cruising at 70 (5th & 6th gear again) and what a ride. 70 miles to the Hoover Dam.

Just when getting into some twisties and having fun, four miles from the Dam we stop dead. Traffic is backed up all the way to the dam. Took 40 minutes to work our way through it. The Temp. was in the low 80s. The heat off the bike was oppressive. I found out Monday the Harley trick when caught at the Dam is to shut the engine done and coast all the way to the Dam. Would have eliminated allot of sweating.

Stopped in Boulder City for root beer and 30 more miles we were home. I was surprised what little fatigue I had. I made the right choice.

Since then it’s been to and from work and short trips here and there. An interesting thing happened yesterday though that reinforces the low center of gravity. I was moving slowly through a parking lot waiting for a truck to cross in front of me. As I started to turn in behind him he stopped. Then I had to stop. My front wheel was slightly turned to the right. My right foot was on the brake and the bike started to go down. In fact it went way down. I got my foot down and caught it and tried to lift it. Didn’t make it up. I hovered there and tried one more time and up it came. The Road King and Ultra Glide weigh about the same and I know I would have never lifted them back up.

The Nomad doesn’t seem that much heavier than the Vulcan 800 I own. Did I mention I have a Vulcan 800 for sale? Pictures below.

Well that’s the review from Sin City Stan.

[audiogooroo]

Nice report!
Thanks man!

[blowndodge]

wow! Nice write up!!! Thats a mighty fine Nomad!!

[cactusjack]

Nice review. I am hoping to ride one Friday at Cyclefest in Scottsdale!

[dogdoc]

I dont care to ever ride a new one. i already own the best, a 1600 '05. :-)

[mrfuni]

Love my '07, but that one sure looks pretty !

[VulcanE]

Nice review, I saw these at the cycle show in South Carolina, and was very impressed with them. Sharp Bike BTW.

[blowndodge]

A couple of things jump out at me. Stan says he got some pinging. Kawasaki advertises the new 1700 with an all new injection system and ECM. Sounds like the same "closed" loop system to me with no knock sensor or O2 sensor. I hope they didn't skimp on that. Major reason why I wouldn't get one.

Stan's taking it easy so we don't have a real power comparison. My guess is that there is no more of a difference the 1700 has on the 1600 as the 1600 had to the 1500; ie, not much. I have no problem accelerating to 90 around traffic if I had to.

A more accurate speedo is nice. 6th gear? maybe.

[taranis]

Out-friggin-standing review! I was a little curious how the cruise control would work being on the right grip. Seems to be confirmed.

Two questions: First, how do you like the handling in the twisties and at slow speed? Second, how's the quality of the plastic on a scale of 1-10? When I saw them at the show, the weight of the lids would bend the bottom portion of the bag out of shape. I fully expected it to snap at some point.

[strobe]

Great review, I think you are right about the size 12 boots, that would be me. The Classics I have seen I did have that issue. Good to get some very objective info on the Nomad. Hope you are happy with it, it is a great looking bike!!!!

[schoeney]

Great review. I think you are the first member to buy, ride, and review the new model....Congratulations and welcome abord! Can we ask how much it cost and what accessories you got if any?

Of course you bought the fastest color...great choice.

Might be my imagination but those bags look better than the ones I saw at the show. The ones I saw didn't seem to follow the same contour as the rear fender as well as yours does.

[pirate]

Thanks for the great review! I'm sure you'll enjoy your new ride for many many miles.

[Top Cat]

Great review and congrats on the new bike :)

[caddman11]

Great looking bike, great review, looking forward to riding one-----soon I hope. Nice colors, happy riding.

[bosko]

Thanks for the review and pics.

Now what is your first mod/accessory gonna be?

And if you could have any mod/accessory done for free what would it be?

The questions are just starting SCS.