In Your Opinion Nomad vs Harley

[davidhollinger]

OK cool, thank you!

[Ggben]

How is the dealer support in your area? In my region there are only two Harley dealers and they are far apart. This is an instant fail as there are many more Kawaski dealers around, so the choice is easy.

[BC RED VAQ]

Originally Posted by cactusjack

You are talking about 30 year old AMF era Harleys. Those were junk.

Yes they were you never planed a trip on one for fear of break down It took several thousand dollors and after market parts for my brother to get the bike he wanted and now its just an in town bike. I don't know how many times I saw oil on the ground under may bike after a ride but I enjoyed that bike while I had it just for the name.The sportster was a better bike in my mind but I had a good time on them both was young and full of other things. They sure don't compare to todays Harleys even if parts are made in china. Victory is I think the only bike built in the usa other than the indian and can't wait to see one of them.

[BC RED VAQ]

Originally Posted by racinfan101

One thing for certain On any given day of the week I will likely see allot more Road Kings than Nomads. At least HD has a wider variety of colors to choose from and there is allot more bling available for the HD so you can can personalize it and perhaps make it stand out a bit.

If more of use would e-mail the exhaust and parts manufactures like V&H and Cobra I think we could get a better line of parts for our metric bikes. I maybe wrong but it could not hurt.

[MADTIME]

Just returned from a Vegas weekender with a buddy. Trip was 600 plus miles. His has slip ons and mine has Vance and Hines exhaust plus a Programmer. Messed around a few times on the highway and the bikes are dead even. I payed 5K for mine and he just bought his for 22k (traded in his 07 Ultra Classic that was breaking left and right) I'm cheap and I really like Harleys except for the insane price. I'm adding a reckless fairing and I guess I'll have to just pretend my bike is a real bike, even though it is not a Harley.

His: 2011 Electra Glide Ultra Limited 103ci motor 15k miles
Mine: 2006 Nomad 1600 16k miles

PS: This is a quick performance comparo and although not exactly apples to apples, it does show that an older Nomad can do well against a newer harley.

[manban9888]

Originally Posted by MADTIME

Just returned from a Vegas weekender with a buddy. Trip was 600 plus miles. His has slip ons and mine has Vance and Hines exhaust plus a Programmer. Messed around a few times on the highway and the bikes are dead even. I payed 5K for mine and he just bought his for 22k (traded in his 07 Ultra Classic that was breaking left and right) I'm cheap and I really like Harleys except for the insane price. I'm adding a reckless fairing and I guess I'll have to just pretend my bike is a real bike, even though it is not a Harley.

His: 2011 Electra Glide Ultra Limited 103ci motor 15k miles
Mine: 2006 Nomad 1600 16k miles

PS: This is a quick performance comparo and although not exactly apples to apples, it does show that an older Nomad can do well against a newer harley.

I ride my Nomad everywhere 2up in comfort. The only things I want in a bike is a windshield, hard bags, and a big vtwin that can take me and my woman all over this great country reliably. The Nomad is a great bang for your buck bike. The Nomad obviously does the trick for you and me but I've noticed that people can want more from a bike than a good reliable ride and enjoy the Harley culture as an added benefit. It's not my thing but I see it a lot especially down here.

[gman47]

I too traded off my '05 Nomad for an HD Ultra Classic. I was never really comfortable on the Nomad due to it's wheel base, rake and trail configuration and the heavy steering. I had the bike 3 years, added fairing, trunk and other goodies to make it like I wanted it. When it came time to sell, all the added accessories didn't amount to a hill of beans. I looked at both HD and Victory, decided on the HD. Why? All my riding buddies have HD's, we have done a yearly tour averaging 2,000 mile and 10 riders for 15 years, that's conservatively 300K miles. I can count on one hand the number of breakdowns which includes flat tires, a bad starter, battery and an ignition switch problem. I have become convinced HD has solved many of the "old issue" problems, producing a reliable motorcycle. Bump to many of CJ's comments.

I felt I lost about 3 years of riding enjoyment but now have a bike I have confidence in when it comes to handling. I have to say for those owning or looking to buy a Nomad or Vaquero, Kawi makes a bullet proof machine.

[MADTIME]

I think their paint and chrome is second to none. They LOOK like quality. HD has marketed their brand and made people believe they're buying the very best and all others are just "throw away" bikes. I've heard that from Harley riders many times over the years. I don't think they really believe it but it makes them feel somewhat superior. Harley riders will buy a $20,000 bike and develop a million dollar attitude. I see it every time I ride.
If a person believes a Harley-Davidson is the bike for them and they ride, ride, and ride, then more power to them. I was raised on this motto, "It's not what you ride, it's that you ride."
But, to tell me Harley-Davidson makes the only real motorcycle and it is the finest bike made, then I have a problem with that. All motorcycles are real motorcycles, not just Harley-Davidsons. No, they are not the finest bikes made. While they have made great strides in manufacturing quality, (I read manufacturing trade publications) they are still a mediocre design.
The one area that Harley-Davidson is great is advertising the image and lifestyle. Yes, Sir, the folks in Milwaukee are marketing geniuses. They are truly brilliant. To get so many people to believe Harley-Davidson is the only REAL motorcycle made is brilliant. To get so many people to buy into (and buy and buy and buy) the whole "Harley Lifestyle."

[coffey67]

Water cooled vs. air cooled. That is the deal breaker for me. I will not cook atop a big V-Twin that is air cooled. I rode along with a Harley rider in Cades Cove TN. and watched him and his girl cook in the summer heat as traffic was crawling along. I and my wife were fine on my Nomad.

[landman]

since the only harley i ever owned was an 84 fls it wouldn't be fair to compare it to the nomad or vaquero i now own.

[Monkeyman]

If I had to choose between a pre-'09 Nomad or a Road King, I'd choose the Nomad. If we're talking about an '09+ Nomad, I'd choose the RK. The pre-'09 Nomads are great bikes. I don't fit as well on the newer Nomads and they seem to run warmer. Not that I plan on getting either as I'm very satisfied with my Victory.

[cactusjack]

Originally Posted by coffey67

Water cooled vs. air cooled. That is the deal breaker for me. I will not cook atop a big V-Twin that is air cooled. I rode along with a Harley rider in Cades Cove TN. and watched him and his girl cook in the summer heat as traffic was crawling along. I and my wife were fine on my Nomad.

My 2007 Nomad seemed to give off more heat than my Harley does. In the summer when I'd ride home from work in the afternoon, the tank on the Nomad was hot enough to burn you.

[spoon059]

Here are my thoughts;

-I'm 6-04 and find the Road King to be smaller and less comfortable.
-I'm paying cash for a bike, as it is a luxury not a neccessity. My 2000 Nomad set me back $3000. Similar era RK's were $8000+ and have cam tensioner issues.
-I don't really care what OTHER people think of my bike, I want to ride something comfy, reliable and affordable.

I don't need to spend $15K on a bike to impress someone else. I am plenty happy with my $3K bike. If the bikes were the same (or close) priced, I might look a little harder at the RK because I really like the way the bags look on the RK Classic.

[ponch]

Originally Posted by Monkeyman

If I had to choose between a pre-'09 Nomad or a Road King, I'd choose the Nomad. If we're talking about an '09+ Nomad, I'd choose the RK. The pre-'09 Nomads are great bikes. I don't fit as well on the newer Nomads and they seem to run warmer. Not that I plan on getting either as I'm very satisfied with my Victory.

Luckily we aren't so confined to our choices.

[ponch]

Originally Posted by cactusjack

My 2007 Nomad seemed to give off more heat than my Harley does. In the summer when I'd ride home from work in the afternoon, the tank on the Nomad was hot enough to burn you.

My RT throws off the least heat of any bike I have owned. In fact, I would say I don't notice it, even out here. The nomad could be a lot on a hot day. I remember remarking to myself on some 100+ days in Iowa and saying to myself, wow, that's hot.