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

[blowndodge]

Very Valid review...

[cactusjack]

Wow, that was a very thorough and thoughtful comparison of the two bikes/brands.

The Nomad was never a gas mileage king and I guess the 1700 is no exception. One thing that made me shy away from the Strat is the air-cooled part. Living here in Phoenix with the extreme hot temps, I would prefer a water-cooled bike. Also, I always looked at Star motorcycles as being kind of "old technology", the Royal Star hasn't changed much in ages. I think it still comes with a cassette player.

Anyway, just my ramblings. Thanks for taking the time to post such a detailed evaluation.

[waterman]

I rode a 2010 and 2009 Voyager at the regional rally. Yes it does seem cramped with the stock seat. The 2009 had a mustang seat which sits you back a couple of inches and really felt good. As far as the mileage, both of the owners were talking about low to mid 40's.

[ringadingh]

Good review, sometimes you just get a dud in a machine no matter what the dealer tries to do to it. I once had a snowmobile that was no good from the day I got it and nobody could get it to run right. it was slow for a performance sled and chewed through belts like crazy. My pal bought the same machine and it went like a scared rabbit, about 25mph faster with no problems.
Sounds like your 1700 Nomad is similar.

[oldbikers]

A very thorough review but it sounds like you could have saved a lot of money and still have the best bike by just keeping you 07 Nomad

[blowndodge]

But it's still no Triumph 1600 Thunderbird....

[metalman]

A very interesting and detailed report. I have no regrets about buying my 2006 Nomad. I particularly like the size of the bike, because most bikes are too small for me. As far as passenger comfort, the car tire on the rear sure smoothes out some of those sharp bumps.

[ndsailor]

No Doubt About That....the shaft driven 1600 were a dream to cruise down the road on....

[borto1990]

I was debating hard between the strat and my 08 when I got mine. My buddy had one and I thought it was a great bike. My biggest issue, with my own short 30" wheel base. I just wasn't as comfortable and felt I had to stretch for everything. granted, things could have been modified with aftermarket goodies to make it better. However, when I sat on the nomad, it just seemed to "fit" and I haven't looked back since. I thought the strat was a nice ride though!

[AlabamaNomadRider]

Good review and thorough. Thanks for posting your thoughts. Now for my thoughts..... Heck I turned my brain off a while back and it hasn't rebooted yet.

[pastorgumby]

Here's the golden kernel of truth: "Conclusions: NO MATTER WHAT BIKE YOU CHOOSE TO RIDE, THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SOME TRADEOFFS."

A very thoughtful comparison, thanks!

[1badbagger]

As a tall guy - I understand the whole compact riding postion thing that they are doing with the new Nomad. But, it just doesn't work for me (I'm 6'3"). I also noticed the 1700's have even smaller floor boards than my '03 for my 14's. Harley has also gone to the the more compact riding postion, going away from the little more stretched out feel.

That being said, sounds like you got a pretty poor running Nomad. The sixth is supposed to be an overdrive, I wouldn't expect it be a gear you really accelerate in. I have heard they get hot too.

I used to own a Road Star Warrior and I have ridden a Strat for about 250 miles. Here's a couple of secrets I'll let you in on.

1. Save your money cause your gonna shred the rear. All that extra HP and tourque your feeling comes at a cost. Couple that with the light weight aluminum frame and you've got a real scorcher in the rear. The Nomad's HP and Torque are much flatter through the powerband. Yamaha builds all their bikes as arm-pullers. That being said it's a bad @ss motor.

2. I would'nt expect much better distance out of that 4.5 tank Even if you are getting better mileage. The one I rode didn't get that great of mileage. I have a Buddy that owns mine and he can't even get as close to the distance I (and several of my friends) get out of our Nomads. Again I have a 1500.

3. Yamaha's aluminum frame is a GREAT handling cruiser!

Hope you enjoy your new ride.

[tombstone]

The reasoning behind this post puzzles me, but I have to respond.

Originally Posted by 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

I just did a 650 mile day on my Nomad and didn't notice a "cramped" feeling...I don't even have highway pegs yet.

Originally Posted by ndsailor

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.

Minor issue on my 1700. I felt the same thing on my two Stroms, three Wings, and every other bike I've owned.

Originally Posted by ndsailor

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

This is the first time I've heard that complaint, it's not a problem on my machine unless I don't release the throttle fully.

Originally Posted by ndsailor

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.

I've had mine at 105 two up and it was still climbing (albeit slowly). You do understand what an overdrive is don't you?

Originally Posted by ndsailor

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.

I have over 11,000 miles on my bike and have yet to average under 40 mpg on any trip. That includes the two up trips. I think learning how to shift would really help you.

Originally Posted by ndsailor

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

My V-Stom had a hinged gas cap. I don't miss it enough to post in the Strom forum and tell them how much better the Nomad is over the Strom..... But, each to his own.
Ride safe.

[schoeney]

Originally Posted by Blowndodge "Darksider"

But it's still no Triumph 1600 Thunderbird....

And he is probably thankful it isn't ;)


Good reviews and consistent with what my riding buddy says about his Strat O Liner. He has gone through too many rear tires due to the extra getty up...I guess the temptation is too much to resist.