underpowered?

[nomad]

maybe its just me....my nomad doesn't seem to have the get-up-and-go that my other bikes have had...like its lacking in power or something. granted, this is my first v-twin. all my other bikes were inline 4's. how does your bike feel to you? ???

[cactusjack]

My bike feels fine to me. I can roll with any other V-twin I ride with, no problem. The Valkyries, Goldwings and sport bikes are a different story.

The Nomad is a sort of "retro bike". It's not made to compete with modern bikes in terms of horsepower.

But if ya really gotta, drop $5000 and get a Mr. Turbo kit. Then she'll fly.

[ponch]

Or buy a vulcan 2000.

[nomad]

Originally Posted by caddmannq

The Nomad is a sort of "retro bike". It's not made to compete with modern bikes in terms of horsepower.

But if ya really gotta, drop $5000 and get a Mr. Turbo kit. Then she'll fly.

....it doesn't bother me that much!!!! i was just curious. i'm sure i'll be riding this thing for years!

[dantama]

My last street bike before the Nomad I bought in 99 was a Honda V65 Magna. I test drove a used Honda shadow and was shocked at how little power it had when I started looking for another bike.

By the time I got my Nomad the shock of how gutless v twins were was gone. When I made the decision to buy it, it was a calculated decision to get a bike that was slow enough to keep me in check. The Nomad does seem to have a lot of torque, and I like that.

[blowndodge]

Kawasaki traded performance for reliability in the Nomad. Owners regularly get 100k out out them..

[radco]

In Line 4s Higer HP # for a smaller motor,,,Higher RPMs to do it as well... so a better power band.BUT also more wear and tear....75 MPH is 75 MPH just takes me alittle longer to get there ::)

[macmac]

My old 1981 yammi triple 850 flies compared to a Nomad. If flies compared to any V Twin pretty much. That old bike is just about stock too. Oh it has a intake and exaust, and sterling silver shims in the carbs raising the needles some, and the floats are altered to be a little higher. But I didn't drop any real money in it..

When it hit 6,500 rpm you better be hanging on...

So the Nomad is not the fastest bike going, but it sure tours well and in style. Mine has cadd's set up one one side now, a TFI fuel modual and V&H baggers. It moves right along, but I could beat it with that old triple easy.

The Nomad will create tons of torque, and do it all day long 2 up with a trailer in tow. It was made for the USA Interstate as boring as they are.

The Meanstreak has a bit more in the cams and the intake is bigger, so it makes more torque, but still isn't that fast.

I never had the chance to ride the '2000' yet, and wonder how it stacks up to the valk? The valk is a nice bike, but hasn't got the same sort of 'class'. They are faster no doubt.

I am a thin little guy and the nomad plants me against the back rest when i twist it up with no problem. I find myself in 3rd gear going over 100 mph way too much. Sometime back I learned to not look places i don't want to go, and so looking down at tha speedo is something i don't do much.

I hate the nacell as that glare is just a bit much on my eyes.. I don't like where the speedo is either, so I just ignor it. WHo needs to know what speed they are doing anyway?

Mac, the 2000 has torque like you wouldn't believe, but the powerband is even shorter than a Nomad. When you open the throttle those big pistons kick you in the butt about 3 times at 30 yards a kick, & then it's time to shift. I'll bet it would tow my boat down the road no problem.

Oh yeah. On Top Dawg's 2000 (which has a PC-III & pipes, plus a Thunder intake kit) I broke this tire loose shifting into second with no trouble. And not just a squeek either. I made that sucker dance!



That being said, I made him trade me back my Nomad within 5 miles of riding. I wasn't really comfortable herding that monster around in cross-town traffic with only about 10 minutes of experience on it.

[ridemslow]

Hell I'm happy with my Nomad's speed. If I had wanted speed, then the crotch rockets would be the way to go. I like the heavy smooth feel of my "sled" especially out on the open roads. Rideing in town is a bit different, but I love it just the same.

Riding around town is different. It's definately more of a challenge than on some lighter "runabout" bike. It's even more of a challenge than on a Harley from my experience, because the Nomad is so heavily tuned for freeway travel. It gives up any nimbleness it might otherwise have in town.

[mdm44]

Yes, the Nomad is a less powerful, more laid-back ride than some of the other road bikes out there. I rode a '98 Valkyrie Tourer for several years, and for sheer power and smoothness, that flat six was hard to beat. In some situations (wet or gravelly pavement) it was actually scary to ride with all its power. Throw in the dependability, though, and it was a great bike.

That being said, the Nomad seems to me to be a more fun-to-ride bike. I have a different feel when I am on it, less on edge, less need to crank on the throttle to see where it will go. Oh, yea, and it gets all of the complements the Valkyrie got, just for different reasons.

[rhunt4]

I rode a gl1800 and belive me when I say it was fast, but heavy also in town traffic, had a Victory and it was fast with a lot of torque, but it would brake free when you got on the breaks hard, now I have the 1600 nomad it isn't nearly as fast as the other bikes but it out handles them I think and a lot easier to ride intown. I live very close to the dragen and it handles it just as good or better than any bike I have had. I love the way it is on the interstate by not getting blown all over the rode.

[macmac]

I am just feeling out the 195/60 R 16, amd so haven't taken any wild risk yet.. It earns trust first then we will see about risk. So far I worked thru the rear end wobbles to just over 100 as indicated.. I don't know for a fact but believe speedo error is not as much as it is with stock tires.

So far I like it. Whether or not I can smoke it remains to be seen, and in any gear.. The current project is getting the parts for a air shock psi gauge. Nothing is going to be local in these parts. What I need now is a 1/4" pipe thread female to 1/8" barb, some 1/8" line and a T with (2) 1/16" ends and a 1/8th center.

I ride at rear shock setting II, and on this bike so far 0 psi, solo. I add 15 psi for 2 up. Total weight roughly is 300 pounds 2 up... I'ld say the 1500 is no slower than the 1600...