Downsizing From the Nomad 1600...

[ridemslow]

seats can be changed or modified. good bike tho.

Originally Posted by Cajunrider

My son rides a 900 Classic LT. It's a quick and nimble bike. Much easier to handle than the Nomad. Seats aren't very comfortable though.

[oldbones]

My wife has a 900 kawasaki, we just on some new gears from scootworks to lower the RPM's
on hyway travel. It scoots right along, with me on my 1600. We have done quite a bit of traveling before the gear change and have had no problems.

[armypac]

Uncle tommy,

I have a Yamaha 1100, my first bike, 2005, taking up space in my garage, just waiting for a good home.
Anyway, it's much lighter than the Nomad, i get on the 1100 and feel like I could spin it around in driveway, whereas i'm more comfortable on a runway with the Nomad:)
Great bike, comfortable and reliable, just another option.
good luck,
anthony

[ponch]

You know, there are a couple bikes no one thought of. What about a 1500 Classic or a Mean Streak? Both are a almost 150 lbs lighter than a nomad. I've seen a lot of low mileage Mean Streaks on craigslist.

[goldstar225]

Like an earlier poster, I came to the Nomad after putting 25,000 miles on a Suzuki C50 in two years. It was a great bike, easy to handle, you will want a mustang seat for long (400 + mile) rides. If I were in your shoes I'd take a hard look at the Suzuki C50 or Kawasaki 900.

[dogdoc]

Get ya a 900LT with better seats and you have down-sized. Good Luck.

[vulcans2]

My wife downsized from a Gold Wing to a 900LT and she loves it. She does agree that it seems a bit "revvy" at higher highway speeds. But she loves it for its light weight and handling. She says the comfort is nonexistent with the stock seat and rates it as OK with the Mustang seat, although she does admit that the seat needs more time to break in. If it's still marginal in September when we go to the Russell facility in Redding to have my seat adjusted, she will have them build her a Daylong saddle for her 900.

As for the Yamaha, I have a few comments. Peggy had an VStar 1100 Custom, and while it was comfortable, it hated curvy roads as it was slow handling and the front end felt heavy. She sat on a 1300 Silverado and didn't like it as it felt heavy for her off the kickstand, and the handlebars seemed very wide. I test rode one and didn't care for the seating position. Perhaps it was just the stock seat, but I felt like I was sitting more on it than in it. It sure had a strong motor, though.

I've ridden the Triumph Thunderbird and really liked it. It's lighter than the Nomad, but only by about 80 pounds. Feels lighter though. It has lots of power, and I was riding the 1600cc version. My friend just bought the new 1700 TBird with the dual headlights, and he loves it. He says it's super comfortable and has HUGE power and handles very well. It's only negative is that there isn't a windshield out there for it, and Triumph doesn't make one for it either. I think, unless one is a big power junky, the 1600 TBird is plenty powerful and would make a great long distance touring bike.

OTOH, if one is considering the budget and how not to put too big a dent in it, you just can't go wrong with the Kawasaki Vulcan 900LT. And from what I have read, the 900 is Kawi's most popular cruiser. Oh, and I replaced the OEM bags on Peggy's with the Leather Lyke bags. Was an easy install and they look and work well, and are waterproof, too.

[vulcans2]

My wife downsized from a Gold Wing to a 900LT and she loves it. She does agree that it seems a bit "revvy" at higher highway speeds. But she loves it for its light weight and handling. She says the comfort is nonexistent with the stock seat and rates it as OK with the Mustang seat, although she does admit that the seat needs more time to break in. If it's still marginal in September when we go to the Russell facility in Redding to have my seat adjusted, she will have them build her a Daylong saddle for her 900.

As for the Yamaha, I have a few comments. Peggy had an VStar 1100 Custom, and while it was comfortable, it hated curvy roads as it was slow handling and the front end felt heavy. She sat on a 1300 Silverado and didn't like it as it felt heavy for her off the kickstand, and the handlebars seemed very wide. I test rode one and didn't care for the seating position. Perhaps it was just the stock seat, but I felt like I was sitting more on it than in it. It sure had a strong motor, though.

I've ridden the Triumph Thunderbird and really liked it. It's lighter than the Nomad, but only by about 80 pounds. Feels lighter though. It has lots of power, and I was riding the 1600cc version. My friend just bought the new 1700 TBird with the dual headlights, and he loves it. He says it's super comfortable and has HUGE power and handles very well. It's only negative is that there isn't a windshield out there for it, and Triumph doesn't make one for it either. I think, unless one is a big power junky, the 1600 TBird is plenty powerful and would make a great long distance touring bike.

OTOH, if one is considering the budget and how not to put too big a dent in it, you just can't go wrong with the Kawasaki Vulcan 900LT. And from what I have read, the 900 is Kawi's most popular cruiser. Oh, and I replaced the OEM bags on Peggy's with the Leather Lyke bags. Was an easy install and they look and work well, and are waterproof, too.