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05-28-2015, 04:52 PM | #1 |
Member
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Looking to buy in the next couple of months.
Hello Vulcan Bagger Hive Mind,
I am looking to upgrade the Nomad I've been riding for the last 3 years to a true touring bike, the Voyager is a strong candidate but I have some concerns about reliability/ durability. The Nomad has just rolled over to 90,000 miles 60,000 of which are mine, and I know the 1700's are no longer shaft drive, which eliminates a couple of big hassles I had, But ... How is the rest of the bike holding up for you guy's? Those that have switched to the Voyager, what have you enjoyed or been disappointed by? What major failures have you had or heard of? I'm looking for a low mileage used model, already have my eye on a couple of nice 2010's. Give me you knowledge. (Before you get all by a Victory/ Harley / Indian, or whatever on me the budget is going to be under 12,000) Thanks guys.
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2005 Silver and Black 1600 Nomad "Athena" Now with Chucksters Single plate Intake, DynaJet PC-III, and Cobra True Duals w/ Billet tips 2006 Silver and Black XL1200R Sportster "Beauty" (Sadly this is up for sale) VBA #2066 Mokwa Officer Road Captain Legion Of Sin MC "Do your damnedest in an ostentatious manner all the time." - General S. George Patton Jr Login or Register to Remove Ads
Last edited by johnberryus; 05-28-2015 at 06:20 PM.
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05-28-2015, 06:37 PM | #2 |
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Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Ontario
Posts: 6,978
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gv550 is your best bet for Voyager knowledge. Over 400,000 kms on his.
I had a 2010 Voyager and had no issues with it apart from a leaking rear shock replaced under warranty.
Last edited by redjay; 05-28-2015 at 06:46 PM.
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05-28-2015, 10:21 PM | #3 |
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Listowel, Ontario
Posts: 642
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The 1700 will have equal or better reliability than your 1600. The 1700 will also out-perform the 1600 in every way, more power, better braking, quicker handling and burn less fuel. Many riders including myself have went from a 1600 to 1700 and although some of those have since went on to other brands of bikes, I don't know of anyone who went back to 1600.
The 1700 engine is the definition of reliability, I ran mine a quarter million miles and it needed nothing. The clutch is much better than the 1600, no need for spring or plate replacement or aftermarket washers. The gearbox does not shift as nice as your 1600 and there have been some gear and shaft failures, mostly on 09 and 10 models. The belt drive is debatable, some find it noisy, some have failed but it weighs less and likely contributes to lower fuel consumption. I've replaced my belt twice, but also needed 2 driveshafts in my 1600. For your budget, I'd hold out for a later model. 11 had transmission improvements, 12 had KAMS and radio improvements.
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Garry 2009 1700 Voyager KACT, sold at 679,465 kms 2011 1700 Nomad Improve handling, suspension and tire life with Garry's Fork Brace. PM for details. |
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05-28-2015, 10:56 PM | #4 |
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: NW Region
Posts: 5,222
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250k and two belts, that is good! GV550. Do you still have your Voyager? sounds like you don't?
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VBA #659 2003 Nomad 1500 (Gone but never forgotten) 2005 Honda ST1300 - Sweet and still kickin 2006 Honda Goldwing - Best Boat in the Marina |
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05-28-2015, 11:08 PM | #5 |
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Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Ballwin,MO.
Posts: 1,542
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Here is one fairly close to you. 2013 model with ABS which I bet you could get close to your budget for. Heck they don't even know what they are selling.
http://bakersfield.craigslist.org/mcd/4967943661.html
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05-28-2015, 11:09 PM | #6 |
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Location: Springfield ohio
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I'm not going to be able to help you a lot but will add my thoughts . I just purchased a 2012 model Voyager , I drove it off for like $12,000 with a 3yr warranty . The bike has just under 18k miles on it . Non ABS , After spending some time cleaning and polishing the nitty gritty areas the bike looks new . I did a pretty complete service on it including brake system flush and fill front and rear , clutch fluid change , coolant flush and a oil change . The original owner was kind enough to do Cobra tri-oval slip ons , PCV and K&N Air Filter ....The bike runs strong and smooth . I have little doubt I will put up to 100k on this machine with little trouble . My previous bike was a Harley Road King Classic ....I like the voyager better ...much smoother , more power , very stable on the highway at reasonable speeds ..Ive had mine to 85mph and still smooth and tracks straight down the road..... gears 1-4 are all you need in town , gear 5 is good up to about 60 ...gear 6 at 60 mph the bike is resting at 2000 rpms ...I did a nice ride last Sunday 200 miles total 100 out and back with my wife we enjoyed it...I don't think the voyager will leave you wanting anything ...they are good looking bikes well suited to the task of touring ...and you don't have all the issues that come along with a Harley....Kaw builds a nice motor taken care of will last as long as you need it to. mine has 17k on it and sounds like a sewing machine ......use a Ipod with your stero the audio is much better than the radio......
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2012 Voyager Cobra Tri Ovals K&N PCV |
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05-29-2015, 01:04 AM | #7 |
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Thanks for the responses guys, I like what I'm hearing about the bike. Looks like I need to find a '12, I had been looking at a couple of '10s.
@OldSchool they definitely did not know what they had but the sold that bike over a month ago, I asked about it two days ago. What were the improvements to the radio and what is KAMS?
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2005 Silver and Black 1600 Nomad "Athena" Now with Chucksters Single plate Intake, DynaJet PC-III, and Cobra True Duals w/ Billet tips 2006 Silver and Black XL1200R Sportster "Beauty" (Sadly this is up for sale) VBA #2066 Mokwa Officer Road Captain Legion Of Sin MC "Do your damnedest in an ostentatious manner all the time." - General S. George Patton Jr |
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05-29-2015, 01:13 AM | #8 |
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Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Ballwin,MO.
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Cant help with the improvements to the radio , but this is KAMS
http://www.kawasaki.com/Accessories/...0AAF/999940370 You know if you expand your horizon just a bit you can probably find a new voyager for about the price of your budget. There are still new 13's and 14's around the country just looking for a good home. You can pretty much get one shipped from anywhere to you for about 500 to 700 bucks. There are web sights that will calculate shipping for you. May not get ABS but I bet you can deal. Here is a sampling of a current ad in my area to give you an idea. https://stlouis.craigslist.org/mcd/4992502904.html
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Last edited by OldSchool; 05-29-2015 at 01:21 AM.
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05-29-2015, 07:11 AM | #9 |
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Listowel, Ontario
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Yes, and riding it every day.
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Garry 2009 1700 Voyager KACT, sold at 679,465 kms 2011 1700 Nomad Improve handling, suspension and tire life with Garry's Fork Brace. PM for details. |
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05-29-2015, 07:16 AM | #10 | |
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Listowel, Ontario
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Quote:
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Garry 2009 1700 Voyager KACT, sold at 679,465 kms 2011 1700 Nomad Improve handling, suspension and tire life with Garry's Fork Brace. PM for details. |
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05-29-2015, 07:57 AM | #11 |
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Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Belgrade, MT
Posts: 2,824
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Be sure to ride one before you buy . The bike may look nice but until you ride one you won't know if that's what you want or not. Before I decided on my HD Ultra Classic, I checked out many different ones. One thing I really looked at was the ABS. Never had that before, but after talking to guys where it's saved their asses, I knew that was something I wanted.
My new bike is coming from Rhode Island. Old School is right, $500-$700 will get it shipped right to your door. I ended up saving around $3K on this bike instead of what I could have found around here.
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Dave "(dshelly)" Shellenberger 2014 Harley Ultra Classic 2007 1600 Nomad (Black) Shellenberger Machine Belgrade, MT Various Bagger Member (Harley Chapter) VBA # 2395 |
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05-29-2015, 08:41 AM | #12 |
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Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Nashville, TN
Posts: 166
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I bought an '11, with 4811 miles on it a couple years ago. Never had a big bike like this. Had a 1500 for a year, then wanted the whole shootin match (Gauges, fairing, stereo). It has 22,530 on it now, never an issue. Several upgardes to it, and it purs at 80mph. My wife & I ride as much as Florida weather will permit, hate riding in the rain - the florida tourists drive bad enough when it's dry! Never been on another big bike, don't feel the need to. This one is just right.
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Peace ~ Win_surfur ~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2011 Voyager Kury ISO grips V&H Twin Slash Cobra FI2000R Chucksters BAK Ray's Throttle Mod 4 Polk DB521 Alpine KTP-445U Amp
Last edited by Win_surfur; 05-29-2015 at 11:25 AM.
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05-29-2015, 09:12 AM | #13 |
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: South Shore, MA
Posts: 4,629
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Here's an 11 with low miles. Has been on the market for a few weeks first on craigslist then eBay. Has a transferable warranty which is a plus. He's probably looking for 10k. You could probably get one of the people that live up in this area to take a look at it for you.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kawasaki-Vul...m=251970434197
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VBA # 02424 VROC # 35971 2010 Nomad 1700 Metallic Diablo Black/Metallic Titanium |
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05-29-2015, 11:55 AM | #14 | |||
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Quote:
Quote:
I am seriously impressed that you've got one with 250k miles and your still riding it everyday. Quote:
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2005 Silver and Black 1600 Nomad "Athena" Now with Chucksters Single plate Intake, DynaJet PC-III, and Cobra True Duals w/ Billet tips 2006 Silver and Black XL1200R Sportster "Beauty" (Sadly this is up for sale) VBA #2066 Mokwa Officer Road Captain Legion Of Sin MC "Do your damnedest in an ostentatious manner all the time." - General S. George Patton Jr |
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05-29-2015, 12:03 PM | #15 |
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Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Nashville, TN
Posts: 166
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I live in Orlando, flew to Virginia to get mine as I couldn't find one down here, that fit my budget. 750 miles back home, stayed overnight in South Carolina, as there were a TON of dead deer along the road.
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Peace ~ Win_surfur ~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2011 Voyager Kury ISO grips V&H Twin Slash Cobra FI2000R Chucksters BAK Ray's Throttle Mod 4 Polk DB521 Alpine KTP-445U Amp |
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