Thinking of trading the MS in for an 09 Nomad. Opinions?

[DevilSperm]

When I bought my MS in 05 it was my first bike. I had no intention of going on long overnight trips. Well, now that Ive done a few of those trips I want to go more and more. Ive put a windshield and risers on and it has helped the neck and back problems I was having but I still get sore after about 350 miles. Not to mention the lack of storage and how bad it looks when you put storage on a meanie.

I just sat on a black 09 nomad at the local dealer and I LOVED it. And judging by the looks of the back seat and back rest, I think the woman will like it too.

Any thoughts?

[V-Twin]

I agree with you on the storage looks on a MS or even a vn900c. This two bikes are ment to look sporty. What I did and may work out for you as well is I traded the rear fender of a VN900 Classic to my Custom and now the bike looks great imo. Now I can put a set of bags and they won't look too bad on it. If you are able to swap the rear fender and maybe a set of mini apes then you'll be really comfortable. And to make it more comfortable for the lady then you can always invest on a good seat with a nice backrest (I personally recomend the Corbin). If you just want to trade then the Nomad is a great bike too.

[keithert]

Personally I'd prefer a 1600 Nomad over the 1700. Less cost and better looking bike.

[buschboy]

When I bought my MS in 05 it was my first bike. I had no intention of going on long overnight trips. Well, now that Ive done a few of those trips I want to go more and more. Ive put a windshield and risers on and it has helped the neck and back problems I was having but I still get sore after about 350 miles. Not to mention the lack of storage and how bad it looks when you put storage on a meanie.

I just sat on a black 09 nomad at the local dealer and I LOVED it. And judging by the looks of the back seat and back rest, I think the woman will like it too.

Any thoughts?

I can't comment on the Meannie, but I can tell you the Nomad is a great bike for long haul. My wife LOVES her seat and with the addition of a luggage rack and 3 piece luggage there is plenty of room for her "stuff"

[ALStensby]

For a long-haul bike, the Nomad will be far superior to the Meanie, end of story.

[mhanbor]

I had an 02 MS and sold it last year and bought a 1600 classis......no regrets.

It is a much more comfortable bike for long rides of which i am doing more and more of. The MS was simply not comfortable after a couple hundred miles.

[jaseman]

As much as I love my Meanie, no amount of money will ever make it a true, long-haul tourer. It's whole design is focused around a sporting ride. Everything you add/change to make it so, is just putting band-aids on a larger problem.

I say go for the Nomad if your looking to do long days across multiple states. Or even a Classic or V2k.

[jaseman]

I agree with you on the storage looks on a MS or even a vn900c. This two bikes are ment to look sporty. What I did and may work out for you as well is I traded the rear fender of a VN900 Classic to my Custom and now the bike looks great imo. Now I can put a set of bags and they won't look too bad on it. If you are able to swap the rear fender and maybe a set of mini apes then you'll be really comfortable. And to make it more comfortable for the lady then you can always invest on a good seat with a nice backrest (I personally recomend the Corbin). If you just want to trade then the Nomad is a great bike too.

Problem is, unlike the 900's, the MS doesn't share the same frame as the other 1500/1600's. Not positive, but I'm pretty sure swapping fenders would require quite a bit of fabrication to make it work.

A change in seats makes a big difference, but mainly just for the pilot. Unless your pillion is short, they're legs are always gonna be cramped on the Meanie. The passenger pegs are pretty close to the seat.

To some extent, it'd be like owning a Buell, and trying to scavenge parts from a Sportster.