nomad owners???

13246 Views 84 Replies 40 Participants Last post by brother, Oct 15, 2007

G

Discussion Starter · Jul 23, 2004

just would like to know if there are other nomad owners on this site,so we can chat about our bikes,i'm a new owner of a 2004 nomad (blue&silver),love it alot got 3500 miles since may!!

41 - 60 of 85 Posts

easyrider

· #41 · Oct 2, 2004

Looking for Nomad add-ons

Hi all, new to the foroum, found you folks while looking for aftermarket body parts for my 2004 1500FI Nomad. Bought my Blue/Silver Nomad in MAy and have 6K miles, took an 8 day trip to Nova Scotis in August and I throughly enjoy the 1500 over my previous Vilcan 750. Only issues I have with the ride is i get a lot of vibration noise from under my tank on warm day's (sounds like some of the wires and cables vibrating against the frame or tank). Also the tires make a lot of road noise when banking the bike left or right, they sound fine on the straight and up right ride. I have started a wish list which includes hitch and trailer which I have already choosen the manufacturers for those, what I can't find is a hard trunk to fit the lines of my Nomad, does anyone have links for Nomad accessories?

dfgpilot

· #42 · Oct 2, 2004

Hi easyrider,

Welcome to the Forum. Congrats on the bike. I've the same yr and color.
Bought in April 04. Have 6700 miles on it now. Great Ride

I think the site with the best looking trunk is Premeux.
They will even paint it with the factory OE color scheme to match.
http://www.premeux.com/kawasaki.htm

Try these other web sites & check out their Links
http://www.gadgetjq.com/gadgetsfixitpage.htm
http://www.gadgetjq.com/trunks.htm
http://pages.prodigy.net/jack.loganbill/moto_nomad.htm

DfgPilot

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G

Discussion Starter · #43 · Oct 3, 2004

hi easyrider,welcome to this forum,i also have the same bike as yours,,totally love it,i have 9k on mine ....the tires are starting to make a little noise,but that doesn't bother me,added back rest and rack and light bar,everything else is stock and staying like it is,maybe one day i'll get a trailer for my bike,so any imput you have for trailers would be good,have fun with your bike and drive safe

easyrider

· #44 · Oct 9, 2004

Thanks for the tips

Hey dfgpilot, thanks for the great links! I had been trying to get into the Premeux site with a link I got from some folks up in Nova Scotia in August. The gadhetjq site is fantastic! The pillion and I had a perfect ride into the white Mtns. today. Live free ride long :wink:

peewee46, thanks for the warm welcome.....c-ya

Ron.Wade

· #45 · Oct 9, 2004

Buggs,

I am 5'10 with a 30" inseam and had been having the same problems you spoke of. I've managed to drop the bike, when stopped, 7 times so far. Thank's to the Kawa designers who installed the bars at the front and back at the hard bags. No damage yet. Takes help to get it backup though.

Anyway, I modified the stock seat by removing the foam on the sides where my legs make contact. I found that with most of this foam out, it is easier keeping my balance because my legs can reach the ground at a better angle. Before, the seat sides forced my short legs too far apart to give me a good stance.

I had an upholsterer give me a price of redoing the seat at $40. I ended up doing it myself, using a belt sander with a 60 grit belt, to remove the foam. If that does not help, you can also have an inch or so taked off the top of the saddle, getting you closer to the ground.

Take care

Ron

teddymar

· #46 · Oct 9, 2004

Nomad seat issues

Ron W, I too am 5'10" and 30" inseam and the seat doesn't seam too tall for me at stops, but boots with good traction are a must. On a recent trip though, my butt got really sore every 50-75 miles and I had to get off and shake things out for a few minutes. The stock seat feels comfortable for awhile then gets sore spot areas. I hate to replace it with aftermarket when that one could be just as bad after an hour's ride. How do you pick the right seat? Would love to modify my seat and save 3 or 4 hundred. Seat comfort on a trip becomes the numero uno factor for a good ride!

Ron.Wade

· #47 · Oct 9, 2004

Bill,

When I mentioned modifying the OE seat, it wasn't because I couldn't reach the ground Ok. It is that the width at the front of the seat, where my legs are, somehow didn't let me get my legs down straight enough for me to keep good leverage. I don't know how to explain it better but, I know since I took the inches off the front of the saddle, I am more comfortable at the stops.

Just got back from northern IN and stopped at a Honda/Kawasai dealer in Peru. They had a 03 Nomad with a Mustang seat that has padding and the buttons down the middle of it. Seat look good on the black Nomad. I sat on it but, couldn't tell anything about comfort. Felt similar to ours, at least to my ol' butt. I know from comments of other Nomad guys that the regular Mustang seat moved them forward and down a little. Some like it, some wanted to sell the seat right away.

I have not had a problem with seat comfort at all. After I put on the Phat II pull back risers, I am able to sit with my arms bent and ride comfortably for hours. I get a laugh at some of my riding friends who have Mustang and Corbin seats, and jump up off the seats to jocky around at every stop light. Ask them if the like their saddle and they absolutely LOVE 'em.... LOL

For awhile, I was thinking that I just had to have a Mustange seat because of the comments from those that had bought them. If I had butt burn after sitting for an hour, I would have tried buying a used Mustang off one of the Vulcan boards or e-bay.

If you do decide to get one and it doesn't help, it seems there is a good market for nicely used seats to at least get most of your $$$ back. It would seem the best thing before investing is to see if a riding friend with a Mustang seat will let you put some miles on their bike. No guarantee it would be the same as your Nomad, but you might get some idea of firmness and comfort.

Take care.

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QKENUF4U

· #48 · Oct 10, 2004

Re: fuel

tt60 said:
I have been able to get around 170 miles that's is as far as I have tried to chance it. If you run completely out will that hurt the fuel injections. :?: [/b]

wont hurt anything since the bike will shut off but if you could keep the pump running (which it prob. wont since the fuel pressure reg. may shut the pump off once its out of fuel) and the injectors are the same way. the need fuel to cool them but if you run out of gas they are not gonna be used so they wont get hot. :wink:

dfgpilot

· #49 · Oct 10, 2004

Hi easyrider,

Glad to help. As is the rest of this Forum. Its a great site to trade info.
Check out my update on the Dyno Test for my Nomad FI. Final Results Cobra Pipes-04 Nomad

Safe Riding

DfgPilot

astolpho

· #50 · Oct 14, 2004

2005 Nomads

What do you guys think about the 2005 models? I'm not impresssed. The extra thump of moving up to 1552cc I don't believe will make a big difference for me, I like to ride solo and I haven't seen a paint scheme yet that is as good looking as the 2003 red and beige. I don't want all that passenger comfort crap I like the solo seat and maybe a luggage rack on the back fender. I unfortunately missed the 2003 model year and was really hoping for better colors and a belt drive on the 2005's. Oh well, guess on the good side a lot of people will be trading in their 1500's so they can get a 1600. Maybe I will find a good deal on a used 2003.

ispeed77

· #51 · Oct 14, 2004

nomad

astolpho,
first off, welcome to the site. second, the passenger stuff and the colors, well, that's all personal taste, so i can understand that. what i am curious about is that you want a belt drive over a shaft. what is the reasoning behind this, if i may ask ?

astolpho

· #52 · Oct 14, 2004

Belt drives are equally low maintenance and lighter weight than shafts and smooth out the lash that is present in any shaft drive when you accelerate.

dfgpilot

· #53 · Oct 14, 2004

Hi astolpho,

Welcome to the site.
As far as the 2005 models go I think it shall be a little while before we get
new aftermarket pipes for the Dual Bagger Nomad FI. Maybe we will get lucky and the current V&H or Cobras will work for the 1600CC.

As for the color scheme I would like to see Kawaski offer more color choices for the cruisers. Not just 1 or 2 colors. I like the 2004 two tone type paint scheme on the Nomad tank a little better.

DfgPilot

dfgpilot

· #54 · Oct 14, 2004

Hi Ispeed77

I've always thought having a drive shaft was the best way to go.
BMW has proven it for years.

I went online to find a comparison or opinion on Drive Shaft vs Belt Drive
http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/roadtests/maxtwins/

This is a small blurb from Motorcyle Cruiser on Big Vtwins
Honda VTX 1800N vs. Kawasaki Vulcan 2000 vs. Yamaha Road Star 1700
Note- Honda has a drive shaft, V2K and Road Star are belt drive.

"We believe that shaft drive, as found on the Honda, is becoming antiquated technology on cruisers, and reviving the simplicity of a belt design is a certainty for the future. Not only does the belt smooth out annoying lash—still present in even the most refined shaft systems—it also opens the door for styling opportunities, and is nearly as clean, efficient and maintenance-free as the once-favored shaft system."

Who knew?. I'm not sure what annoying lash is or if I have ever experienced it. I just know that the Nomad FI is a smooth and almost totally vibe free cruiser.

DfgPilot

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ispeed77

· #55 · Oct 15, 2004

thanks

dfgpilot & astolpho
thanks for the belt vs. shaft input, i was not aware of any of that info. i am like you dfgpilot, i always liked shafts better and was led to believe that they were the best choice. maybe that is changing ?!? time will tell. thanks again.

Ron.Wade

· #56 · Oct 15, 2004

clutch spring shot

Well guys, I changed the clutch spring on the 02 Nomad today and found that the tabs on the clutch spring that ride on the center assembly, were worn paper thin. **** good thing I caught it as there could have been some major expense replacing all the clutch plates, etc.

The bike has 22,000 miles, the clutch contact point was way out at the end of the lever swing and, I could feel some slippage an 4th and 5th gear on hard acceleration.

It was not a hard job until I got to the point of removing the nut that holds it all together. That turned out to be a major bitch of a problem. I don't recommend a DIY job if you don't have some mechanical experience. As I said, it wasn't difficult until trying to get that damned nut loose. I ended up using my air compressor and a impact wrench that I bought for the occasion.

If you want to see what is involved, check out the Gadget site below, looking under clutch spring replacement.

http://www.gadgetjq.com/gadgetsfixitpage.htm#harder

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astolpho

· #57 · Oct 15, 2004

Thanks for the welcome you guys, as far as the belt vs shaft thing goes, you would know better than me. I'm still looking for my Nomad, you are riding yours. I only know what I read and I thought after they came out with the belt drive for the V2K last year that it may find its way into the Nomad. Lighter and smoother sound like good things to me.

astolpho

· #58 · Oct 15, 2004

Ya'll know anything about www.nielsens.com ? They advertise 2003 Nomads on their site like they still have them new in the crates. The yummy red/pearl for $9,199.00. If they are reputable I think I may do business with them.

JSP

· #59 · Sep 14, 2007

Jsp

EasyRider,
Another site you can try is Scootworks.com, thay also have a great tryunk. It is a little pricy, but very nice and will definitely fit yur bike. JSP

craig atkins

· #60 · Sep 14, 2007

welcome, I have a 2001 and I love it, no problems, I keep reading about tire problems but I have about 10,000 on this set and am sure I have another 3 or 4 k if i want to push it. I usually get about 170 but got 190 on a trip this last summer. I have the oversized lowers and they do real well. I went with a mustang seat with back rest and although I still have to get off every 90 miles or so I would never ride again without the back rest. Later.

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