I have a good friend wanting a '07 or '08 Kaw 1600 Nomad Vulcan, I don't know anything about them, they kind of look like a HD Road King. Does any of the collective know anything about them, the good----the bad. Thanks
there's an '08 Nomad waiting for me in the parking lot. I just bought it last September. So far I have put almost 5000 miles on it, and it has been all good. Lots of good info here and here
my dad bought his 99 vulcan nomad 1500 brand new back in the day. today, it has over 80k miles, and has survived: a lowside oops at 40 mph with only cosmetic damage, as well as a lightning strike http://www.wltx.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=63645 care for it, and it should last you forever. my dad's seems bombproof.
What has your Dad had to do to it? I know the 99 was subject to the plastic oil gear issue. Also the valve adjusters (similar to the KLR doohickey) can be an issue. I have an 01 Vulcan 1500 with 22k miles.
he had an issue with the clutch a while back, some of the bevel spring fingers had broken off. that was at 65k miles. had it fixed. no issues with plastic oil gear or lifters...he uses conventional MC oil, and changes it every 4-5k miles. oh, and it's still going strong. it's his primary, daily transportation.
A guy I know has an 06 or 07 with over 100k miles. No real problems not caused by riding in foul weather and entropy.
I have an 08 Nomad and absolutely love this bike. W normal maintenance it's as bulletproof as they come. The only issues to be aware of are the clutch spring which will present itself as slipping when going from 4th to 5th at speed. I replaced the spring preemptively w the M25 Barnett spring and Judge's washers and it has worked out great. The next thing is the cam chain tensioners run out of space at 30k or more and there is a relatively easy fix involving Chucksters extenders for them and seems to last permanently. I think the 1600 Nomad is one of the best bang for your buck bikes ever
