Been searching....well really saving for a 1/2 down paymentfor an '07 EG standard since I rented many '06 baggers recently (2RGs, 2 EG classics)and then the '07 Street Glide....... '07 motor and 6 speedwon me over. But mucho dinero of course for an '07 and my "expensive tastes".

Meantime I checked out some guy's '05 Kawi Nomad 1600 on cycletrader (7K miles)....intrigued me b/c the guy was leaving all the extras on the bike: VH bigshots, pcIII, lightbar, grips, hwy pegs, risers, aftermarket cruise, utopia backrest,extended warranty. Couldn't believe how loaded this thing was. Guy had a Yamaha Venture as well....didn't need 2 bikes he said.

Drove 100 mi to see it......rode it......sorry to say.......goodbye Harley. I kept telling myself ......but it won't have the HD soul, character...the bike will be missing something, be boring. Wrong...very wrong. It may not sound like an HD but goddamn does it sound good.....and mean and like a big thumper should. And the aircleaner doesn't hit my damn leg like on the HD baggers...and the floorboards are placed a little wider so my feet can actually use them and not be skirting on the edges like the HD baggers I've ridden. The brakes do not squeal and are superior.
No 6th speed but 5th is a nice overdrive anyway. And the bags blow the HD baggers away...easier to open, close and store LOTS more. And I have to admit the meaty 170 rear rubber looks better than the HD popsicle tire.

I liked all the HDs I rode but this Nomad flat out beats it IMO. And the best part is it rides/sounds like a BEAST......not in theLEAST boring but still the cadillac ride like the HD baggers w/the dual rear air shocks.
For $8250....cost difference was insane. Depreciation? Could care less....for what I bought it for and I'll be riding her into the ground anyway.

Only posting this in case someone else was in my boat and didn't have much $$$ and thought they needed $20K to get a nice bagger.....you don't.
I thought I did. Not bashing HDs but the freakin' Nomad rocks. About 2/3rds of the riders I go out with are on HDs and they could care less what you ride so "fitting in" wasn't an issue. Anyway that's my honest review.

 

All that and only 1 picture? C'mon man, give us a look see!

nogood o~`o

 

All I can say is Kawasaki Forum enjoy the ride.

 

To each his own. Harleys aren't for everyone.

 

Yeah, but it will always be a Kawasaki. I did the metric thing Suzuki Volusia (pipes, jet kit, all the extras) real nice bike for the $$$ but it wasn't a HD. I then upgraded to the Kawasaki VN 2000 added all the extras. The bike was a beast but guess what it still wasn't a HD.

I am not knockin' the Kawi, to each their own & IMO you paid about $1k too much. Best of luck & have fun on the ROK board.

 

WOW....$8250 for a 05 Nomad with all those mods?!?! Man that guy really took it in the shorts! Metrics depreciate soooooo fast and your little deal is a prime example. I HAD a metric...it was nice....I got hosed sold it andmoved UP to a HARLEY.When your $$ is right you will get a HARLEY.....don't fool yourself you are just making yourself happy for the moment. Good Luck!

 

Hey I had a Volusia as well. Everyone would tell me to take the tank stickers off to make it look like a Harley, take the oem pipes off and put others on to make it SOUND like a Harley. Everyone would say it looks like a Harley and I would tell them that it's not. I kept my Volusia stock....why make a bike look like something (HARLEY) that it's not?!?!?!? My Volusia was a great bike to work on my riding skills and get comfortable riding again. Since I bought my Harley Road Kingin Feb 2006 I have 10,105 miles andboy were those miles a BLAST to put on. I can;t say that about my Volusia.

 

The only thing worse than french kissing your grandmother is riding a Kawasaki.

How many guys have tatoo's of Honda's and Kawasaki's?

I guess it depends on what you want and what you care about......how many guys get laid at the Honda Hoot or the Wing Ding?

[:'(]

 

from what i canm see, it dont look too bad. looks nice from a distance. but when you get up close, it says "kawasaki". theres just no kudos in it. keep your eye on the guy who sold it to you. my bet is that you will see him blasting down the road on his new harley. Not knocking you friend, but your quakker will never be as good as a harley no matter how much bling you put on it. If you want my advice on which accessory you should buy next... go for a bike cover so that no one can see what you ride when you go into town

 

Good luck with your new ride. At least you're keeping your knees in the breeze. As other posters have said Harley's aren't for everyone. We're a unique "breed."