Kawasaki Vulcan 1700 Nomad reviews

This bike is great. I bought it (2011 model) at the 2012 Toronto Motorcycle show in January. I took delivery in mid-March, and have ridden 1,250 kms. so far. It's a very nice, very comfortable bike. It's perfect ergonomics for me at 6'0". The windscreen at the lowest setting and there is no wind buffeting at all. It is lighter in handling than my 2003 1500 Nomad, but similar to the 2006 Harley Road King I owned for a while, and almost as good handling (except for limited lean angle - I've dragged the footboards several times on the pavement going around corners already) as the 1984 1200 Honda Goldwing I owned for 12 years. It has considerably more power that any of the others except for the Goldwing (which had 96 hp. and 87 ft/lbs. torgue if I remember correctly). It's got more power in stock form than my 2003 Nomad stock, and still more than the 2003 Nomad after I added the V&H pipes, custom air intake manifold and K&W air filter and a Dynajet Power Commander to the 2003. The Harley's power starts earlier in the revs (almost immediately you twist the throttle) and is more linear in feel the way it builds up. But eventually when the revs. get up on the 1700 Nomad, it finally pulls harder. But, you have to get the revs. up (probably to about 3500 rpm. - estimate for now) to feel a good satisfying burst of power. So I'm getting a tachometer installed so I can read when I'm in the best power RPM range in each gear. Maybe I'll even see what a set of V&H pipes or D&D pipes with modified air intake and Power Commander will do for this one. Cruise control was an option I was really looking forward to, and it worked great - for the first three times I used it. Then it just stopped working after that (at about the 200 km. mark). It's currently in the shop for its first warranty check, and hopefully it gets fixed under warranty (it should or I'm going to be mildly upset to say the least). Shifting is a bit clunky, but just like my Harley Road King was, but to me, it just feels like good solid quality. The Goldwing and 2003 Nomad shifted more with that snickety-snick feel to it which makes the transmission seem rather lightweight. There's no more noise on this bike than there was on any of the other three I mentioned above. Personally, I absolutely love every piece of the styling, looks and design of this bike. I just wish they had designed a slight more ground clearance on the lean angle to let it carve out the corners a little cleaner, because the frams give such a confident solid well controlled feel when cornering. Overall, I'd recommend this to anyone who is in the market for this kind of bike Show less

I purchased my 2010 Nomad in July of 2011 it was a leftover with 0 miles on it. I found two others exactly the same at other dealers but only one was serious about dealing. The Nomad has been on the short list of bikes I liked and wanted for awhile. I have always like the look of Nomads be it the 1500, 1600, and now 1700s. The new top loading bags are scoffed at by some of the 1500 and 1600 Nomad riders as is the belt vs shaft drive on the 1500 & 1600s. Personally I like the looks of the top load bags but there is a bit of a gap between fender and bags to allow them to open which does give them a clean look up close. I upgraded from a 750 Shadow to this bike and it has gobs of power compared to the 750 and slow speed handling is actually better at least to me. The bike is geared very tall and 6th gear really does not come into it's own until 65 mph. and makes interstate cruising very relaxed. With that said though you will need to down shift if you really want to get it moving which I have found it does with little problem. There are no issues keeping up with the 104CID Harley's though in a drag race with the Nomad gearing it will be at a disadvantage. If you want more mph. the typical exhaust, fuel processor, and intake upgrade will wake it up. It does generate quite a bit of heat but no more than the typical big twin air cooled or water cooled. There is some gear whine which is typical for straight cut gears in the transmission and belt noise vanished after the first 1,000 miles. 1st to 2nd shift is loud but this apparently is also typical of the '09 & '10 1700 Vulcans. The seat is comfy but does curve up a bit too much for me in the front. Air shocks are easy to put air into if you are riding two up and the shocks have easy to adjust pre-load settings. The seat is super easy to remove to access the battery. The windshield is adjustable and at 6'-3" I have it actually set pretty low and get very little turbulence thanks in part to the lower deflectors on the forks. The fit and finish I think is superb on this bike and it will turn some heads though not everyone will like the style of the hard bags. I like the "classic" Amercian cruiser/bagger styling that is still distinctive in a sea of Harley Davidson's. Last but not least the cruise control is amazing! Show less

Well, I've now clocked over 30,000 miles on the bike and all have been a pleasure. I have done over 400 in a day with no effects at all. I have added a few after-market accessories now. Show less

Back in 2008 I bought a Honda Shadow Aero 750 as my first bike. I outgrew it and moved up to the 1700 Nomad. All I can say is WOW! I have had it almost a month now and have ridden almost a 1000 miles. What a difference in performance and comfort. My wife loves the ride and comfort of the passenger seat, backrest and floorboards. I love the slow speed handling, as good or better than my 750! Does the curves as well as the 750 but feels more solid. Rode 280 miles one evening and felt great. Solid, easy to ride, comfort. Great Bike! Show less

Wow! What a great bike. I have 3500 miles on it and have not been disappointed yet. The Nomad is great on country roads or interstate. The only problem that I have is when changing from 1st to 2nd gear, it's LOUD. When you are at a stoplight the heat coming up from the motor is hot. I had the heat shield that Kawasaki put on for free. Problem gone!! I ride the bike to work and long rides I would recommend this bike to anyone. Show less

I've had my new Nomad for about 10 days now and have managed to put on about 800 km so far. It's replacing a 900 Custom that I recently sold. Other than some running noises that I'm not used to hearing, it's a great bike. Lots of power and the fuel economy isn't bad (Between 45 and 50 mpg). It just purrs along when cruising on the highway and it is very comfortable. The cruise control is sweet and works great. And at slow speed the bike handles like a dream. I actually think that this 832 lb bike handles better in the parking lot than my 900. Figure that one out. The lockable saddle bags are huge and will be great for weekend getaways. And if you're into computerized displays you probably won't be disappointed. You get the regular odometer plus two trip odometers, a "what gear am I in" indicator, a variety of different fuel economy displays, a clock, and I suspect some sort of clever warning when you start getting low on fuel. I haven't gotten there yet. Back to the noise. I'm really only comparing it to my 900 Custom which was just a super bike, but not really suited for two up on the highway. I never heard any noises coming from it. Mind you, it didn't have a windshield either and that may be the issue. I rode a Victory Cross Roads and I thought it had a lot of running noises such as tranny whine. A friend of mine has a Suzuki C90T and he says he can hear all kinds of noises from his bike. I was riding an HD Heritage and I heard some scary noises coming from it. I guess what I'm saying, is that I don't care for the noises that I hear, but it's probably nothing unusual and probably nothing to be concerned with. So if you're thinking about getting a Nomad, I don't think you'll be disappointed. Show less

Upgraded from my 2007 Vulcan 900 Classic. With the 900 I always felt my arms were stretched too far out and the bike was too unbalanced in slow speed turns. WOW what a difference!!! The seating position of the Nomad is so much more comfortable and amazingly it feels much lighter than the 900 in turns, especially in slow speed turns. My turning radius is much tighter and smoother. I only notice the 200 lbs difference in weight when I first stand the bike up. The balance is awesome, the power exceptional. The seat is a 100 times more comfortable than the 900. After a long day sitting behind a desk, I ride an hour from work to home each evening. My neck and shoulders would ache from the 900, but now I don't have any of the tenseness from fighting the bike. The Nomad is a truly awesome ride. Short passengers beware... wife is only 5' and her feet don't reach the passenger floor boards...not comfortable on long rides. Bought a set of Kuryakyn off-set foot pegs to attach to the rear highway bar. Will test them out on the next long ride. Show less

I have ridden over 3000 miles on city, country roads and on the highway for a long three day trip. This motorcycle continues to perform extremely well. It has ample power, acceleration, and cruises easily at 120 km (78/mph) in 5th gear, with a 6th gear still available. Cruise control is so good that I will not own another motorcycle without it. The Nomad loves sweeping turns and handles like a much lighter bike at slow speeds in parking lots. Concerns about the bags are unfounded. They hold lots, are easy to access, and while they may appear to be made of thin material, are actually quite strong and flex a little, which is a good thing. The seat was fine on an eight hour ride, but I would like more room. The sitting position is more towards the standard ride. Overall I am very pleased. Show less

If ever there was standard for perfection, in my humble opinion the Vulcan is one to set the bar. The bike really is a fire and forget crusing platform. Handling is effortless and intuitive. Plenty of power at the top end and pulls like a tractor mountain climbing. I've never had a moment of dullness on the road. Bikes like this are the thing that made us want to ride. Think for a moment of that first time a big v twin rumbled past you as a child, and you thought...Someday! Someday! Show less