Nomad Make-over

During my 2009 riding season, I toyed around with the idea of painting my bike. When the season started to slow down, and I didn't have any riding plans, I decided that I would post my bike for sale to see what would happen. My thoughts were that if I could sell it for what I was asking for, it would be worth it. If not, I would paint it and catch up on some maintenance. After 11 days, it sold.

I have ridden many different types of bikes (Honda-VTX 1300, VTX 1800, Fury, Gold Wing, Aero, Spirit, Rebel, Kawasaki- Nomad, 1600 classic, Mean Streak, Vulcan 2000, Vulcan 900, Vulcan 800, Harley V-rod, Sportster, Street Glide, Suzuki Boulevard C50, Yamaha Raider) and I feel that the Nomad is the best bike for my current riding style. After selling my 2005, I purchased a nicely accessorized, 2006 Nomad, with next to no miles on it, down in Phoenix. The color was green and silver. Although I got a lot of compliments on the colors, they weren't what I wanted and stock paint sucks!

My winter project is to redo my Nomad. I stripped off a few of the accessories that weren't what I wanted and sold them (1500 Nomad front fender tips, F&S luggage rack, Saddlebag strips, F&S tank bib). The things that I would like to do (I will update this post through out the winter as I accomplish these things) are:
-Re-paint the bike
-Add a chrome inner engine cover
-Add a chrome drive shaft cover (Done Nov. 20th-$Free)
-Add a Cobra luggage rack (Done Nov 2oth-$Free)
-Put studs and conchos on the pillion backrest
-Switch the non-studded Mustang seat with a studded one
-Add an open air intake system (Done Nov 5th-$80)
-Make a lay-down license plate mount.
-Add lower bag rails (Done Nov 15th-$60)
-Add a clear fender protector
-Make larger lower deflectors
-Add Vista Cruise control (Done Nov 2oth-$15)

Open air intake, and Reed Valve Coasters designed by Joe "Chuckster" Norris.

Stripped of all paintable parts

Drive shaft cover. Design for the vulcan 1500 and modified for the Nomad.

The tank's all ready for some paint.One of the challenging things that I will be doing to my bike is removing the brushed aluminum accents off the saddlebag doors and filling the indentions with a plastic filler. I really like how the smooth doors look below.

Northwestern States Trip- Aug 2009

Sorry, none of the picture in this post are in any order. Here's a link to a blog specifically for this trip. http://northwesternstatesmotorcycletrip2009.blogspot.com/

On August 20th myself and seven other friends loaded our bikes and hit the open road.

Red Wood National Park

Lehman Caves

Our campground also was local church...

Lassen National Forest

Lassen National Forest

Push starting a F.I. Vulcan 2000 is not easy!

Redwood National Park

Watching the wind and kite surfers on the Columbia River

Mount St Helens National Park

The breath taking Oregon coast

Mount St Helens National Park

Oregon coast

Bike having problems at sea level

We made it 200 miles before the first flat

Waiting for the tow truck

www.kawanow.org

Those who own a Nomad need to visit www.kawanow.org. This website is specifically designed to give Kawasaki Nomad owners as much information as possible...all in one location.

Alpine Loop Scenic Byway

This 20-mile drive winds through rugged alpine canyons of the Wasatch Range offering stupendous views of Mount Timpanogos and other glacier-carved peaks. The route follows Utah Hwy. 92 up American Fork Canyon and then continues through Uinta National Forest into Provo Canyon on U.S. 189. While you are there, you might want to stop and see Timpanogos Cave National Monument or Robert Redford's famous Sundance, which are both located along the route.

Although the Alpine Loop completely is paved, it is definitely narrower than most roads. Be careful for unexpected oncoming traffic.

Visitors must purchase a pass. A $6 is available and good for 3 days; a $12 pass is good for 7 days; there is also a $45 annual pass available. (www.utah.com)

HOW TO GET THERE:

Clockwise: From I-15 take exit 287 and go East on UT 92 through Highland and up American Fork Canyon. If you are coming from North Utah County you can instead go North on UT 146 (Pleasant Grove 1st East) through Pleasant Grove until it hits UT 92 at the mouth of the canyon.

Counter-clockwise: From I-15, take the Orem 8th North exit (exit 275) and go east. Once you cross State Street, migrate over to the left hand lane until you get to the mouth of Provo Canyon. There the road will split, and you want to take the left fork up the canyon. From Provo or Orem, take University Avenue North until it goes up the canyon. Watch for the turn for state route 92 on the left, marked for Sundance, etc. Ride up the canyon past Sundance and Robert Redford's house, and the road will start getting steep and twisty. It will take you back down the other side, then past a bunch of campsites to the mouth of American Fork canyon. There you can take UT 146 towards Pleasant Grove and State Street, or keep going straight past Highland to I-15.

MY THOUGHTS: 7.5/10

This is a very common road for sight seers. There is a lot to see and do throughout this route (Timpanogos Caves, Cascade Springs, Sundance and Mt. Timpanogos). For this reason I give it a 7.5/10. It is a fun road, with lots of twisties, but there is a lot of traffic, the road is narrow, and the shoulder drops of about 10"(I have personally seen 2 accidents because of the high shoulder).

The best time to ride the Alpine Loop in October when the leaves are changing colors (and on the road).

Nebo Loop Scenic Byway

This byway crosses the Uinta National Forest between the cities of Nephi and Payson. It climbs to over 9,000 feet in elevation and provides breathtaking views of Utah valley, the Wasatch Mountains and 11,928-foot Mount Nebo, the tallest mountain in the Wasatch Range.

The Nebo Loop Byway is a motorcyclist's dream with many overlooks. The brilliant fall foliage of the Uinta National Forest is hard to match anywhere in the nation.

Along the byway, numerous campgrounds, trail systems and popular horseback riding areas are available for exploration. A unique scenic feature is the Devil’s Kitchen Geologic Interest Site with picnic facilities, a paved trail and observation deck. The spectacular red color of this amphitheater, with its many spires reminiscent of Bryce, is a brilliant contrast to the mountain greenery surrounding it. The eroded sandstone formation’s startling red color adds contrast to the mountain greenery found through the rest of the byway.

The Payson Lakes Recreation Area, 12 miles south of Payson, offers hiking on paved trails, improved picnic areas, camping and excellent fishing. This byway also provides backcountry trail access into the Mount Nebo Wilderness Area.

The 38-mile byway takes about 1½ hours to complete. It is closed in the winter. (Info taken from www.utah.com)

HOW TO FIND IT

From I-15, take the Nephi exit (exit 225) and go East on State Route 132. About 4.9 miles from I-15 turn left onto a conspicuously marked Nebo Loop road. Follow the main road until you come back down from the mountains into Payson on 600 East. Turn left onto 100 North.

If you are headed north, then turn right at the Main Street light and hit I-15 at exit 254.

If you are headed south, you can, of course, proceed as above and head south from exit 254 or go through the Main Street light and follow the street around to the left until you reach the Texaco and 800 North (which was not marked as such at this writing), at which point you can turn right onto 800 North and proceed to I-15 at exit 252.

MY OPINION:

On a scale of 1-10, I'd rate Nebo Loop an 8.5. It is great for an after-work leisure ride or for an intense, peg-scraping ride. A word of caution-- watch out for cows! This is a free-roaming area and often times they are on the road. Ride safe, have fun and keep the rubber side down!

Riding on the Dark Side

The "Dark Side" is a semi controversial topic among bikers. It is when a rear motorcycle tire is replaced with a car tire. The most common reasons for doing this are cost and durability. A good motorcycle tire is about $180 and on a bigger cruiser it might only last 8,000 miles. A car tire cost $75 and can last 35,000 or more. In May 2009, prior to taking a 6,000 mile trip back east, and after doing a lot of research on the topic, I decided I would give it a try. I purchased a Dunlop SP5000 car tire, which was the most common tire for my motorcycle, and I had it mounted. I have since ridden 16,000 miles on the tire, through all imaginable type roads, and I love it. I have zero regrets and don't plan on leaving the Dark Side anytime soon.

Here are just a few links to information about the Dark Side

http://darkside.nwff.info/
http://www.valkyrieriders.com/shoptalk/CarTire/home.htm
http://forums.delphiforums.com/DarkSiding/start
http://lifeisaroad.com/stories/2004/10/27/theDarkSide.html
http://www.tomfranken.com/Darkside/Default.htm

If you have any sincere question about the topic, I'd be more than happy to answer them.

Utah Motorcyclists on Facebook

In the spring of '08 I was looking for a local group of riders that I could ride with. I didn't want to have to deal with any obligations or fees. I didn't want it to be brand- or style-specific. I couldn't find anything of that sort, so I started a group on facebook called "Utah Motorcyclists". Since that time it has become relatively popular with around 300 members, and is growing. I haven't been able to do as many activities as I would like, but the few that we have done have been fun.

Here's a link to the page: http://www.facebook.com/share.php?appid=2530096808&src=box&tid=22386784576&u=http%3A%2F%2Futahmotorcyclist.blogspot.com%2F#/group.php?gid=22386784576

The Ultimate Baffles

My Nomad came with the Vance and Hines Dually exhaust. Although they looked awesome, I was not satisfied with their sound. To me they sounded tinny and not very loud, and I wanted a low thudding sound. I did some research online, trying to figure out if others had the same complaint, and, to my surprise, there were several forum threads started for this specific reason. A machinist on the KawaNow.org forum shared his design with me, and after contacting my cousin who is a machinist, we tackled the project. They turned out great and the exhaust sound is incredible. I get compliments everywhere I go about the sound of my bike.

Summer 2009 Road Trip: Longmount to Orem

On our last day we decided to take a detour. It would cost us about 2 hours of time, but everyone told us it would be worth it. We ended up riding through the Rocky Mtn. National Park.
Going through the clouds
Well above the clouds



This location was 11,796 feet in elevation, but I'm sure we went well over 12,000 that day

The east half of Utah isn't exciting, to say the least. Reminds me of Kansas.
We finally made it home. The familiar view of Mt. Timpanogos and Bridal Veil Falls were finally in sight.

We were on and off the road for 23 days which included 13 days of riding and 10 days of visiting friends and family. We traveled 5,650 miles in that time. Our Kawasaki Nomad 1600 got one flat and one oil change, but besides that it ran flawlessly. We got as high as 46mpg and as low as 28mpg.

Summer 2009 Road Trip: Kansas City to Longmount

This was one day that I was not looking forward to. It was our longest day (650 miles) and definitely the most boring. We left at 4am and saw a lot of wind turbines. That about sums up our day through Kansas.

Summer 2009 Road trip: St. Louis to Kansas City

It's supposed to be the best BBQ around. I'd rate it a 7/10
Downtown Kansas City
We ran into some Amish people. I tried to pry a little and ask about their lifestyle (in a respectful way). They are super, super closed and are definitely not trying to convert anyone. I could barely figure out if Amish was a religion or just a way of life.
Brynne's very first fish! A 4" Bass!!!!!
We stayed for a few days with some good friends.

Summer 2009 Road trip: Nashville to St. Louis

I thought it was kinda funny to see a Harley being towed by a Ford being towed by a tow-truck.
I love St. Louis. It has to be one of the pretties big cities.
Some other fellow riders who rode with us for about 160 miles.

Summer 2009 Road trip: Deals gap to Nashville

When we woke up, everything was wet. The fog was extremely thick. It was incredible.





Tree of Shame at the Deals Gap Resort.

Boss Hoss--about to take on the Dragon's Tail




We met some friendly fellow bikers who escorted us to our Nashville hotel.
We finally made it to our hotel. What an incredible day!

Summer2009 Road trip: Charlseton to The Dragons tail

The Iron Horse motorcycle resort was awesome. If anyone is going to be staying in the Smokey Mtn. area on a motorcycle trip, you really ought to check it out. The prices are reasonable and the accommodations are bar none.


The greenest area of the whole trip. I didn't expect the Smokey's to look so much like a jungle. I guess I'm used to the Rocky Mtns.

Summer 2009 Road trip: Titusville to Charlseton

This is a real gator--out in the sun and turning kinda gray, and rotting.


We woke up early enough to get to Daytona Beach/St. Augustine area to see the sunrise. The ride between these two cities was amazing!

Summer 2009 Raod trip: Dothan to Titusville

Time to ride home--from Dothan, Alabama to Titusville, Florida
Home sweet home
Manatees!!!!
The two culprits
I had to do a little maintenance on the bike -an oil change and fixing a flat tire.
Brynne's first time at the shooting range. She was very happy with her Smith and Wesson revolver.
You can't go to Florida without going to Disney!

Riding with the KawaNow group
A few guys from the KawaNow forum threw a little party for me.

Summer 2009 Road trip: New Orleans to Dothan

After spending two days in New Orleans we took off for Grandma's house in Dothan, Alabama.
This picture really sums up Southern Alabama.


Southern sunrises are amazing!





We decided to leave at 4:00am in order to beat the southern heat. We got about five miles and then had to sit and wait, for seriously 30 minutes, until this train finally was done. I'm still bitter about the 30 extra minutes of sleep I could have gotten.

Summer 2009 Raod trip: Dallas to New Orleans

The ride from Dallas to New Orleans was long and hot. When we got to New Orleans and got everything unpacked, all we wanted to do was soak in the pool and relax, so we decided to rest that first evening and stay there for an extra day for sight-seeing.


When it rains in New Orleans, it pours! The rain only lasted about 30 minutes but the streets were already flooding.
Me, enjoying a French Beignet
Brynne enjoying some Creole Jambalaya

I love how this picture turned out!

The road literally is constructed on top of water.

Summer 2009 Road trip: Roswell to Dallas

On the third day we rode from Roswell, NM to Dallas, TX. It was our longest day up to that point and to make things worst, we had rain for about 2oo miles of the day.
After all the wet riding, we decided that we deserved a hotel.

Rain, rain go away!
Three days after Brynne went off her diet!!


We woke up extra early and enjoyed a beautiful desert sunrise.


At about 1am a desert monsoon came in and interrupted our deep sleep. I was worried that our computer and other electronics were going to get ruined so we ended up hanging out in the RV park's bathroom until it went away. Obviously, it wasn't the best nights sleep.

Summer 2009 Raod trip: Mesa Verde to Roswell

On the second day we rode from Mesa Verde to Roswell. I'm not sure what we were expecting to see in Roswell, but we must have missed it. The ride from Mesa Verde to Santa Fe was incredible. We changed the route due to road construction and ended up riding through Durango and Pagosa Springs, seeing some of the most beautiful scenery of our lives.
For some reason the town that survives off of alien seekers closes all their stores at 5:00pm.....?

But there was a LOT of nothing through southern New Mexico.
I would have never guessed that northern New Mexico was this beautiful.
If I was to take a cross-country trip on a motorcycle again, I would buy a GPS.

Summer 2009 Road trip: Orem to Mesa Verde

Brynne and I took our first cross-country road trip. We had a small budget and decided that we would camp as much as possible. On day one we rode from Orem, Utah to Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado.
Not quite home sweet home, but still pretty good.



Cool tunnel in the national park




We weren't planning on seeing a temple. Not even sure which temple it is...?

Can you believe that little bag on back and the two saddle bags are all we took?!!!

THE IRON BUTT RIDE -May 4, 2009

The Iron Butt Association is an association that promotes long rides for the toughest riders in America. They honor riders who can complete what they call the "SaddleSore 1,000 mile ride". To qualify, a rider must ride his motorcycle 1,000 miles in less than 24 hours.

On May 4th, 2009 we (Mike Jarvis, Brad Stone and myself) started the ride at 4 am. It was COLD!!!! but we only had 24 hours to go 1000+miles.





On May 5th at 12:30am we finished the ride, which took us from Orem or Salt Lake City, then to Wendover, Nevada via Interstate I-80. Then we followed Hwy 93 south, through Ely, NV, and Hwy 6 southwest to Tonopah. From Tonopah, on Hwy 95 southwest, we passed on the northeast border of Death Valley, and on into Las Vegas. From Las Vegas it was a straight shot home on north I-15. 1,083 miles in a little over 20 hours!

Mustang seat, tank bib, saddlebag chaps

The previous owner had kicked the top of the bag and left several deep scratches that I couldn't polish out, so I made these saddlebag chaps and the bib from scratch--similar to how I made the backrest for the 900 (see older post).

Also, I knew how much I love the mustang seat on my 900, so I purchase one for my nomad. I upgraded by purchasing one with a backrest. I can ride all day in this seat!

Picking up my 2005 Kawasaki Nomad 1600

Picked up the new Nomad in Phoenix AZ. This was my first time strapping a bike down in a trailer but it ended up being a lot easier than I thought it would be.

The 900 sold in 11 day for $6800

This is how my 900 looked when she sold.

SOME accessories added were:
Mustang touring seat
Cobra Backrest
Cobra luggage rack
Cobra Engine guard
Cobra Passenger floorboards
Cobra Speedster exhaust
Kury Iso grips
Kury Highway pegs
Memphis Shade shield
Fiamm Car horn
Leatherlyke saddlebags
V2K wide bars

Last long trip on the 900

The last long ride I was able to make on my 900 was to Lake Powell and back. It was a long day but through some beautiful parts of this state. Without the addition of a Mustang seat and proper gear, I don't think I would have been able to make it. We traveled approximately 600 miles along with winterizing a boat.

Cheap or free mods

1. Rear license plate relocation.
Just move it up over the reflector...it looks much better and it's a free mod.
2. Grip upgrade.
The hardest part of this upgrade is choosing the adhesive. I used silicone.
(The Kuryakyn grips are my personal favorite.)
3. De-badging.
Another freebie. It just takes a little elbow grease.
(Great sleek look if you have a single tone paint job.)
4. De-baffle the stock exhaust.
This can be complicated but it's well worth the time.
5. Reflector removal.
I was mixed on this one. I was concerned about the safety side of it, but I hardly ride at night so off they came. A definate improvement....especially to the forks.
(I've done this mod and it looks good, but be warned, the reflectors are there for a reason.)
6. Mirrors.
You can't beat the visabilty of the stockers, but a nice billet mirror looks great. You can pick up a nice set from $25-$50 usually. Watch out for plastics. Some mirrors have billet brackets but plastic heads...others have plastic mirror glass.
(You can also just rotate the mirror 180 degrees and it gives it a slightly more sleek and inline look.)
7. Air cleaner cover.
This is a simple mod that really changes things. Just find an "air cleaner insert" for an Evo Harley and install it on top of your cover. I've bought 2 from eBay from around $20.00 each. I also posted a thread on the mod in the cruiser section.
(I never did this but if I still owned the 900, I would have.)
8. License plate frame.
I can't believe how many bikes I see that just have a plate bolted on. A nice chrome frame really adds to the rear of the bike. I picked one up at Wal-Mart.
(I payed $5 for mine)
9. Redneck intake mod
The stock intake is very restrictive. Remove the bock and drill holes behind the filter.
(This was free and provided a huge performance increase!)
10. FIAMM Horn
The stock 900 horn sucks. Upgrade to a Napa Fiamm horn.
(Only cost me $12)

Crankcase Breather

For those of you who have opened your air intake box, you've probably noticed that it had some oil drip/pour out. I have seen anywhere from a teaspoon to 1/2 cup of oil in air boxes. This is normal. It's just oil vapors from the crankcase ventilation system. The crankcase is connected to the air-box/breather so the fumes get re burnt and not vented to the air. Some oil will collect in the cover and not stay a vapor.

If you want to help your air filter last longer, and if you don't want the oil vapors to be re burnt, you can add a crankcase breather.

On the 900 it is very simple. Remove the coil cover on the left side. Disconnect the tubing from the back of the air box and Rotate it, keeping it attached to the crank case (approx 90 degrees). Attach a breather--you can either leave it straight up, supported by the tubing, or mount it to the bike like I have.

Crankcase breathers can be purchased online or at any auto parts store. They cost around $8-$15.

Vegas and Zion with a Harley V-Rod

Travis (My Bro) flew in from Florida and rented a Harley Davison V-Rod. (Ol Blue)

The traffic and heat in Vegas was almost unbearable.
You can't go to Vegas without riding a few rides. We also saw the Beatles Live show.

The next morning we came back driving though Zion National Park.

Making a new, matching backrest

After purchasing my mustang seat I wanted a studded backrest to match. The backrest that I had had a small hole in it so instead of just studding it, I decided to make one from scratch. I also found an old cookie sheet that I cut and sanded to clean up the back of the pad.

Brynne's first long ride.......MOAB, ARCHES, AND CANYON LANDS

Brynne and I had been wanting to take a longer trip on the bike, but we weren't sure how far we could go. We decided to go to moab. Both of us enjoyed the trip and it opened our eyes and help us realize that we could travel a lot farther.

MUSTANG SEAT!!!!!

This should have been my first modification! The Mustang seat provided all the form and comfort that I had bee looking for. I did rise and move me about an 1" forward compared to the stock seat. I had been considering buying pullback risers and the seat moved me right to where I needed to be.

Exhausts

I first modified the stock exhaust, then I purchased the Cobra Speedster Slashdowns, and then I went with the Road House 2 into 1. After only a short period of time I went back to the Cobras because the RH pipes were too quite for my taste.

The debaffled stock pipes weren't loud enough
The RH looked AWESOME but weren't loud enough.
The cobras were LOUD!

How do I fix a flat tire?

It only took a few weeks for me to run over my first nail. Will a little patience and a detailed explanation from a good friend, I was able to remove my rear tire.

After a LONG winter!!!

Cobra engine guard, Memphis Fats shield, Kuryakyn grips and pegs

The next mods that I added were a Memphis Shades FATS shield, Cobra engine guard, and Kuryakyn grips and highway pegs.

First three accessories - Cobra backrest, Cobra luggage rack, and Leatherlyke saddlebags

The first three accessories that I purchased were a Cobra Standard backrest (part #02-5468), Cobra formed luggage rack (part #02-3601), and the LeatherLyke Saddlebags (part #t429)
http://cobrausa.com/access_detail.php?model_id=104&make_id=3&category_id=18&product_id=2072
http://cobrausa.com/access_detail.php?model_id=104&make_id=3&category_id=18&product_id=2154
http://leatherlyke.com/stores/showdetl.cfm?&DID=13&Product_ID=73&CATID=3

Welcome to Kawasaki and the Beartooth Kawasaki forum

In November I bought a 2006 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 classic with only 550 miles on it. The bike was completely stock and shortly after buying it, I ran across forum that became a wealth of information. http://www.kawasakimotorcycle.org/forum/

Because it was winter, the bike was bone stock, and I found this new wealth of info, I started modifying and customizing.

How I got started

I had always wanted a motorcycle. I mentioned to several friends and to my future wife that when I was able to get a bike, I was going to. They insisted that I was buying my death. Two months after getting married I purchased a 2005 Honda Rebel 250. It was cheap, and at the time gas was $3.50 per gallon. I kept the Rebel for 6 months and during that time I put 4500 miles on it. I realized very quickly that the 250 was not going to be sufficient and that I would need to upgrade.