Kawasaki 1500 Nomad
Kawasaki 1500 Nomad
Fuel-injected, powered up and ready for the road
THINK OF KAWASAKI'S VULCAN 1500 NOMAD AS A 105 percent scale version of the classic American V-Twin touring bike-a nostalgic-yet-practical machine aimed specifically at this country's high ways and byways. The Nomad bagger matches the scale of these United States while providing the comfort to cross them.
Since its introduction almost a decade ago, the Vulcan motor’s claim to fame has been its 1470cc capacity, making it until recently one of the biggest V-Twins in motorcycling. Its more than 4-inch bore rivals that of a small-block Chevy V-Eight, and with liquid-cooling, four valves per cylinder and a relatively short 3.5-inch stroke, you’d expect it to be a powerhouse. In its original Vulcan 88 incarnation that was true, but over the years Kawasaki went the way of many Japanese cruiser manufacturers
and re-tuned things “to emphasize low-speed torque”-losing several foot-pounds and about 10 bhp in the process! Introduced in 1998, then, the Vulcanmotored Nomad hit the road with performance pretty much equal to that of a stock Evo-engined HarleyDavidson. And then The Motor Company debuted the burly Twin Cam 88 for 1999.
For the 2000 model year, Kawasaki has upped the Nomad’s power with fuel injection and more compression. The EFI falls into the “speed-density” category, relying on throttle position and manifold pressure as its primary control variables. It’s the type of system used on most motorcycles, and necessitates an elaborate fuel-requirement map be prepared during engine development. As such, the system can’t compensate for major changes in engine tune without recalibration. Unless a factory/aftermarket hop-up kit is introduced with a reprogrammed control box (at least one company is hard at work already), stock performance is what the owner of a Nomad will live with forever-though aftermarket mufflers should slip on with no problems.
At least horsepower-at 56 bhp-is back up to Vulcan 88 levels, though a good-running Twin Cam H-D still has it beat by 4 to 6 horsepower. The engine pumps out a smooth, bottomweighted power curve, hitting its 74foot-pound torque peak at a low 2750 rpm while pulling creamily from 1800 rpm. The injection system keeps the engine pulsing smoothly at all times, though you may find the fast-idle knob needs to be pulled for the first minute of warm-up.
Out on the road, the 1500 offers a thickly padded seat and an all-day riding position. Its handlebar places you just about straight upright, with your legs stretched comfortably forward to reach the floorboards. The machine’s scale does set you relatively well back from the classic flat windshield, generally not a good thing with this type of design. Not surprisingly, a little turbulence spills over it to rattle the shield on a full-face helmet. The partial cure is an open-face helmet or a precise matching of the adjustable screen to your height to minimize turbulence. Still, the Nomad can carry you over miles and miles and hours and hours of freeway or two-lane comfortably. A passenger is cuddled as well by a thick seat, but will search in vain for secure handholds-thus offering a real reason to purchase the sissy bar in Kawasaki’s accessory catalog.
The Kawasaki tracks well on the highway, aided there by the same 7.4 inches of trail that makes its steering somewhat vague and floppy at parkinglot speeds. Handling is adequate and sure-footed within the constraints of ground clearance; like most cruisers, the Nomad is deep into its floorboards well before the tires run out of side tread. A comer-carver it ain’t.
No, the Nomad’s place in the world is largely determined by its sub-$ 13,000 price tag. Compared to machines like Harley’s Road King that offer a similar look and roughly comparable functionality for several thousand dollars more, the Vulcan is a bargain.-Steve Anderson
