My 2009 1700 nomad has a clunk in 1,2,3 could this be the lighter brake in oil. Othere than that love the bike.

Smooth ride.Good power

Sure enjoy the ride, and easy starting engine. It is a joy to ride, and I get a lot of positive comments about the bike. I hear that some are concerned about the belt drive, and after owning a shaft drive last time, I must say that this belt drive is more efficient, and I don't get any of the driveline windup and torque. I hope it lasts a long time, being carbon fiber instead of kevlar, I'm sure it'll be expensive to replace. Kawa redid their 1700 engine, and when I engage the tranny into first, it gives a resounding 'clunk', morso than any other bike I've ever owned. Any one else having this issue? Thx!

Love the bike, but the fact that "Kawasaki" or "Vulcan" is stamped all over it, has kept me from buying another. Leave the branding to Nike and Harley. Give me a quality product that I can personalize. Believe it or not, there are a majority of us "non-sheeple" out here that don't wear somebodys name on our shirt or vote Obama.

Having just purchased a new 2008 Blue & Silver kawasaki Nomad 1600; I was disappointed to see that kawasaki had given in to dropping the shaft drive in favor of a belt. The one main reason I bought the 2008 Nomad, was to get a bike with nearly zero maintenance and WITH a shaft drive. Having owned and maintained a belt drive Harley for over 20 years, I can assure you that belt drives may be efficient but do not live long lives around crushed gravel roads which can destroy a belt in short order from debris. A steel propeller shaft spinning inside a sturdy steel swing-arm makes a whole lot better sense and will out last the bike. Belt changes are a headache and having to avoid gravel and dirt roads limit the sense of freedom which a bike should provide. It is obvious Kawasaki has decided to target the Harley Davidson Ultra-Glide Classic with the new Voyager . A bike which although offers the benefits of additional power, cruise control and a music system is now nothing more or less than a glorified rendition of the Milwaukee brand. In so doing, Kawasaki's bean counters saw benefits in reduced manufacturing costs by tossing the ring & pinion gear set, attendant housings, universals and shaft drive in favor of a cheap belt. Big Mistake Kawasaki. I for one am so thankful I bought the last model year of the Shaft Driven Nomad. This leaves only Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha with a line of shaft drive cruisers aside from the European offerings.