+ Click to Enlarge MARATHON CRUISER: The VN1600 Nomad was designed for all-day rides - and then some .

June 14, 2005

Kawasaki has launched its VN1600 Vulcan Nomad tourer in South Africa. It's derived from the VN1600 Classic but has been developed for touring with panniers and a windscreen but not a fairing.

There's also a thicker, more comfortable and leather-covered pillion seat with a padded backrest, aluminium grab handles and footboards instead of footpegs for the pillion.

The 1552cc, liquid-cooled, V-twin is unchanged. Its low 9:1 compression ratio and oversquare 102 x 95mm bore and stroke generate an unremarkable 47kW at 4700 revs. Peak torque however, is 127Nm at only 2700rpm.

If you get the idea that this thing is all about mid-range grunt and relaxed all-day cruising, you'd be right – but expect it to get a little breathless at the top end. Kawasaki claims it will go up to 180km/h but I would expect the last 20 klicks to take a while.

The motor is an odd combination of basic bottom-end and sophisticated cylinder heads; the con-rods share a single crankpin with a balance shaft to settle high-frequency secondary vibration while the basic low-frequency pulses remind the rider he's on a V-twin.

At the top, however, you'll find single overhead camshaft cylinder-heads with four valves per cylinder and dual sparkplugs. Fuel is supplied by digital electronic fuel-injection through 36mm throttle bodies.

Hydraulic valve lifters, automatic camchain tensioners and maintenance-free electronic ignition mean the Nomad should go for ever as long as you change the fluids and filters at the prescribed intervals.

The clutch has cork-based friction plates with more grooves than before to improve the clutch feel and counteract a tendency to stick on cold mornings. It feeds the power to a conventional five-speed constant mesh gearbox and shaft final drive.

Once more, low maintenance, no adjustment and no cleaning sticky black chain lube off the rear wheel and swing-arm. Is this a bike for the lazy rider or what?

The low-slung dual exhaust has a catalyser hidden in a box under the swing-arm – only feed the Nomad unleaded.

Heavy-duty chassis

The frame has been slightly modified to make the bike more comfortable as a long-distance cruiser. Fork offset has been reduced from 20 to 15mm which has increased the trail from 168 to 184mm for added stability.

The wheelbase is five millimetres longer at 1685mm and the seat height has been increased from 680mm to 705mm. The square-section rear sub-frame has been reinforced with gusseting in the middle section to handle the extra weight of the panniers and their contents.

43mm telescopic forks guide the front wheel and two air-assisted rear shocks with four-way adjustable damping soak up the bumps and keep the rear tyre under control.

The brakes are a little under-specced for a 350kg motorcycle: Tokico twin-piston floating callipers on dual 300mm front discs and a single rear platter. It's a typical cruiser layout and, given the long, lazy-steering dimensions of the chassis, it's appropriate.

Leather upholstery

The seat has leather bonded to the unrethane foam padding for comfort and durability; the pillion has been reshaped to complement the standard rear backrest.

There are chrome-plated aluminium grab rails in the backrest brackets, shaped to fit the passenger’s hands.

The fuel tank has no welding flanges; it's been styled with a sleek, stretched look but its capacity has been increased from 18 to 20 litres. It also features a raised Nomad emblem on each side for a classic look.

The side-opening panniers have been carried over from the earlier VN1500 Nomad and have water and dust-proof foam-rubber seals. Small mesh pockets inside the panniers keep a few small objects handy while fitted soft bags are available as extra-cost options to making packing easier.

The cases are detachable but are intended as a permanent installation; chromed filler panels are fitted to close the gaps between the panniers and the rear mudguard.

Keyed alike

The locks on this two-wheeled Winnebago are a story in themselves; not only do the ignition, steering lock, side cover, helmet locks and panniers all use the same key but every lock has different features.

The key cannot be removed from the pannier locks until the panniers are closed and securely locked – which prevents the rider from either locking the key in the pannier or riding off with the pannier unlocked.

It is possible, however, to remove the key from the ignition switch on top of the fuel tank with the switch in the "on" position, preventing other keys on the key ring from scratching the tank.

The ignition can be switched off without the key but to switch it on again the key's needed.

The electric step-motor speedometer is also mounted on the fuel tank in a triumph of styling over design; it incorporates an LCD fuel gauge, odometer, tripmeter and clock. The dial also has warning icons for low fuel, faulty fuel-injection, low oil pressure and coolant temperature.

The windscreen, also from the older VN1500, is height adjustable and has clear filler pieces around the headlight to keep the draught out when the windscreen is set high.

There are even deflector wings on the fork legs to direct the slipstream away from the rider's thighs.

The Nomad has chrome-plated engine and pannier guards to protect these vulnerable areas if the bike falls over – although, at 350kg, picking it up may be a bigger problem. The two-piece engine guards are mounted on the frame downtubes and can be replaced individually.

Laid-back touring

For cruiser riders (there are many) who ride further than down the boulevard to the coffeeshop, the VN1600 might just fit the bill. It's a cruiser for all-day riders.

The VN1600 Vulcan Nomad is available from Kawasaki dealers in metallic ocean blue for R119 995, which includes a two-year, unlimited distance warranty.

Kawasaki VN1600N specifications

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