1999 Kawasaki Nomad from United States of America - Comments

After writing a letter and e-mailing it to Kawasaki public relations, Ma Kaw says they will stand behind my bike and fix any damage caused by the oil pump gear failure. Normal wear and tear not covered. Neither will abuse to the engine such as continuing to ride and locking the engine up. Keep contacting Kawasaki yourself, don't just depend on the dealer to handle this.

Larry Turner, 1999 Nomad 1500 with 30,111 miles at failure time.

I have a 1996 1500 Kawasaki Vulcan Classic with 39,800 miles on it. My wife and I have enjoyed riding many a mile on it, and try each week-end, weather permitting, to go somewhere. I have 47 years of riding experience on many motorcycles, and was greatly disturbed finding out there was a plastic oil pump drive gear.

Recently the plastic oil gear stripped out. Does anybody know if there is a metal oil gear available? I understand the newer Nomads have a metal gear. Will it fit the Vulcan?

Also, is there any one specific person that I need to contact with the public relations division of Kawasaki to request help with damage caused by the plastic oil pump gear failure?

Thanks. D.C. Hall.

By Larry Turner

1999 Nomad: After two months and two days, my 1999 Nomad is back home. Kawasaki Corp. stood behind their product and paid for fixing my bike. Along with the plastic oil pump gear that failed, both pistons and rings were replaced. Kudos for Ma Kaw.

However the dealers expertise in both mechanical ability and public relations left a lot to be desired. I finally got fed up with being told "it's not ready", but we're working on it. So I went and got it. Took the dealer approximately an hour and half to get my bike running so it could be put up on my trailer. Several conversations took place between myself and the dealer representative; toward the end they were not very pleasant.

At the present time my nomad is sitting in my carport waiting for a new clutch spring to arrive. My clutch is not working properly, and the starter sounds like it's got a box of rocks in it. I'm going to attempt to fix this problem myself. Don't have much faith in dealers. I live in Missouri and the three dealers I have dealt with. Oh well, maybe I'm just expecting too much when I ask that a repair to be done properly and in a timely manner.

Mr. Hall with the 1996 Nomad - check out www.vroc.com website. It is a Vulcan Riders organization. It is an excellent source of information. There is an after-market steel oil pump gear available through this website that does not require the engine being broken apart. It is called "JOG" Judges Oil Gear. Just a very good website for Vulcan riders.

Green 99 Nomad with 42000 miles. Got new oil gear at 27000 miles. Hasn't missed a lick yet.

1200 miles ago I installed a Thunder 95 ci kit with cams and ported intake. IMPRESSIVE. Night and day different on the bike; tons of torque and more upper in on the highway. Recommend it to anyone.

Larry.

Can you provide your contact at Kaw?? And.. what were the signs of the failing oil gear - did your pressure go to 0 immediately or was there some warning signs.. I have a 99 with 17K miles.. has excessive valve tap for hydrolics...

Dave.

I would like to know if there is a customer satisfaction campaign for the oil pump gear on the 99 Kawasakis, and if so please let me know how I can view it.

Thanks.

I have a 1999 Nomad that the gear went out on, and I found that there was a recall on the bike, and they fixed it for free. So you might check and see if there a recall on the bike.

My 1999 Nomad is in the shop again - this is it's second time grinding up the "secondary gear train" to the shaft drive, after 20k miles from previous repair. Again about $1,600.00 - isn't this supposed to be a long riding touring machine. Or is it just the dealer who can't work properly on this bike. It also cost me about the same for that plastic oil gear - who said Kawasaki would cover it?

If you still have the plastic oil gear - check it out:

http://www.vroc.org/faq/jopg/jopg.html

He has step-by-step instructions on how you can replace it yourself. Photos included!

1999 Nomad - I get a whine that seems to be from my drive shaft. Starts around 55 mph. Anyone else run into this issue? I've had it apart and had it greased, but no change.

12 miles into my trip to Maine, my 99 Nomad acted like it was running out of gas at 65 mph and died. The engine is seized, won't turn. I suspect the plastic oil pump gear failed. I called Kawasaki and they didn't even mention the gear, even though I asked about known problems on the bike.

I am thankful to the detailed instructions on this site. I question if I can tackle such a fix. I am profoundly disappointed in Kawasaki though. I own 3 Kawasakis, have owned 2 more previously: 01 Super Sherpa, 00 Ninja 250, 99 Vulcan Nomad, 85 454 LTD, 86 454 LTD.

The engine went at 40,450 miles. I am the only owner. The oil was dealer changed 2 months ago.

Oil pump went out. Took it to the dealer shop. They broke down the motor and said it would be cheaper to find a bike at the junk yard or find a wrecked bike.

I'm on the verge of purchasing a '99 Nomad with 18,800 miles. After reading these few comments, I'm beginning to have second thoughts; am I over-reacting? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

99 Nomad - lady rider. We changed my oil and the light went out immediately following. We had a two year planned trip coming up in two weeks. Looked into the JOG (oil gear replacement), only took about an hour to replace it. 4500 mile trip went off without a hitch.

I have had my bike for four years and love it. With all the bikes out there, they each have problems. If you are that concerned about the oil gear, purchase the JOG or take the bike in and get it over with. Be preventive and not reactive. Nomad's are a great bike.

My 99 went out at 51k east of nowhere, finally the dealer paid a real mechanic to put the back together with all new cam chains etc. Funny, that was back in 03, the mechanic (not the dealers janitor) said he could've figured a way without splitting the cases. Throw that stock clutch pressure plate out, go with six spring billet.

I am looking at buying a 1999 Nomad 1500. It has 10,000 miles; is there a recall, or how can I check that the bike has had the plastic oil gear replaced?

Please email me at jackwhitley10@yahoo.com

Just had my 1999 Nomad into a repair shop because the oil light went on. I have always owned Kawasaki dirt bikes and Honda street bikes.

I told the mechanic that I suspected that the oil pump was plastic and probably broken, even though the dealership where I purchased the bike told me that the pump had probably been changed.

My conclusion was right, gear was plastic and stripped. I contacted my local dealer, Kawasaki Canada, who sent me to Kawasaki USA, who sent be back to the dealer, who sent me back to Kawasaki Canada. Needless to say no luck, they told me this was my problem not theirs, even though everyone seemed to know exactly what the problem was. When I asked to speak to the manager, they flat out told me "he does not want to talk to you" and besides the answer is still the same, you are on your own. The mechanic has quoted 20 hours of labour to replace a $90 part, all because they made the 'c' clip completely inaccessible without completely disassembling the engine... nice design Kawi.

I have never been treated in such an insulting way. I love my Vulcan, the comfort, the look, but this incident has told me not to ever consider Kawasaki again, and I will be more than happy to tell anyone else I meet. I have drafted a letter to Kawi to send. This is so obviously their issue, they changed the gear and replaced then subjectively for so long. If anyone knows an email address I can use to contact their senior management, if not only for the issue, but also the way their customer service is, I would appreciate it.

Dan Whall

tellmey_911@hotmail.com