1999 Kawasaki Nomad from United States of America - Comments

Front piston and rings went bad at 17000.

Plastic oil gear failed at 30111 miles.

Excellent bike, comfortable, handles well, runs out nicely, good cruiser on interstate, nimble in town.

I'm unhappy with Maw Kaw's stance on Plastic Oil Gear. They say (Maw Kaw) they will replace oil gear, right side gasket and rings if necessary. Any other damage I'm on my own. So if crank, cam, lifters etc are damaged they accept no responsibility. I consider this an engineering flaw. If Maw Kaw is as proud of their product as they claim, they wouldn't take a satisfied customer and leave them hanging out to dry. They should stand behind 100%. My opinion, but not theirs.

Larry Turner

Kawasaki owner since 1988

I have a 1996 Vulcan 1500A with 34,000 miles.

The plastic oil gear is gone, now I have a boat large boat anchor. Kawasaki wants $1500.00 dollars to fix it. I'm upset, & I loved the bike. I have a friend who has a older Kawasaki with a plastic gear and a lot more miles I guess. No problems.

This is my second Kawasaki, but my last. I work for $8.50 an hour and can't afford to fix it, so I'm done. I believe the KZ1000 was twice the bike this was.

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.