1700 Voyger Likes & Dislikes

[wheelie]

I've been thinking of replacing our 07 1600 Nomad with a new 2012 Voyger (left over) maybe even with a trike conversion.

Now that the 1700 Voyger had been out for a while and you have put some miles on yours tell me the pros & cons to them.

Power, Mileage, Comfort - front and rear seat. Any problems or bugs in the entire bike.

I dearly love my 1600 and don't want to "upgrade" to a problem.

[Hollywood448]

I feel if you get a good price on one they are a steal. Power is average for the size, mileage is average at about 40 MPG. The draw back for me is, there is no aftermarket support. You can get the big three, pipes, programmer, and intake. After that you are on your own.
So if you like the stock bike, then ride and change the oil.

[redjay]

I went from an 05 Nomad to a 2010 Voyager. The first thing you will notice when getting on a Voyager is you are closer to the tank and if you ride with a passenger (especially if you are both plus size) there is less room between you both. It is a snug fit.
The Voyager handles better and is a little bit easier to manouvre at slow speeds.
The cruise control, trunk and radio are nice added teatures on the Voyager.

Some have stated the Voyager gives off a lot of heat form the motor when stopped at lights etc. The KAMS system helps with this. My Voyager does not have it and the heat is rarely a problem for me. I have only noticed it twice and both days it was over 30c.

I guess the bottom line is do you really need a Voyager ? Will it do what your Nomad does not do ?

[jandmq]

I went from a Goldwing to my new Voyager and like everthing except the motor temp and the clunking noise when you shift gears.Just have to get used to it I guess.

[Jared]

Voyager is a nice machine, but so is your 1600 Nomad. If there's nothing wrong with you 2007, than why replace it? What is it about your 1600 Nomad that's making you want to change?

[Win_surfur]

I went from a really great 2003 1500 Classic, to the 2011 Voyager. Love it! I've added the big three mentioned above (Cobra Pro, V&H, Chucksters) and the bike is even better. My reason for changing bikes was for the factory furniture (fairing, hard bags, trunk, radio).

If there is a 'con' it'd be that the fairing doesn't cover my hands. But I live in central Florida, and the cold season doesn't last too long. I guess that's why God made insulated gloves! BTW, it's sunny & 79f in Orlando today. I should be out riding - no need for gloves today!

[wheelie]

The only real reason for making the move to the voyger would be the stuff it comes with from the factory the nomad dosent and its new the 07 has 31k on it The wife and i would like to do some traveling on the bike and the voyger seemns to have the things that would make a long trip more comfy i like the golgwings but i'm just a v twin guy

[Netnorske]

Originally Posted by Utah Motorcyclist

Voyager is a nice machine, but so is your 1600 Nomad. If there's nothing wrong with you 2007, than why replace it? What is it about your 1600 Nomad that's making you want to change?

Hhhhmmmm.....more top-end power....and a 6th overdrive gear come to mind....

[Netnorske]

I loved my '08 Nomad, traded it for a 2012 Voyager....and recently traded that for a 2013 Victory XCT. Ultimately....it was comfort for my wife and I that made the Voyager not a good fit for us. The 1700's in general are more confined than your 1600. I like to ride with a drivers backrest and on the Nomad with my Mustang seat, it was no problem for us. On the Voyager with a Corbin seat and backrest, my wife was squished like a pancake back there, and the trunk is not adjustable like it is on an HD. If it were, you could make more room back there.

If you ride solo most of the time, the Voyager is a fine bike with lots of power and a 6th gear that is a dream come true. That said, if you ride solo, a Vaquero might better suit you. The Voyager seat sits higher than the 1600 Nomad, so if you are of the short legged variety like me, you will have a tough time backing up the bike in parking lots and such. It also runs hot and your right leg will get warm, although the KAMS does help a bit.

For us personally...the XCT is everything that the Voyager was not in terms of rider/passenger comfort. We can ride two-up with a drivers backrest and the roominess is similar to our 1600 Nomad. All the other great amenities and performance improvements are just a bonus.....

[Jared]

Originally Posted by Netnorske

Hhhhmmmm.....more top-end power....and a 6th overdrive gear come to mind....

I never seemed to have a problem. I guess it's a weight to power ratio.

Seriously though, I can't even imagine reaching for a 6th gear on the 1600 Nomad until over 70mph.

[paul]

I looked long and hard at the Voyager. Honestly couldn't find anything wrong with the 2012 model with the heat control modification. But, While my wife is not a big woman, I am a fairly typical 58 year old man. (Husky , I think is the polite term) I just say fat. Anyway, if I were to have an objection to the Voyager, it would be the room in the cockpit and pillion.
I found a great deal on an 07 1600 and bought it. After a little time on the bike, I really liked the roominess of the bike front to back and side to side. Also, in my opinion, it handles just as good as the Voyager if not better. I say this because it has more clearance and better lean angle. Parking lot handling to me is a breeze on the 1600 ( I came from a 1500) as is the comfort factor. We like to travel distances, but also like to get into the twisties when we get there. So, I found the 1600 to be better equiped for both kinds of riding. EXCEPT.....for the afore mentioned fairing, trunk, and hard lowers,(Storage and protection). But, I also found I could solve my problem by carefully searching the I-net and purchasing the things I lacked. I also found that even with all the things I wanted or needed to add to the bike, including paint to match, My total investment in the bike is only $7750.00. Right now the bike with the add ons retails on NADA for $8300.00. I'm liking where I am with this project.
Your situation may differ a little, but adding to is cheaper than a new bike. And it will all be paid for. No payments is always good. And as far as your mileage, 23K is not bad. My 1500 has 60K plus and I would not hesitate to ride it to Canada from here in Houston today.
Properly cared for these bikes seem to have an undetermined life.
Anyway, my point is don't necessarily give up on modifying the bike you have. At least weigh it out carefully. You may already be closer to having the bike you want than you think.

Now, I am very happy with my choice, so it was right for me. But let me tell you the rest of the story, just to keep things honest...I don't plan to keep this bike for more than about two to three years. What I want is a Victory XCT, 2012 model. So I have bought myself some time to let them age and drop in price. I will start shoping them in about a year and when I find the right one, bang! But untill then, I have found a great intermediate step that I can live with for as long as I need to, but it does not feel like a compromise to me either. Hope you find what you are looking for. Good luck in your search.

[replay13]

Originally Posted by Utah Motorcyclist

Seriously though, I can't even imagine reaching for a 6th gear on the 1600 Nomad until over 70mph.

70 is about right... I run in 5th unless freeway cruising.

[highwayman2011]

I have a 2010 Voyager with 11000 miles on it. Handles great on the road, two up it is top heavy in tight spots(We are not small people). Yes there needs to be more passenger room and I took care of that with a couple days of work and some back yard engineering(moved the trunk back 3 inches. The radio reception is not that good so I use an Ipod.

[fammdw]

I have a 2012 Voyager and moved to it from a 2006 Nomad. The only initial complaint I had with the Voyager was that the stock seat moved me closer to the tank than I like. I fixed that with replacing the stock seat with a Corbin Dual Tour saddle. That moved me back about an inch or so and gave me the riding position I enjoyed on the Nomad. I recently had a seat built by Russell Day Long and I sent them pictures of the Corbin with instructions for them to duplicate the riding position of that seat. They hit the mark perfectly.

As for room on the bike two-up... I don't really get the complaints. I'm 6' 3", 275 lbs. My wife is 5' 8" and about 155 lbs. We have no problem with room and comfort riding two-up. Now if the wife was also pushing 275 lbs, that might be another story!

[wheelie]

OK OK OK ! I'm going to keep the 07 Nomad! So get off my back already!
No really what we did was go play Goldie Locks. We set on a 2012 voyger with a trike kit, the seating was too close. Then we set on a Goldwing 2 wheeler that thing was huge and had it all but it just didn't feel right. A few bikes down was an 08 Nomad so we threw a leg over it. The wife said you know new is nice so is that used 4400 mile Wing but none of them look as cool or feel as much like home as that 08, it was just right. Then I take our Nomad out for a ride yesterday before all this dang snow hit and I remembered why I have put 32,000 happy miles on it. It's a great bike! So we need a new battery, tires and .......