1999 Nomad expected lifespan

[mapleleafalumnus]

Hiya fellas! I know I don't post much here, and that's because I'd much rather read and learn than give misinformation to some poor schmuck.

On to my question. What should I expect the lifespan of my bike to be, in terms of "how many more years?" I realize this is a loaded question, as anything may happen at any time.

I bought my '99 1500 Nomad several years ago, and I STILL love it! 30,000 miles on the clock; good-to-excellent shape mechanically/electrically/hydraulically; couple of paint chips (front fender and gas tank, fixing them via ColorRite in a month or two); however, it's quite cold-blooded on 1st starts in the a.m. (getting the carbs cleaned this spring); regular maintenance performed RELIGIOUSLY according to MOM, Clymer and Gadget's page. Ridden regularly during riding season, which amounts to 5-6 months around here, and properly stored indoors during the off-season.

I ask because it is now a 16 year-old machine. I think that in terms of mileage, the bike as designed and manufactured is capable of lasting 100,000 miles (has anyone gotten to that yet?). I'd just hate to get stuck with a whole bunch of things going wrong with it all at once due to its age.
Thanks to all who choose to chime in!

[cactusjack]

If it still has the plastic oil gear, you're lucky it's lasted this long.

[mapleleafalumnus]

CactusJack --
Nope, no POG. Previous owner had it replaced.

[Vulcan Bill]

I read repeatedly that with proper care these bikes are reliable for well over 100K miles but at 16 years old you might want to start replacing rubber parts such as fuel lines, vacuum lines and cooling system hoses.
Also take a look at the rubber radiator bushings. Anything rubber is going to deteriate with age.

[roadhawg]

I had about 105K miles on my 04 1500 and when I sold it, it was still running like a "Scalded Dog"!

[mapleleafalumnus]

VulcanBill --
Thanks, buddy! Honestly, I've been so busy lately that I had not even thought of replacing the rubber items. Your suggestion will definitely be used in the coming weeks!

[aussieal72]

Is it a big job to check to see if the plastic oil gear drive has been replaced

[cactusjack]

Originally Posted by aussieal72

Is it a big job to check to see if the plastic oil gear drive has been replaced

I believe you have to remove the clutch cover or the clutch assembly itself. Someone with a '99 should be along to answer.

[HurtSoMuch]

only need to remove clutch cover..then u see the bastard there

[id-man]

FWIW I've got 45k on my '04 Nomad 1500 and it's TOAST!
Not really toast but it is in need of a major repair that would cost far more than I could sanely justify if I had to hire it done. The transmission jumps out of 2nd gear upon hard acceleration and the fix is going to be about 20 hours of shop time plus hundred$ in parts. It's a stupid stupid issue that won't make the bike worth any more after it's fixed, and won't make it any more fun to ride, will just get an old used bike back to normal operation. I plan to buy the parts and do it myself (whereupon this forum will be flooded with posts of my misery and pleas for help) and if all goes well I'll be riding for only about $500 in cash. But I have to admit if I were less naive (smarter) I'd bail out and buy something newer. :)

[mapleleafalumnus]

id-man --
I wish you the best of good fortune on your endeavour, and will be among the world-wide audience munching on popcorn learning from your posts! Would I be correct in presuming that your tranny issue is probably not age-related?
I'm interested in avoiding multiple age-related issues all showing up at once. Vulcan Bill gave me good instruction in an earlier post -- the kind of preventative maintenance a DIY like me can handle.

[id-man]

Age related - probably not. I suspect it's more like abuse related or possibly a slightly underengineered system. I have neither babied nor abused the bike but I bought it with over 30k on it so who knows what may have happened before me. It wouldn't be a problem except the transmission is not a changeable part, it's built right into the bottom of the engine and the only way to get into it is to take the entire motor apart from the top down - all the way down! I'm a DIY guy too and the guys on this forum have saved my bacon many times. This one has me scared though....no lie.

[mapleleafalumnus]

id-man --

[Navigator]

My good friend Mike has 140k miles on his 1500 and over 47K on his 1600. He's the one that convinced me that it was a good idea to buy one.

[danimal2]

Originally Posted by aussieal72

Is it a big job to check to see if the plastic oil gear drive has been replaced

Originally Posted by HurtSoMuch

only need to remove clutch cover..then u see the bastard there

You have to pull some other things off before you can remove the clutch cover though.

1. right side floorboard, brake pedal and reservoir.

2. right side exhaust on the front cylinder including header pipe.

3. cutting some tiewraps to free up wire harness and a piece of frame section right side.

4. clutch side cover.

5. clutch if you want to get a nice clear view of the entire gear. Or you can just kind peak at one side of it without removing the clutch.

It's not a real big deal. You'll probably need to get another clutch side cover gasket even if you're just doing an inspection. My gasket came off in pieces, others were able to get it off and reuse theirs.

If you decide to tackle it, let me know. I can email you some really nice photos and written instructions on pdf of the step by step process you need to get at it. If you have a 99 with more than 20,000 miles on it and the POG, you'd better figure on doing something with it though. Either a JOG or weld on a SOG. Mine had 20,000 miles on it and was pretty much shot. My inspection turned into a JOG once I saw how bad the POG was getting.