Background: This was my first touring bike and my first Kawasaki. I put approximately 5,000 miles on the bike in 3 months before trading up to the ZX-14.

Performance: The Kawasaki 1552cc V-twin offers good grunt for this bike (about 80 ft-lbs torque at 2700 RPMs at the wheel; about 60 RWHP), but at 772 lbs dry, about 30 more HP would be welcomed. I didn't have any problems passing, but 2-up occasionally required a downshift. The 50 degree V-twin also sounds better to my ears than the 52 degree engine from the Honda VTX, but this is rather subjective. A set of pipes will do wonders for any engine.

Reliability: Didn't really own the bike long enough. Based upon readings and what I observed with the bike, I don't foresee any major issues in this dept.

Comfort: Not the most comfortable bike I've ever ridden for long-distance touring (that would be the ZX-14), but definitely comfortable relative to other cruisers, and I would put it in the top two or three touring cruisers. I could go about 250 miles before my tailbone was exhausted, but compared to the 400-500 per day I rode aboard my other Kawasaki, this isn't all that great. Those who only ride cruisers will find the bike extremely comfortable, but if you're coming off a more balanced bike like a standard or a dedicated cruising bike like the Goldwing, this bike won't seem all that comfortable after a few hundred miles.

Quality and Craftsmanship: I would put the quality on par with the other big 3 from Japan (Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha). The chrome and accents on Kawasaki cruisers seem to be of a little higher grade than that of Honda, for what that's worth.

Overall: I was impressed with the bike, and if I were 20 years older and in no need of a bike to warp time and space, the Nomad would have suited me just fine. As it stands, I would call it a comfortable touring bike, offering decent performance (by touring cruiser standards), decent fuel economy, understated, if a bit bland, styling for a fair price. The only other bike I considered was a Road King Classic, but the price differential between the Kawi and the HD is substantial, and the Kawi is functionally superior.