Death Valley Tour: Take Two
Finally the turbo Nomad's motor was put back together, and we thought the water-injection unit would provide just the right amount of safety. Kizer told us he also had decided to dial the boost down a notch to approximately 5.5 pounds, and we were curious to see if the adjustment would dampen the fun factor. However, when the bike was delivered in the shadow of our printing deadline, the water-injection system was disconnected by Kawasaki factory mechanics. It seems there wasn't enough time to properly dial-in the water pressure. "If there's too much water going through," we were told, "the bike can't get out of it's own way..."
So, a bit reluctantly, we fired up the black turbo bike and headed east once more. From the get-go the heavy-breathing Nomad wasn't running as well as it did the first time. The mixture was too rich, and at low rpm, and especially just off idle, the motor would choke and gasp. However, once the thing was up and spinning at a higher rpm we found the power to be just as exhilarating and wouldn't have known the boost was lower, had we not been told. When you're at speed, and the bike's pulling like a bull, it's easy to justify the inconveniences wrought by introducing performance modifications to your stock motor. Stock setups can be likened to Big Macs. The recipe may be boring, but you know what you're going to get, and you can count on its consistency like an old friend. If you've the taste for something different—more meat, some relish or spicy mustard—you're going to have to experiment. We think a large percentage of touring riders are Big Mac fans. They don't want to sample inconsistencies a thousand miles from the nearest McDonald's...or in the middle of Death Valley, for that matter.
On with the Snow
Death Valley is famous for its furnace-like heat, and 120-degree days are common in mid to late summer. Even in spring and fall—the most popular times to visit—triple digit temperatures are to be expected in the valleys. The winter months, however, usually offer 60- to 80-degree highs. Perfect for riding, right? Yeah, but our timing was evidently off on both forays to the Park. We didn't even see 50 on this last trip, and most of the nippy 800-mile ride was spent romancing the upper 30s. Ah, but wearing the right gear (which means everything we'd packed) bridged the gap between discontentment and mild discomfort.
All the mountains in the park were covered with snow. And while it's not uncommon for the Panamint Range to wear a light layer on its highest peaks, having snow on all the surrounding hills was an unusual treat. The tones of Death Valley and the surrounding high desert are so muted that the roadbeds blend with their sandy edges and the yellow painted lines seem vulgar in their artificial brightness. There is so much to discover here, and some of the richest treasures involve riding unpaved side roads. We jumped off U.S. Highway 178 on the well-graded M-7 for a quick perusal of the ghost town, Ballarat, where some of the crumbling adobe structures still house artifacts from its 1890's heyday.
Smoking Gun
We were feeling pretty confident with the turbo bike after diving over Towne Pass once again, and running through a couple tanks of the suspect fuel. But late in the day, as we turned to retrace our path back to the city, the turbo again showed its discontentment...a smoke signal from the exhaust on deceleration said, "I'm dying here...please be nice, or you'll be riding in the tow truck again." And so, like the emigrants of 1849 who named the area on their way over the mountains after a fateful journey, we said "Goodbye Great Valley of Death... It'll be a long time before you get another victim out of us." (Well, we added the last part.)
So we limped the Mr. Turbo Nomad back to Los Angeles, our Steady Eddie stock FI rode sweep. It wasn't easy telling the bike's handlers their freshly patched up engine was probably fried again.
Nor was it easy coming up with a reason why. We are pretty certain that Kizer's water-injection system would have circumvented both scenarios. The effect of inner cooling provides a good safety net that will cover most detrimental situations—from detonation to user mistreatment. The addition of an advanced ignition system, like the Dynatek 2000 with a retard curve, would also help compensate for the added compression and pressure.
The word we received from Kawasaki once the turbo project Nomad was assessed a second time, was "piston ring damage." Could be the gas, but we were adding octane booster non-stop. Rider error? We don't think so either. The only folks who rode it come from sportbike and/or dirt bike backgrounds where using high revs is second nature. It may be true that the cast pistons in the 1500 V-twin don't like the increased compression a turbo exerts on them. But water-injection and/or ignition upgrade would probably keep even the most sensitive metals subdued. Of course you're adding another system that needs fine-tuning, not to mention constant checking and filling of the water reservoir. Upgrading to forged pistons seems like an extreme alternative, but actually is the best insurance, and not as costly as you might guess ($500 to $1000). Besides, with high-performance pistons you could run an awful lot of boost...
The second mishap might have been avoided if the engine had been allowed a proper break-in after the rebuild. The answer to the questions of why this bike pooped at the party is unobtainable. The questions it generates, however, are very important to potential turbo owners. Do you want to customize your bike and add a turbo for Boulevard thrills? Or do you want the kind of rock-steady reliability shown by our stock 2001 Nomad FI? Do you want to chase the horizon, or stick relatively close to your home (and shop)? Pamper your machine, or get it dirty in the desert? We think you know who you are.
The stock FI and carbureted Nomads will sort out their own loyalists—men and women inclined to wander, who don't want to contemplate reliability while riding off into the sunset. Both versions of the stately tourer are well-proven, gratifying mounts that perform well for all types of riding. On the other hand, because the fun factor is so huge, we know this Mr. Turbo kit will also find eager owners.
If you do go the route of gusto and equip your Vulcan with a Mr. Turbo party pack, one bit of advice: Don't ever ride it to Death Valley...