About Trip and KawaNOW

Over the last 13 years, Robert "Trip" Hilliard has logged over 90,000 miles on a motorcycle. Sure, there are those that have ridden much farther in that span of time, but that mileage and experience has given him the opportunity to try out many brands of road bikes. What did Trip end up buying and riding? Well, after doing the research, Trip decided on the Kawasaki Nomad and 5 years later, over 1,300 KawaNOW members are sure glad he did.

It was in 2005 that Trip bought his black and silver 1600 nicknamed "RubyEarl" and being a webmaster by trade, he found the internet was lacking in providing a repository for information and comradery for the Nomad. Trip continued to receive emails from Nomad owners all over the world wanting answers to their Nomad questions. So, in June of 2007, KawaNOW was born.

Armed with nothing but a website and a forum, KawaNOW has grown from just a few members to over 1,300 members today. The goal or mission of KawaNOW is to provide a place for all Nomad owners to get answers to their questions, house all types of Nomad information and provide a place of "Nomadradery".

Trip encourages any KawaNOW member to contribute any information they may deem important about their experiences with the Nomad. Some 1,600 registered members of the KawaNOW forum ask Nomad questions and get answers from the membership. Regional groups have also been formed in the United States and Canada to link up Nomad owners and provide rallies and rides in local areas.

Trip loves to tell the story of how he purchased a Kawasaki Nomad. All his life, he has ridden someone else's motorcycles, until he bought a 1983 Honda VF750 in 1997. After honing his riding skills on "Maverick", he moved up to a 1998 Honda Magna 750 nicknamed "Paladin" some four years later. He then ventured out and started taking trips. After four years of running Paladin up and down the Colorado Rockies, he decided it was time to evolve to a bigger, more "roadworthy" bike. He felt he needed a bike that was not only heavier, but more powerful to handle the road.

So the search was on. Trip began researching bigger bikes and developed a wish list of things he wanted as standard items. Items on the wish list included a 1500cc or higher, liquid-cooled engine, hard bags and a windshield. Trip researched twins versus V-4 engines. He also took into consideration what accessories were available as well as longevity, durability and maintenance.

After months of looking at countless data on the internet and talking to various owners and getting their pros and cons on bikes, Trip narrowed the field down to two candidates...the Honda GoldWing and the Kawasaki Nomad. The Nomad became the winner for several reasons...one, every Nomad owner he talked to stated that the bike handled well, operated well and was a champion on the road. Many of the Nomad owners had over 60,000 miles on their steeds so Trip felt they were well qualified to talk about the Nomad. He found that the Nomad had an excellent reputation for longevity and reliability.

So, on June 7, 2005, Trip bought his Nomad. The nickname "Ruby Earl" came from combining his beloved grandmother and grandfather's first names. Not only does he love the accessories that came with his Nomad, but he loves to ride and handling also. To date, Trip has put over 47,000 miles on Ruby Earl with more miles to come.

Trip journals every road trip he takes on his personal website at http://roberthilliard.net. He does this so that others can possibly experience the freedom in riding and seeing the USA on a motorcycle. When asked what the future holds for KawaNOW, Trip feels the sky's the limit. "The website and the forum are dedicated to the Nomad owner, past, present and future", he says. "And it's dedicated to the Nomad owner...worldwide!"

Robert "Trip" Hilliard
Lindale, Texas
Email: robert@hilliard.ws
Personal Website with Trip Reports and Videos: http://www.hilliard.ws/kawasaki.htm