Well, I went to the darkside....

[threeflys]

I've been agonizing over what bike to buy (GS,RT,RS,...) and finally decided on a new '06 Kawasaki Concours. I know, I know it's sacrilege..... :nyah
I was looking at what looked like a great deal on an '03 RT but just could justify the extra $4k. I realize the RT is more advanced thanthe tried and true Connie, I would have liked to had ABS but I didn't think it was worth an extra $4k. There really isn't anything else on the Beemers that I HAVE to have. I'm still keeping my KRS for while though....
Chris

[gsjay]

Well you might as well go all the way.

www.concours.org

Great group, great activities.

jason
COG #62

[knary]

I've been agonizing over what bike to buy (GS,RT,RS,...) and finally decided on a new '06 Kawasaki Concours. I know, I know it's sacrilege..... :nyah
I was looking at what looked like a great deal on an '03 RT but just could justify the extra $4k. I realize the RT is more advanced thanthe tried and true Connie, I would have liked to had ABS but I didn't think it was worth an extra $4k. There really isn't anything else on the Beemers that I HAVE to have. I'm still keeping my KRS for while though....
Chris

Now you really shouldn't ride my GS. :lol

[Bob_M]

I guess we have to change the secret handshake. :brow

No, really, if you look at a Connie next to a R100RT the similarity of layout, the luggage, the fairing, the seating position are copies of the BMW design. Just like BMW the design is old and out dated. They are sort of like a BMW without the snob appeal.

Have a nice life (oh wait, you still have the K bike) :brad

[rinty]

Threeflys:

The Concours and ZZR are both a lot of bike for the money, and there are no mechanical issues at all. The Connie's been around for so long that the R & D has long since been amortized out. My brother has one and the only quibble I have with it is a slight lack of leg room for my 35 inch inseams. It's got good grunt down low and a nice whack of horsepower higher up if you want it. And a 28.5 litre fuel tank!

Enjoy.

Rinty

[Braddog]

Congrats on the new bike, I've got several friends that have Connies, and they all love them.

You realize, of course, what the Connie is a copy of, don't you?
:brow

[threeflys]

thanks all!

gsjay- I've got my application filled wout with my check, just waiting to mail it!

knary- Well, fine then! :) thanks for the offer though.

Bob- I see how it is....just when I thougth I liked you! :D

rinty- I don't think my 30" inseam will have a problem, now my short arms on the other hand. BarBacks, here I come!

Braddog- It looks a LOT like my K bike, as Bob said I'm pretty sure it was copied off the mid 80s Beemers. I just get a 3 yr warrenty!

One day I will have the means to have garage full, but until maybe I can get Kbasa to adopt me! :bikes

Chris

[PacWestGS]

Chris, it's got two wheels right?

Once a member always a member. :buds

When are you going to make it up this way? Summer is here and I have atleast two-days off per week, just not weekends always.

Give me a call sometime, I'll show you a great side of the Northwest before you leave.

Russ

[Motorman]

How come they can make a copy of a K bike that looks decent rides fine and is half or less of what BMW sells an equivalent bike for? :dunno

[soffiler]

How come they can make a copy of a K bike that looks decent rides fine and is half or less of what BMW sells an equivalent bike for? :dunno

Fine German engineering vs. Japanese engineering... need I say more?

But I will say one more thing, actually: No K-bike I've ever ridden has pulled as hard as a Ninja (which the Connie is, under the skin).

[threeflys]

[QUOTE=soffiler]Fine German engineering vs. Japanese engineering... need I say more?QUOTE]

I'm not sure if this was tounge-in-check or not, but there could be some good arguments on which is better engineering......

I like both just fine, myself I just couldn't pass up the incredible value of the Connie! I'm sure I'll have another Beemer in the future, maybe an F800GS when they come out!
Chris

[DougGrosjean]

I've got 91k miles on my 2000 Concours. Been down with a blown head gasket for about 1.5 years, been busy.... putting head back on this w/e, and will likely have it running by the end of May. Hoping to get it up to 100k, then decide what to do with it.

This is the first engine problem I've had with it. Burns no oil. On removing the head, crosshatch / hone marks are still visible in the cyl. bores. Head is straight. Camchain guides show very minimal wear, but I replaced them just because I was in there anyway.

Clutch is original. Suspension, same thing. Have replaced things as they wore out.

I'm not in love with the bike, it has little personality, but for the most part it works well.

I figure I'll be riding it a bunch this autumn. Not so much this summer, as I also have an Airhead GS and a high-mile Suzuki DR-350. But the Concours has its place.

YMMV. Many people absolutely love the bike, so who am I to diss it?

Have fun with it.

Best,
Doug Grosjean

[screwtop]

I've been agonizing over what bike to buy (GS,RT,RS,...) and finally decided on a new '06 Kawasaki Concours. I know, I know it's sacrilege..... :nyah
I was looking at what looked like a great deal on an '03 RT but just could justify the extra $4k. I realize the RT is more advanced thanthe tried and true Connie, I would have liked to had ABS but I didn't think it was worth an extra $4k. There really isn't anything else on the Beemers that I HAVE to have. I'm still keeping my KRS for while though....
Chris

Threeflys,

You did'nt go to the darkside buying a Connie, because you got a tried and true bike and one that will perform well. All the other reasons you listed were legit. That being said, I just really went to the darkside and bought an '06 Softail Duece (everybody relax - I still have the GS). I really love having the HD and it's alot of fun, mostly because it's so different. It's no match for the GS for trips and twisties, though.

[PUDGYPAINTGUY]

Connies really are outstanding machines and built from great stock too. A little short in the legroom versus an RT for really tall fols, although the price difference really does make getting off a little more often seem worthwhile.

[bubbagazoo]

I was looking at what looked like a great deal on an '03 RT but just could justify the extra $4k. I realize the RT is more advanced thanthe tried and true Connie, I would have liked to had ABS but I didn't think it was worth an extra $4k. There really isn't anything else on the Beemers that I HAVE to have.


I actually went the other way. I was seriously looking at getting an '06 Connie when I came across the 2K R1100RT that I ended up buying. In my case, had I not spent the extra $2K, I would have been settling for a good bike rather than getting the one I really wanted. It is my first bike in 20 years (kids and all, ya know) and my wife :heart wasn't going to let me merely settle for a bike that was more budget friendly when the one I wanted was only a smidge more.

[dpryan]

Congrats threeflys (and welcome to the dark side! :beer ).

I joined BMWMOA when I returned to riding a couple of years ago because I had every intention of finding and buying a used K-bike. Then I stumbled on an article about the Concours and that pretty much changed my plans. (I've kept up MOA membership for the great magazine and because there's still a BMW in my future).

I've been extremely happy with my '00 and like it more the longer I own it.
I won't say any more, since everyone here has already said it all! It's nice to hear all the good press the Connie has received and there seems to be a lot of mutual respect and goodwill between the brands. I like that. :thumb

And yeah, once in awhile some unwitting bystander says, "nice bike...is that a BMW?". Must be those big, black bags :dunno

[threeflys]

Thanks all! I'll probly keep my MOA membership up as I also like the ON and I think there will another Beemer in my future after I sell the K Bike.
Chris

[threeflys]

Well, I picked her up today and took the long way home (150 miles)!
Here is a pic at the dealer:
http://threeflys.smugmug.com/photos/66616812-M.jpg

[barryg]

I just found a slip of paper where I was pricing out a new Connie in 86 or 87. There is no date on paper. Southhaven Kawasaki (Ms.) had a 86 demo for $4619, it had 60 miles on odometer. Leo's Kawasaki in Memphis Quoted me a price of $5000 for a new 86 nondemo with no miles. I didn't make either deal, really didn't have the cash at the time. Seemed like a lot of money back then. You made a great choice in bikes, enjoy it.

[rinty]

Threeflys:

Just a tip on your Connie's tires: if it came with Dunlop Sport somethings, which apparently is the preferred tire for the bike, don't over inflate them because the bike will slide. For the rear I think 41 or 42 psi is recommended; I'm not sure what the fronts require. My brother had his rear tire at 45 and it was very interesting in the corners. They need to be at the right pressure to get up to operating temperature.

Rinty

[threeflys]

Threeflys:

Just a tip on your Connie's tires: if it came with Dunlop Sport somethings, which apparently is the preferred tire for the bike, don't over inflate them because the bike will slide. For the rear I think 41 or 42 psi is recommended; I'm not sure what the fronts require. My brother had his rear tire at 45 and it was very interesting in the corners. They need to be at the right pressure to get up to operating temperature.

Rinty

Thanks- As the Dunlops wear out I'm thinking about putting Michelin Pilot GTs on her, the COG group swears by them even if you have to go up to a "non-standard" size.

Chris

[riderR1150GSAdv]

Sweet looking bike! :thumb As long as it has two wheels and you're happy with your ride than what else is there to say?
The Concours is a proven machine and has many loyal followers just like all other bikes. Enjoy your new ride!! :thumb

[jgr451]

Looks like a really nice bike.Enjoy!!

[NurseRick]

All bikes have their good points. I've owned as many as six bikes at once and each of them had a distinctive personality and something or other that they did well enough to make me want one of them.

I'm down to three BMWs now but still find myself lusting after a Ducati ST4 ABS or wanting to take chance on an Ural sidecar rig just for fun. That's why I ride with an "all bike" club. When someone shows up on a new bike, whether it's a Wing, a Triumph Rocket III, or a shiny new Harley, we give the bike the once over, congratualte the lucky owner, then kick the tires and light the fires for a long ride. That's why we buy them.

I don't get the time to post much but I'm up late tonight with a cold. BarryG - I think I met you at Beemerville? I graduated from ASU in '85.

[rgvilla]

I think you got a great buy, I've been a Kawasaki fan for years. Rode a ZX-11 to Durango for the rally in 94 or 95. Had an 00 Connie for a couple of years till I got run off the road by a college kid coming around a turn on a farm road near my home. totalled the bike and thats how I wound up with my R1100R. I like it very much but I'm salivating over the just announced ZX-14 sport tourer with shaft drive and hard bags. I would love to have an 06 R1200GS but I bet the Kawasaki is about 5K cheaper. Safe riding and have fun.