+1 on the Concours. I'm biased as hell, of course, being a Concours owner, but I am one because the bike really does work. Much of the time, it's my daily ride for local go-ferring as well as longer hauls. I can do a grocery run with the stock saddle bags and a big Givi trunk and almost never need to use the cargo net for the overflow. The order includes serious quantities of cat food, the usual milk, juice, veggies, etc. and often a couple of 12-packs of Coke. Heck, I've even hauled cedar planking (cut down to 2-3' lengths, to match the job). I don't carry a lot of photo gear (just a SLR digital camera and some battery charger stuff) but that and my laptop have never suffered from spending a few hours in the Givi trunk.
The engine (basically a Ninja with less top end and more mid-range torque) is strong enough to haul stuff and still haul down the road at speeds that will get LEO's attention in many states. Other bikes may be better in the twisties but the Concours won't embarrass its owner, either. +1 on the bike not being good on dirt and gravel. It can be done but I've had more fun in my life.
The one big knock against the Concours is it's top heavy. In the Concours community, "there are those who have 'tipped Connie', and those who will". The prime area of risk is parking lot maneuvering. The range the handle bars and front tire swings through is a bit limited and the bike
must, must, must be upright or very close to it or...
BTDT(x 3
).
But There Is No Such Thing As A Free Lunch and the top-heavy issue is Connie's charge for lunch. Accept it, get used to it, and you've got a bike that will take you down a lot of roads and leave you wanting to do it again real soon.
BTW, in case nobody else mentions it - see the
Concours Owners Group site for more on these bikes. Or feel free to PM me for more info.
Added:
Re: price. "Under $5K" is relatively easy. "Under $4K" is certainly possible. There are basically two Concours versions: '86-'93, and '94-'06. There are a host of incremental changes (see the COG site's history of the bike for the details) but the three changes that stand out for me are the later version has better brakes (four pots / rotor vs. two pots), a saddle that favors the rider (pillion space is slightly smaller but higher), and a speedo with dual trip odos which make tracking travel and gas use
much easier. However, many of the parts for an '86 will fit a '06 and vice versa. For this reason, buying, for example, a '95 with 15-25K on it doesn't mean you're buying a near-orphan. You could get into an earlier Connie with 40-50K and still do well, although thinks like adding Galfer stainless steel brake lines to improve braking might be worth thinking about.
"The Buzz". Frankly, much of this story is, IMHO, BS. Yes, there are some buzzy Concourses around. But many of them do just fine, thank you, once the engine mounting bolts are tightened properly, the adjustable balancer and cam chain tensioner are set up, and the carbs are synced up. The rest of it, to be blunt, is whining.
Steppers and Risers. I don't get it. When I bought my '99, it came with both. The steppers made the shifter and rear brake access difficult. The pedals and their travel were just flat wrong, no matter how much I tweaked their positions. I yanked the risers, put the shifter and brake back where it should be and "life is good". Understand that every morning, after I get out of bed, I pop a pair of Excedrins to quiet down my knees and have been since before I had the Concours. Steppers (AKA "knee savers") did zilch to help that.
Risers are another thing I don't get. Heck, if you want to fork a bike like it's a Gold Wing, buy one, don't screw up a perfectly good bike with those aluminum blocks that stretch the bejeebers out of the brake and clutch lines. In fact, I mounted a set of '86 Concours bars on Barney (a '99) to drop the bars another 1" (one of those incremental changes in the line - the '86 Concours windshield and bars are 1" lower or shorter than the '87-'06 parts). The bike seems a little more responsive with the bars closer (lower) to the triple trees. That may be wishful thinking but that's how it feels. But risers...? Shoot, might as well attach the bars with bungee cords for all the improvement in steering that gives.
As I said above, TINSTAAFL, and the lower bars
do have a price: more pressure against my hands as I support my upper body on the bars. On long rides, I use a throttle lock and changing my grip for relief. So far, so good. I haven't done any Iron Butt-scale rides yet, so I may still go back to the stock bars, but not yet.
And the point of all of that stuff about steppers and risers is? When buying a used Connie, there's a pretty good chance the PO('s) will add them and some other farkles that, IMHO, actually hurt the bike more than help it. They can come off and you can sell them. But it helps to know this stuff going into the deal. Shop accordingly.
