Kawasaki Concours owner Almost,

[Rickb6959]

This is my last week with my 2000 Kawasaki Nomad I am trading it for a 2002 Concours.( I will miss my nomad) How many of you have gone from a cruiser to sport touring especially the concours? How did the change of riding style effect you.  I do like the 7.5gal gas tank and the idea of more comfort. The Nomad is a great bike but not a good 400 mile a day bike for me. The concours I am getting has handle bar risers, Givie trunk and some other accessories but it still has the stock seat. What are the pros and cons of the concours?  

Thanks,

[SummerLove]

Having ridden my housemate's for a couple of days.. it's buzzy from 5-7k rpms, at least her '90 is. It feels kinda sluggish until you get toward the middle of the powerband and then it takes off like a rocket. Hard luggage is awesome. Bar risers will make it very.. upright which I personally don't like. Makes body english harder.

[tjhess74]

cruisers arent my bag, so i cant attest to the switch, but i can comment on the concours.  i had a 97 before i traded it in for my 08.

the c10 has its pros and cons.  

pros:  the damned thing is a tank.  seriously, you cant kill it.  maintenance is pretty easy and valves are the adjustable nut kind.  once the engine settles, no need to really adjust them anymore.  hard bags are very big and plenty of room to add a tail trunk.  with some minor adjustments (bar risers, etc) it can be personalized easily and cost effectivelyl.  parts are cheap too and plentiful just about anywhere.  will cruise all damn day long. unlike the 08 and up, you can close your side bags without having to lock them (i miss that feature).

cons: the damned thing is a tank...and looks like one too.  the bike isnt very refined, but is very reliable.  the oil filter is a cartridge style and unless you cut out a small area on the bottom of the lower fairing, you have to remove it for the messy job.  as summerlove stated, they can be buzzy. some are, some arent.  if yours is, you can adjust the counterbalance shaft in about 5 minutes.  that helped mine.  softer grips make a big difference too.  the side bag keys seem like an afterthought, but they do work.  the stator connector plug can corrode and cause resistance which will melt the plug.  the fix is to cut the connector off and just hardwire the two ends back together.  last thing, the junction box (behind left side cover) has circuit boards in it.  the solder points tend to get minute cracks over time, thus breaking connection at inconvenient times.  if the bike appears to be 'dead', bang on the box and it will come to life.  the fix is to re heat the solder joints to reestablish the connection=problem solved.

must have farkles: spoofak (spin on oil filter adaptor kit).  converts the bike to a spin on oil filter...worth every penny.  crash bars.  tipovers are not cheap and usually result in broken bags and footpegs.

i would have no problem going back to that bike. it was a pleasure to own. concours.org for more info.

[kyzrex]

I think that you will notice right away that the weight it has, while about the same as the nomad, is carried much higher.  It is top-heavy, especially when compared to a cruiser.  You will also experience a different foot position, which might cause your knees to ache on long rides.  There are ways to help that however.  I have seen owners that have installed highway bars on theirs. I have installed "murph's" foot peg relocation kit on mine.  It lowers the pegs about an inch and moves them forward about the same. Either solution works well.  

[mjrfd99]

Love my 05 for 6 yrs now. Not one issue in 50k.  I run the hell out of it back and forth NJ to Fla. I have an XL and  FX cruisers but when I'm hauling stuff at speed [1203 mi in 19 hrs was my best] she's the best.

[SoCalFJR]

If you can afford it, save time and go to a C14 or FJR now........I horse whipped a C10 all over SoCal for about 50K.......and it will get you there..........but the C10 is horse and buggy compared to the newer rides...............

[Rickb6959]

Thanks,  It does have the spin on oil filter and "murph's" handle bar grip ends to help with the buzzing. I will need to add tip over bars.I will remember the electrical info.

cruisers arent my bag, so i cant attest to the switch, but i can comment on the concours.  i had a 97 before i traded it in for my 08.

the c10 has its pros and cons.  

pros:  the damned thing is a tank.  seriously, you cant kill it.  maintenance is pretty easy and valves are the adjustable nut kind.  once the engine settles, no need to really adjust them anymore.  hard bags are very big and plenty of room to add a tail trunk.  with some minor adjustments (bar risers, etc) it can be personalized easily and cost effectivelyl.  parts are cheap too and plentiful just about anywhere.  will cruise all damn day long. unlike the 08 and up, you can close your side bags without having to lock them (i miss that feature).

cons: the damned thing is a tank...and looks like one too.  the bike isnt very refined, but is very reliable.  the oil filter is a cartridge style and unless you cut out a small area on the bottom of the lower fairing, you have to remove it for the messy job.  as summerlove stated, they can be buzzy. some are, some arent.  if yours is, you can adjust the counterbalance shaft in about 5 minutes.  that helped mine.  softer grips make a big difference too.  the side bag keys seem like an afterthought, but they do work.  the stator connector plug can corrode and cause resistance which will melt the plug.  the fix is to cut the connector off and just hardwire the two ends back together.  last thing, the junction box (behind left side cover) has circuit boards in it.  the solder points tend to get minute cracks over time, thus breaking connection at inconvenient times.  if the bike appears to be 'dead', bang on the box and it will come to life.  the fix is to re heat the solder joints to reestablish the connection=problem solved.

must have farkles: spoofak (spin on oil filter adaptor kit).  converts the bike to a spin on oil filter...worth every penny.  crash bars.  tipovers are not cheap and usually result in broken bags and footpegs.

i would have no problem going back to that bike. it was a pleasure to own. concours.org for more info.

[Rickb6959]

I am trying to stay out of debt. MY Nomad is payed for. I do like the C14 maybe next year.

Thanks,

If you can afford it, save time and go to a C14 or FJR now........I horse whipped a C10 all over SoCal for about 50K.......and it will get you there..........but the C10 is horse and buggy compared to the newer rides...............

[d-rate]

Went from a Honda Magna to the concours. Went from the concours to a Honda VTX 1800. Wish I still had the concours!  I could burn through the miles on the connie. I didnt have to worry if I had enough fuel or not, comfortable over long distances, lots of storage. My only issue was that it was HOT. That was the only reason that I switched to the VTX...oh well,live and learn.

[max1138]

Went from a Honda Magna to the concours. Went from the concours to a Honda VTX 1800. Wish I still had the concours!  I could burn through the miles on the connie. I didnt have to worry if I had enough fuel or not, comfortable over long distances, lots of storage. My only issue was that it was HOT. That was the only reason that I switched to the VTX...oh well,live and learn.

havent quite fixed that yet altho one fellow on the fanatics site sells fill in panels that go below the tank to keep the most of the heat off the upper legs/midsection its still an ankle roaster. you will not ride one in the summer in sneakers without paying the price of hotfoot, good boots and something wind proof on the lower legs  are the way to go or else.

[YoDoc]

Went from 2007 Sportster Custom to 2003 Concours C10, which sounds crazy, but my wife and were having second kid, so the Harley payment had to go! Lol. Anyway, I like it, I've done some farkling, and the Murph's Kneesavers are the next thing to go on. It's not the absolute best bike I've ever ridden, but it is definitely the best sub $3k bike I've ever ridden.

[Gary B.]

Got an '06 that had 2k when we bought it, 37k on it now, mostly 2-up (the real reason we bought it). Blew the wad and installed the 7th gear kit and drilled ex cam sprocket. Worth every penny. Crash bars, highway pegs, adapter for tubular bars with ATV handlebars, Goldwing-sized tires. Great bike for us for the money invested...

[ConPilot1]

Watch that sucker with a full tank. She's a top heavy bitch and will let you know real quickly if you make the wrong move.

That said, it's nimble when rolling and overall a great bike, as long as you don't mind the fact that she's a pig. The weight is a plus on the highway, the Connie is a real mile-eater.

The bike is very tire sensitive. Let us know what kind of tires are onnit and how they feel. I'm having great success with my new Metzler ME880's, so far a really nice tar for the C10.


See this thread, lots of owner input here. Probably tons of info on STN if you dig around a bit.

http://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php/topic,66836.msg1538278.html#msg1538278