Yes the OEM saddlebags lock. 2 latches on each bag. They lock to the mounting brackets as well.
The Connie buzz is hit or miss. My '05 is very smooth and I've never had hand numbing/buzz issues through a 10 hour day.
The suspension is a bit soft, the frame is a little flexy, but it's a GREAT all-around bike all purpose machine. The thing starts up in a split second,
there's no "cranking" to start. I just pop the starter and it fires right up.
You need to get used to the weight, and the fairly high center of gravity. It's not a bike for the inseam challenged.
She is top heavy, and a bit unwieldy at crawl speeds. Once it's rolling, the bike is nimble and handles very well,
and she's very graceful and smooth handling at normal (speed limit) speeds.
You're not going to keep up with experienced riders on Speed Triples or similar. The bike is more "tour" with a good splash of "sport"
but I've seen guys thrash the living shit out of a Connie in the twisties.
The OEM windsreen sucks ass and has a lot to do with turbulence and buffeting. I put a Cee Baileys' 22.5" vented shield
on the bike and that smoothed things out a lot. The top box has a lot to do with turbulence also. Remove the top box
and the bike smooths out nicely. Turn the airscoops near your feet backwards in the winter, and turn them facing forward in the summer.
Watch the fairing screws for maintenance. They're all different sizes and it's helpful to make yourself a little cardboard template illustrating the
screw positions for the fairings, poke holes in the cardboard and stick the screws in.
Murphs fairing screw kit is a must. The OEM fairing screws are made of butter and you'll strip them out pronto. The belly pan is a bitch to reinstall,
some guys have made cut-outs with a dremel to access the oil filter and drain bolts. There's two drain bolts. Don't mistake the oil cooler line banjo bolts
for a main oil sump drain bolt. Get a Clymer manual.
Speaking of Murph, he is pretty much one-stop shopping for everything Concours and a hell of a good guy and very helpful.
You'll need bar risers right off the bat unless you're used to "sportbike" ergos. If you're an average build guy, 5-8 to six foot, the ergos should be perfect
without having to lower pegs or anything. The stocker seat is quite comfy and I've never found the need to look into another seat.
Baker Airwings help BIG TIME with heat, cold, and rain management, and for weather protectection I think it's one of the best bikes out there.
I don't have one, but plan on getting a fork brace. The forks, like the rest of the frame are a bit flexy and supposedly the fork brace really improves
handling. Maintenance is easy. The bike is rock-solid reliable and for a daily runner, commuter, or casual recreation bike it's hard to beat.
It will carry a pillion all day, in comfort, and you can load a ton of stuff on the bike. On the slab, the bike smoothes out and actually handles better
with a load. It's a pack mule if you're loading up for a long haul or camping.
One of the big fatal issues that plague the bike is a bent con rod from hydrolock, but there has to be two circumstances in place at the same time for that to happen,
a failed vacuum petcock, and a stuck needle in the carbs. Gas floods a cylinder and BAM! on startup the engine is f*cked. My Connie is a daily year-round runner, weather permitting, and
I believe that the bikes this happens with bikes that have been sitting with no carb maintenance and the diaphragm in the petcock dries up and breaks in conjuction with a stuck needle.
Keep her running, and I don't think it will happen. There are workarounds to this also like overflow drain tubes installed in the carb bowls.
There's huge aftermarket support for the bike, and COG Forums are the best source for info on the bike. Guys over there can answer ANY question and troubleshoot most any problem
and are quick and happy to offer advice and tech info. The bike can be farkled up to the moon, and the alternator can handle most anything you can add to it.
The suspension can be improved with a different rear shock, and front fork mods like different springs, different weight fork oils, and Racetech valve emulators.
Braking can be improved with steel lines and you can put 4 or 6 pot brakes on the front and different rotors.
Basically for modding the bike for improvements, your wallet is the limit. There's a LOT of performance mods that can be done.
Unless you're really pushing the bike and yourself, a lot of these are not needed and the bike is pretty much good to go stock, with the windscreen swap.
Tuned up, the damn thing will fly. The power really doesn't even kick in until 5,000 RPMS and after that, it's a monster. It will run at 7,000 RPMS all day long in the
mountain twisties with great throttle response.
Stock, most C10's have a flat stumble spot around 2200 RPMS but again, that can be eliminated with some simple mods.
The bike will grand-dad right right along in second gear at 1700 RPMS, I like to run 35 MPH commute road speeds around 3K or so.
Crack the throttle at 3500 RPM's and she'll accelerate like hell. The power delivery is very smooth and predictable.
If you're a speed devil and a total twisty bomber, it's not the bike for you. I've never ridden the C14 but I know that bike is a whole different animal.
The C10 is a bit scary at 100 MPH, but again, it's not the bike if you like to run into triple digit speeds which I don't for the most parts.
It's exceeding comfortable and a joy on the slab, and a real mile-eater.
Finding good rubber for the bike is getting to be a bit of a pain, and the bike is tire sensitive. Wrong tires, you'll curse the bike. Right ones, you'll love it. What feels right or wrong is all in the eye of the rider.
The Michelin Pilot GT in Gold Wing size was the best tire combo EVER for the bike, but f*ck Michelin all to hell sideways for
discontinuing that tire. Just follow tire recommendations over at COG. Again, a wealth of info over there.
I say go for it. It's a fantastic budget tourer and mile eater, and there's enough performance in there to keep a fairly conservative rider like me happy.
There's a reason the bike was made for 20 years. If Kaw updated the same bike with FI, a better suspension and braking with the same body style and with the same motor or a 1200, I'd buy another one
in a freaking heartbeat and not look back.
Nice looking '06 there. Just lose that crappy JC Whitney topbox, or make sure it's BOLTED to the mounting plate as they are notorious for flying off the bike. DAMHIK.
Goodluck, and let us know how you make out.
Pricewise, I think 4500 is TAD too high for the milage. I'd KBB it out and split the difference between wholesale and retail and offer that. Otherwise it looks real clean and sounds like it's been taken care of.
That windshield might be a bit too tall especially if you're average height. That looks to be about a 24-26 inch screen and you'll be "looking through" all the time unless you're six foot two.
That's a disadvantage in the rain/bad weather. IMHO you want that screen to come up to your nose when seated normally so you can look over when riding, and duck your head down just a bit when it's raining.
