I think it's time

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Itzamna · #11 Unread post by **Itzamna** » Tue May 03, 2005 6:07 am

[quote="Skier"]I saw a VStrom 1000 in a parking garage on campus not too long ago. It's a big boy, no doubt about that. It'd probably accommadate my frame. In general, I like the look of standards and sportsbkes more than cruisers. I'll try to find some local VStroms and see how they fit.quote]

You may want to look at the 650's. I've heard from people in town and on this forum, that the weight of the 1000 makes it not such a well rounded bike as the 650. I know when it comes to a lot of dual sports, the lower cc versions seem to handle all conditions better. Might want to check it out.

#12 Unread post by **Skier** » Tue May 03, 2005 6:23 am

Yeah, I've been perusing the usual places to try to get a price range for those 650s, but they seem to be quite the rare beast.

#13 Unread post by **Skier** » Tue May 03, 2005 6:07 pm

Concours are looking nicer and nicer to me. They are very inexpensive and from what I've read, fairly bulletproof.

An example:

1991 Concours, 30,500 miles. Candy Persimmon Red with silver pinstripes. Farkle list: Avons with at least half tread left, Superbrace, Stoltz bar conversion, Targa screen, Murph's grips and screw kit, Cobra F-1s, passenger floorboards, LED marker lights, Sigma bike speedo, Progressive springs, new airfilter, GenMar peg lowering kit, tank bag, Givi adapter for trunk, extra LED lights out back (wired to stop lights), antler covers, throttle rocker, Ventura headlight guard, shimmed carb needles. Extra Connie parts: rear wheel with Pirelli tire, set of forks, extra front (2) and rear brake calipers, set of ignition coils, set of carbs, extra fuel tank with POR 15 treatment done, new extra petcock, bag of muffler glass for Cobra repack. Minor dings, repaired antler and bags. AZ. $2000.

Well within my price range and has a ton of extra goodies. When I last looked at them, I could find plenty in neighboring states, as well. I'm jsut wondering if it's the wrong kind of bike. I want more for a standard, not a sports-touring bike. But, if it can handle the twisties fine, it's ok by me.

Toyuzu · #14 Unread post by **Toyuzu** » Tue May 03, 2005 6:10 pm

Concours are excellent bikes. Very reliable. Another plus: they have low-compression engines, so you can run regular gas in them.

#15 Unread post by **Skier** » Tue May 03, 2005 6:28 pm

Sweet. Nothing like cheap(er) gas.

Still worried about the handling abilities of a larger bike such as the Concours, but trying to find a used VStrom 650 is like finding a needle in a haystack.

Toyuzu · #16 Unread post by **Toyuzu** » Tue May 03, 2005 6:33 pm

I haven't ridden one myself, but I hear they handle pretty well. It will obviously be much heavier than your current ride, which would take some getting used to. They are designed for sport-touring. Kind of a do-it-all bike, and one aimed at those on a budget. Kawasaki scored a "ten" as far as I'm concerned with the Connie. I wouldn't mind having one myself, and it's at the top of my list when I'm ready to up-grade from my FJ 600.

#17 Unread post by **Skier** » Tue May 03, 2005 6:47 pm

Looks like I'm gonna have to find one to sit on and see how she fits! Sport-touring is my eventual motorcycling goal, once I'm out of college and have a job... and that's only a scant year away.

TechTMW · #18 Unread post by **TechTMW** » Tue May 03, 2005 6:53 pm

Dunno what you have to spend, but found these up in your area

2003 BMW r1150rs $8,995.00 Clarkston

1999 BMW r1100gs $7,250.00 Walla Walla

1993 BMW R100 $6,400.00 Otis Orchards, WA

1984 HONDA GOLDWING $4,700.00 Sunnyside, WA

1993 SUZUKI, GSX600 Katana $2,500.00 Clarkston, WA

1984 Goldwing GL1200 $2,695.00 Clarkston

#19 Unread post by **Skier** » Tue May 03, 2005 6:59 pm

I think my budget is going to be in the neighborhood of $3,000 or so, US. That's out the door, able to ride the bike to/from classes.

liablemtl · Tue May 03, 2005 8:01 pm

The Kawasaki Connie (concours) is a great all around bike! The engine is a detuned Ninja 1k motor that has plenty of HP and decent torque. The bike comes standard with a ton of storage (hard bags and fairing compartments). It does touring very well, it is somewhat sporty, and it handles well for a bike it's size. It comes with a lot of power for plugging in all your accesories (heated vest, radar detector, etc). The fairing offers excellent wind protection. It's shaft drive which cuts the maintainence by quite a bit. They can be had for cheap! I've seen quite a few older ones with decent mileage going for $3-4k. And, this bike has a lot of fans. A real cult following...

I rode my friends for a couple of months while he was storing it at my house. I liked it enough to consider switching to the connie side of motorcycling. In fact, I may consider getting one when I go to replace my FJ (RIP)...

But that's just my $.07 (inflation, you know!)