Author Topic: New here and not a Connie owner..........yet.  (Read 5739 times)

Offline XPLRN

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New here and not a Connie owner..........yet.
« on: January 12, 2015, 04:50:28 AM »
Greetings!

Been riding, on and off, since 1974 when I took my mc permit test on a piped RD350.......first bike I broke triple digits on. Had a friend that bought a brand new 2008 Connie after he totaled his ZZR or whatever the nomenclature is for the go-fast Kawwie. He raved about the bike but moved on to something else a couple of years later. So it was a bit of a surprise come December 2014 when I walked into a different friend's shop and saw the same year/color Connie sitting there.......'specially since he's been a diehard HD guy since I've known him.  I knew he also had a penchant for speed having had a sweet BMW street ride that he used to enjoy wicking up when he wasn't riding the HD.

Anyways I've been thinking about another street bike since I got rid of my Italian V-twin.........who knows.......it might be a Connie due to having a friend that's already gotten in pretty deep on the maintenance and inner workings of the Connie!!! 
« Last Edit: January 12, 2015, 09:55:49 AM by XPLRN »

Offline tweeter55

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Re: New here and not a Connie owner..........yet.
« Reply #1 on: January 12, 2015, 04:54:19 AM »
Welcome to the forum XPLRN. Lots of good info here to help you make "the decision". Wander around at your own risk. :chugbeer:
Over the years:       1972 Harley Rapido
1972 Suzuki T350R  1979 BMW R100RT
1987 Honda Helix.    2006 Kawasaki Concours

Offline XPLRN

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Re: New here and not a Connie owner..........yet.
« Reply #2 on: January 12, 2015, 10:15:44 AM »
Welcome to the forum XPLRN. Lots of good info here to help you make "the decision". Wander around at your own risk. :chugbeer:

Thanks tweeter!! This forum is definitely dialed in with Connie knowledge!!

Going to try and post up a  Photobucket link to a video of the first Connie I was exposed to. This is my friend Jeff enjoying Connie power on Vulture Mine Road.

Offline Rhino

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Re: New here and not a Connie owner..........yet.
« Reply #3 on: January 12, 2015, 10:20:03 AM »
Welcome to the forum. Whatever you decide on, enjoy! But if you do decide on a Connie, I think you will not be disappointed. Wicked fast with touring comfort for a reasonable price. What's not to like?

Offline XPLRN

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Re: New here and not a Connie owner..........yet.
« Reply #4 on: January 12, 2015, 10:40:43 AM »
Welcome to the forum. Whatever you decide on, enjoy! But if you do decide on a Connie, I think you will not be disappointed. Wicked fast with touring comfort for a reasonable price. What's not to like?
I have to admit the power, 6-speed and trick rear suspension is quite enticing. However since I'm a DIY kinda guy the serviceability is not so impressive.........a lot of plastic removal for engine access.......vs. the simplicity of my V11 Lemans engine access. I know the engine/chassis is night and day different and that's part of the trade off when going with a UJM bike.

Offline st2sam

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Re: New here and not a Connie owner..........yet.
« Reply #5 on: January 12, 2015, 03:50:18 PM »
I have to admit the power, 6-speed and trick rear suspension is quite enticing. However since I'm a DIY kinda guy the serviceability is not so impressive.........a lot of plastic removal for engine access.......vs. the simplicity of my V11 Lemans engine access. I know the engine/chassis is night and day different and that's part of the trade off when going with a UJM bike.

Welcome XPLRN.

 I'm a little confused about the trick rear suspension???  After market maybe?
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Offline mikeeitup

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Re: New here and not a Connie owner..........yet.
« Reply #6 on: January 12, 2015, 07:28:20 PM »
Welcome! Please get one. This is by far my favorite bike.
Mike
~Mike~
~2012 Black Connie~

Offline SapperLdr

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Re: New here and not a Connie owner..........yet.
« Reply #7 on: January 12, 2015, 08:10:57 PM »
Welcome.    Lots of good stuff here if you make it past the warped humor.  :D
Where are you located?
Living the dream in Arizona.

Offline stevewfl

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Re: New here and not a Connie owner..........yet.
« Reply #8 on: January 12, 2015, 08:28:47 PM »
“The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” St. Augustine

Offline XPLRN

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Re: New here and not a Connie owner..........yet.
« Reply #9 on: January 13, 2015, 02:57:42 AM »
Welcome XPLRN.

 I'm a little confused about the trick rear suspension???  After market maybe?

Thanks st2sam, stevewfl, SapperLdr, mikeeitup for the 'Welcome' responses!! I've lived in the Phoenix and outlying area since 1981.

It was explained to me that the rear suspension link setup/shaft drive is designed to respond to power input such as a chain/belt drive setup would.....vs. a shaft drive. The way it loads/unloads the suspension under power??

The other candidates would be the Yamaha FJR1300 and the Honda ST1300. I know the Honda is the vanilla unit of the three candidates, however I dig on a none UJM engine configuration. However the ST does not have the 6-speed which I really become accustom to in my MG V11. Time will tell.....I am very interested in seeing how my friend fares with his recent foray into Connie territory.

Offline mikeeitup

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Re: New here and not a Connie owner..........yet.
« Reply #10 on: February 03, 2015, 07:16:08 PM »
Had a 5 speed. HAD. Did not like. 6 is a need that I cannot explain. Yeah the drive shaft is a tripleheli....... it does magic and the suspension flex is lessened due to that setup. Love the driveshaft though. No chain to worry about tendering and not belt snap worries! I played with the other two contenders at a dealership and you obviously know what I went with. Had a friend looking to buy the bmw and I'm like.... why?
~Mike~
~2012 Black Connie~

Offline VirginiaJim

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Re: New here and not a Connie owner..........yet.
« Reply #11 on: February 04, 2015, 04:39:56 AM »
Welcome!
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Offline twowheeladdict

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Re: New here and not a Connie owner..........yet.
« Reply #12 on: February 04, 2015, 06:57:48 AM »
Welcome.  I have a little Italian beauty in my stable. 

5 speed, 6 speed.  It all depends on the gear ratios.  My Voyager has 6 speeds and you can't get into 6th until you are on the interstate.  My Versys has 6 speeds and I am in 6th at 40 mph.

Out of the Sport Touring bikes with drive shaft, the Concours is the most sport oriented.  Many here do risers and cruiser seats, etc. to make it more Goldwing like.  Some of us prefer the sportier riding position.

I recommend you test ride as many as you can.  Don't forget the Norge, Trophy, and Beemer's offerings when you are test riding.
My Concours Travels:
2014 New England Tour http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=17336.msg212077#msg212077

Offline XPLRN

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Re: New here and not a Connie owner..........yet.
« Reply #13 on: February 05, 2015, 05:23:22 PM »
@ mikeeitup; Thanks for your info....I'll have to do a search on the 'tripleheli' word to gain more knowledge.  I have a friend with a one of the 'other' two current contenders and he's invited me to ride it so that will help with the decision making process. I share the same thoughts on shaft vs. belt or chain. Also there is something about the 6 vs. 5 that also works for me.

@ VirginiaJim; Thanks for the welcome!! This website is awesome and a great source of info!!

@ twowheeladdict; Good info in your post, quite the nice Kawie stable!  Interesting that you chose the MG for the one variant!!  You are correct about the gear ratios/spreads on the 5 vs. 6 speed debate. I've never liked that feeling of wanting to shift one more time(when limited to a 5-speed) as the engine RPM increases when exceeding legal speeds. Your also correct about the need to ride different candidates to firm up a decision on which direction to go. Yes, the Euro's are neat but pricey....been there done that with the MG V11 Lemans.


Offline connie_rider

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Re: New here and not a Connie owner..........yet.
« Reply #14 on: February 05, 2015, 05:59:42 PM »
XPLRN, welcome to the forum.
You'll like it here.

Are you looking at New or Used?
If new,, the ST has been discontinued...
If used, C-10 or C-14?

Ride safe,Ted

Offline XPLRN

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Re: New here and not a Connie owner..........yet.
« Reply #15 on: February 11, 2015, 10:25:14 PM »
@ connie_rider; Thanks for your welcome to the forum!

Unless I win the Powerball tonight a used but not abused ride will be the direction to proceed. Thanks for the intel on only pre-owned ST's being available(just in case I were to win that 500 Million) ;D

I need to research more on the C10's...........did they have the 6-speed gearbox?? 

Offline RFH87_Connie

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Re: New here and not a Connie owner..........yet.
« Reply #16 on: February 12, 2015, 06:45:15 AM »
Welcome!  Are you one of the three winners last night (we may never hear from him again).  The C10 is a 6-speed.

Some riders have changed the primary drive gear in the C10 trans to do what is called a "7th-gear" mod.  SISF (Steve in sunny Florida) provides an exchange to do this.  I think it is a 12% rpm drop so you don't keep trying to upshift when you are already in 6th gear.  The engine of the C10 doesn't really come to life until you get over 4500rpm then up to about 7500rpm.  Higher than that and there isn't much more.  Maintenance is pretty straight forward.  The bike has been around for years with very few OEM mods so parts are pretty cheap.  There is also a huge knowledge base here to browse thru.  Some non-mechanical riders have picked up an older model with too many things to "fix" and become easily frustrated and hated the bike.  A "good" C10 can be had for about $1500 to $3000 depending where you live.  "Low" mileage isn't the first factor to be looked at - current rideability is (how well does it run and idle).  Then see what farkles (extras) it has, then how many miles.  Your tire selection will greatly determine how comfortable you feel with handling or if you are looking more high-mileage.  You can't really get both with the same tires.  Watch out at parking lot speeds as she is very top-heavy and will take you down when you're not ready when new to the bike (and years later).
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