Kawasaki Concours Forum
Introductions - Tell us a bit about yourself => Introductions => Topic started by: Cruizin on May 28, 2015, 01:33:16 PM
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Hi,
Ive been riding for a few decades now, mostly commute, weekend and some distance touring, not a very fast sport rider.
The bikes Ive owned run the gamut from a 69 Triumph Daytona 500, 76 Kawasaki KH 400 bunches of Hondas, PC 800, GoldWing, Yamaha Ventures, Kawasaki KLRs and lots more...I like bikes in all varieties except feet forward factory psuedo "choppers"
Anyway, Im selling my KLR and possibly looking at a Concours Ive read lots of good things about them and a few negatives as well.
If the Concours is anything like the KLR in its "lets make this model widely adaptable and affordable" design then I like it right off the bat.
I test rode a 2004 last week, used dealer model and it was mostly what I thought it would be except my toe/shoe kept rubbing on the fairing lower, the stock bars are too low for my taste (easy $150 fix) and the center stand struggle. Much harder to hoist up than either my old Goldwing or Ventures so weight isnt the whole story. Despite all of those little complaints I may go ahead and snag one of 2 they have at the stealership. Im just really fed up with private sellers advertising barely running heaps as "almost new". Driving all over the county to see yet another untitled non runner "ran great last year" is a huge waste of time. :-\
One of the models at the dealer is a 87 with 56k on it for $2999 and it looks better kept than the 04 with 36k for $3699.
Is there any serious issue that would prevent those in the know from buying an 87 model?
Thanks for your time and input.
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Welcome to the forum! I'd love to answer your question but I don't know anything about the 1000.
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Welcome!
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The '87 may have the narrower front wheel which makes finding a correct tire difficult, but they're out there. I have an '86 and love it, and yes, they are difficult to get on the center stand but it can be done. I would think the '87 would last a long time kept in good tune. Actually, either of them would work weel if maintained.
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I have 2 '87s. The major difference to consider from a production stand point is the different front ends. The seats are different contour shapes but are interchangeable. The front end clips are somewhat different between the two. The '04 has the newer style dash, trip odometer, adjustable brake and clutch levers, black forks with different fender, dual-piston calipers, smaller axle and bearings. I may have missed something. Otherwise, all the bikes for all years were pretty much identical except for color from 86 thru '06. The '86s did have a few difference too.
Personally, between the two, they sound pretty fair on the price assuming everything is in working order. To me, the '04 "sounds" like a better deal. Take a good look at each bike for any farkles (extras) that may be added to either bike. This could sway your opinion also.
As for tires mentioned above, it is actually getting harder to find a "good" selection of rear tires (16") lately. Quite a few riders have converted the rear to a 17" rim which gives you a whole lot of tires to choose from. Some have even converted to 17" up front for the same reason.