five-speed concours?

[potshotpanda]

Julianop - welcome to the forum.   I'm am more of a lurker than a poster, but I also just returned to 2 wheels after a 15 year hiatus 56 years old, 5'7" and I'm not revealing my weight other than to say too much) , having bought a 2006 Connie.  When I took my test ride, I was made very aware of the top heaviness of the bike at slow speed.   I've accumulated about 3600 miles since the end of April when I bought the bike and still pretty much grin ear to ear when I ride.   Living in southwest NH, my riding season will be similar to yours.

I'm going to add a couple of photos to this posting of my bike, which is pretty much stock at this point.   Farkles (low cost, frugal ones) will be added when I can.

Jeff

[julianop]

I must have missed the fuel enrichment lever. We certainly didn't need it to start it in 75F weather. Maybe it was already warm.

And sorry, I didn't mean test as in "challenge", T Cro - I wouldn't be so presumptuous. I meant as in "invite you to dig it out". If you're all at least as old as me, you'll know that memories tend to blend over time ;-)

[julianop]

Thanks for the welcome and pictures, potshotpanda.
The cockpit of the machine I rode is much like yours, except that 1) only 1 of the boxes was lockable and 2) the junction of the shield to the fairing wasn't so "refined": there was obvious nuts and bolts. I'll assume "mine" was older - maybe around 2004.

Hey T Cro : service manual and parts micro fiche on a pocket drive? Now that's the kind of obsession I admire!

[T Cro ®]

Stop apologizing will ya? I'm just a matter of fact type poster and nope no where near as OLD as you; just shy of 48....

[Nosmo]

julianop:

The bikes from 1986 to 1993 were all the same, then for the 1994 model year Kaw changed the front suspension, the brakes, the seat, and the dashboard, in general.   Pre-'94's had the dashboard with the flat wide speedometer kind of like some Japanese cars of that era.  The post-'94's use the round speedo, tach, etc.  From 1994 until 2006, the only difference visible is the color. Some of the biggest differences you may see on used bikes are the trunk boxes (none came stock, and there are many after-market types) and windshields of which there are many variants, and perhaps custom seats. And of course tires.

I think what T-Cro meant about testing the tribal knowledge here is that there is just sooooo much experince and knowledge on this forum that there is likely no question that can be asked that SOMEONE can't answer.

Happy hunting and welcome to the zoo.

[jbailey]

What kind of oil do you plan to use? 

[T Cro ®]

.... I think what T-Cro meant about testing the tribal knowledge here is that there is just sooooo much experince and knowledge on this forum that there is likely no question that can be asked that SOMEONE can't answer.

Ding - Ding - Ding We have a winner! 

[Steve in Sunny Fla]

 Welcome to the connie, Julianop. If you want to see if the bike you rode was an '04, click on my website in my sig line and go to the photo gallery. My bike is an 04, and is a clean, mostly stock example of one  HTH, Steve

[julianop]

Let's get this bit out of the way and move on:
I understand exactly what T Cro meant. My fear was simply that as a total unknown here, he might have misunderstood my very first post, and been offended. I absolutely didn't want to come across as arrogant, and as he commented that attempting to "test" his/your knowledge would be a FAIL, I assumed that that was what he thought I was doing. I felt that I had to correct what appeared to be a misunderstanding, and thought that a polite way of doing that was by apologizing for conveying the wrong message.
I came here knowing full well - especially because of the long heritage of the Connie - that the people here would be very knowledgeable about the bike, as if the very name of the site wasn't enough of a clue. In contrast I didn't even know about that bike until a month ago, and obviously know little more about it now. In short, I'm here to gather knowledge and to join a community, not to offend anybody.
Moving on...
Nosmo: thanks for the info, and yes, I'm counting on y'all knowing everything !!
jbailey: re oil,  that was a question I was going going to get around to. I have a personal preference for the temperature stability and longevity offered by synthetics in the 4-wheel arena, but I don't know if that is the collective wisdom for motorcycles. Would you care to advise?
Steve: will do right now, thanks!

[Steve in Sunny Fla]

Julianop, OK, relax, Teecro didn't mean anything by his response, other than stating the obvious. Nobody is offended. Breathe in ... Breathe out... it's all good - Steve

[julianop]

Cool! Hey, I need help from you guys - I still have to convince the wife this whole commute thing is a good idea :-)

[T Cro ®]

Let's get this bit out of the way and move on:
I understand exactly what T Cro meant. My fear was simply that as a total unknown here, he might have misunderstood my very first post, and been offended.....

Trust me you will know when you have pissed me off or annoyed me........... I've been hanging out in this joint for near to ten years and these guys all know that I often sound like a growly bear but I'm nothing but an overstuffed teddy bear until pushed the wrong way. Thus far you've done nothing but engage me in friendly banter. 

BTW Bears like marshmallows and get really annoyed when you only bring one or two into the cage! 

[julianop]

Thanks for that T Cro !!!

OK - the update ... it's a 2006 Concours, officially,  and I'm going to ride it again in a few minutes, and probably buy it.
Here's the feature list again:
A little less than 27,000 miles,
fairings, etc, in good visual shape - not excellent, but good;
a little discoloration on the metal parts around the cockpit - it's obviously seen some weather, but not bad;
addition forward driving lights - not top name but they sure put out some light;
additional modulated LED stop light;
hard side panniers and top box, good condition;
highway foot pegs (you know - out in front, "HD" style);
after market (of course) heated grips; possibly heated seat -  I have yet to find out what that additional switch is for;
after market (I assume) digital voltmeter;
throttle lock;
wiring for intercom (but intercom not supplied);
ball mount front and center at the base of the windshield - presumably for a GPS (not supplied).
Price $5000.

I'll check out the "missing" gear when I drive it later, and report back - so far, the money is on operator error !!

Wish me luck!

[anycleavers]

Julianop, just so you have some sort of 'measuring stick', I bought my '97 in April. 17,000 miles, in fair to excellent condition, (right mirror had a crack in the housing, left sidecover was cracked at bolthole), but very nice considering it is 14 years old.  Bone stock, no issues to report yet and has been running fantastic. Paid $2600. I'm thinking there might be a lot of bargaining room. Good luck to you.

[julianop]

Hmm, now you say, anycleavers ;-)

(kidding)

Well I may have missed an opportunity, but I thought $5000 was a decent price, and I've been "to-ing and fro-ing" my poor dealer for weeks now, so I paid it without complaint. She's mine now !!!

It turns out it has a Rifle windshield. It's so smooth it's like sitting in my back yard on a warm summer afternoon while I'm actually traveling at 70. It also has a Givi back box with back rest, so that'll be good for the journey.

Oh, and I found the lost gear - it was indeed operator error!

I'll upload a couple of pics shortly.

Thanks again for all the help; I'll be back with noob questions shortly...

[anycleavers]

Congrats! I have zero regrets and am still grinning!      The resources that the members here provide is unparallelled, I don't think there is anything that can't be answered. Heck, on another thread here some one was estimating water output from a sewer drain!    

Enjoy the ride. Sean

[Nosmo]

It turns out it has a Rifle windshield. It's so smooth it's like sitting in my back yard on a warm summer afternoon while I'm actually traveling at 70. It also has a Givi back box with back rest, so that'll be good for the journey.

Oh, and I found the lost gear - it was indeed operator error!

Yeah, you wanna watch that illusion of armchair traveling.  The Connie will fool you.  I have the Rifle 'shield system also, and I find it smoooooth and quiet.  You can easily be doing 70+ and feeling like 30, and about then you hit that 30 MPH corner,  you may find that the brakes and tires may not be up to the challenge.      I've never gone off-roading, but I've scared meself.

Speaking of "the lost gear":  The engine is a revver so she'll spin up a bit on the highway, and before long you'll be asking yourself "Where's 7th gear?"  It's right here:

http://sites.google.com/site/shoodabenengineering/home

From our own Steve In Sunny Florida

[julianop]

Yeah Nosmo, she certainly is smooth through the air - I love it. No, I'm very conservative about curves right now: I don't want egg on my face in front of the "trouble 'n strife" given all the grief I got from her buying the darn thing ;-)

On the lost gear issue, yes, that's exactly the thought I got when I first drove it: "it needs another gear". I said exactly that to my dealer, and it is that thought that triggered the whole 5-speed saga in the first place. I will certainly look into your 7th gear mod.

Oh, and I finally found the choke too, T Cro ;-)

I'm trying to post a picture of my new baby here - hope it "takes"...

Grief - look at the previous owner's COG emblem shining bright there... guess that means I should join too.

[Cholla]

Be advised on the "7th gear" mod-you don't actually have 7 gears. It's a taller 6th gear.which is like having a 7th. A worthwhile mod if ya do a lot of slabbing.

[gregm784]

Your bike also has a Fender Extender. (makes the rear of the front fender longer). Nice looking bike.  Time to free up the gas card.  I've ran well over 100 gallons thru mine in just over a month.