five-speed concours?

[julianop]

Perhaps a piece of dark window tint?

Yeah, that's an idea. If I can get it apart I might be able to insert something between the display and the outer glass. I do hope it's dimmable though; right now it's like a second brake light, and I could easily read a map by it. There are the actual voltage numbers - "13.9" for example - and a bright red battery symbol. I thought at first the red battery symbol was a high/low voltage warning, but I don't think I've ever seen it go out.

It could be broken, I suppose...

Hey, I'm a "Junior Member" now. Over twenty posts. That didn't take long.

[DeansZG]

Just remove the scoops alltogether!  You won't miss 'em & it'll reduce the weave when running in "dirty" air...

[julianop]

Just remove the scoops alltogether!  You won't miss 'em & it'll reduce the weave when running in "dirty" air...

They're supposed to help cool you in warm weather when scooping in and warm you in cold weather when scooping out, right? Either way means redirecting air flow which could differ either side of the bike, causing erratic lateral forces, hence weaving.

Taking them off all together reduces the lateral forces; makes sense to me. Something else to play around with :-)

[Outback_Jon]

Just remove the scoops alltogether!  You won't miss 'em & it'll reduce the weave when running in "dirty" air...

I've never noticed any weave, except for the one that is induced by my CeeBailey screen at um...  extra-legal speeds.   

[T Cro ®]

Just remove the scoops alltogether!  You won't miss 'em & it'll reduce the weave when running in "dirty" air...

Me I prefer the Baker AirWings in place of the stockers as you can adjust the Bakers by hand for more or less flow on your feet and they do not cause the dirty air weaving that the stockers did. Just keep the adjustments tight as if one gets loose and gets caught by the wind and pulled full outboard just me it is like dropping just one flap on a German Stuka Dive Bomber.......

[Cholla]

Just use a little magic marker on that bright indicator light.

[T Cro ®]

Just use a little magic marker on that bright indicator light.

It's not just a light it is an entire LED voltage meter with number display...

[jklhill]

I've never noticed any weave, except for the one that is induced by my CeeBailey screen at um...  extra-legal speeds.   

Removing the scoops on mine really helped reduce instability behind and around big rigs even with my CB screen and I don't notice any temperature difference on my shins.

[julianop]

Catch-up...

Yes, it's an entire display, a simple marker trick won't solve the problem. going home to MN tonight, so I'll look at it in the morning.

I'll investigate the scoop issue. Baker AirWings, you say T Cro? I'll look 'em up. Of course there are two different situations: one is scoop-in, when you want the cool air; and the other is scoop-out, when you want to draw warm air out from the engine. I'll try DeansZG's and jklhill's suggestion of removing them altogether first, while the weather is warm, and see what I get. If there's a difference it might induce me to check out those Baker AirWings.

Dropping a single flap on a Stuka .... can you even do that ?? Well, I don't know the flap stops on a Stuka, but 1-5 degrees would give you lift and you'd roll it; 15 or more degrees would just give you drag, and you'd be in a horizontal spin before you can say Kamikaze !

How did we get on this subject? ;-)
 

[T Cro ®]

How did we get on this subject? ;-)

I dropped a flap....... 

[SteveJ.]

I used some 90% window tint on my Kuryakin(sp?) voltage indicator, just covered the whole gauge. It's been there about 4 years now. Works well.

On my way back to FLA, so no meet up. Currently at the fine lodging digs of Super 8, in Marion, Illannoyd. Should be home tomorrow evening.

Have fun.

[gpzrocker]

I have a Corbin that looks like a stocker: they are out there. I cannot tell the difference until I turn it over and look at the metal rivets, Corbin identifier, metal pan and welded initials.

SAS Mayhem will be here to verify tonight, so I should be able to get pics of stock, Corbin look alike, and Canyon.

[T Cro ®]

I have a Corbin that looks like a stocker: they are out there. I cannot tell the difference until I turn it over and look at the metal rivets, Corbin identifier, metal pan and welded initials.

SAS Mayhem will be here to verify tonight, so I should be able to get pics of stock, Corbin look alike, and Canyon.

I don't question what you say you have but I will beg to differ.... All of the Corbins that I've owned (least 4) have had a fiber based pan.

[julianop]

Well, to  conclude the discussion on the seat, I see no indication that it is anything other than stock. There is an x of y stamp (something like "349/500") on the underside to suggest that it's part of a batch, but nothing that looks like a manufacturer's label.

So now I have a bigger problem: remember I mentioned this bike  being "growly"? It is, and it loses torque rather dramatically (in my opinion) at low RPM (below 2000) in a manner that other bikes I've ridden recently don't, and it seems to miss when running at around 2000 - 2500, constant speed, no load. I've dropped the thing a couple of times doing tight turns from a stop already. The dealer insists that there is nothing wrong, but both an experienced friend and the local Kawasaki dealer believe it's missing. The friend thinks I should just change the plugs and see what happens, and the dealer thinks it needs a carb clean, because it mostly sorts itself out at around 3000 - 3500. It never seems to have the smoothness of a Honda or any other Japanese engine, however, and I'm rather dissatisfied with the roughness. It seems to me that as the Connie has a development history of twenty years, and because it's based on the Ninja which was bordering on legendary, it should be smooth as silk, but this one definitely is not.

So the question is, "Did Kawasaki make a three cylinder Concours? with a spare pot?"  ;-)  Kidding of course!!

Bottom line: does the have Concours a rough, "English-sounding" engine, or should it be smooth like other Japanese bikes?

Thanks for all your valuable help on my re-entry into motorcycling, by the way.

[Steve in Sunny Fla]

That 1800 -2300 rpm missing is common to stock kawasaki jetting, and one of the things I've worked diligently to get rid of with my 2 minute mod jet kit.. HTH, Steve

[julianop]

Yes Steve, that helps a lot, though I wasn't happy to hear it's a common issue. I was planning on contacting you about the jet kit at the close of the riding season up here in Minnesota. it is likely to fix the saggy torque?
I was thinking about the 7th gear mod too, as the Connie is on the noisy side at 70 MPH, but I'm loath to compound my problem by raising the gearing if I can't get the pull-away torque back some other way.

What would your advice be?

[Steve in Sunny Fla]

everything i've done - carbs, jetting, cam sprocket, cams, etc, is all designed to increase lower rpm torque. There's a pile of guys riding with my 2 minute mod jetting and exhaust sprockets, they're the ones to ask, therwise I'm coming off like a cheesy commercial -  Steve

[jklhill]

Cleaning the carbs, getting the float levels right while you are in there and then syncing them properly would probably make a big improvement. That said, I have Steve's cam sprocket and jet kit and they deliver as advertised.

[SteveJ.]

If you have other issues with your carbbies/ignition/valve train, Steve's jet kit, in and of itself, is not a cure all. I would highly suggest you send the carb bank to him when your off season hits(next week, right? ). And do watch for a pool of gas indicating something leaking, usually into the cylinder(s) if you do not have the fuel overflow protectors. Steve prides himself on his quick turnaround times, so you could burn up a week of not riding it to get the carbeuration squared away.

Also, these are Ninja heritage engines, they are meant to be revved. The main power band on a stock engine doesn't really come alive until north of 6k rpm. Steve's adjustments lower that quite a bit. Another issue on keeping the revs low, the oil pump is very anemic at about 1.5-2k rpm, maybe something like 15lbs of oil pressure. It does not hit 30lbs until 3k rpm. The consensus is to keep that engine over 3k under almost all conditions. Definitely avoid hard acceleration below 3-3.5k. She just doesn't have the oil pressure down low to protect everything when under a hard load. Spin that puppy, she likes it.

[julianop]

Next week, yes, pretty close   

Sigh...  OK, SteveJ, this is going to be hard for me. I'm a sedate, quiet, 2000RPM kind of guy. I'm not sure I can count up to 3000. But I'll give it a try. North of 6k you say ?? This is going to take a culture shift for me. But I get the Ninja heritage part, and I totally understand under-lubrication: if anything will do it, that will certainly convince me to spin it harder.

Nobody as yet has thought that there are any other problems with it: it cranks, starts, and idles perfectly well, and as you predict it behaves decently at 3000 and above, so I don't suspect valves, cams, ignition, or anything major-mechanical.

OK, so when she comes back from the shop with clean carbs and a new set of plugs I'll treat her like I dream of treating the wife for the rest of the season and ship the naughty bits off to SISF when the snow falls.

6000RPM.... this is definitely going to raise eyebrows in my neighborhood... I wonder what it'll do to my love life...