Kawasaki Concours Forum
Introductions - Tell us a bit about yourself => Introductions => Topic started by: Sandiegodave on July 07, 2016, 10:55:37 PM
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I have enjoyed all of the great information from your forum, so I thought I should join. Just purchased a 2011 Connie and so far love it. I'm 6'2", and wondering what is the best seat, although the stock one is not that bad, that doesn't push me away from the bars. I also want peg lowering brackets. Does anyone have a recommendation for anyone my height. The bike needs new tires soon, and was considering pr3's?
I have owned at least 20 different bikes over the years, and I just love the power and comfort of the c14. Would love the new water cooled GS, but not in the budget right now. I'm not sure I really want one if I can make this bike comfortable for 400 mile days. Thanks for any input.
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Welcome to the forum. Here's wishing you many safe miles on your Connie. Post a pic of her please?
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Welcome to the nut house. :o I also have a 2011 since October and I am 6-3. At first, I was riding on the stock seat with an Airhawk R, but I have since found the stock seat is fine by itself. I've been warned that the foam will break down slowly but surely, resulting in sitting on the seat pan. There are good opinions and experiences on seats; you will find that Baldwin and Laam run neck-and-neck for top honors. There was a dealer in my area that had several used Connies on the floor with different seats- Laam, Corbin, Sargeant- which was a good way for me to test them out. Look for a decent sized dealer that takes Connies on trade and you might find something similar. Another way to test seats is to find and attend a riding event close to you where a multitude of C14s are expected to be in attendance. I purchased a Baldwin GT for a different bike and was very pleased with the result. I have heard very good things about the new model Kawasaki touring seat and I might be tempted to go with that if I were going to get a different seat today.
I don't need peg lowering, but the Murph's kit seems to be popular: http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=386.0 (http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=386.0)
If you can still find PR3s they are really good, but the 4s are basically the bread and butter tire for the C14. I am running Bridgestone T30's in GT-spec and I like them.
Two summers ago, I test rode an air head Super Black GSA and the WC GS. I probably should have bought the Super Black GSA because it was a blast to ride. But somehow, I let myself get talked into a Triumph Explorer. I could ride some 500 mile days on it, but I had other problems with it that soured me on the brand and the bike. I traded it for the Connie, which is what I really wanted back then. I can more easily do 500-600 mile days on it compared to the ADV bike. Too much leg room and your butt and back has to do all the work. On long rides, it's good for your legs to be under a little bit of tension to help absorb the shock. The legs are the strongest and more flexible part of your body. If they are all stretched out, they can't do any good. ADV bikes were made for standing, not sitting.
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Welcome!
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Welcome :chugbeer: to the forum, Sandiegodave!!!
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Welcome to the forum!
It shouldn't take a whole lot to get your bike set up to do 400 miles before lunch.
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Welcome mate!! :)
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Personally I would start out with a Sergeant, as it includes a seat pan with hardware, and is pretty inexpensive compared to other custom seats. They make a nice seat, which helps with the sliding. Its a good compromise between sporty and comfortable to give you time to decide how you will ride your Concours long term. Then make sure you keep your OEM seat as some day you'll choose to have a custom seat made, and you'll need the OEM pan for this.
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Welcome along, you are in the right place for good advice and help :)
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Welcome from South Lincolnshire......... :chugbeer:
Welcome along, you are in the right place for good advice and help :)
OC.......you say that on Jims other site ! :rotflmao:
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Hey everyone. Just traded in my 2007 HD Electra Glide for an 11 Connie this past Friday I put nearly 200 miles on her yesterday and now I have some similar questions to the original poster. I'm 6-4 with a 36 in inseam. The windstream hits me at about eye level with the screen all the way up, and the screen itself appears to be about jaw level. The prior owner had installed some 2 inch risers so I'm sitting pretty upright. Does anyone know the height of the stock screen? I can measure it myself but I'm not sure if its just measuring along the screen or if it's something else. Also, I looked at the Murph kits for lowering the foot pegs but feel funny about grinding or cutting anything. Whats the downside to the lowering brackets from AdvanceSportTouring.com?
Thanks for the help.