Look who's bike is on ebay!!!!

[trbig]

I just got to thinking. ( I know.. a scary thing) If Cody can do Ironbutts on an XJ without problems... how many miles do you think he could go on something that was actually COMFORTABLE?!?


I bet we all find out at some point!


Tod

[madmax-im]

I was actually thinking in the same vein.I see alot of posts for events across the country.Many ppl say its too far for them to make the trip.While the XS/XJ11s' are capable of doing the mileage...I guess many ppl just aren't that comfortable doing the longer distances.Maybe its age ..I dont know.I have done 450 mile days on my Maxim and i was fine...albeit a little tired...but none the worse for the wear.I also own a Honda ST1100.The biggest difference I can see for long distance comfort is protection from the road blast.On the ST1100 The upper and lower fairings do a great job of protecting you from the road blast and headwinds...thus lowering the fatique factor ten fold compared to an unfaired XS/XJ or any other type of unfaired bike for that matter.Where you are constantly fighting the headwind...that can get pretty tiring in as little as an hour into a ride.With my ST my longest day so far has been 525 miles in 12 hours.Mind you I have only owned the ST 4 months...so i am still getting used to it.

[MAXIMAN]

The longest day I've done was 860 miles in a hair under 11 hours on the big lizard.

I was by myself and had no one to "wait" on and was rolling about 90 mph with an aux fuel cell.

I got feeling on this Concours I may be able to do more miles simply due to speed. If am crazy enough to average 100+ and can manage to stay in the saddle fo 12 hours...who knows.

But as far as comfort...the big Maxim will be very hard to beat. That is because of the seating postion (straight up not forward) and the leg position...3 to be exact. Rider pegs...highway pegs...and pillion pegs to put my legs in different postions.

Stock the Connie only has one. It ain't bad but it ain't great either. So one of the first farkles I will be looking ofr OR developing will be some sort of highway peg to give myself some real leg room.

I seriously doubt the Concours 14 will be any more comfy. But if ti is you all will be the first to know. No matter what I ride I will hang out here. My friends are here and they people here are so much more down to earth. Many of the guys at oterh forums are just indifferent and stuffy.

BTW - The check cleared. ....so I'm sure the shippers will be here in a few days to take the Big Lizard away.

[justinhenry]

maximan.. looks like you did really well selling your bike. congratulations. i agree with you about the guys here. very friendly and helpful. a far cry from a lot of forums.

[TucmanXJ]

Seconded ... now pass the beer please.

[81xsproject]

Are you two kidding? Cody lost his A on this sale. Now how the heck is he supposed to anger people trying to sleep at a Holiday Inn with some stock exhaust Concours? I bet that things sounds like midgets farting under the covers compared to Zillla's Jardine Spaghetti SuperTrapp custom exhaust.

[madmax-im]

Hey MAXIMAN:I see you are considering the new Connie....have you given any thought to a new or slighty used Honda ST1300?The new Connie is more oriented towards the SPORT/touring equation and the ST1300 is more oriented towards the sport/TOURING end ...if you get my inference....One reason I would not buy the new Connie14 is because it is a new ...redesign and I would be cautious abt new or first year designs...personally YMMV.Four months ago I bought a '95 ST1100...it is,for me the most comfortable sport/TOURER I have ever ridden.I could have bought a ST1300 but I have always wanted the 1100 and the opp.just presented itself so I took the bait..so to say.You may have already seen this but I will post her again anyway,,,I call her the Queen.

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/madmax-im/030.jpg

[MAXIMAN]

I did ok. But the guy that bought it did very well. He got a good buy on the thing if that is what he really wanted.

Apparently there is a demand....there are actually people out there that would love to have a tricked out custom Eleven...else how would the "High Priest" stay in business. And when you compare the cost ... if Bob had built a bike like Zilla he would likely price it 2 or 3 times what I got for it.

Also...some people want a totally unique bike...a "one off" if you will and they are willing to pay for it. Just look at the guys that vomit up 40...50...and 100 thousand for a custom one off chopper...only to get it dusted by a 25 year old bagger from Oklahoma on the Golden Gate Bridge!

That experience ALONE was worth ALL the cash I dumped into that bike!!!

[MAXIMAN]

Originally posted by 81xsproject
Are you two kidding? Cody lost his A on this sale. Now how the heck is he supposed to anger people trying to sleep at a Holiday Inn with some stock exhaust Concours? I bet that things sounds like midgets farting under the covers compared to Zillla's Jardine Spaghetti SuperTrapp custom exhaust.

Ahhhhhh......the humor of a fellow rockhead

[MAXIMAN]

Bne

I have been studying the ST crop for in XS of 2 years. Up until about 6 months ago I was bent on a FJR. But then the rumor mill crank up on this big Kaw. So I hung tight to see it.

I had fully intended on waiting until the spring to pull the trigger on a Connie or Fudger. I had no idea Zilla woudl sell this quick. Now I'm without a road bike.

After talking to 15 or 20 guys that have the "KawCourse" I am even more convinced they are solid. One guy has already racked up an impressive 30,000 km in Oz with no problems. He even had the stealership run the valves recently and they were spot on!

I am sure Kawasaki did their homework on this monster and am willing to go ahead and pull the trigger on it. Besides...what's the worse thing that can happen? The bike comes from the factory with a 36 mile unlimited mileage warranty. And in 36 months I will have put 50 to 60 thousand miles on that machine. If it's holding up after that it will likely hold up indefinitely.

As far as sport vs. tour. I am ready for a little more "sport" I have toured on the ZRX which is a torture rack compared to this Concours. The cool thing about the ZRX is at 130 mph it isn't even breathing hard. Zilla couldn't do that safely but was certainly more comfy. Hopefully the C14 will be a good combination of both speed and comfort.

[madmax-im]

MAX....I suggest if at all possible you test ride the ST/Connie.You can hear alot from other ppl,but it is truly subjective.A test ride will tell you exactly what is truly right for you...IMHO.One thing I have heard...ppl who have the new Connie complain that the rear vw. mirrors are obscured by the high placement of the panniers....most likely this could be corrected ny those little extra mirrors that mount onto the bigger ones.I dont know abt you but I always test ride my bikes before I buy....YMMV...Also how much do you really need a road bike with the advent of Winter coming?If you wait til Spring most likely you can find a'07 leftover Connie.

[madmax-im]

we are drifting away from the intended format of this discussion forum and we should move it to the Other Bikes Discussion forum...

[MAXIMAN]

Been there...done that. I have no idea why people complain about the rearview of the Concours. The view is excellent.

As a matter of fact the FJR I rode had worse view. My elbows were right on the view of the mirrors and no matter how I adjusted the things I couldn't see very well.

The ST is a nice bike but there are several things I don't care for about it. The ST1300 is sluggish compared to the K1200GT, FJR pr Concours. The Concours handles better. And I don't particularly like the styling of the ST1300...too "scooterish" for my tastes. But then looks are very subjective. That's just my opinion.

The seating position of the Honda is a little more straight up which can be good for long hauls. And I think the seat itself is better than the Connie on both the FJR and ST. But that can be rectified quite readily. The monster torque can't.

The ST1300 is a lead sled. the dry weight on it is a whopping 650 lbs compared to the Connie at 606 and the FJR at 589.

Heat is an issue with the Concours but it wasn't undue. The old FJR was miserbale and would literally burn ya. So the heat is really the only drawback I can see...and many of the guys I've talked to claim it gets better with miles. Now that makes NO sense to me. So that piece of info is worhtless IMO. In any case it is not unbearable. I'll tell ya what unbearable is...unbearable is Zilla with the lowers on crossing southern Utah in 100 degree heat! Blahhhhh! The Concours heat problem is nothing like an air cooled bike on a hot day...at least not for me.

No Ben...I haven't taken this choice lightly. As late as yesterday I was at the Yamaha shop talking seriously to Paul about a new FJR he had one the floor.

But everytime I go back to that Concours...it's got me.

We'll see. If I hate it I'll sell it....NEXT!

[madmax-im]

MAX...Ok with me ,I am glad you are as detailed and informed as I would be.I would be interested in hearing your impressions of the Connie both initially and long term.Wish you the best of luck with it.BTW I plan on calling Stillwater Kawasaki next week.I am looking to do the MadMax mods in the Spring.I will keep you informed as to the developements.

[pggg]

Anyone here think it's all too sleazy and rich?? It's bizarre anyone paying 7 1/2 grand for an old crappy motorbike, after one ride, covered in road grime, they look like s**t. Same here, a dunger 1950's matchless, 8 grand sold in seconds, for me only one XS1100 and would NEVER sell it to a stranger unless they fronted with waaay big bucks