Concours Adds and Mods
I've done
a few things to personalize the bike. The changes are highlighted below.
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Gen-Mar Bar Riser
A little lift on the bars did wonders for my hips and back. Easy to install, no cable or brake line mods, A nice clean well thought out kit. |
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Blind-Spot Mirrors
K-Mart Specials. They fit nicely in the corners and eliminate any blind spots. Not real fancy but they do the job |
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Ortlieb Tank Bag
Large single compartment tank bag purchased through Aerostich. 100% waterproof. Magnetic base. Large map pocket. |
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100 Watt Bulb
A blue tint 100 W H4 bulb from the local auto parts store. It gives a little more clean bright light than the stock unit. |
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Rear Turn Signal
Lockhart Phillips Aluminum body turn signals. Hopefully I've got them sealed up so they won't fill with water like the stock ones did. |
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SS Hardware
I've replaced all the stock fairing hardware with SS Allen heads. Makes getting the underside hardware off for oil changes much easier. |
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Michelin M50X
Michelin Macadam M50X 150/80V16 Rear Tire. I'm hoping its the right combination of good wet and dry handling as well as long tread life. |
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Michelin 50E
Michelin Macadam 50E 110/80V18 Front Tire. 50E has deeper center tread for longer life. I also understand it will resist cupping much better than the stock Dunlops. |
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Corbin Seat
Corbin was running a $199.00 special on these in the spring of 2002. A nice firm seat, lots of room to move around on it. |
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Tank Protector
Rubber Mesh Kitchen drawer liner. aka: That stuff that keeps placemats and throw rugs from sliding around. Keeps the tankbag magnets from scratching the paint. |
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Rifle Windshield
3" high, clear screen. Mounted up just fine, unlike other stories of mis-alignment I've read on the internet. Perfect height for me. |
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Holeshot Exhaust. For Christmas 2004 my wife bought the
Concours one of Dale Walker's Holeshot Exhaust systems. Amazing how she knows
just what to get. It has a nice mellow sound at idle and a good bark when you
twist the grip. The materials are all first class the and the fit is perfect.
The Connie will never be a light bike, the cans feel like they weigh less than
half stock mufflers. The Connie is my wet winter bike so I figured I should
snap a couple pictures of the new pipes right away. They will never look this
good again.
1.
Gen-Mar Mfg. Bar risers. I
prefer to sit a little more upright and with a less pressure on my wrists. The
1-1/4" rise helps. For me, the increase in hand height didn't result in my
head being any higher above the wind screen. My arms are just more relaxed.
I liked not having to mess with any cables or brake lines. The
Bar-Risers slightly increased the angle between my back and thighs.
3. A
Corbin
dual canyon seat in black basket weave vinyl with dark grey piping. I
prefer a fairly hard seat. The stock seat is actually pretty good for
long days. After about 300 miles the stocker did start to bite at me
reminding me its time to stop for a break. On the positive side the
stock seat was great at not soaking up water. The Connie can sit outside
the office all day in the rain, dry it off with a towel and I'm on my way. No
water oozing out of the foam through the seams. The basket weave traps water
on its surface so it takes longer for it to dry in the sun when showers roll
through. The seats foam hasn't been as aggressive at soaking up water as
the Corbin on my KLR.
4. A
Rifle
3" over stock clear windshield. I chose a clear for better
visibility on wet days and dark nights. Even though you are supposed to look
over the windshield, there are times you still look through it. I'm 6'
feet tall and the 3" over stock is perfect for me, my helmet is out of the
loud air. I don't get any buffeting. Take note. The Rifle
instructions warn the installer not to over tighten the nylon screws mounting
the windshield to the base. I didn't initially think that I over tightened
mine, but the star marks in the clear plastic make it pretty clear that I did.
