Bought my 95 used in Feb of 99 with 25000 miles. It now (10-00) has 48000 miles and has never once let me down. Always starts, and still has the "sport-bike-with-bags" feel that attracted me in the first place. You'll hear a lot of complaining about vibration on this bike from people who haven't...
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Bought my 95 used in Feb of 99 with 25000 miles. It now (10-00) has 48000 miles and has never once let me down. Always starts, and still has the "sport-bike-with-bags" feel that attracted me in the first place. You'll hear a lot of complaining about vibration on this bike from people who haven't owned them very long. It's a SPORT BIKE, guys (and gals)! It's not gonna be as smooth as a Wing or Venture or even a Voyager (its cousin), but then, if you wanted THAT, you bought the wrong one. 1: Valve adjustments: must be done every 6250 miles. Yes, so every other oil change, you adjust the valves. Very simple. No shims...just a screwdriver and a 10mm wrench. Unless you're anal about it, they're usually close enough that you don't have to do any adjusting, but you should check them. It's NOT THAT HARD! Get a copy of "Chalkdust" from the Concours Owner's Group...walks you right through it. 2: They vibrate a lot. That copy of Chalkdust will get you through some of that vibration, too. 3: Uncomfortable seat: kind of subjective. I got used to mine with the stock seat/bar/peg set up and have NO problems with comfort, but if you MUST fiddle with it, there are many companies with aftermarket seats, "peg lowering" kits, and "bar changing" kits just waiting to hear from you. Personally, I think you should ride it for 8-10,000 miles before changing anything. You might just find (like I did), that the stock set-up is the most comfy. 3: It's "underbraked": Yes, probably if you're coming off a ZX7R or something else with equally great brakes, it needs a little help. OK "Braking" makes GREAT rotors for this bike, add some stainless lines and good EBC pads and you're "off to the races"! 4: Front end is weak: OK, you'd be too if you were carrying one of the most protective fairings in the industry, but, no problem. Go for the Progressive springs, and maybe even the GOLD VALVE Cartridge Emulators. You can make this little pig handle! don't forget that fork brace! 5: It's not as quick as my buddie's ZX-10: No, it's not supposed to be. But if you really want to "hot it up", check out Dale Walker's "Holeshot Performance" for a pipe and jet kit that will make your tour bike scream. Let me know if I left out your complaint, and I'll probably refute it with a fix. And the best thing is, you can pick one up CHEAP! If you haven't experienced the "Concours", TRY IT! A post '94 is better because of an improved fork set up, but I've seen folks absolutely SCREAM on 87's. BTW, I have 4 other bikes in my garage, and this is the one I ride most. The others are more "state of the art", but none "do it all" like my Concours!
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