Connie Buzz
May. 8th, 2007 06:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hafocMeet the newest personality to join the zoo:
Connie Buzz is a 1999 Kawasaki Concours sports-touring motorcycle. Yes, that's Concours without the "e" at the end. It's another of those almost-words the Japanese manufacturers or their New York ad agencies like to invent; Integra, Acura, Masturba, and so on.
Mind you, given some of the flight connections I've had going out to conventions, a Concourse Motorcycle that could top out at about 130 would be pretty useful. But it's not. Concours it is.
The Concours uses a liquid-cooled 4-cylinder engine. Its displacement is actually just UNDER the claimed 1000 CC size, for tax reasons-- Japanese tax reasons. Shaft drive, delivering I think 96 hp to the rear wheel in its unmodified form-- which this one is not.
"A Kawasaki mechanic owned this one. He put on Cobra pipes, but he went the extra step and rejetted the carbs too. That way she puts out more power."
Which brings two thoughts to mind. The first is "Kawasaki mechanic? Sure, Bob." The second is "Oh geez, more power, just what I need." Because my last motorcycle, the Suzuki V-twin 1500, put out something like 38 horsepower. And I found that to be plenty.
Of course the Vee-Twin is a stump-puller, a tractor engine. More torque than any sane person would ever need. No tachometer because it doesn't much matter how fast she's turning, and she's rev-limited at about 3800 anyway. The inline four is the exact opposite. You need to rev it to make it go, and it redlines at something over 11000.
What scares me is that after making the 1000 Concours for twenty years, they replaced it this year with a 1400cc model. Ninety-six frackin' horsepower. Take half the power my ton-and-a-half of pickup truck has and cram it into a 600 pound vehicle, and then that wasn't ENOUGH. Good god. I'm going to be scared fartless the first couple of times I ride this puppy anyway. I can't imagine mere mortals needing even more.
But I suppose a lot of mere mortals aren't as old and cautious as I am, either. Upon that subject... further comment would be superfluous.
The dreaded Connie buzz is what happens when the counterbalance shaft in the engine isn't adjusted JUST right. When I rode this bike it didn't have any buzz at all, that I noticed. Maybe the owner really WAS a Kawasaki mechanic.
So why am I typing this here? Why am I not on the road? Why did I take a picture of the bike in my garage, near the woodpile and the garbage cans, instead of a picture of me riding the bike through sweeping curves, demonstrating my studliness?
For one thing, studliness has been in short supply here lately. But the other thing is that since this bike came up from Ohio, the dealer had to get a transfer title-- which he forgot to do.
If everything goes well, I should have a license plate and be riding by Friday. Maybe even Thursday. If I'm really, really lucky.
Waaaaah!
Connie Buzz is a 1999 Kawasaki Concours sports-touring motorcycle. Yes, that's Concours without the "e" at the end. It's another of those almost-words the Japanese manufacturers or their New York ad agencies like to invent; Integra, Acura, Masturba, and so on.
Mind you, given some of the flight connections I've had going out to conventions, a Concourse Motorcycle that could top out at about 130 would be pretty useful. But it's not. Concours it is.
The Concours uses a liquid-cooled 4-cylinder engine. Its displacement is actually just UNDER the claimed 1000 CC size, for tax reasons-- Japanese tax reasons. Shaft drive, delivering I think 96 hp to the rear wheel in its unmodified form-- which this one is not.
"A Kawasaki mechanic owned this one. He put on Cobra pipes, but he went the extra step and rejetted the carbs too. That way she puts out more power."
Which brings two thoughts to mind. The first is "Kawasaki mechanic? Sure, Bob." The second is "Oh geez, more power, just what I need." Because my last motorcycle, the Suzuki V-twin 1500, put out something like 38 horsepower. And I found that to be plenty.
Of course the Vee-Twin is a stump-puller, a tractor engine. More torque than any sane person would ever need. No tachometer because it doesn't much matter how fast she's turning, and she's rev-limited at about 3800 anyway. The inline four is the exact opposite. You need to rev it to make it go, and it redlines at something over 11000.
What scares me is that after making the 1000 Concours for twenty years, they replaced it this year with a 1400cc model. Ninety-six frackin' horsepower. Take half the power my ton-and-a-half of pickup truck has and cram it into a 600 pound vehicle, and then that wasn't ENOUGH. Good god. I'm going to be scared fartless the first couple of times I ride this puppy anyway. I can't imagine mere mortals needing even more.
But I suppose a lot of mere mortals aren't as old and cautious as I am, either. Upon that subject... further comment would be superfluous.
The dreaded Connie buzz is what happens when the counterbalance shaft in the engine isn't adjusted JUST right. When I rode this bike it didn't have any buzz at all, that I noticed. Maybe the owner really WAS a Kawasaki mechanic.
So why am I typing this here? Why am I not on the road? Why did I take a picture of the bike in my garage, near the woodpile and the garbage cans, instead of a picture of me riding the bike through sweeping curves, demonstrating my studliness?
For one thing, studliness has been in short supply here lately. But the other thing is that since this bike came up from Ohio, the dealer had to get a transfer title-- which he forgot to do.
If everything goes well, I should have a license plate and be riding by Friday. Maybe even Thursday. If I'm really, really lucky.
Waaaaah!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-05-08 11:15 pm (UTC)The fact that *I* was happy with it at that speed was almost irrelevant; HE felt obligated to "improve" on it.
I think Dr. McCoy said it best, if I have the quote right: "Damn engineers, always rearranging things."
no subject
Date: 2007-05-09 10:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-09 10:42 pm (UTC)"You know that, and now I know that", I said in response. "Thankfully, the computer doesn't know that; it's running fine as is."
no subject
Date: 2007-05-09 01:07 am (UTC)Although a one-seated, one-wheeled flying purple people eater still would have been cool.
no subject
Date: 2007-05-09 10:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-09 03:44 am (UTC)Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....
no subject
Date: 2007-05-09 10:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-09 04:25 am (UTC)Mind ya don't cutchasef, now!
no subject
Date: 2007-05-09 10:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-09 02:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-09 10:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-09 03:30 pm (UTC)...not to put a dampener on things....but....
it appears from the photo that the trunk is missing?
no subject
Date: 2007-05-09 10:26 pm (UTC)But I also got the original luggage rack. Tiny useless thing, with a fairing to screw on over top when you're not using it, so the tail of the bike looks all slick and streamlined. Since I never ride with a passenger, this would actually work pretty well with me. I could sling a duffel across the passenger seat and tie it down, using the tiny luggage rack and the passenger grab handles below the passenger seat. So I'm probably going to take the aftermarket rack off and put the original equipment one back on.