2003 Kawasaki Concours Motorcycle reviews

I bought this 2003 Concours for my first bike at the urging of several people. The bike was a little top heavy and challenging in low speed turns but I quickly overcame that. I used it for commuting to/from work which was 110 miles round trip. It's a nice comfortable ride with adequate power on tap. I averaged 40 mpg. at 80 mph. The only real problem I had was even with the fuel valve in reserve mode, the bike would occasionally die after riding 170 to 200 miles. I finally attributed this to fuel starvation after visiting several forums and eliminating all other causes. I put a fuel pump in line with the carbs and tank and the problem went away. Show less

This is my second Concours, first one was a 1991, red. I now have a 2000 repainted in blazing flame blue, (Ford F150 colour). I have enjoyed both bikes. It has a great touring range. I have gotten between 500 and 600 km. per tank. I would recommend this bike to anyone over 5' 10. It is a tall bike and top heavy. Show less

It slices, it dices, it does all day rides. ;) Well it is pretty good at just about everything I do on a daily basis and has replaced my cruiser as my daily rider. So I think the cruiser will be finding a new home in the short term, as the Concours is a keeper. I have owned a lot of bikes over the years. Sport bikes, enduro bikes, cruisers and they have all needed my own mods out of the box for me to get comfortable for longer stays in the saddle. I am tall with a long inseam (36") which makes this a challenge on any bike. The Concours is no exception. Compared to a cruiser the Concours is a velvety smooth hammer! If you're coming from the cruiser world the Connie buzz everyone talks about is a non-issue. After getting off a cruiser you will feel the Connie is smooth and fast. If you're a sport rider you will probably notice the buzz and will want to follow some of the recommendations that others have mentioned on this site to tune it out. The Connie doesn't have the sport edge of a hard core sport bike, but is confident, balanced, and doesn't do anything unexpected. You can progressively push the bike to its limits and she will tell you when she has had enough. With a few performance mods you can get even more out of her if that is your style of riding. I find she is pretty comfy the way she is stock, as far as performance goes. The gearing is rather closely spaced so I find myself shifting gears more often than I would like, but the transmission seems to work well and is smooth. The bike produces a fair amount of heat on the shins, but not really more so than other full fairing sport bikes I have ridden. The peg position is up higher than I have grown used to, but not as high as a full fledged sport bike. Genmar makes a peg extender that moves the pegs down about an inch and makes the bike just that much more comfortable. The handle bar position is pretty upright compared to a sport ride, but if you're going to be in the saddle for extended stays you may want to look at handlebar risers which are easy to install and not overly expensive (again Genmar makes these or KB). The seat is pretty comfy out of the box and there are aftermarket ones if you are looking for something more to your liking. The stock windshield produces a lot of wind noise and many have reported buffeting. I noticed a lot of turbulence behind larger vehicles with the stock windshield. Replacing this with an aftermarket windshield that is appropriately sized for the rider did wonders for me. The ride is smooth, much more quiet, and handles the tubulent air behind larger vehicles much better than with the stock windshield. Overall the Concours does a lot of things really well out of the box(stock), and for the price it is a remarkable deal. I followed the Concours over the years from it's first introduction and thought it was a great idea for a bike, but the reviews scared me off with talk of buzzy bars, heat on the rider, and uncomfortable riding position. Well I ran across a really good deal on the Connie I own now and wish I hadn't listened to the reviews. The bike is better than anyone reported in its stock configuration. Now that I have added some of the accessories to the bike, it is really very remarkable and far better than I expected. This bike is a keeper. You will hear a lot of comments about bang for the buck with the Connie. Even if this bike were priced with the other bikes in this size/class of the segment it would be very competitive. The fact that the bike is so affordable really is just icing on the cake. Some have commented about the dated look to the Concours. I felt the same way when I went to look at my Connie that I bought. It is the dated look of the bags that really gives the bike an old style look. I shopped around and found that Givi makes a very nice set of saddlebags that are keyless(model E41), and a top trunk that match. They have a very nice modern look to them, and are very large to handle just about anything you could throw at them. With the addition of these bags and the newer windshield with a steeper rake to it the Connie has a nice modern look to her that is often mistaken for a BMW or I get questions about, "what kind of bike is that?" The Connie now gets lots of attention that she deserves. Funny how something like bags and a windshield can change the personality of a bike so much. The bike is fast, fun, comfortable, handles the twisties well, gets great gas mileage, and has great touring distance thanks to the 7.5 gallon gas tank. Only way it is going to get any more comfortable than this is on a Goldwing or a Road King... But where would be the "fun" in that? Show less

This is the most "bang for the buck" ST bike anyone has every manufactured. No it doesn't have all the "extras" the ST1300 of FJR has...BUT! for the price, this is the best overall performance/touring bike out there. I hope Kawasaki is listening and keeps the reliabilty, performance and value intact for their new version, whenever that will be. Show less

This bike is a keeper because it is a perfect 2 up ST. The payload capability is way more than any other ST on the road (by far). When you consider the price, 3 yr warranty, parts availablity, huge after market, ease of maintenace, excellent owners group, etc... it's a no brainer. In stock form, the bike does respectfully well in the performance area and these bikes are easy enough to boost performance if so desired... fairly cheaply too. Afterall is has ninja in is blood. Show less

Previously owned several models including 86-Goldwing which is more comfortable, however I like the Concours and will ride one until I'm too old. Then I'll buy another wing. I can afford a more expensive bike I guess I'm just being pratical. I don't buy into hype, just the payload the handling, the speed is enough, 130 mph want to go faster? Not me. 12 second 1/4 mile, and keep the oil changed you could get 200k out of that engine. Show less

Apparently 04 is the last year and that's a real shame. Not much to add to what's already been said other than the best bang for your buck. The other S/T's do accomplish some things better but overall the Connie is really all anyone will ever need. It establishes a basic platform the can be tailored to the individual user, want to do the Iron butt or carve canyon roads she'll be more that up to the task. Just need a daily commuter, that's exactly how she's delivered. Try to find a coil overnight on an FJ and by the why hope the water pump never fails because it's INSIDE the engine. The ST 1300 may feel light once you get going but that's only because it has a steep steering head angle, if I wanted a Gold wing I would've bought one. And how long do you think the average GSX rider owns his bike? Try 7 months. Go Concours, timeless and bulletproof technology. Show less

I have a 2002 Concours and I have 40k miles on it now. I've ridden across the country doing 5500 miles in four days pace and I also use this machine for everyday city riding. This is my only vehicle. In short: I really like this bike, it's easy to tune, easy to ride and inexpensive to maintain. The buzz everyone talks about is a tuning issue, learn to tune your Connie and she'll run smooth. This really is a five star bike. Show less

Love the bike. But... The sport positioning and the buzz make my hands and arms hurt. I just ordered the Storz riser so that I can modify the bike into more of a tourer. In a recent ride, I was at the back of the pack, but keeping up with the sport bikes. Gonna put a CC Bailey windshield on it. Like the aftermarket foam grips. Check out C.O.G. for support. Seat is comfortable. Like the foot position. Love the hard bags... added a sissybar style soft pack to the rear. Needs more light front and rear. Great buy for the price. Even after mods, I'll only have around 9K in it. Put 7,000 miles on in the 1st season. Show less

Solid machine that can crank out the miles & smiles Show less