'F14, I literally just came back from a ride on my 2004 Concours. It was magic out there. I was thinking I would take this bike anywhere. (the Beemer will sit for a bit until I have time to investigate the monkey nuts issue as the possible source of my noise, etc..) The Kawi is, and is reputed to be, a wonderful bike. I cannot even look at the new Concours, however - Godzilla meets Roger Ramjet meets some whacked out designer...honest to God, it just gets crazier with these new bikes...and new Beemers are no exception. The Concours was just humming along like a champ tonight. It's a pleasure just listening to her engine spinning so nicely. I look forward to dealing with the issues on my old Beemer knowing that, when done, this Teutonic tourer will live up to its reputation and more. The K100 RT is an interesting machine to ride, feels nimbler than the Concours in ways, and is ugly enough to be kind of attractive...in my opinion. And there is no sub for that block engine. It's just got solid written all over it. And that engine purrs in an equally great, but different (than the Kawi) way. To sum up, don't be afraid to pick up a fine Japanese bike as an alternate ride (assuming finances permit). I have come to realize that there are thousands of great machines out there, most of which are probably in beyond excellent shape with low miles on them. You can probably get one for a song (I ran into a guy at a bike shop who had a Honda CBX...the 6 cylinder bike...some older gent had just given him that bike and another large Japanese machine...he was too old to ride anymore). And they will all be a little different, thank God. Pluses and minuses all of the place. Can you imagine how boring it would be if they were all perfect and all the same? Get through your issues with your K and hang on to it. One day down the road I guarantee you'll be glad you kept her.
