Cool good to know you like it so much. I put 7000 miles on the Honda on two trips last year and discovered I really enjoy touring. Thing about the Honda is that does everything well but nothing great except maybe wind protection, and it's really heavy, about 720 lbs wet. That legendary Kawi engine keeps calling to me lol. I've visited the COG forum and it's really good.
I was blessed on this one. It was the second time I had seen in on E Bay. It had 31,000 miles and $5200 in upgrades documented with receipts in a folder. Also included was a single wheel trailer, a CP 550 in nice shape. 5k for all of it. The trailer has been sitting in a crate I built for it about 6 months ago as I wait for a COG member to pull the trigger on it. I don't think I will ever use it.
I could tell the guy had sellers remorse when I came to get it. No worries though... he already had another motorcycle to ride.
Besides having good power the thing I really like is the silky smooth clutch. Have you ever taken off in second because you forgot to downshift one more gear at a traffic light? By the time I realize I am in second... awe... screw it... just go!
My tire budget upgraded to the Michelin GT5s after that low priced Conti on the rear hit the steel belt at 4400 miles. The GTs are pricey... but really nice for inspiring the ride when carving corners. Next time the Busa needs a rear tire it will be one of those GT5s.
In general all these touring bikes are good... Honda is a superb engineering company as are the others. I think some of the fast stuff ranks better than BMW imho. I think BMW are nice... at least they aren't over priced like the Harleys in the touring class. I use to sell back in the 80s in a four brand Japanese dealership and became familiar with all the cool stuff they made. I have owned 3 V65 Sabres two of which I put a lot of miles on. The third one had me realizing quickly how much better the upgraded evolution of sport touring motorcycles had become so I sold it.
The real wake up came around 1999 when I traded a really nice low mile 89 V Max for a average condition 1990 ZX 1100. That did it! This motorcycle was on rails... no more weak brakes and a Flexi flyer mild steel tube frames for me. Plus... it was noticeably quicker that the V Max.
Concours 1400s are in my opinion one of the best buys for the money though their are plenty of bikes I have never ridden to compare them with. It seems the pricing on them in good used condition is ridiculously low for what you get. The one I have shows a sales contract for over 16K out the door from a dealer in Reno... traction control and ABS equipped. Not a big fan of traction control but, ABS has saved me once so far when I was following to close and a full panic jam on the brakes was required.
The brakes on the Kawi are excellent... The only repair was a fork seal so far... though the clutch is starting to lose some of its travel... after driving it for a while it goes back to normal... must be a clutch slave or master starting to lose its seal. I did replace the battery too.
So... find a buyer for the Honda... then start shopping for the right deal... it will show up.
