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My new ride: 08 Concours

futuretraveller

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Guest
Greetings everyone,

Finally made the jump from sport and cruisers to sport-touring. After reading a lot of feedback and comparing other options i had decided that the Concours is the perfect choice for an adrenaline junkie like myself.

My bike (left) is stock with around 8k miles with a slip on Delkavic (sounds good)! I put a Vstorm windscreen on it which is a small improvement. I get what others have mentioned about the ride quality (gears feel very sluggish, power is meh in low range, bike gets hot fast etc) hence will get it flashed by either Ivan or Steve. Still, i never thought these bikes were this fast and handled so well.

Do i need to get the valves checked? I'ts recommended at 15k miles but the bike's 12 years old at this point (not sure if time matters).

(right) My friend's bike (recently bought as well) has 6k miles, the Shoodaben flash and a muzzy slip-on.  I definitely see an improvement with changing gears. One of these days we will race to see the difference in power :motonoises:

Btw i have a Kawasaki gel seat and stock clear windshield in good condition that i'll be posting up one of these days. A big thanks to all of you for sharing your knowledge.
 

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Welcome -- someone who knows will have to address the valves, but I agree -- these bikes have lots of grunt and handle quite nicely just the way they come... notwithstanding, the Shoodaben flash (or one flavor or another) knocks off the occasional rough edges and adds a palpable bit of Wheaties to the mid-range (I have least aggressive flash, but take yer pick...)

 
Nice ride, welcome to the group! Since you have relatively low miles, I would wait till ~25k before getting valves done. Also without knowing how frequent it was ridden or if fluids were replaced recently, I'd suggest getting those done. Other than that get whatever ECU flash that suits you and more miles before making ergo adjustments to figure out if the stock setup is uncomfortable.

Welcome again and congrats!
 
robertv said:
Nice ride, welcome to the group! Since you have relatively low miles, I would wait till ~25k before getting valves done. Also without knowing how frequent it was ridden or if fluids were replaced recently, I'd suggest getting those done. Other than that get whatever ECU flash that suits you and more miles before making ergo adjustments to figure out if the stock setup is uncomfortable.

Welcome again and congrats!

Thanks Robert. I definitely need to do an oil change (appears darker in the glass). about the valves- 25k is when it is recommended? I must've mixed up my info, thought i read somewhere here that valve checks need to be at 15k intervals.
 
Congratulations Zami
Couple of nice low miles Connies, love the color that year. I bet they look real sharp rolling down the road together. :great:
 
Welcome to the group! I have an 08 that I love too! Never had it flashed but have ridden other bikes flashed and it is an improvement worth the money! Luckily we have the fastest color! I have currently 126K on my bike and start a cross country trip this morning! So you have many more smiles coming! I think I would wait also on the valve adjustment but please take care of all the fluids on the bike. Tires are important too but it sounds like you have some fresh ones in place now.  That is a very low mileage bike that needs some fun miles run on it! Enjoy your new ride!

:motonoises:  :motonoises:  :great:
 
Welcome to the group.  The 15k mile interval you mentioned is correct for valves.  It shouldn't matter how long...only miles.  As for the 25K recommendation that is up to you.  The valves are a lot of work.  Not especially hard, just detailed and hours of labor...especially if you're not a frequent wrencher.  Different people have different strategies for when they do this maintenance.  I personally waited until around 22K miles before my first adjustment and EVERY valve was tight.  Two intake valves were so tight I couldn't get a feeler gauge in between the cam lobe and bucket.  YMMV.  The US interval is 15K.  The rest of the world is like 24K.  Will your bike be OK if you wait until 24-25K miles?  Probably.  Should you wait?  That's up to you.  If I had to do it again, I would have checked mine sooner.
 
Thanks guys for the warm welcomes!

Then I'm good till 15k atleast with valve checks (huge relief)! I'm in love with this bike, I've already put around 800 miles without even leaving town since last week. Oil change is due made a promise to myself to do it tomorrow.
 
Rusty said:
Welcome to the group! I have an 08 that I love too! Never had it flashed but have ridden other bikes flashed and it is an improvement worth the money! Luckily we have the fastest color! I have currently 126K on my bike and start a cross country trip this morning! So you have many more smiles coming! I think I would wait also on the valve adjustment but please take care of all the fluids on the bike. Tires are important too but it sounds like you have some fresh ones in place now.  That is a very low mileage bike that needs some fun miles run on it! Enjoy your new ride!

:motonoises:  :motonoises:  :great:

126k miles! Man that's some serious riding. I can see that happening with me though with the effortless way this bike rides. Fluid checks and maintenance will be done tomorrow since it's raining!
 
Welcome  :great: :)
Over here they recommend 24k miles for the valves. I had mine done at 25k and they only changed 4 shims. I had them checked again at 50k and they were all within tolerances. Currently at 74k and will get them checked again at 75k but fully expecting them to be unchanged again.
Definitely change the oil and filter but don't be tempted to go for full synth yet.
Go with a decent semi-synth in 10W40 but make sure it doesn't have any friction modifiers in it.
Also drain and replace the final drive oil.
Finally, since it's an 08, I'd recommend a full flush of the brake fluid (front and rear) and clutch fluid.
Brake fluid degrades over time and should be light-yellow in colour.
 
Hi Boomer, question ... why re: not going to full synthetic (oil) yet? Is this a preference thing, just curious and I seriously don't want this to become another "oil thread."

Reason I ask is I've been running mine w/ full synthetic oil since day 1 on my '13 C-14 (purchased summer '15). At over 70K miles, never an issue.

I assume it's a preference thing. Regardless, great posting, info.
 
Quite simply because if I'm out and about and it needs a top-up, I can put mineral, semi, or full synth in it with no ill effects.
Mixing pure synth with anything other than pure synth can cause problems.
You need to make certain the oil is JASO MA (no friction modifiers as they mess up your wet clutch) but otherwise use what you like.
Most of the specialists I've spoken to say that full synth is a waste of money unless yer gonna stretch the oil change intervals but you spend your money how you see fit.  :great:
I do mine at 5k intervals simply because it's easier to remember and I'm old and getting senile.  :)
 
Boomer said:
Quite simply because if I'm out and about and it needs a top-up, I can put mineral, semi, or full synth in it with no ill effects.
Mixing pure synth with anything other than pure synth can cause problems.
You need to make certain the oil is JASO MA (no friction modifiers as they mess up your wet clutch) but otherwise use what you like.
Most of the specialists I've spoken to say that full synth is a waste of money unless yer gonna stretch the oil change intervals but you spend your money how you see fit.  :great:
I do mine at 5k intervals simply because it's easier to remember and I'm old and getting senile.  :)
Good points Boomer. I go considerably longer between oil changes than 5k, so for me it works.

All's good!
 
Mixing pure synth with anything other than pure synth can cause problems.

I never heard this before and from what I've read, that is exactly what semi synthetic oil is. What problems can it cause?
 
Gitbox said:
Mixing pure synth with anything other than pure synth can cause problems.

I never heard this before and from what I've read, that is exactly what semi synthetic oil is. What problems can it cause?
Some full synthetics can react with mineral or semi-synth oil. Sometimes they form an emulsion (oil goes cloudy) and will separate into 2 distinct layers if left standing. This will affect the properties of the oil.
Semi-synth is mineral and synth already mixed so they are compatible and will not separate or emulsion. Adding a little mineral, semi, or synth to a motor that has semi in it already is not likely to cause problems. Adding it to a full synth that doesn't mix well is gonna affect the lubrication. Since semi-synth gives you many options that full synth doesn't give with nearly equal protection, and normally at half the price, why not?
 
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