New Owner with Questions

Hello All,

I live in So. Maine and picked up a '04 Non-ABS yesterday in central Maine. The 100 mile ride home was exciting; it was supposed to warm up into the low 50s but coastal fog kept it in the high 30s and windy-brutal!

I belong to Magna and Concours forums so I know as a newbie at this site you've heard my Qs a thousand times but please bear with me.

Metzeler VS the Dunlop? The bike has 6K on it and the Dunlop is a bit out of round in the center; don't know if the P.O. ran it low on pressure or not.

The correct mounting brackets and GIVI luggage? I had a Givi top box on my '05 Concours and loved it. Could you tell me the largest GIVI side cases for the Interceptor?

Now that I'm not in my 20s (or even 30s now I'd like to raise the clip-ons a bit. Would you recommend the Helibars or just spacers?

To minimize wind blast, a good touring shield? I'm 5-11.

Corbin or Sargent-a big improvement over the oem seat?

Lastly, I paid 5K for the '04; it was originally purchased in 9/06 as a leftover. It has 6K and needs new skins but otherwise is clean. Is that a good deal for an '04? Thanks in advance for answering the same questions- again

Joe

 

Hi Joe, congratulations on the purchase and welcome to the site! I am sure you will love the bike. I'm not sure about the Givi questions (I have the OEM bags that I believe are made by Givi, but I'm sure you will get an answer or find a thread on this somewhere on the site), but I highly recommend the Sargent seat. That has allowed me to ride ten hour days with just the expected wear and tear. I can't imagine doing that on the stock seat.

I also highly recommend the Zero Gravity Sport Touring screen. I find it gives excellent wind protection, though I do like the looks of the stock screen better. I tend to put the ST screen on when I am taking a long trip. It takes 10 minutes to change.

And I like my Helibars, but I would do the seat first and the bars second, if money is tight. You might find you are all right with the stock bars.

Finally there are lots of threads about tires. I tend to be on the touring side of sport touring, though being on this site has improved my riding considerably and I noticed I have no chicken strips on my current tires. After reading the discussions I decided to go with the Michelin Pilot Road 2s, and they are great. I ride Michelins on my bicycle as well. They are very supple, have held up very well--6,000 miles and still looking good--grip well, and are responsive but not overly so. They are not the cheapest, but if I get eight or more thousand out of them, and I have no doubt I will, then they will be a great value.

 

Thanks, Ed; I'm more touring-oriented also. I will definitely try the ZG screen; I'm picking up a lot of wind blast with the stocker. BTW, I know your area well; I used to date a girl who went to WNEC Law in W. Springfield. I used to drive down almost every weekend.

 

Welcome aboard, Joe.
The Dunlops will do that at that mileage. Search around for tires, take the time to research. Much will depend on your style of riding. Strictly sport, sport touring, or strictly commuting.

 

Welcome to the mayhem. Since you're new, make sure you start a thread or 3 about the merits of synthetic oil, politics & religion.

If the OEM is the D204K, GET RID OF IT. This tire is such a POS that Honda should be ashamed of itself for using it. If it's a 220, it's still a POS, just not as bad as the 204K. I recommend the Continental Road Attack, Michelin 2CT, or Metzeler M3.

I also recommend the ZG Double Bubble windscreens. I had a 2" raised "sport touring" screen on previously but the ZG DB is much better in terms of airflow.

GenMar makes risers & would be your cheapest route. Next up would be Heli-Bars. Most expensive, but clearly superior, is the Converti-Bars.

I've ridden on both Sargent & Corbin on different bikes. I hate Corbins seats & wouldn't use one on a riding lawnmower. The Corbin company is for sale so I would steer clear of them. I have nearly 8 years on my Sargent & my butt loves it. I will NEVER ride on the stock seat again.

The OEM boxes are made by Givi but badged as Honda. With the brackets the 6th Gen uses, you are very restricted with choice of cases. Givi makes the V35 which are basically the same thing as the OEM for about $200 cheaper.

As far as the deal, only you can answer that question. Obviously the bike was good enough for you to purchase so you must have liked it, right? :thumbsup:


Links:
http://www.zianet.com/GenMar/
http://www.helibars.com/
http://www.convertibars.com/
http://www.conti-online.com/generator/www/de/en/continental/motorcycle/general/home/index_en.html
http://www.michelinmotorcycle.com/
http://www.us.metzelermoto.com/web/default.page
http://www.sargentcycle.com/
http://www.zerogravity-racing.com/
http://www.giviusa.com/

KC-10 FE out...
lane: :usa2:

 

Anything I say here is just opinion. You are likely to get many more.

I assume your question "Metzeler VS the Dunlop?" is referring to the OEM recommended tires. If so, then neither. It all depends on what you want to do with the bike. Bridgestone BT021s, Continental Road Attacks, Pirrelli Diablo stradas Michelin Power Pilot Roads 2cts... All make decent picks for premium rubber. There are many other choices of course.

Don't use GIvi bags so I can't comment.

GenMar spacers or Heli Bars. That would again depend on your height in the seat and what you are looking for in riding. I decided not to raise my bars (I'm 42). But I know two people that have. Both are younger and fairly assertive riders. One rides with the Heli bars and one rides with the Genmar. The less tall of the two uses the higher rise bars. So, it is a personal preference.

Zero Gravity Touring or double bubble. Givi makes a touring screen. I chose the Puig Racing screen. It is better than stock. I am 6.0 and tall in the seat.

Sargent seat is probably going to be faster to you bike from the store. I just purchased one for my 06. More positive comments on the Sargent than negative. It is the Opposite for the Corbin. There are Corbin lovers here but based on feedback, for me, the Sargent was a clearer choice.

The price paid is a moot point. You have already paid it. An 04 for decent.

 

I tried Zero Gravity's touring wind screen, but didn't like it, partly because I found it to be rather thin, flimsy, and cheap looking. I also felt that it didn't offer significantly more wind protection than the stock screen. That said, most others here seem to love their ZG screens, so I'm in the minority, and your mileage may vary.

I soon replaced the ZG touring screen with a smoke tinted Givi touring screen, and I love it. Compared to the ZG touring screen, the Givi is thicker, stiffer, and it looks like it belongs on the bike, IMO.

Regarding tires, I'm among those who swear by the Michelin Road Pilot 2CT's. (FWIW, Sport Rider magazine recently tested 42 road/track day tires, and the top dog was the Michelin Pilot Power 2CT's, a close cousin to the Road Pilot 2CT's.)

 

As for the seat I have a SARGENT and I got to compare the OEM, CORBIN and SARGENT! The winner outright was Sargent, go with it and you won't be sorry!

Cheers....

 

Thanks to all for your responses. I definitely fall into the "I can't leave well enough alone" category so I seem to spend as much time improving my bikes as riding them. But with the car,lawnmower, snowblower and weedwacker all working fine I need something else to spend money on so it might as well be the new bike

Thanks again for the welcome and the tips; I'm sure I'll have more questions.
Joe