Well, at nearly 25,000 miles, I said goodbye to my NT. I traded it in on a new 2012 Concours. I wanted to wait until I put at least 500 miles on it before posting a review. I love the NT, but longed for a more powerful touring bike with more features. I had the opportunity to ride a ST1300 for a day and a FJR1300 for a weekend (trading the NT on both occasions). I liked certain aspects of both, but could not commit to either, although both are fine machines. I have been lusting after the Concours for awhile, but did not have the opportunity to ride one until the day I purchased it. So, it was a bit of faith on the endless reviews and research I have read, coupled with what I learned from the ST and FJR rides.
I had some concerns: How was the Connie going to handle around town? How was the low speed throttle response going to be? Did they really solve for the heavy steering in the latest version? I love the twisties; was this beast going to do well on tight, twisty roads? What about all that weight, how could it be maneuverable? Did they solve for the heat issues from prior versions? Seat height and reach to the ground? (Can you tell I put too much analysis into my vehicle choices?)
500 miles later, here are the answers:
In town handling: If heavy steering was an issue, they solved it. I can move this bike around as easily as I could the NT.
Low speed throttle response: This bike handles in a very refined, gentleman-like manner at low speeds and in town. (I was worried about this as I was not happy with how the FJR handled in this regard on my test ride of that bike; low speed throttle response was very jerky)
Twisties: AMAZING. I never would have thought this would be the case with a 680 lb machine. This bike handles much more like a sport bike in the twisties than the NT or the ST. I would put it on par with the FJR, but with better throttle response. This is the sport portion of sport touring and they nailed it!
Heat issues: None. I have ridden in temps from 40-82 degrees over the past 4 days and I did not feel any heat at all.
Weight: 680 lbs, but well balanced. I do notice it takes a little more effort to push it backwards while seated. It takes less effort than the NT to put on the center stand (must be different angles or something, but definitely easier). Once in motion it is absolutely no issue. It "feels" much lighter when riding.
Seat height: I can easily flat foot with the stock seat. Very similar to the NT stock seat reach to the ground. (I am 5'-10.5")
Other observations: Power, Power, Power!! The Connie has more than enough power and acceleration to satisfy for anything I would ever ask of it, and much more. More importantly, they have harnessed this power to be very manageable at low speeds (hence the "gentleman-like" reference above).
Transmission: Silky smooth. The 6 speed gearbox makes virtually no noise while shifting, save for a slight clunk going into 1st. Beautiful engineering. The jointed shaft drive is awesome, making the bike respond more like a chain driven machine than one with a shaft drive: positive with no jacking.
Traction control: I love it! With all that horsepower, this is a great feature that works very well (yes, I tried it both on dry pavement and wet pavement)
ABS: This has two different settings that dictate how much the front and rear brakes are linked. I have not activated the ABS, but the stopping power is tremendous, especially considering it is a 680 lb machine.
Weather protection: Fantastic. On a 50 mile ride in 43 degree weather I was very comfortable. The faring does a fabulous job.
Electronics, etc: Grip warmers are stepless and standard and do a great job. ECO mode can be accessed with a trigger near the left bar grip. This delivers up to 25% better mileage (haven't used this much). TPMS and other features are also monitored on the LCD screen between the analog speedometer and tach. I love the TPMS feature as I have always had a fear of low tire pressure on all bikes while riding...until now. Electric windshield
Overall: The Connie is everything I wanted it to be and much more. I will always sing the praises of the NT for perfectly being what it was built for, but I think I have found my perfect match.
If anyone is considering a bigger sport-tourer, I encourage you to ride the new Concours. It is a beautiful piece of engineering.
Happy riding!!
I had some concerns: How was the Connie going to handle around town? How was the low speed throttle response going to be? Did they really solve for the heavy steering in the latest version? I love the twisties; was this beast going to do well on tight, twisty roads? What about all that weight, how could it be maneuverable? Did they solve for the heat issues from prior versions? Seat height and reach to the ground? (Can you tell I put too much analysis into my vehicle choices?)
500 miles later, here are the answers:
In town handling: If heavy steering was an issue, they solved it. I can move this bike around as easily as I could the NT.
Low speed throttle response: This bike handles in a very refined, gentleman-like manner at low speeds and in town. (I was worried about this as I was not happy with how the FJR handled in this regard on my test ride of that bike; low speed throttle response was very jerky)
Twisties: AMAZING. I never would have thought this would be the case with a 680 lb machine. This bike handles much more like a sport bike in the twisties than the NT or the ST. I would put it on par with the FJR, but with better throttle response. This is the sport portion of sport touring and they nailed it!
Heat issues: None. I have ridden in temps from 40-82 degrees over the past 4 days and I did not feel any heat at all.
Weight: 680 lbs, but well balanced. I do notice it takes a little more effort to push it backwards while seated. It takes less effort than the NT to put on the center stand (must be different angles or something, but definitely easier). Once in motion it is absolutely no issue. It "feels" much lighter when riding.
Seat height: I can easily flat foot with the stock seat. Very similar to the NT stock seat reach to the ground. (I am 5'-10.5")
Other observations: Power, Power, Power!! The Connie has more than enough power and acceleration to satisfy for anything I would ever ask of it, and much more. More importantly, they have harnessed this power to be very manageable at low speeds (hence the "gentleman-like" reference above).
Transmission: Silky smooth. The 6 speed gearbox makes virtually no noise while shifting, save for a slight clunk going into 1st. Beautiful engineering. The jointed shaft drive is awesome, making the bike respond more like a chain driven machine than one with a shaft drive: positive with no jacking.
Traction control: I love it! With all that horsepower, this is a great feature that works very well (yes, I tried it both on dry pavement and wet pavement)
ABS: This has two different settings that dictate how much the front and rear brakes are linked. I have not activated the ABS, but the stopping power is tremendous, especially considering it is a 680 lb machine.
Weather protection: Fantastic. On a 50 mile ride in 43 degree weather I was very comfortable. The faring does a fabulous job.
Electronics, etc: Grip warmers are stepless and standard and do a great job. ECO mode can be accessed with a trigger near the left bar grip. This delivers up to 25% better mileage (haven't used this much). TPMS and other features are also monitored on the LCD screen between the analog speedometer and tach. I love the TPMS feature as I have always had a fear of low tire pressure on all bikes while riding...until now. Electric windshield
Overall: The Connie is everything I wanted it to be and much more. I will always sing the praises of the NT for perfectly being what it was built for, but I think I have found my perfect match.
If anyone is considering a bigger sport-tourer, I encourage you to ride the new Concours. It is a beautiful piece of engineering.
Happy riding!!
