About three years later, I subscribed to "Rider Magazine". The very first issue I received had a picture of the Kawasaki Concours ("Connie") on the cover. It was love at first sight. I read that magazine over and over again. I just couldn't get the Concours out of my mind. I just had to get it. At that time I was attending a junior college and delivering rubber stamps on my Nighthawk as a part-time job. I made a plan to save as much money as I could and then sell my Nighthawk to help finance the Connie. About 4 months later I sold the Nighthawk for $1,500 and paid $6,400 cash for my new Concours. Life was great.

I really felt, and still do, that Kawasaki built the Concours just for me. It personifies my Gemini personality in that it is a good canyon carver and yet it is very capable of eating up many miles on the highway. I use it to commute and also to travel. The removable saddlebags hold plenty for long distance riding, yet I can also remove them when I'm commuting to work or just buzzing around town. Generally, I prefer to ride without the saddlebags so I can split lanes easier. It also has a large fairing that I installed a stereo in and also offers excellent weather protection.

When the Concours came out, Kawasaki made a pledge to leave the bike unchanged for 5 years. It came out in '86 and was voted "Bike of the Year" by Cycle World magazine. Then in '94 it had a minor face lift in the dash area and forks. I was hoping that enough people would buy it in order for Kawasaki to keep their pledge. I had no idea that the Concours would have an almost cult like following in the Concours Owners Group. This is a diverse group of motorcyclists who all share a common enthusiasm for Connie.

I'm just so glad that there are so many other people out there who enjoy the Concours as much as I do. I am also grateful to the people that have made aftermarket products specifically for the Concours to help enhance it and to help keep the enthusiasm growing.