Kawasaki Concours ZG1000 Radio Install

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Back in 1987 I installed a Kenwood radio-cassettte pullout system in my brand new '86 Concours. The radio was installed in the left fairing pocket and the 4" speakers were placed in the panel on both sides of the dash. I used a retractable antenna mounted on the front. The system looked stock and since it was all black it didn't attract attention when parked. The casual observer usually didn't realize I had a stereo installed unless it was on or I told them about it.

Was it loud enough to hear on the freeway? Hell yes! When I cranked it up you could hear it 2 cars back with the windows rolled up. This according to my sister who was following me on the freeway. The fairing helps to amplify the sound. Generally, I never rode around with it that loud though. You could hear it clearly at normal listening levels. In fact you could hear it better with the helmet on than without a helmet. The helmet helps to cut out wind noise.

I didn't have to take extra care of the speakers either. I never removed the speakers and never had any problems with weather damage. When washing the bike, I was careful not too spray directly at the speakers. I probably should have covered them when washing it, but I didn't. I stayed away from marine speakers because I was afraid the sound would suck.

The 1986 Concours had snap on covers for the fairing pockets, which helped to cover the stereo faceplate when it was raining or when I didn't want to pull the stereo out.

Unfortunately, I had to sell my '86 Concours when I moved to Japan.

I have the same set up in my '99 Concours, however, the radio and speakers I originally installed are no longer available as that was many moons ago. The comparable model that I have installed in my '99 Concours is a Kenwood KRC-608. The speakers that I have installed now are Kenwood eXcelon KFC-Xr400. These speakers are slim at 1 3/4" deep, which allows more room to play with when installing them in the dash. They aren't made from paper, so they are water resistant. They came with a round grill, which I replaced with one that better fits in the dash. The speakers I installed on the '86 had square grills and fit perfectly, but they are no longer available

I ordered the radio and speakers from Crutchfield.
http://www.crutchfield.com

Whoever says that you won't be able to hear with external speakers on the freeway and such, unfortunately has not installed their system correctly. I've had both of my Connie's fitted with regular car stereos with 4" speakers in the dash with excellent results. The only problem I have is my wife and I fighting over what we to listen to. :-)

To install the radio, remove the left fairing pocket and cut the hole for the radio as far down and to the right as possible while leaving the inner cowling cover piece intact. Bend the metal pocket support down to help support the radio or cut it off completely.

I built a platform to raise the radio up a little to give me more room to work with and to strengthen the inner cowling cover. I eventually had one fabricated by a custom radio installer to make it look more stock. To cover the radio, I used to use a fairing pocket over from my old '86 Connie, but the one I have now was fabricated for me by the same company that built the radio platform.