Concours

CONCOURS

NEW DEAL FOR AN OLD FRIEND

WHEN KAWASAKI INTRODUCED THE CONCOURS IN 1986, it promised to leave the bike unchanged for five years. Except for a few detail changes for the Concours’ second year, the company has more than made good on that promise. That’s probably good for resale value of older Concours, but it also means that the 1993 version was far from being competitive with newer, more sophisticate sport-tourers. So, for 1994, Kawasaki finally upgraded the Concours. A little, though, just a little.

Changes include screw-type fork preload adjusters in place of the previously used air caps; a floating brake caliper with differentially sized pistons replaces last year’s single-piston front caliper; a front wheel taken from the ZR1100 parts bin replaces the older unit, and a new rear wheel, designed to match the front, is used; the instrument panel and surrounding plastic got a much-needed upgrade,

and the bike’s seat is new, thicker than before and covered with a textured plastic.

Chassis dimensions for the 1994 Concours were unavailable. And with fluctuating dollar-to-yen rates, Kawasaki, like all Japanese manufacturers, is waiting until the last possible minute to set 1994 prices. Look for the new-andimproved model to continue the Concours tradition of being a steady, stable riding partner and sport-touring’s bargain bike.