Opinions on the Kawasaki Concours 14

[zirconxi_imp]

Never own one but always wanted to have one. Only test sitting on it before. Felt like a Goldwing on steroid.

[misterprofessionality]

I did get to ride one at a dealer not too long ago. I was impressed by the power delivery but found that it only paid off in smiles, not in a truly practical way. Smiles are worth something, though.
bflint actually brings up an interesting point. I wonder what the cost would be to convert my CB to ABS using the available parts from a DLX or a '17 model?

[PowerDubs_imp]

I've already thought about adding ABS to my '14 standard as that is probably what happened in my crash although I don't remember anything from the time I saw tailights until the ambulance.

I *think* a car came out of a driveway or side street and I must hat nailed the brakes.

Took a quick look at the parts breakdown and just 1 part, the ABS module thingy alone is over $1k new. I would be better off buying a complete abs equipped cb1100 off ebay or crags list, swapping parts, and selling the rest.

[misterprofessionality]

Josh,

I would only consider doing it if i could find a salvage/wrecked '17 or DLX that i could buy for about 2k or so and then strip all the parts off it. Stripping the parts you need off the bike and then parting out and selling the rest of the bike would probably be very very cost effective. The trouble is finding a wrecked/totalled one nearby.

Does anybody know if good sources for crashed bikes?

[misterprofessionality]

Interesting. I"m looking that up now. Looks like they stopped making those in 2011? One can be had with 6200 miles on it for 5k in North Carolina.

edit again: interesting point #2 that's a chain drive! unusual for this class of bike. they all seem to be shafts.

[VLJ_imp]

Besides the enormous weight and sheer size of the thing, in particular the width of the tank area, the one consistent complaint I've heard regarding the Connie 14 is its penchant for cooking its rider with engine heat. It's the same issue that drove me off of my first-model-year ST1300; the same issue that plagued early editions of the FJR1300.

There have also been numerous complaints of noisy wind buffeting coming off of that electric windshield, but that complaint goes hand in hand with nearly every bike of that type.

[misterprofessionality]

Well i'm not going to buy it just like that :-p. Looking at some figures and information I have a sneaking suspicion that the bike is somehow slower than my CB!

Stacking it up against a VFR800DLX (which i also have a line on locally), how does the triumph improve my life?

edit: that was a dumb comparison, i'm mixing my numbers up. I was comparing it to a BMW K1300GT that I found listed for about the same price with similar mileage. How does a Triumph Sprint GT improve my life over the BMer?

[VLJ_imp]

The Connie 14 is definitely faster than your CB. It won't handle as well, but it's much faster. A Sprint GT is also much faster than your CB. So is a K1300GT.

The advantages the Sprint GT has over the K1300GT are all the usual ones with associated with a smaller bike vs a larger one. It handles better. It's more confidence-inspiring and user-friendly. It's easier to deal with at parking lot speeds. It's easier to move around in the garage. It's easier to park, dismount, and lift back up off of the sidestand. Power-wise, it makes less, but due to its lighter weight and revvier engine it's faster than the BMW, but not as torquey down low. The main thing is it's a lot more fun while being a bit less long-distance comfortable than the more touring-focused BMW. The BMW's shaft drive is a huge plus, in terms of day-to-day maintenance and touring ease. Speaking of which, maintenance will be less frequent yet much more costly on the BMW. The BMW will last longer, but it will nickel-and-dime you more, and it won't just be nickels and dimes.

[misterprofessionality]

Thanks for all your input guys. The situation is evolving. I'd been considering the merits of either getting a newer, higher tech bike to share my garage alongside the CB so that I could stop using the CB for commuting, or simply upgrading the CB to make it safer. the truth is however that no amount of upgrading i can do to the CB is ever going to make it even a fraction as safe as a more modern bike, so it looks like i'm locked into getting a stablemate. Here's the lay of the land:

The Triumph Sprint i found is now a no go. I'm discovering that there's potentially some mechanical gremlins with this bike. It's been sold by a Car dealership, (some questionable trade in they accepted) so i'm doubly worried about the support and potential problems i'll have with it. I think there's a chance it might be a really great deal but there's also a chance it could go sour on me. considering it's the only bike i have to look at in Wilmington, i'm inclined to just strike it from the list.

The concours 14 is still on the list but i'm starting to believe that it's just too darn heavy to go about my daily life on it. riding it is great. sweeping around on and offramps and flying down the highway is fantastic, but putting through parking lots and stop and go traffic is just arduous. it may be an amazing deal but i'm probably just going to have to pass. we'll see.

Some new entries into the pool of possibilities: A Vstrom DL1000 (post 2014 redesign). i'm finding a couple examples of this bike and it shocked me in that it's lighter than it looks, comes with ABS, Traction control, heated grips, loads of comfort and a bang on suspension. This is one to look out for in the budget.

A Tracer 900/FJ-09. I think if i added a Corbin heated seat to this bike it would be a really capable tourer and long mile bike. There are many examples of these for sale in the area on budget with very low miles.

A Tiger 800 XC. I'm finding a few examples of these around with surprisingly few miles on them in very good condition, sporting a similar triumph triple power plant to the Sprint that M in SC gave praise to. I'm reading a lot of good things about this bike, but my initial reaction is that it's just too tall and too "off road" for my purposes. Still comes with ABS, traction control, heated grips, and some examples even have cruise control!

A VFR800F DLX. It's white. it's lean. it's around the same speed as my CB, and it's available in town. this is the one bike I don't have to travel for. I'm going to test ride one tonight and see if it's a real contender. It does come with ABS, traction control, quick shifter, storage, heated grips, and all the creature comforts you can imagine. Once again the addition of a heated Corbin seat might make this a really capable universal bike. This is probably the "slowest" bike i've looked at, except maybe for the Tiger.

[the Ferret]

The V Strom 1000 is another one of Suzuki's under rated motorcycles. A buddy and I rode to California and back in 2014. He was on a DL 1000 and thought it was the perfect bike for that trip. He has also owned an FJR and 2 BMW GS 1200's so I think that is high praise indeed.



My son had a FJ-09 with factory bags and trunk. From the reviews he thought it would thrill him. It didn't. He said it was just "OK". He kept it for a year and 13,000 miles and traded it for an MT 10.



Good thing you are young and have limber legs if you plan on riding the VFR. I test rode a new 14 and felt like a jockey on the thing and I'm only 5' 5 1/2"' tall. Almost everyone that wants to sport tour on one adds helibar risers and foot peg lowering kit. Some are not fond of the Vtec motor characteristics

I have one buddy that bought the Triumph Tiger 800. At first he was in love with it, but I think some small issues, a poor dealer network and eventually wanting more power and comfort got to him. He traded for a BMW RT.