Opinions on the Kawasaki Concours 14

[misterprofessionality]

Howdy gang,

I know i've seen at least some of you mention that you own or have owned Connies, so i'm asking the group for a generalized opinion on the bike as a workhorse, touring machine, and overall purchase value. I have an opportunity to get a 2008 with only 4500 miles on it, and despite the bike being 12 years old it appears to be in slamming good condition. If everything is as it seems, I want to know what owners of the bike think in realistic terms.

* What would be the real difference between a 2008 and a 2019 model Concours in terms of features and benefits? all the research i've done seems to suggest that there is almost no measurable difference. the bike hasn't been redesigned in 15 years.

* What's the most you'd pay for a 2008 connie with 4500 miles on it?

* What should i look out for on a concours that appears to have spent most of the last 12 years not being ridden?

* If my goal is to get a good, safe, satisfying sport touring motorcycle, what should i shop for instead?

Thanks folks. :beerchug:

 

[misterprofessionality]

Thanks M. i'm totally aware of the speed. Rode a '15 about 2 months ago at my local dealership (it's still there but they want 9k for it). I liked what i rode, but wasn't willing to pay all that much considering what I already own. It was good but not in a "replaces my CB" kinda way. Certainly more powerful, but not with power that's more useful if that makes any sense to say. However, it occured to me that these bikes haven't changed in many years so when i saw the low mileage '08 i realized i might be able to have one.

If your 1st gen burst into flames tomorrow and you needed a new sport touring bike, would you get a 2nd gen, or would you get something else?

 

[Crazyirv_imp]

Kawasaki inline four bikes are every bit as dependable if not more than Hondas. The Connie is built to load up the miles and last and last. Haven't owned one but always admired them starting with the older generation ones, which had to be one of the great bargains ever in motorcycling. Sold my Kaw Z750S in 2018 that I owned from 8k miles to 46K miles. Total Issues:1 short cost me $99 to fix. The most I would pay for the one you describe would be $7000.....less than half of a new one. A Yamaha FJR 1300 would be also be a great ST bike to have.

 

[LongRanger_imp]

If I were to compare sport-touring bikes, I’d make a list of the features that are important to me and go from there (electric windscreen? cruise? heated seat / grips? 300-mile range? electronic adjustable suspension? etc.). I’m sure the C14 is a fabulous bike but only you can determine if it checks all your boxes and is right for you.

 

[PowerDubs_imp]

I'm in a weird world- if there was a new bike with new stuff that I really loved, I suppose I would pay 12-15k, IF it hit everything correctly to me.

The more *EH* I see that I need to correct, the less I am willing to pay, as I need to fix that stuff myself.

The CB is a perfect example- I knew I was interested for years before I bought one.

But I didn't want red.

Then came the black model... but I don't want all black.. and the look needed tweaking which takes time and money...

So I waited...and bought a leftover '14 standard in '16.

Long story short- peoples garages are filled with low mile used bikes. Cash talks. Especially on a bike that hasn't changed in 12+ years.

I'd ask myself what would that bike offer me that the CB doesn't? Style? Range? Comfort? Passenger? Thrill?

Some of that can be addressed, if even a little improvement for much less- without the negatives that bike may bring.

 

[misterprofessionality]

Longranger: It's not so much a matter of what features i want and considering whether or not the bike ticks all the boxes. If i could do that I would be spending around 20k on a bike that's perfect, and entirely replacing my CB. That's not happening here. What i've run into is a chance to buy a Kawasaki Concours 14 with very low miles for about 4.5k. It doesnt tick *all* the boxes truth be told, but it does tick some. and it ticks way more than anything else I could ever buy for 4.5k, i'll say that for sure. What i'm asking the group is "what's wrong with this bike?"

Josh: That's a lot of good input. for me it's always about "what can i get for the price?" it was the reason i bought my CB and i've always been happy with that decision. The Concours certainly offers me a great deal more comfort and safety. with a better suspension, ABS, traction control, and other features the bike is just plain safer and more practical for my daily commute. since i live on a motorcycle and have no car at all, this is important. the CB is a stellar bike but at the same time i've locked up those tires more than a few times. at the end of the day, better brakes all by itself is a reason to rethink my commuting strategy. In this case, i'm looking at an opportunity to get all that extra safety and comfort for the price of 4.5k, and I don't even have to give up my CB1100, which is now a sentimental favorite.

There's also the range advantage to think of, which affects my commute in a big way and gives me the ability to take much longer trips which would be quite uncomfortable on the CB. This way I can save the CB for rallies, trips to he NC mountains, and pull out the Concours for almost everything else.

 

[bflint]

What year/model cb1100 do you own? My 2014 DX abs breaking and suspension make it pretty safe/comfortable for me.

 

[KiowaEagle_imp]

I'm glad to see you're looking to keep your CB and add another bike MrP. I'm not in the same position as you that bikes are your only means of transportation (although I have been in the past) but it's smart and fun to diversify.
I have no experience with the Concours but I do with Kawi fours and if you find it's a bike that fits your needs then grab it, you can't go wrong. They are super reliable bikes.

Bflint, the '14 standard does not have ABS.

 

[Houtman_imp]

A riding buddy of mine had one , never did much to the bike and loved it . He is dead now . ( the rider I mean , bike is still alive)

 

[Cormanus]

I'm sorry you lost your friend Houtman, but I'm glad you told us the bike is still alive as we might have thought they both went together.

 

[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 . 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.