2010 Kawasaki Concours 14 Review

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SockMonkey

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Though I'm no particular fan of the Kawasaki Concours 14 owing to some rather questionable aesthetic choices and its overall squat appearance, I tip my hat to Kawasaki for paying attention to critiques of the bike in the moto mags and, specifically, actively listenting to and soliciting feedback from the bike's owners on ways to improve the platform. Most remarkable to me is that Kawasaki implemented the needed/recommended changes within the span of 2 model years resulting in what is being described as a much improved 2010 model. Kudos to you, Kawi..! :clapping:

Review from Motorcycle USA: 2010 Kawasaki Concours 14 Review

Oh, and, uh, Mother Yamaha..? You might want to take a few notes... ;)

 
It is too bad Yamaha doesn't keep their ear to the ground a little more. I doubt there will be any significant changes to the FJR this year, should have heard of some by now. So far I have seen no compelling reason to upgrade from my '05. Maybe Yamaha is spending all their money on racing with little left over for consumer R&D other than sport bikes.

Although I really like my FJR, the 14 might be something to consider when it is time to upgrade.

Bill

 
My argument up to this point has also been that there hasn't been a significant reason for me to upgrade from my '04. As it doesn't appear that Yamaha is looking to do anything other than continue to change the color of the body and wheels, and the fact that Kawi is taking huge strides on their bike, I may have to take a serious look at this.

 
Kawasaki would have really hit a home run with the C14 if they would have given it the same front suspension that they put on the less expensive ZX-14.

 
Kudos to Kawi for making the upgrades. I'll still never own one. With the miles I ride, there is no way I would put up with the cost/frequency/PITA factor of the maintenance schedule.

 
It's an impressive list of upgrades to a two year old platform. Good for Kawi pushing the envelope.

That's a whole lot of buttons on the left handlebar. At what point is it too many? I occasionally read car magazines; a recurring complaint is the number of buttons and/or menus in the electronics systems. Are motorcycles going the same way?

Did the C14 always have that matte black lower fairing? It really stands out in the photos of the bike cornering. Dang that is ugly. The Ferrari fins I can live with, but at least paint the whole thing!

 
Kudos to Kawi for making the upgrades. I'll still never own one. With the miles I ride, there is no way I would put up with the cost/frequency/PITA factor of the maintenance schedule.
That's a very good point. I wonder if the new bodywork makes any difference to that one way or another or is the PITA factor purely a function of the engine design?

It's an impressive list of upgrades to a two year old platform. Good for Kawi pushing the envelope.
That's a whole lot of buttons on the left handlebar. At what point is it too many? I occasionally read car magazines; a recurring complaint is the number of buttons and/or menus in the electronics systems. Are motorcycles going the same way?

Did the C14 always have that matte black lower fairing? It really stands out in the photos of the bike cornering. Dang that is ugly. The Ferrari fins I can live with, but at least paint the whole thing!
Also a good point on the buttons. One reason (among several) I'll never own a Wing.

 
...the cost/frequency/PITA factor of the maintenance schedule....
Amen.

You'd think that the editors would point out what should be among the most important considerations

for a prospective buyer.. A glaring drawback, and far more critical than winscreen position presets.

Sheesh.

(And that Candy Neptune Blue is obviously a ripoff of Yamaha's ultra-sensual, swoon-inducing, '06 FJR blue.)

 
Kudos to Kawi for making the upgrades. I'll still never own one. With the miles I ride, there is no way I would put up with the cost/frequency/PITA factor of the maintenance schedule.
As a C14 owner, I spend a fair amount of time lurking on the C14 forums and except for the valve adjustment intervals, there doesn't seem to be that much difference between the the C14 and FJR maintenance schedules.

The C14 calls for a 15K interval for valve checks in the US and Canada models but 24K everywhere else. The difference is a mystery, some think it is because emissions requirements related to the US models not having a closed loop FI system, others think it is the quality of gas in the US. It appears that about half of the C14s require some shim changes at the first valve check but once adjusted they hold their clearances very well and can easily go 25K between checks. The procedure itself requires removing a lot of parts to get to the valve cover but doesn't take that much time after the initial learning process. Fred Harmon has documented all the C14 maintenance requirements in a DVD collection and those who have followed his procedures say that everything is pretty straight forward for anyone with basic mechanic skills.

To date, only a couple of C14 riders have passed the 50K mark so the C14's long term reliability is yet to be established.

 
Just read heated grips and a linked brake system for the new kawie , Looks like they want to take over the 15k s/t market

 
What about spark plug changes?
The maintenance schedule calls for plug changes at 7500 miles but...they are iridium plugs, with a separate ignition coil for each plug...which means they fire only on the compression stroke (unlike the FJR's plugs which fire both on the compression and exhaust stroke). Changing the plugs at 7500 seems like a waste of time and money, Fred Harmon says they should be good for at least 30K, one C14 owner put his plugs back in after the 45K valve check...I plan to change mine whenever I do a valve check but not before.

 
What about spark plug changes?
The maintenance schedule calls for plug changes at 7500 miles but...they are iridium plugs, with a separate ignition coil for each plug...which means they fire only on the compression stroke (unlike the FJR's plugs which fire both on the compression and exhaust stroke). Changing the plugs at 7500 seems like a waste of time and money, Fred Harmon says they should be good for at least 30K, one C14 owner put his plugs back in after the 45K valve check...I plan to change mine whenever I do a valve check but not before.
Sounds very similar to what I have been reading. Guess it's coming from the same source??? Anyways, sounds like the 15K valve adjustment and 7500 mile spark plug replacement are CYA intervals and are not representative of points where components are failing. In fact, for those that do the 15K valve check, I would be curious to know what the intervals where at 0 miles compared to 15K.

So, is it a common practice to do the spark plug change at 15K when the initial valve clearance check is done and then replace the plugs next time the valves are checked?

 
In fact, for those that do the 15K valve check, I would be curious to know what the intervals where at 0 miles compared to 15K. So, is it a common practice to do the spark plug change at 15K when the initial valve clearance check is done and then replace the plugs next time the valves are checked?
Since nobody has checked their valve clearances at 0 miles, it anyone's guess whether shim adjustments at 15K are due to wear or the out of spec clearances came that way from the factory.

I can't say that it is a common practice to replace plugs only at the valve checks but that seems to be what most are doing...except those that pull the plugs at the valve ckecks, inspect them, and then put the plugs back in. I haven't read that anyone felt their C14s ran better after replacing the plugs.

 
Any mention if they upgraded the plastic with regards to the melting dashes and panels?

 
280 mph on the speedo? (I'm ass-uming it's not kph on a US test bike) Makes it a bit harder to read when you're in that 15 mph school zone....

 
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280 mph on the speedo? (I'm ass-uming it's not kph on a US test bike) Makes it a bit harder to read when you're in that 15 mph school zone....
Try looking again...

10con1029.jpg


 
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