They haven't made the C10 in a long time, have they? So are you thinking about a Gen II FJR vs. a C10?
I think the Gen II FJR beats the C10 by a country mile. That C10 was pretty clunky.
Compared to the C14, the Gen II or Gen III FJR are different animals ... a bit lighter. I think that although the C14 is may have a sportier motor, that overall the FJR is the sportier bike. Other folks have different opinions.
One thing about an older C14 or C10 is that I'll bet you could get them for less money than an FJR from the comparable year and in comparable condition. None of the these bikes are investments, but the Kawasaki cost less to begin with.
Actually, except for power and whiz bang features, the 2010 NT, 2015 Gen III and 2003 C10 arent that all as far apart as you might think. The riding positions are about the same....the C10 might have a bit more weather protection and the NT with the big lids has a bit more pannier room, and of course the GenIII has lots of very nice features like cruise, anti-lock and anti skid, but going down an interstate at 70 mph, they will all do the job.....oh, and they will all fall over nicely at gas stations if you dont pay attention......
Today the motorcycle shops reopenned and the weather was good enough to drive 110 miles to see a 2015 FJR in a showroom.
The short report...I like it!
The Long Report. Found the 2015 FJR parked along side a new Kaw C14 in GREEN. Ugly bike, but no matter, it was a good compare. The FJR looked smaller than the Kaw which was pleasantly surprising. I slung my leg over the F and it was easy to get on. Feet were flat on the ground with room to spare. With the understanding that the tank was probably all but empty, I pitched it left and right a bit….it felt fine…not heavy at all. I paddled around the showroom floor a bit and I had no problem there. The salesperson arrived and after nose sniffing, I asked him to spot me putting the bike on the center stand….I had no issues there at all (but also keeping in mind the fuel load). Sitting on the bike, everything felt fine for my lanky 6’2” frame. In fact, it felt much the same as my NT. I cringed a bit when I worked the clutch but then I put the clutch adjustment to Position 5 and tried it again…it felt fine….no issues…my small hands just needed the adjustment. The salesperson was busier than a one armed paper hanger with crabs and foot fungus, so I just sat on the bike to see how it felt for awhile and checked it out…..no issues. Getting off the bike, my hands couldn’t work the headlight adjusters . Too weak in old age, I guess. I got one to move one direction a bit. I have a tool to remove jar lids, too. I did wonder if it was true that the headlights needed one hour of shop time to replace the bulbs like one guy’s vid said. I checked out the rear wheel removal as I had read the procedure and it looked easier than the NT or the Connie C10. I asked for the key and checked out the pannier space…not as bit as the C10 or NT with the big lids but certainly adequate. I would say that for me, I would need a bigger windscreen, a real luggage rack, and the canyon cages and bag protectors for farkels. My only work now is to sort out what color I really want and how much I want to pay for it, and I think I will have that done by the middlish of next week…..the 2015 “Charcoal” (Really Luftwaffe bluish grey) isn’t at all as bad as I thought it would be in person…but nothing beats red!
