December '07 RoadRUNNER review - Kawasaki C14

Author: Chris Myers

Over all impression: "completely smitten"

The review reads like an advertisement. It should have been placed directly after the two page ad for the C14 rather than 16 pages later.

The article did mention that Kawasaki fed the journalists breakfast before the road test. Kawasaki Green Kool-Aid™ Breakfast Drink?

I know it’s a fine machine, but give me a break.

I seem to remember...a loooong time ago....in a land..far, far away...

The same things being said about a certain Sport Touring bike made by.........Yamaha. Now that I ponder, it seems like.....oh.....5 years ago and they were all talking about some special program....what was it? Oh yeah, the PDP or something like that.

Just like when we go looking for the next great hope for our cager needs, the writers are always looking for the next great thing to tickle their "fancy".

Let's wait until the bike has a year on the road with various riders aboard. The owners and their experience will tell us all more than whatever any article about a test ride.

In the end, FOR ME, the FJR fills my needs and I've no reason or desire to change.

For the Kawi faithful and those who have been waiting for 20 years for a Connie update, congratulations.

madmike2 said:

I seem to remember...a loooong time ago....in a land..far, far away...
The same things being said about a certain Sport Touring bike made by.........Yamaha. Now that I ponder, it seems like.....oh.....5 years ago and they were all talking about some special program....what was it? Oh yeah, the PDP or something like that.

Just like when we go looking for the next great hope for our cager needs, the writers are always looking for the next great thing to tickle their "fancy".

Let's wait until the bike has a year on the road with various riders aboard. The owners and their experience will tell us all more than whatever any article about a test ride.

In the end, FOR ME, the FJR fills my needs and I've no reason or desire to change.

For the Kawi faithful and those who have been waiting for 20 years for a Connie update, congratulations.

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Dayem!

For an old curmudgeon, you sure can be the voice of reason, good will to all men, and all that shit.

Well said, meester Mike.

SkooterG said:

Dayem!
For an old curmudgeon, you sure can be the voice of reason, good will to all men, and all that shit.

Well said, meester Mike.

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Welll, the meds must be working today. :snooks:

madmike2 said:

For the Kawi faithful and those who have been waiting for 20 years for a Connie update, congratulations.

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Yeah, you would think that COG-land would be a happy bunch, but it's been an interesting study in the human psyche to peruse their forums since the GTR1400 has hit our shores....

There seems to be an increasing segment of this new Connie owner base that just doesn't seem to mesh well with the old Connie crowd.

The old, staid Connie owner was stereo-typically (meaning: not always) a crusty, frugal old bastard, usually self-reliant, hard-headed, enjoyed doing shit on the cheap, often camp when bike touring, etc, etc. To hear him tell it, his Connie was the finest bike ever made in the History of Man.

The new GTR1400 owner is typically (but not always) younger, perhaps an aging sportbiker coming off a Blackbird or Hayabusa, or coming from another high-powered, late-technology machine. Or is a rider who, regardless of age, has always had "go-fast" leanings. He typically is keenly interested in the SPORT-touring aspects of the machine, and he doesn't even blink at the thought of dropping another 1 or 2 Large for a full Ti exhaust system, PC-III with custom map, etc. The latter is quite a departure from the old Connie guard.

I check on the GTR1400 forums weekly or so to check for any bike trends, and the dynamics of these two group interacting are sure entertaining to watch sometimes.

For shit sake, how many more threads will will poopoo the C14. Kawi made a new bike, all bike companies to that. Once they work the kinks out of it, it will be just like any other piece of technology it will have its day just like the FJR. new bikes are rarely a quantum leap. Look at the busa, it was only slightly ahead of the XX

Lets not loose sight of the fact that we want faster safer better more comfy bikes. so just keep replacing your old bike with the latest and greatest and they will just keep makin them better!

I don't know that I'd interpret the tenor of this thread as "pooh-poohing" the C-14. Its a great machine and will certainly fill a need and hopefully sell very well. As far as I'm concerned, the more Sport-Touring bikes on the road the better for all of us. (I was a former C-10 owner).

I don't know yet that it is a "giant" leap over the current STs or if iKawi has applied technology advances the others have yet to include in their engineering. The FJR was certainly ahead of the ST1100 (and the C-10) though not as sporty as the Aprilia Futura or Triumph Sprint ST and in direct competition with the ST1300 (notice I did not try to include the BMW models).

As with the above mentioned bikes, time has dictated where they fall in the marketplace for ownership. The same will hold true for the C-14. So far ST riding seems to be a rather small and narrow niche, but its growing. I applaud Kawasaki for coming into the competition with the C-14. Next upgrade cycle Honda and Yamaha will make improvements to or redesign their respective platforms , and the magazines will have a wonderful time heaping praise on their efforts.

You're right, its all part of the business and we are all better for the selections they market.

Who the Hell Cares? Why do so many of you guys worry so much about what the magazines say? :dntknw: The goal of the magazine isn't to state all of the facts, tear the bike down and find all of it's weaknesses. It's to SELL MAGAZINES and advertising.

JW

jwilly said:

Who the Hell Cares? Why do so many of you guys worry so much about what the magazines say? :dntknw: The goal of the magazine isn't to state all of the facts, tear the bike down and find all of it's weaknesses. It's to SELL MAGAZINES and advertising.
JW

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To sell magazines to me the journalism needs to be objective.

As "a crusty, frugal old bastard, usually self-reliant, hard-headed, enjoyed doing shit on the cheap, often camp when bike touring, etc, etc." former Connie owner, I want to read about a kick ass new Concours. I've ridden the new bike and I liked it.

If that article was too sweet for me, it's too sweet.

I am a current subscriber to Road Runner, not planning to renew. If you read a couple issues of the magazine, you will find that the feature articles are mostly puff pieces, identifying manufacturers of clothing, bikes, lodging providers, etc. The rest of the magazine consists of rewritten press releases from manufacturers. Being touted in a RoadRunner article just means that Kawasaki gave the author a free ride and got a big wet kiss in return. It doesn't have anything to do with the merits of the bike.

Joe2Lmaker said:

To sell magazines to me the journalism needs to be objective.

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Nice sentiment, but unfortunately not a true statement. The more sugar packed onto a shred of fact, the better a magazine sells. Its kinda like the shredded mini wheat cereal. No one wants it unless its the frosted kind with all of the sugar. Mmmm... cereal...

kmkirlin said:

[...]If you read a couple issues of the magazine, you will find that the feature articles are mostly puff pieces, identifying manufacturers of clothing, bikes, lodging providers, etc. The rest of the magazine consists of rewritten press releases from manufacturers. [...]

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I hate to say it (since I enjoyed RR for several years and found its quality and photography to be superior to most mags) but that is a pretty accurate review of the current state of affairs at RR and at most mags.

Bottom line: use magazines to find interesting destinations, inspiration, and perhaps an occasional "how-to" article ... but DO NOT take the bike and gear reviews too seriously if you are concerned about objectivity. Despite the magazine's primary focus remains the touring crowd, RR's review of the new Connie should not be the be-all, end-all of reviews.

madmike2 said:

I don't know that I'd interpret the tenor of this thread as "pooh-poohing" the C-14. Its a great machine and will certainly fill a need and hopefully sell very well. As far as I'm concerned, the more Sport-Touring bikes on the road the better for all of us. (I was a former C-10 owner).
You're right, its all part of the business and we are all better for the selections they market.

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I guess when I read:

Joe2Lmaker said:

The review reads like an advertisement. It should have been placed directly after the two page ad for the C14 rather than 16 pages later.The article did mention that Kawasaki fed the journalists breakfast before the road test. Kawasaki Green Kool-Aid™ Breakfast Drink?

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I inturpret that as suggesting that the good review was the product of the journalists being fed in return for an advertisement. By virtue of the fact that Kawi as to buy good reviews, it implies that the C14 cant stand on its own. That's poopooing in my book

Kevin Daly said:

I inturpret that as suggesting that the good review was the product of the journalists being fed in return for an advertisement. By virtue of the fact that Kawi as to buy good reviews, it implies that the C14 cant stand on its own. That's poopooing in my book

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Well, that's not the first time I've been told my writing is interpreted to mean something other than I intended.

My mistake.

What I meant what that the positive response was so completely over the top that I questioned if it was a result of some euphoric controlled substance.

One good thing that came out of this is my new signature. Warchild knows his Concours types.

Joe2Lmaker said:

One good thing that came out of this is my new signature. Warchild knows his Concours types.

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Warchild obviously has some marketing experience but, if not, he should! He nailed that description of the Connie demographic! :lol:

MCNews (Dec-07) did a comparo of the FJR, ST1300 & C14. This mag is far less about marketing IMO than the big, glossy mags so their reveiws are worth more, at least to me. Anyway, they rated FJR (2007) as #1 in most categories, ST was 2nd and the C14 some distance behind. The few small points MCNews didn't like about the FJR are supposed to be addressed in the 2008 model.

JamesK said:

MCNews (Dec-07) did a comparo of the FJR, ST1300 & C14. This mag is far less about marketing IMO than the big, glossy mags so their reveiws are worth more, at least to me. Anyway, they rated FJR (2007) as #1 in most categories, ST was 2nd and the C14 some distance behind. The few small points MCNews didn't like about the FJR are supposed to be addressed in the 2008 model.

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Yep! That particular MCN article was discussed here: Clicky this linky!