Rode a Concours 14 Yesterday

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Archer1022

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My co-worker just bought a Concours 14 and I had spin on it yesterday. Initial impressions were that it was not as quick as the FJR; it felt like it had a lot of flywheel. Of course, I only ran it up to 10,000 rpm once since he is still breaking it in. Very smooth, nice riding position, lots of leg room. Typical Kawi rough weld quality, rough casting surfaces and detail. Mirrors are almost useless with the bags on. They are mounted low and the bags are mounted high so the bag blocks over half of the what you see.

The bags are very nice, easily swallow a full face and overall the bike is very nice. However, not nearly enough to give up my 05!

Archer

 
One thing has not been changed, as confirmed by a Yama/Honda/Kaw/Suzuki/BMW certified wrench...

"One brand alone is more likely to sheer a bolt head when torquing it to spec: Kaw. I swear to God their vendor must be using recycled aluminum cans..."

 
No mention of the heat problem. Maybe you have to really be dogging it to get this result.

 
Archer1022 said:
My co-worker just bought a Concours 14 and I had spin on it yesterday. Of course, I only ran it up to 10,000 rpm once since he is still breaking it in.
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Nice of you to keep it under 10K during break-in. I'm sure that's what Kawasaki recommends, unlike those wussies at Yamaha.

 
YES SIR!!!!!

The C14 may indeed be a nice ride.. I have always loved my Kawasaki's BUT like I've said B4... The C14 in NO WAY, SHAPE or FORM (including looks, performance and touring abilities) beats the FJR1300.......NO WAY!! My crystal ball tells me that the longer this bike is out the less people will be talking about it (DAH!!!!). Seriously though.. a true fair unbiased head to head comparo will result in the FJR being the better sport tourer. Not that the FJR can't be improved BUT the C14 is NOT the improvement of the FJR!! I bet that it may even be a poor sales draw after the initial hype is over. THE FJR IS THE PROVEN SPORT TOURER.. The BMW is the FJR's competition.. Not the C14.

Wicked Webby

 
Given the results of the recent IBR (the large % of BMW drive train failures), I'm not even sure I'd put BMW on the same plane...just my .02...

 
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Gentleman! cover your Cheerios, I gotta piss!!!!!!!!!

There isn't a clear cut winner between these two yet (will there ever be????) according to all the moto rags, But! the Connie does cut a quicker quarter and top end..... if you read that part in the glossy section of Cycle World and compare it to the last fjr test.

Oh I :wub: My feej and have said the Connie is BUTT UGLY but.... as far as being able to tell whats faster by just seat of the pants???????????? Step away from the toke stone dudes :dribble:

:jester:

 
Bustanut joker said:
Gentleman! cover your Cheerios, I gotta piss!!!!!!!!!
There isn't a clear cut winner between these two yet (will there ever be????) according to all the moto rags, But! the Connie does cut a quicker quarter and top end..... if you read that part in the glossy section of Cycle World and compare it to the last fjr test.

Oh I :wub: My feej and have said the Connie is BUTT UGLY but.... as far as being able to tell whats faster by just seat of the pants???????????? Step away from the toke stone dudes :dribble:

:jester:
Click to expand...
BNJ,

What mag u reading that is posting the C14's and FJR's top speed? Sportrider posts the FJR( '05) has a quicker 1/4mi speed and faster time than the C14. Also the FJR is smoking it in top gear roll-on(I know 5th vs 6th) But top gear is top gear. If you recall the Gen II's have better gearing for top end runs. A few honest C14 forum guys are reporting no better than 149mph on gps in 5th...and in 6th.. it ends up losing speed going slower because 6th is a true OD and the bike can't carry the speed. I know we talking about a few mph and 10ths of the second and who really cares BUT..... The fastest my '07(stock) has done with loaded bags on GPS has been 154 mph. I am hoping to do better than a 160+ with no bags and my pipes. Sorry joker nut, I think your pulling the wrong leg....Let go! You got me middle one!

HAHAHAHAHA,

WW

 
Wicked Webby said:
What mag u reading that is posting the C14's and FJR's top speed?
Gotta dig up the Cycle World from 04 that posted the fjr times but it was fractionally slower than the October 07 Connie report.

Sorry joker nut, I think your pulling the wrong leg....Let go! You got me middle one!

Dude, sorry! was lookin fer crayfish.... skinnydippin scene from Wild Hogs :yahoo:

HAHAHAHAHA,

WW
Click to expand...
 
Bustanut joker said:
Wicked Webby said:
What mag u reading that is posting the C14's and FJR's top speed?
Gotta dig up the Cycle World from 04 that posted the fjr times but it was fractionally slower than the October 07 Connie report.

Sorry joker nut, I think your pulling the wrong leg....Let go! You got me middle one!

Dude, sorry! was lookin fer crayfish.... skinnydippin scene from Wild Hogs :yahoo:

HAHAHAHAHA,

WW
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Now that is some funny shit!

HahahahahaHa

WW

 
'05 FJR heat issues prompted me to recently trade my '05 for an '07 A model. A C-14 was sitting right beside the '07 FJR on the showroom floor. It was the first time I had seen the C-14, (outside magazines pictures). Seeing the two bikes sitting side-by-side was interesting and I took full advantage of making comparisons. My first thoughts were, the FJR looked more sleek and refined, (and I especially liked the black-cherry color).

The C-14 looked like a prototype built for a James Bond movie. The hard bags on the C-14 sat high on the frame; kinda stange looking. I wondered how the C-14 would handle if those high-mounted side bags were full of heavy items? The seat on the C-14 looked more comfortable than the FJR's seat, and when I sat on it, it was. The riding position of both bikes felt about the same. ABS optional on the C-14. Reading through the C-14 brochure, lot's of fancy computer's talking to each other, (forget the "Keep It Simple" methods here!). Thought's ran through my head of dropping a C-14 off for Service and a 19 year old motorcycle super tech attempting to resolve its computer problems! The C-14 has remote monitoring of the tire air pressure and FOB starting. Nice options I guess, but I figured Yam will add those options to FJR's eventually (hopefully with cruise control! :^)

I had read (but I haven't been able to confirm yet) that the C-14 has heat issues. Regardless of brand, I wasn't going to take a chance buying another "cooker" (although I really liked my '05 FJR with the exception of the heat). But even if there's not a heat issue with the C-14, there was no contest -> FJR. The '07 FJR fixed the heat problems to my satisfaction and added a few bells and whistles. I feel I definitely made the right choice.

 
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SR-71 said:
'05 FJR heat issues prompted me to recently trade my '05 for an '07 A model. A C-14 was sitting right beside the '07 FJR on the showroom floor. It was the first time I had seen the C-14, (outside magazines pictures). Seeing the two bikes sitting side-by-side was interesting and I took full advantage of making comparisons. My first thoughts were, the FJR looked more sleek and refined, (and I especially liked the black-cherry color).
The C-14 looked like a prototype built for a James Bond movie. The hard bags on the C-14 sat high on the frame; kinda stange looking. I wondered how the C-14 would handle if those high-mounted side bags were full of heavy items? The seat on the C-14 looked more comfortable than the FJR's seat, and when I sat on it, it was. The riding position of both bikes felt about the same. ABS optional on the C-14. Reading through the C-14 brochure, lot's of fancy computer's talking to each other, (forget the "Keep It Simple" methods here!). Thought's ran through my head of dropping a C-14 off for Service and a 19 year old motorcycle super tech attempting to resolve its computer problems! The C-14 has remote monitoring of the tire air pressure and FOB starting. Nice options I guess, but I figured Yam will add those options to FJR's eventually (hopefully with cruise control! :^)

I had read (but I haven't been able to confirm yet) that the C-14 has heat issues. Regardless of brand, I wasn't going to take a chance buying another "cooker" (although I really liked my '05 FJR with the exception of the heat). But even if there's not a heat issue with the C-14, there was no contest -> FJR. The '07 FJR fixed the heat problems to my satisfaction and added a few bells and whistles. I feel I definitely made the right choice.
Click to expand...
Can I get a AMEN!!!

WW

 
Wicked Webby said:
THE FJR IS THE PROVEN SPORT TOURER.
Click to expand...
With switch failures, altitude sickness, and clutch problems, I don't think so. I've never seen those problems on a 4/5 yr-old platform. I was always afraid of having problems with my BMW, and that's why I bought the 'reliable' FJR insead, and I got a bike I can't ride on the mountains. And it's the 'proven' sport tourer? Yeah, right!

Yes, all bikes are going to have problems, and I also own an '07 FJR, but by calling it the 'proven sport tourer' just makes you sound like another hardcore Yamaha lover. If I had known the extent of the fueling issues, I'd have chosen the C14 over the FJR, even though I promised myself never to buy another brand new model again. No bike is ever going to be perfect, but I much prefer to deal with aesthetic/detail issues than mechanical/rideability ones. Do I regret buying the FJR? Not if Yamaha fixes the problem. Had to cancel the trip I bought the bike for, and I wasn't happy with that, but am still patiently waiting for even an official hint that the fix will come. The proof I really like this bike is I already plunked over a grand in farkles, but I'm an objective person, and calling it superior to the others just because I own it, and more importantly, knowing the defects it has (even if some don't affect me), would be stupid IMO. Later.

JC

 
ELP_JC said:
Wicked Webby said:
THE FJR IS THE PROVEN SPORT TOURER.
Click to expand...
With switch failures, altitude sickness, and clutch problems, I don't think so. I've never seen those problems on a 4/5 yr-old platform. I was always afraid of having problems with my BMW, and that's why I bought the 'reliable' FJR insead, and I got a bike I can't ride on the mountains. And it's the 'proven' sport tourer? Yeah, right!

Yes, all bikes are going to have problems, and I also own an '07 FJR, but by calling it the 'proven sport tourer' just makes you sound like another hardcore Yamaha lover. If I had known the extent of the fueling issues, I'd have chosen the C14 over the FJR, even though I promised myself never to buy another brand new model again. No bike is ever going to be perfect, but I much prefer to deal with aesthetic/detail issues than mechanical/rideability ones. Do I regret buying the FJR? Not if Yamaha fixes the problem. Had to cancel the trip I bought the bike for, and I wasn't happy with that, but am still patiently waiting for even an official hint that the fix will come. The proof I really like this bike is I already plunked over a grand in farkles, but I'm an objective person, and calling it superior to the others just because I own it, and more importantly, knowing the defects it has (even if some don't affect me), would be stupid IMO. Later.

JC
Click to expand...

ELP JC

Please drink your cool aid, and put on your blinders while your at it........

 
Sounds like you got a lemmon. I would deffinitely get rid of a sport tourer that made me cancel trips due to fears of unreliability.

 

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