ponyfool
Well-known member
After NAFO, I went south through the desert, over to the Cali coast, then up to Red Bluff where a friend of from Portland rode down on his new Kawasaki Concours 14.
His has been modified a bit in that the "inner butterflies"? have been removed, he has a PCIII and a Two Brothers Slip on.
We swapped bikes for a stretch and I have a few observations I'd like to share.
First off, is all of the comments about the bike being butter smooth are dead on accurate. It was amazingly smooth. Enough about that.
Secondly, 6th gear. Say what you want about the FJR not having or not needing a 6th gear, but I want one now more than ever. Just having the bike purr at 100mph instead of whine makes all the difference. Additionally, we stayed neck and neck during our entire ride, passing at the same time, cruising at the same time, and twisties at comparable speeds as well, yet when we went to fill up our tanks, he consistently needed 1/2 to a full gallon less gas than I did. That may not seem like much, but here's how it broke down: Approximately 175 miles between tanks. He would require only 4.166 gallons, roughly 42mpg average. I would require 5.1 gallons, or roughly 34mpg. That difference alone makes the range of the smaller tanked C14 roughly equal the range of the larger tanked FJR. Maybe if I had a PCIII and slip ons my fuel economy would increase. And I'm not talking about displayed fuel economy, I'm talking about real time, mileage vs gallons used.
Thirdly, while seats are subjective, and most people are never truly satisfied with stock seats, the C14's is more like a Corbin than the FJR's. It is hard, wide, and somewhat comfortable after a few miles (it was very awkward when I first got on it). Having said that, I actually really like the stock FJR seat, and am comfortable with it, even on long trips.
Fourthly, the dash layout was very disappointing to me. Granted, this is a subjective issue as well, but the entire cockpit area of the C14 was not nearly as refined as the FJR's. Also, the entire dash was lower than the FJR's, which I didn't like either.
Finally, we thought we didn't have much room for stuff on the FJR? The C14 offers NO space under the seat. While they have more room under the fairing for things, there is little to no usable space on the C14.
It is a very respectable bike. And while I am not a brand specific kinda guy, I simply like my FJR better. Maybe it's because I'm just more used to it? I don't know.
His has been modified a bit in that the "inner butterflies"? have been removed, he has a PCIII and a Two Brothers Slip on.
We swapped bikes for a stretch and I have a few observations I'd like to share.
First off, is all of the comments about the bike being butter smooth are dead on accurate. It was amazingly smooth. Enough about that.
Secondly, 6th gear. Say what you want about the FJR not having or not needing a 6th gear, but I want one now more than ever. Just having the bike purr at 100mph instead of whine makes all the difference. Additionally, we stayed neck and neck during our entire ride, passing at the same time, cruising at the same time, and twisties at comparable speeds as well, yet when we went to fill up our tanks, he consistently needed 1/2 to a full gallon less gas than I did. That may not seem like much, but here's how it broke down: Approximately 175 miles between tanks. He would require only 4.166 gallons, roughly 42mpg average. I would require 5.1 gallons, or roughly 34mpg. That difference alone makes the range of the smaller tanked C14 roughly equal the range of the larger tanked FJR. Maybe if I had a PCIII and slip ons my fuel economy would increase. And I'm not talking about displayed fuel economy, I'm talking about real time, mileage vs gallons used.
Thirdly, while seats are subjective, and most people are never truly satisfied with stock seats, the C14's is more like a Corbin than the FJR's. It is hard, wide, and somewhat comfortable after a few miles (it was very awkward when I first got on it). Having said that, I actually really like the stock FJR seat, and am comfortable with it, even on long trips.
Fourthly, the dash layout was very disappointing to me. Granted, this is a subjective issue as well, but the entire cockpit area of the C14 was not nearly as refined as the FJR's. Also, the entire dash was lower than the FJR's, which I didn't like either.
Finally, we thought we didn't have much room for stuff on the FJR? The C14 offers NO space under the seat. While they have more room under the fairing for things, there is little to no usable space on the C14.
It is a very respectable bike. And while I am not a brand specific kinda guy, I simply like my FJR better. Maybe it's because I'm just more used to it? I don't know.
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