Holy schnikes! At this very moment, there's a garbage truck with no muffler roaming neighborhoods in Japan.
Connie owners are just as cheap as KLR owners. It's highly doubtful that the new "concours 14" is going to make converts out of the old school concours owners. they appeal to a different type of rider.. they should have kept the old connie going and named the new one something else.. what they did with the KLR is dead on.. a brand new old school bike which is what KLR riders want but a 6th gear would have been nice.
Yep,,,Kawa screwed up by not going to a 6 speed on klr. I had one of those too. Time to put the old version of Concours to rest though. If they price this bike correctly they can get a whole new market of people on the new Connie.....the roundel owners on $20k bikes watching the tailights of the new connie owners on a $10k bike with no need to visit the shop after every trip! Yee Haw!
So I can replace the ST1100 with this. But I feel like I'm being drawn into copulating with the can. What's up with these designers??
My theory as to why there's only a single giant can: It's not just a muffler. There's a catalytic converter in there as well as a muffler. One bigger CAT is cheaper than two small ones. One bigger cat heats up and becomes functional faster after a cold-start than two small ones would, and the EPA likely has specs for how fast this needs to happen (been that way on cars for some years). Remember, this is a 2008 model and needs to meet more stringent emissions specs than current bikes, both here and in Europe. It's simply easier to meet those specs with a single can. Now as for the to the f'ugly styling of that big can, I don't have a logical explantion for that. In general, I think the FJR is a better looking bike. But Kawasaki seems to have gone the extra mile with the rear suspension -- which makes the FJR's seem crude by comparison.. -Uwe-
Why is everyone making a big stink about that giant can? Obviously Kawasaki is trying to meet strict regulations in a way that maximises power output. And you can see they've designed it to allow a quick replacement without removing the headers
You gotta feel sorry for those engineers who spend endless hours designing and testing cans to meet emission standards knowing full well all their work will be in vain as people will dump the stock can faster than you can say Remus!
Or in this case............ I would have a hard time taking delivery on one of these with the stocker. All makes are struggling with this from the looks of the current crop of big displacement machines.
I'm going to powdercoat the shiny bits black . I think the only problem for me is that there probably be a six month wait
I see your 650, and raise you to 675lb. Early adopters can take heart in that Kawasaki doesn't issue fixes for problems in the first years. In fact, they don't issue fixes at all. The first year is as good as all years as far as they are concerned. (cam pitting? dookickeys?) OTOH, if your bike isn't affected then you don't have a warranty problem...
Hey Gordy! I'm getting in some miles over here, despite the fact that this little rock is only 60 miles long. I've got some great video of me riding the local roads, just trying to figure out how to upload it. I'll be back to NM some day, and when I do, I'm re-building a collection (like yours ). Going to need a good sport tourer (kind of glad i sold my trusted ST1100), pair it with something simpilar and lighter, and finally a dual purpose. Here is my list right now: FJR1300 tied with ST3 Bandit 1200 tied with FZ1 KTM 950 Adventure You doing LOE1000 this year? -Skitch
That would be a good list for around here, but with the 950 able to strafe the twisties you could probably be better served with a dual sport thumper IMO. I don't think I'll do the LOE. Maybe, but it is next week and I had better make up my mind. Give me a a shout whenever you are coming through.