I bought one a couple of weeks ago, and absolutely love it. The smoothness and the power of this bike never ceases to impress. Here's some pics from the Thanksgiving holiday.
Nice pics!! Lovely aren't they!!! I've had mine now a little over a year with about 25,000km up, seriously nice alround bike; mine's also black.... shines up so nice don't they!!! Enjoy!!, you'll have a long and good ride if you can keep your license
you're right, Pete. I've found myself saying "You're going to get yourself in trouble on this bike." I have two pictures at my desk at work. One of my daughter, and one of my Connie.
fantastic machine indeed. ive had mine six months and im right at 15k miles. i marvel in it every time i see her still! she does soften up with some age though, but still very sharp and powerful. definately the best bike ive ever owned.
Hey Pete, and TJ too I see!!! Yeah, I made my way over here also....Got fed up with some of the stuff on my "Parent Forum" I got the first one in Richmond, (see my avitar with Momma on the back, on the Dragon...) a year and a half ago, and with a little over 12k on it now, it just don't get any better!!! Wanted the Black one, but had no choice but to buy Neutron.... Did Ya get ABS Angus???.... first time it kicks in you'll be wondering why every bike doesn't have it...awesome.... not that i use the brakes all that much..... Hurry up and burn those trashy (not really, they are great for 3 or 4k) tires off, and treat yourself to some Pilot Road II's.... Ride safe, and hire a good attourney.....
I can't imagine it getting much better than it is now. No, I didn't get ABS.. The dealership had two. Mine, and a red one with ABS.. I wanted black more than I wanted ABS, so that's how I went. If they had a black one with ABS, I would have went that way. Sure is a far cry from the KLR... I can't say I miss it much. The guy who bought it keeps in touch with me to let me know how it's goin'. He seems to like it, so I'm happy for him.
mob, glad to see ya! if im not the one stirring the pot, i try to stay out of some of that stuff. oh, i do love stirring the pot though... heres mine: and with the new kawi trunk: yes, the pr2's are wonderful tires! on my next set though, im gonna try the shinko 009 ravens. ive heard great things about them as far as traction and life. for $170 shipped to my door, its a worthwhile experiment. if im less than happy, ill run back to the michelins without looking back! ive got 8k approx on my pr2's and my rear is just starting to get a flat ring around the center, but still has lots of life left in it. the front looks new. theyve been on the dragon and surrounding roads, all sorts of interstate and two laners, and they have seen their fare share of off roading as well. btw, the c14 wasnt designed for dual sport, and it shows! i hit some roads in north carolina i wasnt sure id make it through without dropping her and dragging her down the mountain im surprised i made it down with all my bolts and panels still intact!
Okay, I've got to ask this. I read a magazine review a while ago comparing Sport Tourers. The Connie came in 2nd from last, and they said if their Yamaha hadn't had an Automatic transmission, the Connie would have been last. There was a long list of things they didn't like about it, the biggest one of which was that they said it wasn't nearly as fast or powerful compared to some of the smaller-displacement ones like the K1200GT. What gives? Any truth to this? The magazine said the only thing this bike did better than the rest was riding long wheelies.
C14 Slower and less powerfull than the smaller bikes, yet rides better/longer wheelies? Skippii, nice try! - Ok, I'll bite The C14 may not be not perfect for everyone (what is?) BUT This bike is about the engine. And the rest of the bike is pretty good too.
Wait a min... From what I remember the bike is stupid fast... Link to write up "the new Connie will be cranking out somewhere in the neighborhood of 140-plus ponies. Still far above the respective 124.2 and 123.8 rear-wheel horsepower numbers we gathered from the BMW K1200GT and Yamaha FJR1300 during last year's ST comparo." "This bike not only hauls," explains Tom, "but vibration is very minimal and once it is underway the bike is smooth as glass." "Also contributing to the superb braking performance was the $900-optional ABS system fitted on our test bike. Unlike BMW's ABS system, the Concours package is not linked. As an R1200GS owner, our rider knows a thing or two about ABS and came away impressed that the independent wheel system on the Connie does its thing without any pulsating sensation." "Looking at the big picture, there are no losers in this test. Learn to trust the BMW and it won't let you down. If handling is more important than power, then Yamaha has just what you're looking for. In fact the FJR put up an excellent fight, giving the Concours a run for its money and even winning over one tester. But sometimes size does matter. In this case the monster engine of the Kawasaki coupled with its smooth fuel injection, perfect ergonomics and almost perfect handling seals the deal for Team Green. But only just."
What everyone seems to overlook with this bike,... is potential. This is an 'over-built' motorcycle, and the engine in its stock state of tune is ridiculously under stressed. Spend an afternoon and remove the belly fairing, side panels and gas tank. Open up the two inspection plates above the intake manifold, and remove the four secondary throttle plates. Plug in a Power Commander, and slide on an aftermarket canister if you want to lose 10 pounds, and then take it out for another spin. You'll have a whole different ride with an extra 25 horsepower available right from idle. Try that with the beemer or an FJ.
I do like my (GTR) C14 very much, but because I've had some lucky escapes on some of my rides (we can get jail for going 45kmh over the limit), so to save my virginity I got the Hypermotard as well for short rides, it seems to enjoy it more at 120kmh or under whereas the Concours would often wander up over 160kmh... always so smooth... of course this is all BS, I just wanted a Hyper as well and made up any excuse to have more fun Here's my big baby...fitted peg-lowering brackets last night, better (for me) touring comfort....added a Eurocut +5 screen, Heli-risers and of course on my 2nd set of Pilot Road II's.... can't complain about the handling, rock solid and very nice!!
Got a question for you C14 owners. I've got a friend with one which I've been able to ride a few times. The one thing that bothers me is the buzz from the engine at 80MPH. It puts my right hand to sleep within 5 minutes. Have another folks noticed this vibration? I'm wondering if this might be an issue with one particular bike or a general issue with the engine. I know that different folks are bothered by vibration in different ways. I ride a Ducati ST3 which also has a vibration which I feel at highway speeds, but it doesn't put my hand to sleep. For me this is a deal killer because my ideal type of road trip is to hit the interstate for the first day or two and get as far away from home as possible. Then ride back on different two lane country roads. While at country road speeds the engine is smooth as glass. Unfortunately I'd never make it out of state.
your pal got the special edition ZG, with the right hand message unit....jk about 3% (I monitor this stuff... I'm C.O.G.'s Tech Editor) experienced ACTUAL buzzy bikes... a small cross section, and most of those were remedied by service doing some bolt tightening and f/i synch. I think the major problem is the 'deathgrip' hold you are experiencing.... loosen up the grip! Everyone does it for a couple hundred miles.....then they relax. better yet toss on an Audiovox Cruise control.... and ride left handed.... The place where this beast shines, is the thing it was designed for.... major road gobbling fully loaded, with 2 up. I put about 7,000 mile with wife on this pup, and it performed flawlessly.... she even falls asleep on the back now..... Oh, and for $10k less than the B'mer, hell, it's a no brainer... Magazine articles are like buttholes, they are al different, and most of them stink.... CycleWorld just noted that they still have the bike they were given for the test, seems Mama K forgot to ask them for it back, and after a year, they use it for every possible "reason", holding it as their workhorse loaner for the staff. A fitting position, well beholding of it's originator, The Concours, which has held it's head high, and performed it's duties for 20 solid years of production....
There was a Motorcycle Consumer News comparo a year or two ago that just whaled on the new Connie -- but it was ludicrous. The reviewer appeared to be short, indignant, and know practically nothing about the class. The biggest slam was that the bike was too tall; next was that the seat wasn't adjustable; also that the brakes were too strong (I'm not making this up); also that it didn't have enough around-town power (again, I'm not making this up); and questioned that the C14 had a slipper clutch to prevent wheel hop, even though they didn't experience wheel hop on the other bikes; also that the C14, at 1352 cc's, had the largest differential between it's actual engine size and name engine size (again, I'm not making this up). I traded my Wing on a new red, abs C14 three weeks ago after a long and detailed search. I'd ridden and researched the FJR, R1200RT, R1200GT, ST1300 and the C14. I also have an R1200GS Adv in the garage. The C14 hit the sweet spot for value, fun, comfort, utility and lust for me. The engine, susupension and brakes on this bike are all a big deal. Ergonomically, it fits me very well. I just bought a nice tank bag for it for $86 -- not $346. I'm pretty confident the final drive will outlive me (I'm 51). But all of the bikes in the class have wonderful aspects, and may be the better choice for other riders. In spite of the loony MCN comparo, most of the other magazines have raved about the new Connie, and some have given if bike of the year awards. But the take-away is always, always, always do your own research, ride everything in the class, and decide for yourself what's right for you.
