Concours C14 thread

[DaFoole]

C-14 questions: Have been eyeing one of these for a while. Was a bit disappointed by the fuel capacity when it was introduced but am more and more attracted to it. What sort or range can you get on a tank cruising at 70-80mph? (I know it'll suck gas big time in the twisties but would like a realistic range just "touring".) Also, how do you keep your license? (I got into enough trouble as it was with my 94.... )

[wibornz]

I can get 45 to 47 if you are easy on the throttle. Mind you it is no fun to ride and get 45 to 47. You can have much fun and get 40 to 41. A whole lot of fun getting 38 or 39. Once the bike gets close to 10,000 miles on it, the milage improves. You can ride reasonable and get mid to low 40 mpg. Or about 200 mpg to a tank full, or about three hours of slab pounding.

[wibornz]

I have a bandit and the c-14. The bandit is not in the same league. Opps I meand PERIOD.

Don't get me wrong love the bandit but hey it is not a c-14. My c-14 will flat out smoke the bandit. The bandit is a 1200 s, but it has the full Yosi exhaust, jetted, KN air filter. The c-14 is way more comfy and a lot smoother.

The Bandit does handle quicker.

[Wout67]

Originally Posted by wibornz

I can get 45 to 47 if you are easy on the throttle. Mind you it is no fun to ride and get 45 to 47. You can have much fun and get 40 to 41. A whole lot of fun getting 38 or 39. Once the bike gets close to 10,000 miles on it, the milage improves. You can ride reasonable and get mid to low 40 mpg. Or about 200 mpg to a tank full, or about three hours of slab pounding.

Right now, I'm getting in the mid-thirties. Mind you, it's still got only about 450 miles on it. Dangerously close to being broken in.

I've been good during the break in period, keeping it under 4000 rpm, etc...Mostly.

[DaFoole]

....and your license???

[Wout67]

Originally Posted by DaFoole

....and your license???

still got it.

They have to catch me first!!

[MAN OF BLUES]

Originally Posted by Angus McGee

Right now, I'm getting in the mid-thirties. Mind you, it's still got only about 450 miles on it. Dangerously close to being broken in.

I've been good during the break in period, keeping it under 4000 rpm, etc...Mostly.

The break in on these and the rpm upper limit specified by Big K has everyone popping it into 6th gear way to soon, the thing is barely idling, and the fuel map at that spped is atrocious.
You'll find that after you get a couple thou' on it, it will increase substantially . I get 42 consitantly, doesn't matter what I throw at it roadwise, but I will say that without any mods to the bike, you are going to see much better mileage when you never use gear 6 at speeds under 65mph.... the fuel meters much better, and in the twisties when you are keeping it in the sweet spot around 4500 rpm, it will perform great, and offer the best mileage for the bang...
Just never let that engine lug around town at below 3400 rpm...
get those pistons moving to break it in correctly. you'll be glad you did.

6th gear is the Autobahn gear, and in this country if you use it you will never see great mileage at our legal speed limits using it.

13k+ and 42 mpg

[RoyQ]

Originally Posted by wibornz

I have a bandit and the c-14. The bandit is not in the same league. Opps I meand PERIOD.

Don't get me wrong love the bandit but hey it is not a c-14. My c-14 will flat out smoke the bandit. The bandit is a 1200 s, but it has the full Yosi exhaust, jetted, KN air filter. The c-14 is way more comfy and a lot smoother.

The Bandit does handle quicker.

The 1200 Bandit is not even close to the new 1250 Bandit so your comparison is somewhat flawed, sorry. I rode my 1250 Bandit with a C14 many times, didn't get left at all in fact I did some leading the way many times especially in the tight stuff. There is a huge weight difference between the 1250 and C14 so it kinda cancels out any advantage the C14 might have had.

[wibornz]

Must have been a clown on the C-14 if you kept up with a Bandit.

And my Bandit has a full Yosimira (sp) exhaust, is jetted, KN filter and while it is fast, it is not C-14 fast. Like I said it is lighter and handles a little faster, but it is not in the same league.

Now that the flys are pulled, two brothers exhaust, KBC filter, and power commander, the bandit is no where in sight of the c-14.

[bross]

Ok you two, everytime I read stuff like this I think of Fred Rau's article from a few years ago. Read and enjoy.

It Ain't The Tool
Editorial By Fred Rau - April, 2005
Motorcycle.com

I remember once, back when I was about 11 years old, watching a pitchman
at a carnival as he demonstrated a gyroscopic toy that he balanced on a
string between his hands. He made the toy run back and forth on the
string, turn upside-down, do somersaults and all kinds of other
incredible stunts. I just had to have one, and shelled out my whole
month's hard-earned allowance of $5.00 to get "one of the last ones
left." Naturally, after getting back home with my prize, I found that I
couldn't make it do any of the things the carney had demonstrated. It
ended up in the back of my closet, an embarrassing reminder of how I'd
been taken.

Months later, when confessing to my Grandfather about what had happened,
he pulled out an old pocketknife he always carried with him and held it
up in front of me.

"Remember when I carved you a toy airplane out of a block of wood with
this knife?" he asked.

"Sure, Grandpa."

"Well, if I sold you this knife," he said, "do you think you could carve
your own toy airplane with it?"

"No, Grandpa. I don't know how."

"Exactly; it took me years to learn, and lots of practice. It ain't the
tool, boy. It's the man operating it. Just like with your toy."

A couple of years later, that lesson stood me in good stead when a
small-time con man came to a playground in town and gathered a large
crowd of pre-teens around himself by showing off with a yo-yo. I have
never, before or since, seen anyone make a yo-yo do the things that guy
could. Of course, after his demonstration, he opened up a suitcase full
of brightly-colored yo-yos and started selling them to all the kids for
a buck apiece. Several kids ran home to break open their piggy banks,
just so they could get one. I was about the only holdout--standing there
thinking about that gyro toy, and what my Grandpa had said.

Of course, none of my friends could ever get their yo-yos to do any of
the tricks they'd seen. Most of the toys broke after just a few hours of
trying, anyway, as they were very cheaply made. If that guy is still
alive today, I'll bet he's on Channel 99 at 3:00 a.m., selling "kitchen
magicians."

Fast-forward another forty years later. I am riding up one of my
favorite canyon roads, following my good friend Walt Fulton. We are just
out for a little Sunday morning putt, but even when he's just dawdling
along, Walt is a challenge for me to keep up with. Some of you older
guys might recognize the name, but for those who don't, Walt is a former
factory team racer for two different major motorcycle manufacturers, a
four-time Daytona winner and the guy who wore the helmet camera that
filmed all those famous on-track racing scenes in the movie "On Any
Sunday." Even now, over 30 years later, Walt doesn't own a car, rides
every day, and works as both a motorcycle riding instructor and a
motorcycle accident reconstruction expert. I have never met, and
probably never will meet, anyone with a greater understanding of the
dynamics of motorcycling, or the skills to utilize that knowledge so
effectively.

Anyway, there we were tooling up the mountain, when we came up behind
two young men on what appeared to be very new and expensive hyper-bikes.
One was definitely a Hayabusa, and I think the other was a CBR of some
kind, though it'd been repainted and all the badging was removed, so I
couldn't be sure. Both bikes sported aftermarket exhausts, and from
their sound, probably had their engines tricked out, too. The riders
both sported very expensive racing leathers, color-matched to their
machines, complete with titanium kneepucks and those stylish new "humps"
on their backs, to reduce air turbulence from the helmet when you are
"tucked in." In all, they looked like very serious riders.

However, the illusion was quickly dispelled as we went around a few
curves together. Though their engines screamed a beautiful note as they
revved up and downshifted, and each rider hung radically off his bike to
touch a knee to the tarmac, their line through the curves was wide and
undisciplined, and their bikes' lean angles were actually fairly
moderate. Everything about their appearance gave the illusion of speed,
except the actual speed just wasn't there. Nor was the control, as they
exited each turn far too wide, and well out of position to set up for
the next.


It just so happened that on this particular day, rather than riding one
of his newer, faster bikes, Walt was "exercising" a 15-year-old BMW
Boxer of his that had, as I recall, about 250,000 miles under its
wheels. The Boxer was bone stock, and by Walt's own admission was,
"overdue for a whole new suspension," because it was "handling pretty
badly."

Despite all that, after following the two superbikes through a couple of
more curves, when they swung wide through a long, right-hand sweeper,
Walt simply downshifted the old Beemer and zipped past them both in a
heartbeat - on the inside. He never changed his position on the seat, or
did anything trendy like sticking a knee out. He just leaned over,
nailed the throttle, and smoothly and quickly knifed through the turn. I
don't think either of the guys he passed even hit the apex of their
turns before Walt was out the other end, straightening up and
accelerating away.

Being a much less accomplished rider, I waited for a longer, straighter
opportunity to pass, and caught up with Walt at a pre-determined coffee
shop a few miles away. As we sat there warming up and relaxing, the two
pseudo-streetfighters buzzed past and Walt said, "I was hoping they
might stop in here. I would really like to try to talk them into getting
some decent training. It's not just that they'd enjoy riding so much
more, but if they keep up like that, somebody is going to get seriously
hurt." I nodded in agreement as he continued, "It's a shame that so many
of these young riders nowadays think it's all about buying the best or
fastest or most expensive bike they can find. Or maybe even worse, that
they think that if they buy the trickest Yoshimura exhaust can, or
trendiest race tire or Ohlins suspension or whatever, that it will make
them ride better. Sure, those things will give you an edge, but only if
you've already mastered the basics - and they don't have a clue."

At that moment; for the first time in over 40 years, I saw my
Grandfather's face again, and heard those words: "It ain't the tool, boy
- it's the man operating it."

[wibornz]

Yup it is the tool. I am just making the comparison between the two bikes that I own.

[scooter_scum]

Originally Posted by DaFoole

C-14 questions: Have been eyeing one of these for a while. Was a bit disappointed by the fuel capacity when it was introduced but am more and more attracted to it. What sort or range can you get on a tank cruising at 70-80mph? (I know it'll suck gas big time in the twisties but would like a realistic range just "touring".) Also, how do you keep your license? (I got into enough trouble as it was with my 94.... )

My last CO to CA trip averaged 47 MPG. Previous trip was 46 MPG. My range varied from 231 to 282 miles. The bike claims to carry 5.8 gallons, but I have put as much as 6 gallons in the tank. If you over fill the tank (large air space you can slowly fill at the top of the tank), you can get more than 5.8 gallons.

I have had some very fast sections where I had 5.3 gallons and 203 miles. Some parts were done at 100+ MPH through Wyoming.

I wish it had the 7.5 gallon tank the old connie had, but it does OK. The fuel Injection helps with the MPG so it balances out.

[Wout67]

Originally Posted by MAN OF BLUES

The break in on these and the rpm upper limit specified by Big K has everyone popping it into 6th gear way to soon, the thing is barely idling, and the fuel map at that spped is atrocious.
You'll find that after you get a couple thou' on it, it will increase substantially . I get 42 consitantly, doesn't matter what I throw at it roadwise, but I will say that without any mods to the bike, you are going to see much better mileage when you never use gear 6 at speeds under 65mph.... the fuel meters much better, and in the twisties when you are keeping it in the sweet spot around 4500 rpm, it will perform great, and offer the best mileage for the bang...
Just never let that engine lug around town at below 3400 rpm...
get those pistons moving to break it in correctly. you'll be glad you did.

6th gear is the Autobahn gear, and in this country if you use it you will never see great mileage at our legal speed limits using it.

13k+ and 42 mpg

That makes a certain amount of sense.

I've been keeping it under 4k, like I said. You don't recommend that?

[bross]

Originally Posted by Angus McGee

That makes a certain amount of sense.

I've been keeping it under 4k, like I said. You don't recommend that?

It's only my personal opinion but that is the worst thing you can do to a new motor. I follow this for breakin, except for all the oil changes, I just change the oil and filter as per the first service.

http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/NewBike.html#BreakIn

"Notice that your owner's manual says at this point you should still be keeping the RPM under something like 4,000. I disagree with this quite strongly. Moto Man gives a good argument on why the factories give such a recommendation, which goes against all my experience and understanding..."

I've owned two BMWs, which are known for using oil for the first 15,000 miles or something ridiculous like that. Breakin as per link above and neither bike ever used a drop of oil.

[MAN OF BLUES]

Originally Posted by Angus McGee

That makes a certain amount of sense.

I've been keeping it under 4k, like I said. You don't recommend that?

the line under my name on the side over there makes me say things like:
"follow the suggested directions in your opereators manual".... but then I don't always practice what I preach....
I can say vary the engine speed frequently throughout that range for the prescribed miles... then again on the second stage (below 6000 for the remaining break in miles), but that doesn't mean you need to lugg around in the city.
Overheating is the main issue, but I find accelerate, decellerate, and repeat, taking it right up to the limit prescribed, and then giving an upshift to the next gear, works pretty reliably. Repetitive cycling of this nature does what you want, and it doesn't take all that long, just don't go driving around at 35-45 mph in 6th, or even 5th for any period longer than a few miles, especially if doing roll on speed changes. The key is to make those rings seat properly...

A little secret... when that engine was placed into the bike at the factory, I guaranty it hit redline on the startup, and at least a dozen cycles up to 9k with a shut down following immediatly, and once it sat a few minutes was repeated... part of their procedure, and if it's gonna frag, they want to know it first...
and forget about the Synthetic oil during break in...(this always opens up a real Pandora's box on the COG forum...heheheh )