2008 Kawasaki Concours™ 14
User Reviews
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Own It Love It
By (I am an Owner) on Aug 06, 2010I bought the 14 in December '08 with 2200 miles on it. I have never been disappointed. It excels on long trips with comfort and storage, is a blast at speed and handles two day trips just great. Slow or fast it is a very nice bike. The best I have ever had.
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Best of Both Worlds
By (I am an Owner) on Jul 10, 2009I purchased my Concours last year. The first year of the remodel. I've owned cruisers in the past. Nice but I was always lacking the flip of my personality when I wanted to play too. This bike has it all. By far the best riding and comfort of all sport tourers out there. And the best price. What ... else can you say. Most powerful in it's class to boot!! My mods were Corbin seat, CCBailey eurocut windshield. Cuts the wind out perfectly when adjusted all the way up. Throttlemeister cruise, Two Brothers exhaust and rubber pads for the tank. When driving aggressively, your not sliding all over place. Your pants really grip for a feeling of one on the bike. Last but not least got the handlebar risers. I find it so much more comfortable raising them a couple of inches. You wouldn't think it would make a difference but it is huge. The bike is so well balanced for a 600+lb bike. Feels like 300lb when comes to handling.
I couldn't test ride the bike but didn't need to. When I sat on it...that was it!!! Didn't have to convince me any further. One last thing, the oil changes are a snap as well. If your in the market for a bike of this style don't make the mistake of purchasing anything other than this baby. Trust me...you won't be disappointed.
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new concours
By (I am an Owner) on Apr 01, 2009i purchased my new concours march 28th mornining air temp was 18 degrees by mid afternoon the temp 28 degrees and i went for my first test ride. At 120 mph the heat felt realy realy good on my legs. After owning and ridden aprox. 26 diffrent motorcycles this is the best i have owned.
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Talk about bang for the buck
By (I am an Owner) on Jan 07, 2009I upgraded to the C14 in September of '07 and in my 9,000 miles of road-bending rides have not found one fault in the bike. I took advantage of the pre-wired connection for heated grips and have seen no need for further upgrades. The acceleration and handling are nothing short of amazing. A modern ... bike leveraging the latest technology to deliver incomparable value. What more can I say?
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Connie 14 let me down
By (I am an Owner) on Dec 30, 2008I purchased the Concours 14 in June 2008. I immediately had a heat issue and reported it to the dealer. They kept it at the shop for a week and told me that everything was normal that the big engine produced a lot of heat. As summer and hot weather came, riding this particular bike was unbearable. ... I don't mean uncomfortable, I mean it was painful to the point that I had blisters on my right leg. (and YES, I was wearing jeans and motorcycle boots) luckily, I had other bikes in my stable and retired the Concours until cooler weather.
Around came October and I experienced the same problem- extreme heat especially on the right side. On a 70 degree day, I rode about 100 miles on a 70 mph freeway and the bike's display went crazy- alternate warning messages of high temp and the temperature gauge maxxed-out. I had a camera and took photos of the display which I provided to the dealer. They kept it for nearly five weeks and couldn't find a problem. I finally got fed-up and took the bike to another dealer and traded it in. Lost money but it was worth it to get rid of it once and for all.
I had ridden other Concours and none of them had a heat issue. This problem seemed to be isolated, but I had no concern or help from anyone. This should not be typical of such a highly regarded bike, and you shouldn't have to wait until cool weather to ride this $ 13,000 furnace.
The most disappointment came from the fact that the dealer didn't stand up for me. Kawasaki was very rude and unhelpful. be warned: if you ever have a problem with Kawasaki, you're on your own.
In case you're wondering, I've been riding for over 35 years and have owned over 50 motorcycles, so I feel that I'm qualified to write this review. I have learned a valuable lesson and I will NEVER own another Kawasaki product...
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Kawasaki has continued...
By (I am an Owner) on Sep 16, 2008Kawasaki has done it again! The 2008 Concours has continued to surpass the highest expectations of the most demanding riders. I've been road riding since 1974, and have ridden dozens of bikes. From British to American, so I can say with a strong recommendation that the new "Concours" is by far ... a very strong continder in the "new catagory" of "Super-Sport" touring machine. The bike will go for miles at the maximum posted speed limit, with the highest level of comfort,reserve power and finesse. The new power management system that Kawasaki has designed into the valve train is a torque dream. The "VVT"(Kawasaki tm) is so smooth, the only thing you feel is a very strong boost that feels more like a turbo-charger than variable valve timing. I recommend you keep an eye on the tac, because at seven thousand rpm, the VVT kicks in....so watch out!! The first time I opened the throttle up past seven thousand out on the high way, the bike lifted the front tire into the air!! So perp yourself when it comes on, because it comes on right on time. A few reviews I read, some guys complained the Kawasaki didn't over heated grips, or ajustable seat and so on. I say "boone doggles" to them!! To me Kawasaki has continued with the perfect "Super-Sport-Touring" machine with the new high speed, high level personal time machine...The Concours 14.
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C14
By (I am an Owner) on Sep 16, 2008I've had mine for a year now. A practical comfortable touring bike that is also fun in the twisties. Looks are subjective but it appeals to me more than the competition. Excellent brakes, excellent handling, super excellent motor. It would be nice if heated grips were an option and a little less ... heat to the legs in the summer. Just an annoyance though.
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A Magic Carpet
By (I am an Owner) on Sep 15, 2008I bought a new 2008 Concours14 in October of '08. In the past 11 months I have put 20,000 miles on this fine machine. Most of these miles have been on a variety of road trips touring distances of 1000 to 6000 miles.
The latest of these ventures took me across the plains to the Pacific ... Coast and back. The wife and I rode up highway 1 from California in Oregon.
This bike is so big....so smooth....so powerful and fast it is like riding the proverbial magic carpet. The new Concours14 has more bottom end torque than a Farmall Tractor and the top end winds endlessly as the VVT does it's "thang".
Kawasaki has killed the witch with this bike and the competitors have two saddle bags and a trunk load of catching up to do.
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C-14
By (I am an Owner) on Sep 15, 2008Best bike Ive had yet after 35 yrs of riding. Power is awesome. Its definately 2008 technlogy and it shows.
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