Kawasaki Concours 14 ABS - MotoGeo Critic
Bashing away at the keyboard MotoUSA for nine years, Madson lends his scribbling and editorial input on everything from bike reviews to industry analysis and motorcycle racing reports.
Kawasaki sport tourer has the most powerful in the production with the support 14, a design that the Japanese manufacturer Envisions carve its own kind Transcontinental Supersport Tourer.
Few models 2008 have piqued much interest in the public area when the pictures of the redesigned Concours 14 appearance last summer bathing in adulation and success of its new 2007 Ninja ZX-14 Kawasaki took the new Ninja 1352cc engine s and is the starting point for a much needed facelift to contest Like everyone else, once we saw the pictures of the new design we were excited and intrigued Connie longsuffering desperately needs an overhaul and Kawasaki has aimed high, declaring the contest 14 represents a new kind of high performance Transcontinental Supersport Tourer motorcycle.
Now that we know what is claimed Kawasaki PR, not the new measure to contest the hype.
To answer this question, we tapped our sport expert and regular touring photographic collaborator Tom Lavine An accomplished pilot and photographer Tom reaped countless miles in pursuit of motorcycling nirvana After attending ZX-14 year last against Hayabusa comparo well as our super-Touring Sports Faceoff who presented the BMW K1200GT and FJR1300, test the new Concours 14 was up to his driveway in fact, as an active retiree with the highway desire is M. Lavine the poster child for the sport-tourism market we knew we had the man for the job.
Assignment and travel itinerary in hand, our tester packed his camera and helmet and headed south to Santa Rosa, California, for the contest 14 the introduction of the press in two days, he logged 500 miles aboard the C14 small winding roads of Sonoma County.
The Competition 14 is a sharp design with style lines that captured our attention when photos of the new design were released last summer.
The obvious starting point on the Concours 14 is its 1352cc beast of an engine Coming powerful ZX-14, the inline four's what makes the new C14 a real kick in the pants Designed as sports tourer the production most powerful of the market, Kawasaki pulled out all the stops when it comes its largest power plant for the new sportbike Connie.
The engine competition isn ta complete clone of the Ninja's, however, incorporating VVT first-in-its-class valve to increase engine performance by changing the camshaft profiles in different rpm ranges The cooled DOHC design liquid was also recalibrated its new application for sport-touring Remember, this is an engine that produces an amazing 169 horsepower 1 rear wheels when we dynoed the ZX-14 for comparo in 2006 judging by Kawasaki only the power of numbers claimed Specifications, lb-ft of torque, the C14 shows a decrease of 10 ZX 113 5-102 s 5 applying the same formula to our rear wheel power figures for the 06 comparo, representative for the same shaft of the C14 line, the new Connie will crank somewhere in the neighborhood of over 140 ponies still well above respective 124 2 123 8 and rear-wheel power numbers we emerge from the BMW K1200GT and Yamaha FJR1300 during the last year the ST Comparo of.
Although the massive number of HP make headlines, road test experience Lavine left happy as not only the quantity, but the quality of the muscle from the powerplant C14.
This engine torque loads, especially in the low range and medium says Tom Mostly, I rode with the RPM's in three to five mile range, but if you think that the bike is fast and, hold on to your hat when you hit the mark of eight thousand It's just a hot lap.
The 1352cc four-cylinder, from ZX-14 Kawasaki provides new contest flies down the yellow lines in a shocking act, or shall we say, the rapid pace.
With the scam sniff Dragster engine ZX-14 as a base, we were not expecting least jaw-dropping acceleration of the new Connie A fact confirmed by Tom, who is a retired motorcycle cop.
This bike has been designed to offer sportbike performance Kawasaki calls the ultimate sports touring performance in terms of acceleration, I would agree Once I grabbed a handful of gas, it comes unstuck I can not imagine any sport- tourers being faster than this thing.
The good news is even better, however, as the digital fuel injection ensures quick acceleration is controlled by a throttle response described by our smooth and predictable tester The controlled fuel injection system ECU also provides Connie meets the most stringent emissions requirements and maximum fuel economy.
While traveling by car to a speed that would have caused his old self to whip the siren and book a ticket, not to mention potential felons mph figures that would require breaking the wrists, our former peace officer was impressed by the moaning user friendliness -the inline-four.
This bike hauls not only says Tom, but the vibration is minimal and once it is under the bike is as smooth as glass.
Concours 14 features variable timing valve, which changes the shaft cam profiles at different towers varies The new feature is a first-in-class design to improve engine efficiency.
Gears operated, two secondary balancers engines can take credit for the sweetness of our experienced tester Then the new ignition system and control the speed of digital ECU slowed Connie sure the engine is ready to offer a simple C14 pressing a button.
Speaking to thumb the starter, a function on the C14 is the new intelligent anti-theft device proximity Activation KI-PASS Kawasaki interesting starting system The system uses a standard ignition key and a small door-transponder Once the ignition key is inserted, support FOB must be within five feet of the bike to start the ignition If a rider magic spell barrier five feet, the corresponding door-and its unique signature is out of range causing the Concours 14 to enter the lock mode.
First our driver thought that the new design was just a marketing gimmick that you are so cynical Tom, and on his return, he got all ready and willing to go on his own bike, a BMW R1200GS, and achieved the key was stashed deep in his pocket off his glove and dig through her riding pants, Tom perspective on the new system of 180-as he thought, now if only I had of that door-KI -Pass what all this boils down to is the new Kawasaki system means the rider can leave the key in the classical touch and almost forget course, if you lose your pocket, then you've got a problem.
Okay, we used the word smooth a handful of times already describing the C14, but the Kawasaki engineers must have been brainwashed into a softness reeducation camp, because the feeling extends to the same six-speed box speeds.
The Ole slipper on the new Concours 14 is a very forgiving design, which eliminates the lunging downshifts Our test driver has rained a little.
This is one of the most beautiful motorcycle transmissions I've ever used, said Lavine, which is quite a compliment, as he was in the saddle for 26 years engaging first gear is quiet and as crossing There is simply no noise or clunking, operation is smooth.
hydraulic clutch Connie uses a radial pump master cylinder and provides an excellent sensation to the lever and during engagement of the clutch C14 is a forgiving design limits back torque, aka a slip clutch, eliminating leaping on downshifts is a characteristic enjoyed Lavine, leading him to wonder why the design easy to ride is not on more models.
The clutch velvet is thus associated in the transmission of high power 14 to the rear wheel drive shaft Tetra-Lever the final drive unit design is a quiet four arms, which the manufacturer claims significantly reduces Lavine set of the kinematic chain is in agreement with the shaft line 14 s, It s not boost and not raising or lowering the back is almost feels like a belt drive, very uneventful He works.
A right side 4-2-1 exhaust system takes the place of his double cousin Ninja boxes, and also allows a better view of the new design Tetra-Lever left The exhaust note is a little muted but, with the size of the cartridge a little larger than we care, but, hey, you can not always get what you want.
Our tester found the new Tetra-Lever shaft drive to be very effective with the new sleek design feel more like a belt drive.
With a wheelbase of 59 inches 8, C14 doesn t suffer from instability, but it is not the most agile managers This doesn t be a complete shock to us because we had a similar criticism about the ZX 14 during his comparo over the Hayabusa last year, when we noted 14 required more effort to rotate Connie sport as a 2 to 3-inch longer wheelbase and more lazy 26 of 1 degree cut with respect to the rake Ninja 23 degrees, the handling is compromised and more for stability.
The C14 is a very stable bike and inspiring confidence, but the transition cornering that is not like riding a 600, explained our tester 62 Although it was designed as a long-distance tourer sports, not a canyon carver, I thought it was very heavy bike in general and too heavy to start this is particularly noticeable at slower car speeds no mistake, this is a big bike, which weighs more than 600 dry books.
Like any complaint manufacturer of dry weight, we take the non-ABS affirmation 606 lb 615 lb for what it is until we ride the bike on our own scales to obtain full tank measures and empty tank then we will be able to wear more definitive judgments on the C14 corpulence, especially compared claimed weight to the lighter of two of its main competitors BMW K1200GT 549 lbs and Yamaha FJR1300 582 lbs We will wait for the test comparing spend more authoritative opinions on the s handling too C14, to see how it stands in relation to its class rivals Keep your fingers crossed for another super Sport-Touring Comparo later this year.
Although it is not the fastest transition drawings, the support 14 provides a very stable 59 wheelbase of 8 inches and the solid suspension package.
An inverted 43mm telescopic fork and unity Tetra-Lever rear suspension offer the C14's stock settings on the front forks are a little steep but as with all bikes, especially sportbike, dialing in the suspension settings appropriate make a world of difference even without finding the optimal settings during his test drive, Lavine felt the strong feedback in the front and two units sucked the bumps on the road without any problems the units also contribute to the core stability tours C14.
The C14 brakes are outstanding, powerful and predictable said Tom C14s of robust binders, which must be strong to match muscular engine of the motorcycle and the considerable weight Featuring a high-end configuration, the contest has a pair discs of 310 mm petal up front cylinder and a single 270mm petal rear disc configuration before four radial mount caliper pistons comprises a separate buffer for each piston to improve the feel and performance, as the master brake at the front of the radial pump the final result is a set of exceptional braking.
Also contributing to the superb braking performance was 900 optional ABS system installed on our test bike Unlike the BMW ABS system, the Competition Package is unrelated As owner R1200GS, our pilot knows a thing or two about ABS and came away impressed the independent wheel system on Connie does its job without throbbing sensation ABS These times feel like hard braking on the C14, with the system providing its security benefits as well as the feeling of stability.
Thus, the contest is not the most agile manager, we still have a good angle Just keep rotating the camera M. Photog Man.
On a real touring machine engine performance is critical, but only part of the overall equation comfort of the driver and the ergonomics are essential to ensure owners can stick in the long term we found new competition to be comfortable, but still critical Lavine noted that a real long distance evaluation had not been possible due to shorter routes used for the introduction of press Five hundred miles, although quite a sum, enough wasn t for our tester, that his collected several thousand miles on his adventures sport-touring Yet he felt the contest is a comfortable global platform, enjoying its tourism oriented accoutrements, as on the windshield fly adjustable position comfortable driving.
I think I could ride this bike has long been the seat is comfortable, my legs were cramped and bar, although a little forward, were very good, said our test drives 6 3 adding the mobile windshield is nice and can be reduced for sport riding, but raised when driving highways.
Other tourism accessories include removable heat deflectors on each side of the fairing near the knees of the driver, Tom enjoyed during the cooler mornings, but is uncomfortable in the afternoon Connie mirrors have was a let down for Lavine, who noted that the view through the ok if you wanted to see the top of the saddlebags heated grips are not included in the introductory essay motorcycles, although post units sale could be plugged into the accessory socket C14 located next to the cockpit display.
The adjustable on the fly windsheild and relaxed driving position on the C14 ensure rider will have no problem clearing the miles of tourism.
Other bells and whistles on the C14 include KIPASS system mentioned above, as well as useful control panel, which provides an analog speedometer and tach hems in a liquid crystal display screen information on screen includes the standard odometer and dual trip meters, as well as additional information such as the average consumption of gas similar to a large number of liquid crystal display information systems, most of it is interesting, but things not essential to ogle, but we appreciate that the new Connie includes one of our favorite sensors in the form of a gear position indicator the contest also includes pressure very Beemer tires like monitoring function.
Of course, as tourer long distance, the Concours 14 also includes luggage, stylish hard side airbags included as standard equipment Hard bags are roomy enough to store a full and simple helmet to open and delete In addition to their practical function, hard bags are also binding in the fluid lines of the contest and the lines of the new Connie look great, even taking all that eye-of-the-beholder things in mind.
The lines in the bike flow well and the bags can be removed for a sportier look, though they are so well decorated I think the bike looks better with them, commented Lavine.
Tom gave the contest 14 a boost, but suspect the new design will have a tough time supplanting its Super Sport-Touring rivals the Yamaha FJR1300 and BMW K1200GT in a test coming Comparo.
Okay, so it looks good and has a fantastic engine, but the new competition also sports a competitive MSRP 13799 12899 for the non-ABS version, which puts it in a test of straight-up force to the head to head with ABS standard 13799 FJR1300 If you are willing to abandon the ABS, the new Connie is almost a sport tourer super budget to just under 13 big without doubt there will be many loyal owners Connie dealers lined out to taste the new C14 regardless of its sticker price.
Whenever there is a new model, it's easy to get caught up in the hype, readers and journalists as well we'll reserve our final analysis on new competition until we align side of the main candidates we have already mentioned, the formidable K12 and FJR for a knockdown comparo drag-out This 1352cc engine will attract many a rider like moths to the power of flame, but the real question about the contest 14 and we can not wait to meet, is where the new design stands out among its peers Sport-Touring later this year Stay tuned.
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2008 Kawasaki Concours 14 First Motorcycle Ride USA, 2008, Kawasaki, contest.