The Best Kawasaki Concours 14 Ride and Review

All you need to know about the Kawasaki Concours 14, and I mean it.

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BIKES:
- 2010 TRIUMPH SPEED TRIPLE 1050 (15TH ANNIVERSARY SE)
- 2003 SUZUKI BANDIT GSF 1200S

CAMERAS:
- CANON REBEL T3i
- GoPro Hero3+ Silver Edition
- GoPro Hero6

AUDIO:
- TASCAM DR-05

EDITING:
- Cyberlink PowerDirector 13
- Adobe Photoshop CS5

Music:

[SOFI_.]

Owned a 2015 for a few years. These are ABSOLUTE rocket ships. Don’t let anyone say they don’t have a lot of get up and go. 1st gear to 70, 2nd gear well over 100 mph…in about 5 seconds. Great bike.

[thomasetoconnor]

Not enough power ??? .... you only had the tachometer at 2, 000 to 3, 000 RPM most of the time. Since it redlines at 10, 500 RPM try to get it over 9, 000 before you shift gears. This will change your mind when the front wheel lifts off the ground.

[Matas]

I have a 2009 Concours and I have ridden it 752 miles in one day. It has a lot of power and I usually get about 45 mpg. I put a trunk on it too and this gives me plenty of storage along with my tankbag.

[rickdeskis]

I have a 2009 Concours that I purchased new. I also own a 2014 Triumph Street Triple R. I feel like I have the best of both worlds owning both of these bikes. The Kawasaki has been such an amazing all around bike. I have had very few issues with it over the years. Mostly tire pressure sensors going dead. The valve cover gasket will start leaking around 12, 000 miles or so but it generally coincides with a valve lash inspection. The only real issue I had was the bottom row of the radiator became partially clogged around 50K miles. I had it checked when the bike started running one bar hotter than usual. I was a little surprised as I have had the Kawasaki dealer change the coolant every two years. Other than that this bike has been perfect. It still looks as good as the day I bought it.

I have an Area P slip-on exhaust with an Ivan's flash. I just had the bike flashed about a year ago. It has been an improvement with on/off throttle response and I find that the bike has more power throughout the rev range. I honestly didn't think there was anything wrong with the bike before it was flashed. I just wanted to give it a try. It was money well spent. Stock, in my opinion, the bike was never short on power. I also have a Sargent low profile seat. I felt like I was sitting on top of the bike with the stock seat.

The engine really starts to wake up over 4K rpm and really turns on between 6 and 8. Generally, I don't find myself lingering up in the 6K rpm range often. Cruising on the highway I'm generally sitting around 4K rpm in 6th gear. If I am in heavy crazy highway traffic I sometimes run it in fifth and keep the rpms at around 5K so I have immediate power.

You won't go wrong with this bike new or used.

I think it is more of a fat Ninja instead of a dad bike btw.

Thanks for the review.

[mikedanaher]

Comfort=miles. Miles=Smiles. Every review I have seen on the Concourse has been nothing but positive. Everyone who rides it seems to love it for the most part.

[OhYeaMista]

I brought a 60 lb bag of dog food home from the store strapped on my Connie’s back seat. They carry a ridiculous amount of stuff it’s hilarious.

Also kudos for being 5’4” and jumping right on that thing. I’m 5’9” and it took me weeks to get comfortable with the extra weight when I first got it. (Last bike only weighed like 450 lbs)

[dksoondk]

Good review. I kinda agree what you're saying about power, but remember you're lugging around town at 3500-4000 rpm, where it is nice and mellow and predictable.
Spin it up to 8000+ and it's fast enough for everyone but squids. I love mine. I'll keep it for as long as I have the strength to push it around..

[shadwox]

i have a 2017 kawasaki concours and been riding motorcycles for about 40 years now custom bike to supersports and i can say that the Concours is the best bike i ever own smooth fast comfortable can ask for more awesome bike.

[Kenny_Mars]

I've had my 2013 for 7 years now and I still love it. I'm a father of 4 adult children so I'm good with the label, especially when they watch me disappear into the distance.

[MrLilredmachine]

The GTR/Concourse has secondary throttle body butterfly's that remain closed under 4k, so that's why it doesn't go down there. All the major remaps (Guhl, Ivan's etc.) Remove this effect and give you the full steam down low, at which point it will eat a Bandit 12 in that rev range.

[CBRboy]

Just picked up a 2015 with only 4, 500 miles in December. You gotta remember this thing has VVT. Below the threshold its useable torque. When you pull the pin on this thing and the VVT opens up, the thing is blisteringly fast. Especially with a pipe and flash.

[josemanrique]

This bike will cruise at 120mph all day without breaking a sweat with sprints of 150+mph with one hand, Yes this is your Daddy's bike! Limited of course, after all he is a gentleman 😉

[jonbooth]

Good grief I have ridden competitive 900 Z-1 based drag bikes in the 80's that don't produce the power of a C14! Not to mention my 2011 Concours 1400 will outrun your "Bandit" Killswitch - in 3rd gear! And while the Triumph is a great bike, it is in no way competition for the C14 even with the bags on board. Maybe it could be doing some serious canyon riding, but definitely not out where they can stretch their legs - not even close. This bike is napping between 1500 and 5000 RPM, but when you pass 6000 RPM it feels like the bike suddenly found a another engine it produces so much power. After all, the engine is a base ZX-14 modified to produce more torque while getting better fuel mileage, and the chassis is also from a ZX-14 with some changes to adapt it for touring. The Connie is nimble and fast in a stock config, and if you have an aftermarket exhaust and an ECU flash it is down right wicked when you ask it to perform. It is a quiet commuter sleeper below 5K and a raging beast when things move into it's power band. I think you need to change your riding style to fully understand this machine. I'm a 300 pounder, so I am basically "two up" all the time and I have a hard time keeping the front wheel on the ground past 6000 RPM in 1st, 2nd, and sometimes 3rd gear just rolling on the power. There is a video called "bikes with too much power" (or something like that) and it features a C-14 easily lifting the front wheel off the ground just rolling on the power as I have said. I call that proof that this video did not reach an accurate conclusion when assessing Connie's engine. But you did a great job on the other elements in the video. Unfortunately the engine and chassis are highlights of the C-14.

[rawuncutmack]

This is seriously one of the best motorcycle review clips I've seen. Was thinking about upgrading from my 1988 Concours to a later year model. Definitely interested in the
09' after watching this one. I like that you pointed out your likes and dislikes. And stuck to THIS specific bike. A lot of bike reviewers will spend almost the 1st half of these video reviews boring me w/ their history of what they owned before getting to the point of the friggin' video! Thank you for taking the time to make this. Btw, the lite hearted dance at the end was a nice finishing touch...lol. Much respect.

[kentalbert]

I have a 2009 Concours . In my view it's such a nice bike.. whether your out to ride solo or 2 up ..great speed great handling and comfortable.. and in Candy Diamond Red it looks incredible . It's not too much / and not too little . Just a Very cool bike👍🏽.

[bigfoot]

156 HP 152. Top speed. I am 6-2. My back isn’t that great but with this bike I can ride for hours. Had a Suzuki M1 09 R. After a hour ride. I was hurting from lower back pain. It was the Concorde style riding that made my back feel great. I think it’s one of the best bikes on the road. You must have control. This bike is fast. Ticket on this bike will cost you. They also are very reliable . Keep changing the oil to mobile one synthetic.

[doug]

Shortshifting a bike that can make over 150 hp then saying it's not responsive enough... this review seems like it's about the rider, not the bike.

[larrylacy]

I've gone grocery shopping on my Concourse many times. Great bike. Want acceleration? Drop a gear or 2 and wind it up! Don't be surprised when you look down and find yourself doing 90 mph.

[windridr]

Best all-around bike I’ve ever ridden. I have an ‘09.

[warrensunkett]

Lmao. Nice Funny Video. Connie doesn’t even wake up until 4.5k rpm. RAM AiR kicks in and she is a rocket. I mean she is still a top 10-15 fastest bike in the world and that’s with storage.