Posted by Steve T on August 9, 2010, 10:58 am
I just got back from a 1600 mile trip with two 600 mile plus days. I
think I can now make some informed comments about the new Connie.
Optional equipment:
Kawi rear trunk
1.5" handlebar riser blocks
Kawi gel seat
Cee Bailey windshield
Throttle rocker
Caterpillar O-ring throttle lock
Zumo 550
Motor: Awesome
Mild and controllable at lesser throttle openings. Wild and fast at
higher RPM. Most of my riding is in the 2500-4000 RPM range (10.5K
redline). 4K in 6th gear is above 90mph. The motor has plenty of
torque for 3K roll-on passing.
I never had it above 110mph so I can't speak for really, really fast
operation, but I did find drag racing away from lights to be much
faster than my capabilities to control safely. Even with the
traction control, wide open throttle in first and second gear is
pretty much a no-no for those of us used to sub 100 horsepower
machines.
Overall the motor is smooth, quiet, powerful, fast and can be crazy
fast if you want. Even with the mileage option injection curve
engaged, it's wicked fast.
Mileage: Very good
I averaged 42mpg on the whole trip which was about 75 percent slab
(75-90 MPH) and 25 percent two-lane road ridden in and a moderately
aggressive fashion (for me). My best mileage was 45.1 on a 180 mile
leg of the New York Thruway ridden at an average of about 80mph with
a BMW as a rabbit in front of me. The mileage curve was engaged.
With the performance curve, my best was about 41mpg.
Handling: Very Good
Take into account that I currently ride a 1948 HD bobber, a 2000
Electra-Glide, a Stella scooter and a 250 Ninja. Even fully packed
with camping gear and clothing, I still couldn't help myself. The
best way I can describe it is to say that I feel like a predator,
looking to devour the next car that is dumb enough to get in my way.
I'm sure a lighter sport bike handles much better, but for a big
touring bike, this thing handles great. I'll leave this topic to
people who are more experienced with sport bikes.
Brakes: Very Good
The brakes are ABS and linked. The front lever activates both front
cylinders and the rear one. The rear pedal activates one front and
the rear. It can optionally be switched to make the lever and pedal
the same. The bike stops. I never came into the ABS zone.
Technology: Amazing
Tire pressure, current mileage, average mileage, temperature,
battery voltage, two odometers, adjustable rear traction control,
adjustable linked brake controls and on-the-fly switchable fuel
injection/timing curves make this bike a technology marvel. Why the
hell can't the Japanese make self-canceling turn signals?
Ergonomics:
I did everything I could do to make this bike more comfortable. The
stock windshield is virtually useless. It's flimsy, too short, and
there is no setting without unacceptable buffeting. The Cee Bailey
is just the opposite. It works great. The electric thumb adjuster
allows me to set the windshield just where I want it for the
temperature and weather.
The stock seat is too soft and tilts forward way too much. The Kawi
gel seat is wider, harder, flatter and with the aid of LD undies
kept my ass comfortable.
Everything else made this 59 year old, 5'10", 195 pound body hurt.
My knees ached, my back hurt, my shoulder blades hurt, my shoulders
hurt, my neck hurt, my left elbow hurt and my right thumb hurt.
Raising the handlebars helped, but not enough. I suppose I could
install a peg lowering kit, but an inch wouldn't make much
difference.
For me, the comfort factor rules this bike out. It's going on the
market as soon as I clean it up, remove the expensive aftermarket
crap, and take some pictures.
If I want a sport bike, I'll ride the 250 ninja. There is no reason
to hang onto a $15,000 sport touring bike that I can't ride more
than a couple of hundred miles without pain. It's back to the Glide
for longer trips. I can ride that without pain all day, every day.
Overall:
If you can ride a sport bike all day without pain, this is
undoubtedly the best deal in awesome power and technology on the
market for touring. If your knees ache after less than 100 miles on
a sport bike, don't buy a Concours-14.
___
Cogito Ergo Spam - I think therefore I ham
Posted by Doug Payne on August 9, 2010, 4:56 pm
On 09/08/2010 10:58 AM, Steve T wrote:
> If you can ride a sport bike all day without pain, this is
> undoubtedly the best deal in awesome power and technology on the
> market for touring. If your knees ache after less than 100 miles on
> a sport bike, don't buy a Concours-14.
Not surprisingly, since we're about the same size and age, I had pretty
much the same experience. Sold it and bought a used low-mileage '04
R1150RT instead, now I'm a much happier camper. I think the biggest
difference was the adjustable seat height. The guy that sold it to me
said, "You''ll want to use the lowest seat height". I'm also a
dual-sport guy; 35" seat height is just fine with me. I ride the RT with
the seat (optional 'comfort' seat) at its *highest*, and it's comfy
enough for 800km+ days. My knees don't ache any more than they normally
do, which is to say, I can still walk after 300 km riding. It doesn't
have the kick-in-the-ass power of a Connie or FJR, but it's certainly
got plenty enough to propel me around the country. It doesn't have all
the electronic bells and whistles of newer bikes, and I don't care. It
gets me from A to B in comfort and in good time.
Posted by Mark Olson on August 9, 2010, 6:10 pm
Doug Payne wrote:
> On 09/08/2010 10:58 AM, Steve T wrote:
>
>> If you can ride a sport bike all day without pain, this is
>> undoubtedly the best deal in awesome power and technology on the
>> market for touring. If your knees ache after less than 100 miles on
>> a sport bike, don't buy a Concours-14.
>
> Not surprisingly, since we're about the same size and age, I had pretty
> much the same experience. Sold it and bought a used low-mileage '04
> R1150RT instead, now I'm a much happier camper. I think the biggest
> difference was the adjustable seat height. The guy that sold it to me
> said, "You''ll want to use the lowest seat height". I'm also a
> dual-sport guy; 35" seat height is just fine with me. I ride the RT with
> the seat (optional 'comfort' seat) at its *highest*, and it's comfy
> enough for 800km+ days. My knees don't ache any more than they normally
> do, which is to say, I can still walk after 300 km riding. It doesn't
> have the kick-in-the-ass power of a Connie or FJR, but it's certainly
> got plenty enough to propel me around the country. It doesn't have all
> the electronic bells and whistles of newer bikes, and I don't care. It
> gets me from A to B in comfort and in good time.
In the time-honored tradition of recommending what you own- the Gen II
FJR has an adjustable seat height, which might help with some of your
comfort issues. If you're not a really unusual height, almost any bike
can be made comfortable, it boils down to how much effort you want to
put into it.
As a former C10 owner I was interested in the C14 but kept waffling on
pulling the trigger, I was caught in a weak moment by a killer deal on
a left over 2007 in 2008, and haven't regretted it.
I love the top gear roll on performance, on our trip to the west, there
wasn't a mountain it couldn't comfortably climb, or pass on, in 5th gear.
Posted by Doug Payne on August 10, 2010, 7:04 pm
On 09/08/2010 6:10 PM, Mark Olson wrote:
> In the time-honored tradition of recommending what you own- the Gen II
> FJR has an adjustable seat height, which might help with some of your
> comfort issues. If you're not a really unusual height, almost any bike
> can be made comfortable, it boils down to how much effort you want to
> put into it.
Yeah, I really wanted to like the FJR. But the RT's highest seat
position is a bit more than an inch higher than the FJR (dunno exact
measurements for seat-to-peg, I suspect they more-or-less correspond).
That inch made all the difference in the world to me. I almost always
add bar risers to every bike; I find I don't have to on the RT. And the
effort to make the seat height more comfortable is about the same as
filling it with gas, only a bit quicker. Insert key, remove seat, pull
up or down on seat adjuster, replace seat. FJR was my second choice,
between the RT and the Connie.
> As a former C10 owner I was interested in the C14 but kept waffling on
> pulling the trigger, I was caught in a weak moment by a killer deal on
> a left over 2007 in 2008, and haven't regretted it.
Those killer deals always get ya!
Posted by The Older Gentleman on August 11, 2010, 2:08 am
> > As a former C10 owner I was interested in the C14 but kept waffling on
> > pulling the trigger, I was caught in a weak moment by a killer deal on
> > a left over 2007 in 2008, and haven't regretted it.
>
> Those killer deals always get ya!
Got me, too, with a Yamaha 900 Diversion and also (thinking about it) my
Ducati.
Who cares if it's last year's model[1] when the price has been cut by a
grand or more?
[1] In other words, often just a decal change?
--
BMW K1100LT Ducati 750SS Honda CB400F Triumph Street Triple
Suzuki TS250ER GN250 Damn, back to six bikes!
Try Googling before asking a damn silly question.
chateau dot murray at idnet dot com
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> undoubtedly the best deal in awesome power and technology on the
> market for touring. If your knees ache after less than 100 miles on
> a sport bike, don't buy a Concours-14.