Surprise- 2022

[maxtog]

OK, hard to believe, but Kawasaki is releasing a 2022 model year in the USA and Canada!

https://www.kawasaki.com/en-us/motorcycle/concours/supersport-touring/concours14-abs/2022-concours-14-abs?cm_re=MPP-_-CONCOURS%C2%AE14ABS:MODELS-_-VIEWSPECSDETAILS

Magenta pinstriping???  Hmmm.

[VirginiaJim]

Those rascally Japanese sales people have been in the Sake again...lol.  "I've got a great idea!  Let's do a pinstripe and just mix up a few cans of paint for something new!"   This reminds me that I need to go to my favorite Sushi place in town tonight.

[PH14]

I have always appreciated what Kawasaki has done with the Concours since its inception. They keep the model unchanged for the most part, for a long time, which keeps the price down, and promotes a robust aftermarket ecosystem for the machine. I do understand the desire for change, but the success of the Concours has been fostered by the lack of change for them most part, and the low price.

[SVonhof]

I have always appreciated what Kawasaki has done with the Concours since its inception. They keep the model unchanged for the most part, for a long time, which keeps the price down, and promotes a robust aftermarket ecosystem for the machine. I do understand the desire for change, but the success of the Concours has been fostered by the lack of change for them most part, and the low price.

I agree with this.

It would still be nice to keep very close to the same price point with a few of the newfangled things like throttle-by-wire and associated cruise control.

[VirginiaJim]

Unfortunately their marketing efforts to get these bikes sold to sport touring riders is less than stellar.

[SVonhof]

Unfortunately their marketing efforts to get these bikes sold to sport touring riders is less than stellar.

100% agree with this as well.

[maxtog]

Unfortunately their marketing efforts to get these bikes sold to sport touring riders is less than stellar.

Agreed.  Plus, it was/is massively misunderstood by dealers.  And this probably hurt sales.  But, apparently sales are still enough in USA/CA to justify having it around at least another year (which is what we said last year).

As for the magenta pinstriping (it might be magenta and grey, hard to tell in the photos)- I am under the assumption it is just a sticker and can probably be removed by just peeling it off, although this is absolutely speculation on my part.

[SVonhof]

As for the magenta pinstriping (it might be magenta and grey, hard to tell in the photos)- I am under the assumption it is just a sticker and can probably be removed by just peeling it off, although this is absolutely speculation on my part.

I did my own "pinstriping" on mine. Although I used reflective tape that is almost color matched to the bike.

[Cuda]

Cruise control is a must in my world and a deal breaker for many looking for a new bike

I understand It helps keep the price down but I believe that's short sighted, most want to buy a complete package VS doing the add on deal we are forced to do

I consider It a safety feature because I can pay better attention to the road and traffic around me on the highway.   

[O.C.]

These days the 'latest' crop of bikes have all sorts of features as standard, Cruise Control, Quick / Assist gearshift. Ride by wire, electronic suspension TFT technology etc etc

The Concourse (GTR 1400 over here) is a truly great bike and in many ways quite 'charming', however in today's world that may just be its downfall

Also it no longer meets  Euro 5 emission requirements

[maxtog]

Cruise control is a must in my world and a deal breaker for many looking for a new bike

I agree, but it is pretty obvious Kawasaki isn't going to change anything meaningful on the C14.  Cruise would be part of a redesign, if they are going to come out with a new type of Concours in the future.  But probably none of us believe there will be a future Concours.

[Pilgrim]

Agreed.  Plus, it was/is massively misunderstood by dealers.  And this probably hurt sales.  But, apparently sales are still enough in USA/CA to justify having it around at least another year (which is what we said last year).

As for the magenta pinstriping (it might be magenta and grey, hard to tell in the photos)- I am under the assumption it is just a sticker and can probably be removed by just peeling it off, although this is absolutely speculation on my part.

I'm curious, can you please expand a little on that statement? 

I love my C14 and would like to buy another one brand new, put it in storage for 15 years, and when I retire I'll have a brand new one to enjoy.

[PH14]

Unfortunately their marketing efforts to get these bikes sold to sport touring riders is less than stellar.

Marketing efforts? What marketing efforts? Yep, agree wholeheartedly.

[PH14]

These days the 'latest' crop of bikes have all sorts of features as standard, Cruise Control, Quick / Assist gearshift. Ride by wire, electronic suspension TFT technology etc etc

The Concourse (GTR 1400 over here) is a truly great bike and in many ways quite 'charming', however in today's world that may just be its downfall

Also it no longer meets  Euro 5 emission requirements

Yes, and they area all about $3,000 more expensive. The 2022 FJR is $18,199They also do not have the same aftermarket support as the Concours does, though they do have support.

[maxtog]

I'm curious, can you please expand a little on that statement? 

I said "Plus, it was/is massively misunderstood by dealers."

Your typical Kawasaki dealer almost never has a C14 in stock or on the floor.  This has been true for a long time.  They probably can't even pronounce it correctly.  The sales teams seem to be clueless as to how powerful the bike is or what role it plays.  They don't hardly even know how to start it, much less the difference between the active and passive fob.

Go in and ask a sales person what the advantages of the Concours are and see what you get.  Will they tell you it has a longer wheelbase for smoother ride?  Do they know how it is tuned or that it has variable valves?  Will they understand what it means to have shaft drive?  Will they let you know about its reliability, rider position, fuel economy (which is quite good for such a large bike)?  Will they tout the warranty length and coverage and that it can be extended cheaply to 9 years?  Or will they just steer you to something else?

That is the kind of stuff I mean.  It is certainly true for my two local dealers, and I have heard such stories about others.  I am not saying ALL dealers are like that, but I bet it is pretty common.

[PH14]

I said "Plus, it was/is massively misunderstood by dealers."

Your typical Kawasaki dealer almost never has a C14 in stock or on the floor.  This has been true for a long time.  They probably can't even pronounce it correctly.  The sales teams seem to be clueless as to how powerful the bike is or what role it plays.  They don't hardly even know how to start it, much less the difference between the active and passive fob.

Go in and ask a sales person what the advantages of the Concours are and see what you get.  Will they tell you it has a longer wheelbase for smoother ride?  Do they know how it is tuned or that it has variable valves?  Will they understand what it means to have shaft drive?  Will they let you know about its reliability, rider position, fuel economy (which is quite good for such a large bike)?  Will they tout the warranty length and coverage and that it can be extended cheaply to 9 years?  Or will they just steer you to something else?

That is the kind of stuff I mean.  It is certainly true for my two local dealers, and I have heard such stories about others.  I am not saying ALL dealers are like that, but I bet it is pretty common.

In fairness, the warranty is not cheap to extend to 9 years through most dealers. It is cheap to extend through the one we use here, but a dealer you buy the bike from won't tout that as a selling point.

The dealer I bought mine from knew a lot about it, of course that was back in 2010, and they had more than one on the floor. I knew the salesman well, he was our suspension guy when I helped run the dealership under the old ownership. He started telling me about the fob and the security system related to it, and I quickly told him that was not a positive to me, and that I was looking at the Concours despite the downside, in my opinion, of the KIPASS system. He also was very knowledgeable about the shaft drive  and the Tetra-Lever system.

There are knowledgeable dealers out there. At the same time, most dealers carry multiple lines, each consisting of different categories within each line, off-road, scooter, ATV/utility, street, and personal watercraft, and multiple models within each category. It is not easy for a person to be fully conversant with all models, though they try, and many are very knowledgeable about most of the products they sell. It is not easy though.

I have experienced the same with may different bikes at different dealerships though, some know their stuff, and some don't, it isn't exclusive to the Concours, or Kawasaki dealers.

[maxtog]

In fairness, the warranty is not cheap to extend to 9 years through most dealers. It is cheap to extend through the one we use here, but a dealer you buy the bike from won't tout that as a selling point.

OK, it is not as cheap through some dealers as with others, that is true.  However, having a 3 year complete factory warranty at purchase included is a HUGE selling point.  Something they didn't/don't offer on any other model (except the recent Vulcan 1700).  And the ABILITY to extend it to 9 is also a huge selling point to many potential customers (especially those in the C14-type market).

[SVonhof]

OK, it is not as cheap through some dealers as with others, that is true.  However, having a 3 year complete factory warranty at purchase included is a HUGE selling point.  Something they didn't/don't offer on any other model (except the recent Vulcan 1700).  And the ABILITY to extend it to 9 is also a huge selling point to many potential customers (especially those in the C14-type market).

BTW, a co-worker of mine bought a brand new Harley just after the Covid lockdown started, so it is less than 2 years old. He has under 10,000 miles on it and he said the front rotors are warped and he was telling me about all the stuff he bought ($1500 worth of parts) to replace it all. I asked why it wasn't under warranty and he said it is a wear item. I told him my front rotors/brakes were done 2 different times under warranty on my Concours and he was shocked. I told him they should not go bad that fast and he did a agree to that, but it is way too late for him now.

Of course, he bought the bike for probably $24k and by the sounds of it, has put about $6k in parts and electronics on it so far, not including labor to do it, since he isn't working on it.

[PH14]

OK, it is not as cheap through some dealers as with others, that is true.  However, having a 3 year complete factory warranty at purchase included is a HUGE selling point.  Something they didn't/don't offer on any other model (except the recent Vulcan 1700).  And the ABILITY to extend it to 9 is also a huge selling point to many potential customers (especially those in the C14-type market).

Definitely a good selling point. I extended mine as far as I could, using the special pricing found on the forum of course. Sadly I am out of warranty now, but I got nine good years out of it. No worries without the warranty though, another good selling point of the bike. These things just keep going.