vulcan owner to concours questions

[Mister Tee]

I'm not hating on cruisers whatsoever, but I have learned very quickly that they will not meet my normal riding mission profile.  I actually considered going with a Harley Road Glide as one of the options to replace my BMW.  It was a fine straight line bike, I was happy with the quality of build and it actually maneuvered surprisingly well at low speed, but I could NOT keep from scraping the floorboards in on corners.  Dealer was pissed on my test ride.

[gPink]

I'm not hating on cruisers whatsoever, but I have learned very quickly that they will not meet my normal riding missionMISSLE profile.  I actually considered going with a Harley Road Glide as one of the options to replace my BMW.  It was a fine straight line bike, I was happy with the quality of build and it actually maneuvered surprisingly well at low speed, but I could NOT keep from scraping the floorboards in on corners.  Dealer was pissed on my test ride.

FIFY
I agree. I did go to a Road King from the R100/RS. It was the only bike I've ever made the wife comfortable on. Until I made her fall off scraping the front crash bars which seem to be the limit of ground clearance.

[DenverC-14]

I'm 27. It was a great 'starter' bike for me, and when I wanted something I could corner with and ride all day, I went all out and got the connie. I've been happy with my purchase, but it does drag peg sometimes...

[W14]

Scooter - since you plan to keep your vulcan, if money is a concern, you can save a lot by considering an 08 or 09 C14. IMHO, the issues with the 08's and 09's were overblown by a few unhappy and very vocal owners. There are a lot of happy owners out there.  I am one of them; you heard from VirginiaJim. Excessive heat on the right ankle (not a problem with my 09), the primary complaint against the 08's and 09's can be mitigated for $50 or less (Zteve's heat shields). 

[VirginiaJim]

thanks for the replys guys. jim and denver why all the hate for the vulcan line up? allmost thought this was a harley site for a second

I went back and read my reply and there was no 'hate' as you describe it.  However, I'm not a fan of cruisers of any make, never have been, never will be.  Not my style of riding.  I wasn't 'brought up' with them.  I've been more of fast twisty rider on bikes that can carry luggage of some sort.  It's not my personality to ride one of them.  If I had to choose between a cruiser and not riding I probably wouldn't ride and just buy a sports car convertible.   I'm not sure I understand your last sentence, though.

[Makz58]

I had been a cruiser guy most of my 40 riding years....then one day I went to a Demo days at the local Kawi place. They were also letting people ride some of there pre-owned units. Well one of these was a 03 C-10 took it for a ride and the rest is history bought that bike and added it to my garage. Found I was riding it way more often than my cruiser this bike I found to be way more fun to ride. The next year back at the same dealer Demo days took the 10 C-14 out for a ride and yes wound up bringing it home also. It took almost a month to get that s$$$ eating grin off my face. Sucks to go out in the morning and have to choose which bike to ride to work. Although I love most all bikes the ST bikes are my favorite now.

[backoutonthehighway]

helo everyone.im new to this site but have been enjoying it for some time so i decided to join,as a long time kawi owner i have been eyeballing the concours for some time.ive found a left over silver 2011 for 13.300 14.300 out the door,does this sound like a decent deal? i just sold my z 1000 and im thinking the concours might be the way to go although i realy like my vulcan. most of the issues ive read about the bike seem to be taken care of by the 2011 modle year am i correct? there was some mention of header bolts coming loose. is this still a problem? and if so how often do you have to check them,and is it a one time thing or do you have to keep checking them?thanks for any help guys and hope to be posting more soon

I own both - a 2006 Vulcan 1500 Classic (57k miles on it) and a 2011 C14. Best advice I could give is go rent one for a day. I tested the C14 and the BMW 1150 before choosing the C14. I knew I'd have to make some ergo changes - still getting that dialed in, but I'm super happy with both bikes. Riding the C14 a bit more since it's the shiny one, but the 1500 still gets out of the garage.

I picked up a black one in December for 14.2 OTD, so I think it's a pretty good price given the new ones are almost 18 OTD around here. I did find one dealership that was willing to go 14.8 on a '12 the same day I picked up my '11  , but they went out of business this week (wonder why?).

Let's see some pics when you pick it up!

Oh, and here's a link to my review of the '08 rental: http://backoutonthehighway.com/2011/11/16/concours-14/

[scooter]

i can understand that. i love my vulcan for what it is but after selling my z1000 im looking for somrthing that can offer the best of both worlds,sport plus touring.i think the concours can offer that.the vulcan is a fine cruiser bike but the adrelin rush is not there.i didnt think i would miss it that much. after having many kawi sport bikes i should of known.

[Awaz]

hmmm....goes to show you different folks different stroke. There is no way in heck I will be 'touring' on a cruiser. I bought this bike for the sport touring aspect of it - more on the touring side.

[ZedHed]

Scooter - since you plan to keep your vulcan, if money is a concern, you can save a lot by considering an 08 or 09 C14. IMHO, the issues with the 08's and 09's were overblown by a few unhappy and very vocal owners. There are a lot of happy owners out there.  I am one of them; you heard from VirginiaJim. Excessive heat on the right ankle (not a problem with my 09), the primary complaint against the 08's and 09's can be mitigated for $50 or less (Zteve's heat shields).

I own an '08 (Silver is faster) C14 and couldn't be happier.  I have had very little trouble other that the TPMS sensors (replaced under warranty) KI-PASS twice not starting (very minor -- lubed micro-switch ala Fred Harmon) and the normal tires, oil/filter changes, and battery replacement.  This bike has been just as reliable as my '04 Suzuki SV650 and twice as fun to ride and that is saying something !!  There are just too many OCD riders here (some from Harleys and other bikes) who think that a bike should be perfect with zero problems ever.  No, the C14 ain't a Goldwing for trouble-free riding, but it ain't far from it either.  The best part of owning a motorcycle is getting to know its idiosyncrasies and learning to live with them or remediate them. Life involves risk -- embrace the risk or drive a car !!

[Indy-Dave]

I stepped out of a Vulcan 1500 that I rode for 10 years and dove into the Concours 14.   The Vulcan was awsome - fit like a glove.  Responsibilities limited the ride time but when we could break for a weekend, 10 - 12 hour days were not a problem.   Not an iron butt kind of guy, just spent alot of time looking for the roads worth the ride.   The bike rode well and was a strong performer.  Loved it and had no regrets.

The jump to the GTR was a bit of  "growing up" and getting a bit serious.  The growing up part relates to personal choices.  I ditched the beenie and T shirt for Armor and a full lid.  Fortunately, none of my saftey gear has ever been tested but I wear it none the less.  As for getting a bit serious, I decided the ride was more important than the look.     So here are my perceptions on the jump -

It is a radical difference in the feel.   The Vulcan was low and laid back where as  the Concours feels a mile high and leaning forward.   I spent a great deal of time in parking lots running exercises to get the feel of the bike.   Frankly, the lean angles scared me because the Vulcan was never ridden as a sporty bike.  15 -20 minutes of some drills and off for a ride.   Time well spent.  The Concours is outstanding - powerful and sure footed - bike capabilities exceed rider ability.   A few months of short hauls before the weekend getaway helped immensely with the confidence factor.   The big question now was how would it be on long rides.  I will admit that I was concerned.   The Vulcan was a rolling Berk-o-lounger that had been custom fitted over the years.   The Concours - a great surprise.  It is very comfortable even in the stock config.   Make no mistake, a little cutom fitting will only increase the comfot but it is fine off the show room floor (about 30 hours of ride time over 3 days).   We swapped bikes during the ride and I got back on a cruser.   Found myself grinding the floor pans and running the bike hard to keep up.  My bud found it hard not to want to crack the throttle and dive into turns.  When the rain hit hard, the Concours sealed the deal.   It tracked true, stopped well, and protection was great.  the Concours is a great riding machine.

So IMHO, the jump was great and I have no regrets - big change - no regrets.   If you make the change, spend some time getting used to the new bike. Sure the HD crowd doesn't think I am very cool but netiher do my teenagers.  They just don't see the constant smile under the full face lid.

[scooter]

very nice review indy dave. i have the same experiance,coming from a 2010 z1000 and ninjas in the past i can relate in the difference in the bikes. i had the sport bikes before i bought the vulcan. having two styles of bikes at the same time is a nice luxury.i sold the z1000 recently and now only have the vulcan. its a great bike and i love riding it. im looking at the concours as a best of both workds bike as im not sure i want two bikes again not just for the cost but for the miles i put on in a year its just not worth it.guess i need to get some ride time on a concours and see if it fits me well enough to get rid of the vulcan.thanks for the replys guys

[jkramer]

I have been riding harleys for many years. the bike ive had for 12 years is a 2000 softail deuce,very hot rodded and customized and before that a dresser and 2 springers. 4 months ago i bought an 08 concours. and it changed my life. I cant stay off of it. this is what ive been looking for in a motorcycle all my life. Comparing the harley to the concours is like comparing a prop plane to an f16. The harley has only been started to keep the battery up.No desire to ride it anymore. I personally think the concours 14 is one of the best kept secrets in the m/c world.

[danl]

I came off a Vulcan 1600 to the Connie. My wife has a Vulcan 1500. We're both huge Vulcan fans- a lot of bike for the money when you compare them to other cruisers. They are very smooth, comfortable, decent power, and handle well for big bikes. That said, there is no comparison to the Connie. It's better in every aspect. Even backing it out and into the driveway, it's not that bad. You were lower to the ground on the Vulcan so you could get more foot into it, but the bike was 100lbs heavier. Feet down at stop lights? Not really an issue.

I had only had my Connie for a week when I took it in for it's 1st service. My wife's bike had been dropped of for her 28000 mile service, so I left the Connie and rode the Vulcan home. It felt like I was riding a lawn tractor, and the Vulcan is a smooth riding cruiser, but the difference was that great.

It didn't take long to get used to the riding position and style of the Connie, but I got mine in October and I'm still learning things every day- like mostly, to trust the bike. It does things a cruiser can't, and breaking myself of cruiser habits will take a little while.

[scooter]

thanks for the replys guys. i went down yesterday and took another look at the concours ive been wanting,a 2011 left over in silver 0 miles.man thats a beautifull bike,they want 13,200 that sounds like a pretty good price from what ive seen, but they dont want to give me hardley anything for a trade in. 4k for a 09 with very low miles. i dont realy want two bikes so i want to pay the concours off when i get it so i have no payments.the 09 was purchased last year new as a left over so thats why it has such low miles,i realy like the vulcan alot but as others have said its not the same kinda bike, after sitting on the concours it fits me perfect and i can see why everyone loves it

[maxtog]

but they dont want to give me hardley anything for a trade in. 4k for a 09 with very low miles.

I will be the first of perhaps several posts telling you not to do a trade-in.  Just sell the bike privately.  Yes, it is a pain, but trade-in values are often horrible.

[W14]

Scooter - which Vulcun do you have? $4K does not sound like much, but if it is a Vulcan 900, it might not be off that much. On the other hand, if the dealer is talking $4k for a 2009 Vulcan 1700 ABS, you should take you business somewhere else.

Agree that you can get more money through a private sale.

[scooter]

it is a 900 custom le,ive added a memphis shades  batwing other wise its all stock,looking at a corbin seat till the concours bug grabbed me

[W14]

Don't know if you have done the research, but the Kelley Blue Book tradein value on a 2009 900 Custom is $3,815, close to the $4k you were offered - dealers will not give you anything for farkles. I don't have the  NADA tradein value (standard used by dealers and government agencies to assess vehicle values), but the retail value is $4,230 to $5,565, meaning tradein values are $1k or so less.  Bottom line, like other motorcycles, your 900 have lost a lot of its original value - and the dealer is not that far off.

By the way, there is no comparison between the 900 and the C14. You are talking about moving from a bike designed for a beginner/novice rider and perhaps a couple hundred miles day trip to a world-class sport-tourer.   

[gPink]

Don't know if you have done the research, but the Kelley Blue Book tradein value on a 2009 900 Custom is $3,815, close to the $4k you were offered - dealers will not give you anything for farkles. I don't have the  NADA tradein value (standard used by dealers and government agencies to assess vehicle values), but the retail value is $4,230 to $5,565, meaning tradein values are $1k or so less.  Bottom line, like other motorcycles, your 900 have lost a lot of its original value - and the dealer is not that far off.

By the way, there is no comparison between the 900 and the C14. You are talking about moving from a bike designed for a beginner/novice rider and perhaps a couple hundred miles day trip to a world-class sport-tourer.

a bit but I remember when a 250-400 was a beginner bike.