Buying a Concours 14

[84Sabre]

Hi everyone. I've been a cruiser rider since I started riding. About a year and a half ago, I had an ST1100. I totalled it due to brake failure (only owned it for a few days and the previous owner must have botched the front brakes.) After a few months, I bought a Royal Star 1300.

Recently, I started scraping more and more around turns. It's mostly footpegs, but I'm starting to scrape the crash bars as well. Time to return to Sport-Touring.

I test drove a 2010 Kawasaki Concours14. Didn't want to bring it back to the dealer and just keep riding it. I found my motorcycle.

What I need from you all is to know what to look for. The bike is clean with 9k miles, side bag has a small leak, but everything else looks nice. What's a normal sound for these engines? I'm used to V-Twins and my 4 cyl on my Royal Star, but I'm not used to the sounds of the Concours.

Is it also normal for the engine to make clicking noises? I just want to be sure. My luck with buying used motorcycles is rather poor, so if I'm putting 8k into a motorcycle, I would like to kinda know what to look for.

Thanks in advance for any help. Regardless of whether I get this Connie or a different 2010+, I'm getting a Connie regardless.

[Deziner]

Welcome to the forum!

A little noisey at start up, till the oil pressure gets to the timing chain tensioner. Normal stuff.

You're gonna LOVE it!

[84Sabre]

You're gonna LOVE it!

After riding it for 15 minutes, I definitely will. I may be wrong, but I think it has 10k miles, not 17k. Waiting for my Royal Star to get out of the shop so I can sell it or trade it. Hoping to own a Concours by the end of the week.

[Rhino]

Welcome! Yup, noisy rattle on cold start up is normal. Bought my 2010 6 years and 63,000+ miles ago and still love it. Whenever I get on a cruiser now it feels like I'm driving a bus.

[jimmymac]

They rock.

[gPink]

Welcome to the forum. I found out the limit of cornering clearance is when the front crash bar lifts the front wheel. Just FYI, if you're paying 10k for a 2010 model you may be paying to much.

[kzz1king]

Ageed, Have seen a lot in that year and newer on Cycle Trader and here in the 7,000-8500 range.
Wayne

Welcome to the forum. I found out the limit of cornering clearance is when the front crash bar lifts the front wheel. Just FYI, if you're paying 10k for a 2010 model you may be paying to much.

[PlaynInPeoria]

1) Find a C14 owner you trust and have him look and listen.  Pay a few buck if you must

2) use Searchtempest.com ( a CraigsList search tool) and get a handle on prices.  10k for price sounds high to me too.

They made big changes in 2010, 2010 is way better than 2009 and before.

[84Sabre]

Thanks for all the info. I guess I got it mixed up a bit with another Concours. Here's what it is. 2010, 8,500 miles, for $8,000. Has crash bars, highway pegs, and a trunk with lights.

Any Concours owners in McHenry County that want to help me out for a six pack of beer or a full tank of gas?

[gPink]

Illinois or North Dakota?

[84Sabre]

Illinois or North Dakota?

Illinois. Probably should have added that earlier, but I guess it's one of those days.

[gPink]

Mama said there'd be days like this...

[Deziner]

Mama said there'd be days like this...

But she never said there would be so many in a row

[JerBear]

FWIW Sabre84      IMO the Gen 1 (08-09) bikes are worth looking at unless you have your heart set on a Gen 2.   I have a 08 and have no idea what they are talking about when they say heat issues.  I actually prefer the (lines) of the body work and while no one will ever accuse a C-14 of being easy to work on, the body work is easier to disassemble when you have to take it apart.  I have started a dozen time to go look at a newer C-14 and this one keeps talking me out of it.  I love it and you will too regardless of what year you buy.  Also there is a new 2013 (Blue) in Madison WI that they are selling for $10500 so 10K is way too much for a used 10 with 17K miles but the milage is really irrelevant , there are several owners on the forum with well over 100K and no engine issues. 

As far as engine sound when I put my head out of the wind near the tank, and with the stock exhaust the C-14 reminds me of a sewing machine.  Now this is a sewing machine that can sew 1/2 thick leather at 20 inches a second but smooth like a sewing machine.  If you are hearing a rattle at start up, that is the cam chain tensioner.  Search for it and read ad nauseam.

[84Sabre]

As far as engine sound when I put my head out of the wind near the tank, and with the stock exhaust the C-14 reminds me of a sewing machine.  Now this is a sewing machine that can sew 1/2 thick leather at 20 inches a second but smooth like a sewing machine.  If you are hearing a rattle at start up, that is the cam chain tensioner.  Search for it and read ad nauseam.

That's kind of what I heard. I don't recall whether it was still there after everything reached operating temperature, but I'll definitely take it out again before I buy it.

I fixed my original post. I would have done it earlier, but I figured that it was like most forums and you couldn't edit it after someone replies. It's $8,000 with 9,000 miles. I've been looking at too many Concourses.

[SilverConnieRider]

The side bag with a small leak would concern me.
If it's from a dealer I would have them replace it or at least fix it if they could do it without screwing it up.

The guys that have a gen I (2008 or 2009) almost always say they like it better then a Gen II (2010 and later).
I 'm the other way and like a Gen II MUCH better then the Gen I's.  There's a reason they only made them for 2 years.
It's just personal preference IMO.

The Gen II have heated grips, a toggle switch to scroll the DIC screen, the storage box locks, a better stock seat and windscreen to name a few things.

Buying from a dealer is usually more $$$$ so unless you have to use your older bike as a trade-in I would keep looking.
Craigslist and Ebay are places to start and you might find one close enough to go get for a better deal, with even more options etc.
The 2010 came in ABS and non-ABS models - 2011 and up the ABS and traction Control is standard.

Good luck on finding a good deal.  They are out there - Do you really have to have a bike this week?  A few weeks of searching might
very well be worth a delay in getting a great deal. 

[Jim H]

 My 2010 is for sale.....Just sayin.   Comes with a lot of goodies and priced to move.

Jim

[PlaynInPeoria]

Any Concours owners in McHenry County that want to help me out for a six pack of beer or a full tank of gas?

I live in the Peoria area but am generally slammed, so a trip to Chicagoland is a no go but if you come down here to look at one, hit me up.

[84Sabre]

My 2010 is for sale.....Just sayin.   Comes with a lot of goodies and priced to move.

Jim

I'd be interested in details, but unless you're willing to straight up trade for a Royal Star 1300 and 2k cash, I have to finance the bike. Or a payment plan.

I went back to the dealer and test rode it. When I go to brake, the front brakes sound like what I could only compare to a cicada, and then as I start getting to lower speeds it starts to squeak. Normal? Easy to fix?

Second thing I noticed is that on both crash bars on both sides, there are signs of a low speed dump. Slight scrape on fairing, slight scrape on front crash guard, and the rear crash guard is a little worse. Leak is still there, with rains the water collection was a little more.

Final thing is noises up front. When it's windy, is it normal for noises be coming from the bottom of the windshield? When I lower the windshield while riding, the noise is still there. When in neutral and bike is at idle, the engine has a ticking sound. I cant pinpoint which side is louder, so I can't help there. It is slightly more audible on the right. Very slightly.

Besides the scrapes and leak, are the noises relatively normal?

[PlaynInPeoria]

My bike does none of that. Run away.