Here is a dose of reality...........lets just say that Kawasaki does what some of you want, I will bet the farm that y'all will still bitch and find something to complain about. Just sayin.......
I'm not in the more Horsepower camp for various reasons.
-- More torque, but I don't want weight. Would love a small forced induction system, ala supercharger like on their JetSkis.
Here my opinion.....
I'm not in the more Horsepower camp for various reasons. I've done a couple of Trackdays now on the C14 and it goes plenty fast for its size and weight. Could it go faster yeah sure....it just needs a better rider, not more HP.
What I would like, which I think is inline with others on the board, is some innovation, versus raw Cubic Inches.
-- More touring features would be nice, but I don't want a GoldWing
-- More torque, but I don't want weight. Would love a small forced induction system, ala supercharger like on their JetSkis.
-- Improvements to brakes, especially their feel. The linking on this bike feels just odd.
I'm pretty sure the C14 market, in general, is not looking for more power. If they were, they'd be buying ZX-14, or Liter Bikes.
Like with cars, people ask for horsepower and buy torque.
First of all, a better rider on a slower bike can't beat the lesser rider with more hp. But a better rider will still be faster on a faster bike.
Personally, I would rather have a larger gas tank than more HP an day. The only time I need more horses is when I'm racing, and I sure as hell don't race a Connie...
The point is this, the original C14 was based on a ST version of the ZX14. Now they upgrade the ZX14 with some tweaks to the engine which can be applied to the C14 adding some gain in power/performance. Assuming its economical to only have to build one crankshaft and create C14 engines on the exact same assembly line of the ZX14R engine, Kawi can offer a bump in performance on the C14 for next to nothing in cost. I'm not saying I would sell my 2010 and plop down another 15K for a new one. But if I was in the market for a new bike I would be attracted by the increased performance. Isn't that what attracted you to the C14 in the first place? Yes I would be riding a ZX14R or some liter sport bike if performance was the only thing. But I want to ride 500 mile plus days with luggage for a comfortable 2 weeks. Satisfy that then give me all the performance you can. I think that describes a C14.
Lets see some hands, how many of C14 owners didn't care about performance when you bought your bike?
Maybe Kawasaki will produce two different models of C-14's.
One stock like it is now for all the weak riders who want a stock pipe on their bikes and never ever go over 70mph, and the ZX-14R engine for those of us who know that a .44 Magnum is much more fun than a .357 Magnum!!
" A man has to know his limitations"......Clint Eastwood.....1973........
Ninja
I would disagree in the twisties, agree in a straight line.
Maybe Kawasaki will produce two different models of C-14's.
One stock like it is now for all the weak riders who want a stock pipe
and never ever go over 70mph,
I've yet to find a bike that will do every type of riding I'd like to do and do them all exceedingly well. If you really want to get your speed fix, you should buy a sport bike and hit your local track days. You can bounce off the rev limiter all day long in a safe environment off the streets. And the bike will be designed as a package (suspension, geometry, power characteristics, etc.) for the exact purpose of going fast - straight line and corners.
Then when you get back on the C14, you'll truly appreciate it for what it is really designed for.
Trying to optimize a bike for too many things, and you'll end up with a machine that is mediocre in all those areas.