New c14 owner, first mods?

[connie14boy]

Yeah, it is sad when that happens.  At least in the official Kawasaki videos it is pronounced correctly.

Shouldn't be too mysterious for people, since English does contain a lot of French words (not that I am a fan of French, and I took Spanish in HS).

http://french.about.com/od/vocabulary/a/frenchinenglish.htm

If those dealers think saying "Kahn Coor" is difficult, you should ask them to pronounce Peugeot or Renault

Or spell and pronounce "Porsche" correctly- "Porsha" not "Porsh".

[PlaynInPeoria]

Welcome Mr. bdpakaknox to the best forum for Concours (KonKoor- silent "s") aficionados. For me the 4 things I changed immediately were:
1). Threw out the Crapstone 021 tires and got Michelin PR's with 55 rear aspect ratio- the best and safest tires I've ever ridden on in 45 years.
2). Got the 2" risers and shark skin bar grips.
3). Got Seth Laam to build an awesome "all week" seat.
4). Dumpsterized the black bazooka and got a Vance & Hines CS-1 slip-on. Now it looks, performs and sounds like a proper sport-tourer.

I did these same mods, but have a Delkovic slip on, same same.  I'd wear out the stock tires, no sense throwing them away.   Lots of good replacements, I'll name names (Pirelli Angel GT, Michelin PR2/3/4, whichever, those are all the tires I have experience with on this bike).

I also put HID and a LOUD horn on it, wonderful mods!

And the flash, oh yes, get the flash from SISF. SISF means the guy whose username is Steve in Sunny Florida.   I go the gas gauge mod from Brian, aka BDF.

Radar detector, GPS and I unlinked the brakes, which I like but some consider heresy.  Take your time, this bike lasts a long time.

EDIT: The FIRST mod you should make it to protect the top of the bags from the hideous scratches you'll cause when you swing your leg over.   Various solutions, from various sticky stuff to custom made stuff.  If you don't like the first fix, do something else.  Some people put various forms of shelf paper adhesive, very inexpensive.  See through is most popular. 

Also a good tank protector and something along the sides of the tank where your legs rub. My brother bought some really cool bumpy stuff, like 'ribbed for his pleasure' almost.  I have an OEM solution but I wish I would have gotten what he got. I have no idea what the product is or where he got it, but it's very cool, protects the sides of the tank and also makes it easier to grab on with your legs.

I forgot, I also put reflective stickers on the back of the bags, they cover the whole back end and are very obvious when headlights hit them, makes you much more visible from the rear at night.

[maxtog]

EDIT: The FIRST mod you should make it to protect the top of the bags from the hideous scratches you'll cause when you swing your leg over.   Various solutions, from various sticky stuff to custom made stuff.  If you don't like the first fix, do something else.  Some people put various forms of shelf paper adhesive, very inexpensive.  See through is most popular. 

I simply don't swing my leg over the bag and thus have never had any scratches.  I face the seat and put my leg straight out and over the seat, then face forward and finish the mount.  Granted, my legs are pretty flexible, but I can't imagine that is any harder than swinging a leg over the back.  I suppose it depends on the individual.

[Deziner]

I'm old and lazy. I stand on the left peg when I get on my bike.

[maxtog]

I'm old and lazy. I stand on the left peg when I get on my bike.

I often do that too, but still do not pass my boots over the panniers.

[Daytona_Mike]

I am of the opinion that the stock Dunlop  tires are pretty bad to the point that in wet weather they might be considered unsafe by some (me). If your an easy steady rider and dont go fast then maybe you will be ok but I  really think they should be tossed ASAP.

There is a custom  pre cut 3M paint guard  film  kit you can buy to fit you bike for a reasonable price that covers everything that normally will get scratched  or rock chipped.
You will know it is there but no one else can see it. It covers all the leading front panels, front headlight, gas tank and saddle bags. If your not comfortable installing it any auto tint place can do it fast and cheap.

[just gone]

I am of the opinion that the stock Dunlop tires are pretty bad......

?   ?

Did something change that I didn't hear about?
(It happens all of the time, but I thought I was staying on top of the C14 changes. You meant Crapstones, right?)

[PlaynInPeoria]

I simply don't swing my leg over the bag and thus have never had any scratches.  I face the seat and put my leg straight out and over the seat, then face forward and finish the mount.  Granted, my legs are pretty flexible, but I can't imagine that is any harder than swinging a leg over the back.  I suppose it depends on the individual.

Ever let anyone ride your bike? Or take a passenger?   I have a scratch on my right bag that has a name, it's the 'Mike scratch' for when I let Mike ride my C14, he never even knew he did it.  I cried a little.   There is little downside to excessive protection.   He may or may not choose to mount it but most people never think of the possibility of the damage occurring.  I didn't, coming off a C10, where the bags are much lower and not painted as nicely.  It only takes once.

Also, he may be of a different physical configuration and prefer to swing his leg over.  I don't swing my leg over anymore either.  Now I have a nice kick mark on the left side of my seat where I have kicked on several occasions.

[Daytona_Mike]

?   ?

Did something change that I didn't hear about?
(It happens all of the time, but I thought I was staying on top of the C14 changes. You meant Crapstones, right?)

Opps.. my bad Marty.  I did mean crapstones. sorry about that

[maxtog]

Ever let anyone ride your bike?

Not yet... but that would be a concern and would warn them.

Or take a passenger? 

Can't.  Legs too short and I replaced the seat with a Sargent low with pod (no passenger seat).  Both are still valid concerns, however.

I have a scratch on my right bag that has a name, it's the 'Mike scratch' for when I let Mike ride my C14, he never even knew he did it.  I cried a little. 

Yeah, I would cry some too

There is little downside to excessive protection.   He may or may not choose to mount it but most people never think of the possibility of the damage occurring.  I didn't, coming off a C10, where the bags are much lower and not painted as nicely.  It only takes once.

Very true. 

Also, he may be of a different physical configuration and prefer to swing his leg over.  I don't swing my leg over anymore either.  Now I have a nice kick mark on the left side of my seat where I have kicked on several occasions.

LOL!!!! I have that same kick mark   Thankfully it kinda rubs off with protectant.

[DeansZG]

My advice is to ride the thing first. Figure out what does not work for YOU and then search/ask for advice.
>>>SNIP<<<

THIS­

[VirginiaJim]

Saves money in the long run... +1   

[gPink]

But may leave your shelf unprotected

[VirginiaJim]

Yes, there is that..

[Eupher]

There is, of course, much wisdom in "try it before you find fault with it" but I can also see some wisdom in querying the forum to find out, in general, what kinds of issues that the Connie has.

I've been riding for a lot of years, but I've never ridden anything as big or heavy as the Connie. Never rode anything with a fairing or a windscreen, for that matter. So in exploring the whole fairing deal, for example, I learned that some bikes (i.e., the ST1300) have heat control issues (heat direction to legs and feet). One mod that theoretically might be available for bikes in general might be some sort of heat re-direct add-on.

So for someone who little or no experience with fairings, that kind of information might be useful. Can the guy ride and assess for himself? Sure! But what's wrong with a little discussion up front?

There's a wealth of information on this forum and for one, I've taken advantage of a lot of reading and listening. I'm appreciative of the interactions I've had thus far and look forward to more.