Back when the '08 came out, there were of course a lot of generic complaints but also a small number of very earnest people with laundry lists of what Kawasaki needed to do to "fix" the bike. And Kawasaki listened- now we have linked brakes, KTRC, and a price tag approaching $17K (the '08 brand new was $12,699 as I remember, full retail) during 5 years of 2- 3% inflation. So as the whiners keep it up, soon enough the bike will crack $20K and yet the whining will not end, just change pitch and note for other 'needed' changes.
How does it go- be careful what you wish for, you may get it?
All of that is making a VFR1200 attractive. If it were not for the drive line snatch, I think it would be a great bike. And maybe, just maybe, the drive line snatch can be buffered too.... :-)
Brian
A new 2014 C14 at the local dealer here in Canada is $19,299 and of course they want to charge freight ($599) and PDI ($299) on top of that. Oh, and lets not forget the 15% provincial tax...lol. That puts a new C14 just over $23,000 out the door.
Of course the prices drops drastically in the fall, and you can get the same bike for $16,999 but the extra fees and taxes are still there.
This is why I refuse to buy new most of the time, when I can pick up a lightly used model in the US for FAR less.
My 2010 C14 (ABS/Ktrc) with 4300 miles was $9500 bucks USD...back in 2012. So I don't get any warranty....pfft...even if I DID have to pay for shop labor, which I don't, I can buy a lot of repairs for almost $10,000 in savings...lol. The risk is extremely low imho.
Anyway...that's all irrelevant with regards to the current topic. Even IF the 2015 C14 has changes that I like (I highly doubt it), I wouldn't be buying one until at least 2017 anyway...lol. For Rembrant, it's a non-issue at this point in the game.
I'm not saying it should stay as it is forever either, but in the grand scheme of things, it is my opinion that the public will drive this beautiful motorcycle into being something that some of us (the minority...lol) will dislike.
Maybe not...lol, so I guess we'll wait and see won't we?
And just to add to it all, It seems strange to me (at my young age) to dislike all these so-called "enhancements" and "upgrades" for greater comfort and further gadgetry and accessories, but the "better" things get, the more I just want to buy something like an old Suzuki Bandit for $5000 to do my sport-touring on....for it's simplicity and cost effectiveness (and I'm the farthest thing in the world from being a Suzuki fan). Whatever happened to "roughing it" with traditional handlebars and a couple analog gauges?....lol. Open the gas cap and give the bike a shake to see if you have enough fuel left.
That's my rant for the day;).
Rem
