Non-C14 owner, Kawi dealer question...

[Humbucker]

Hi guys,

I only started riding motorcycles four years ago, I'm still on my first bike(large metric cruiser) but I'm kind of bored with that type of ride now.  I'm starting to get a hankering for a sport-touring bike, I did get a chance to take out a C14 for a short 20-30 minute demo ride two summer's ago and man, it rocked my world!

One thing that has me a bit leery about buying this particular brand though is the fact that we've never had much of a dealer network for Kawasaki where I live. 

Kawasaki dropped our original local shop three years ago because the owner didn't have enough floor space and he took out all of the motorcycles during the winter months to display his snowmobiles and ATVs, this apparently didn't work for Kawasaki, so he got dropped.  Then another dealer popped out of nowhere and he was a complete sham and went out of business in less then a year.  Now a local RV, camper trailer, ATV, chainsaw, etc...place is the Kawasaki dealership.  Wheewwwww........

I know that they have one or two mechanics on staff but who knows if they're competent enough to work on a bike such as the Concours 14.  I wouldn't bet the farm on that being the case.  They probably haven't hardly worked on any motorcycles.

Is this a cause for concern or are these bikes not all that complicated for most mechanics?  If all you had for a Kawasaki dealer was this type of operation, would you feel comfortable buying a C14?  I suppose that most of the time, there are no problems to deal with anyway.

Maybe getting some of those DIY CDs for the C14 would be all that a guy needs in most cases?  I'm no mechanic but could do some basic stuff.

It's too bad that Kawasaki never found themselves a serious dealer in my town, there's a very large multibrand dealerships just up the road but they don't deal in Kawasaki.  They do sell BMW, Ducati, etc,,, and their mechanics do have the training to work on the bikes that they sell.

But if a guy prefers a C14 over a BMW, he might have to deal with less then stellar mechanics at the RV dealership.
I'm probably worrying for nothing but would you guys have any reservations buying from a place like this?

Thanks in advance and great site BTW, this is my first post here.

[Son of Pappy]

A bit biased for sure, 52000 relatively trouble free miles, only warranty issue was for a gear position switch.  From what I have heard Freds videos (no longer resides on this forum, he is the tech adviser over at the other forum COG) are worth the investment if you are mechanically inclined.  I'd buy another C14 in a heartbeat, keep in mind, the Neutron Silver is by far the quickest and fastest C14 (Naturally Aspirated version of course).

[BlkBird]

Welcome to the Forum.  I am a mechanic so I can't speak completely from your perspective but I've owned my C14 for 3 years and 1 month and I have needed zero repairs.  I would be completely comfortable purchasing the bike  with less than a great dealer presence if only for one reason.... this is the BEST sport touring bike available for the price.  The new BMW might be worth a look but considering the cost I would still have chosen my Kawi even if I had to make the choice again today.  Good luck with your decision.

Dave

P.S.  I think this bike has the biggest smile per mile potential.  I still love my bike and am planning on keeping it well over 100 thousand miles god willing.

[ZG]

A bit biased for sure, 52000 relatively trouble free miles, only warranty issue was for a gear position switch.  From what I have heard Freds videos (no longer resides on this forum, he is the tech adviser over at the other forum COG) are worth the investment if you are mechanically inclined.  I'd buy another C14 in a heartbeat, keep in mind, the Neutron Silver is by far the quickest and fastest C14 (Naturally Aspirated version of course).

You had me agreeing with you right up until the silverdammit being the fastest color SoP, now I'm not so sure if you're a creditable source...     

[VirginiaJim]

Sounds ok to me...

[BruceR]

You had me agreeing with you right up until the silverdammit being the fastest color SoP, now I'm not so sure if you're a creditable source...     

You might want to check top speeds.....the '08 IS faster, as later years are ECU-limited, IIRC

[BlkBird]

You might want to check top speeds.....the '08 IS faster, as later years are ECU-limited, IIRC

You may want to check that also as the 09 is the same as the 08 if I'm not mistaken.

[BruceR]

I did say IIRC. 
 I'm not quibbling over a few mpg top end.  The C14 is a great bike no matter the year.

[Spanky]

Welcome to the site. You may want to consider the FJR also. If Yamaha has a nice dealer near you ?. They are similar to the C-14 in performance and easier to work on according to a couple of people I know that have worked on both bikes. I prefer the C-14 because it is a taller bike, some like the shorter FJR. Check your options and buy the bike you like the best. It is hard to make a bad choice these days, many bikes are excellent with very good reliability. If you do need service, especially the major service with a valve adjustment, it may be worth your time to go to a good dealer farther away from your house. Good luck.

[BlkBird]

I did say IIRC. 
 I'm not quibbling over a few mpg top end.  The C14 is a great bike no matter the year.

All in fun brutha.. I love my bike and honestly am truly glad I don't have the linked brakes that came with the '10.  I came really close to getting the 08 but couldn't get over the silver color, I kept thinking "if I buy this color I'll be itching to repaint it within a couple of years"  considering the number of pieces I'm glad I chose the Diamond Red.

[jjsC6]

Welcome to the site. You may want to consider the FJR also. If Yamaha has a nice dealer near you ?. They are similar to the C-14 in performance and easier to work on according to a couple of people I know that have worked on both bikes. I prefer the C-14 because it is a taller bike, some like the shorter FJR. Check your options and buy the bike you like the best. It is hard to make a bad choice these days, many bikes are excellent with very good reliability. If you do need service, especially the major service with a valve adjustment, it may be worth your time to go to a good dealer farther away from your house. Good luck.

I put 44,000 miles on my FJR before switching to the Concours (well, actually I owned both bikes for a year).  I loved the FJR and I would gladly own either bike if there was a better dealer nearby for one but not the other.

[maxtog]

C14 for a short 20-30 minute demo ride two summer's ago and man, it rocked my world!

One thing that has me a bit leery about buying this particular brand though is the fact that we've never had much of a dealer network for Kawasaki where I live. 

Welcome.

I would say that the Concours has a lot of tech and will probably be significantly more sophisticated than a typical cruiser (real number of cylinders, 16 valves, electronic ignition, variable cam timing, 6 speed trans, shaft drive, traction control/abs, lots of electronics, etc).  This will make service more challenging.  HOWEVER, it is probably more reliable, too... lessening the need for service.  And the Concours is the best value in a modern, good-performance sports-touring bike.

I am not sure what decision I would make if I didn't have a decent Kawasaki dealership in range.  The thought of a non-expert working on my bike would certainly scare me.  The 3 year, total coverage warranty is a great thing, but not terribly useful without good mechanics behind it.   Expand out your search some- maybe there is a good dealership that is within a reasonable travel distance?

[B.D.F.]

Unfortunately as vehicles in general become more complicated, it takes more and more likely dealer support to maintain them. I am speaking about all bikes here, not any specific brand. All new sport tourers have complicated electronics and controllers, and will almost certainly require dealer software to diagnose and address certain situations, even pretty routine things such as programming the bike to recognize a new sensor or something similar.

If you have a good or excellent BMW dealer close to you that you trust, it might be the better vehicle for you than a Kawasaki if there is poor local dealer support. The brand really won't mean much if the bike is down waiting for a software diagnosis and there is no dealer available.

Of course you posted this question on a Concours forum so the majority of the sway will go that way. But dealer support is more important than ever before and is a real consideration in my opinion.

Brian

Hi guys,

I only started riding motorcycles four years ago, I'm still on my first bike(large metric cruiser) but I'm kind of bored with that type of ride now.  I'm starting to get a hankering for a sport-touring bike, I did get a chance to take out a C14 for a short 20-30 minute demo ride two summer's ago and man, it rocked my world!

One thing that has me a bit leery about buying this particular brand though is the fact that we've never had much of a dealer network for Kawasaki where I live. 

<snip>

But if a guy prefers a C14 over a BMW, he might have to deal with less then stellar mechanics at the RV dealership.
I'm probably worrying for nothing but would you guys have any reservations buying from a place like this?

Thanks in advance and great site BTW, this is my first post here.

[PH14]

If you have a good or excellent BMW dealer close to you that you trust, it might be the better vehicle for you than a Kawasaki if there is poor local dealer support. The brand really won't mean much if the bike is down waiting for a software diagnosis and there is no dealer available.



Brian

+1

[Humbucker]

Yeah, the big BMW/Yamaha multi-brand dealer which I mentioned is probably one of the only shops around here that has factory trained technicians, there's also another place that sells Harley and Honda which I'm pretty confident has good mechanics.

There are other Kawi dealers within a one to two hour drive but there again, unless they're a big enough place, do their mechanics have any real training or decent experience?

I've kind of been more drawn to the C14 then to the FJR1300 but then again, I've never had the chance to demo one of them either.  I'm six feet tall with a 32" inseam, I'm not sure I'd be as comfortable on the FJR as on the C14, but you never know until you try.  Oddly enough, that big BMW/Yami dealer never seems to have an FJR on the floor, strange!  Maybe I'll try to check one out at some point.

All I know is that my demo on the C14 was an eye opener, I was grinning like a fool during that whole ride.
 

[W14]

Humbucker,

Welcome to the forum.

I own a 2009 C14, which I coveted for 3 years, before buying last year – and I would not trade it for anything.  However, I am not mechanically inclined and would not have purchased the C-14 without a dealer being within close proximity of where I live.  The Connie is complex machine and it has to be seviced. Simple things such as changing a tire (because of the tire pressure sensor) require technical expertise. Moreover, the 3 year warranty – one of the selling points behind the Connie – is useless if there is no qualified technician to work on the bike.
 
My suggestion is that you consider C14 competitors (Yamaha FJR, Honda ST1300, BMW 1200, 1300 or 1600) that have a dealer near you. These bikes are competitive with C14 (owners will likely say they are better), although they are going to be more expensive to purchase.

Best of luck with your decision.

[jamiemac]

I have to go to a Kawasaki dealer in Harrodsburg, KY. That is about 70 miles from Me, & there is a large dealer in My town. There dealer here sucks, & for Me...it's no problem to ride 70 miles to get something fixed. If it's something that need the bike for a few days, the it's a nice drive, & I don't mind making it twice.

Don't let the fact that the dealer is an hour or two away, stop You from getting what You want. Nobody really needs a motorcycle. It's all about the fun.

[EpicBadass]

That's well said... it really isn't too often that you need a dealer to service the bike so why not ride a bit longer for the few services you need.  I actually pass two dealers going to the one I've gotten mine serviced at where I also bought it.

[stevewfl]

>47,000 carefree miles in less than 2 years.

KiPass not only has kept my bike up but has been the best product to date within the motorcycling industry 

[B.D.F.]

Easy there Steve, I think we are trying to get him to buy a BMW and he ain't never gonna' do that if he finds out about the <k-word>.

Brian

>47,000 carefree miles in less than 2 years.

KiPass not only has kept my bike up but has been the best product to date within the motorcycling industry