Kawasaki Concours Forum
The C-14, aka Kawasaki Concours-14, the new one :) => Accessories and modifications - C14/GTR 1400 => Topic started by: Pap on January 17, 2014, 03:45:08 PM
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Greetings,
We (the Wife and I) are considering getting the Concours for longer distance traveling as well as back country road puttsying.
We are planning a ride to the Florida Keys and over to see the Giant Sequoias.
I would like feedback from those who take the better half on long distance rides.
I realize that driver earplugs are a must !! Ha!!!
Thanks in advance,
Pap
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the best 2 up touring bike before you get to goldwing territory in my opinion.
depends on the dimensions of your pillion, a few tweeks may make more comfort. Rear peg lowering kit, a more comfy seat, the stock one is the best stock one ive sat on , but you may want more.
rear box for a seat pad to give her more support, the stock position of the topbox is a bit too far forward in my opinion, so maybe a small modification to move it back 2 inches. clear protection for the side cases, they WILL get scuffed .thats it really. Tours well out of the box but a few tweeks will lessen the brain damage, oh dont bother with an intercom, haha
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the best 2 up touring bike before you get to goldwing territory in my opinion.
depends on the dimensions of your pillion, a few tweeks may make more comfort. Rear peg lowering kit, a more comfy seat, the stock one is the best stock one ive sat on , but you may want more.
rear box for a seat pad to give her more support, the stock position of the topbox is a bit too far forward in my opinion, so maybe a small modification to move it back 2 inches. clear protection for the side cases, they WILL get scuffed .thats it really. Tours well out of the box but a few tweeks will lessen the brain damage, oh dont bother with an intercom, haha
5 annual tours of europe under our belts and no plans to change the bike
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+1 on the rear peg lowering kit.
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Here's what I did and bear in mind that I have a 2008 model..
- Changed the seat to a Russell
- Got a larger screen - CB Ultra Tour Dome
- Lowered the rear pegs
- Installed a Shad46 with back rest
- Installed a set of Heli bars
- Heated gear
You may not want to add as much or you may want more. I've been across country on mine without issues. And by cross country I mean the US. Not some small country like Liechtenstein.
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You provide no information to base an opinion on.
My wife is too tall at 5'9" to ride comfortably on the concours without a lot of modification. She also finds the Goldwing uncomfortable because she is fit and trim. One's too big and ones too small.
Others have mentioned all the changes they have made to make it comfortable for their wives, but only you know what your wife might need.
If she is 5'2" and 100lbs of athletic build she might be comfortable on the stock bike.
So, I guess if you are willing to spend over $1000 in mods you can make the Concours work for most passengers.
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Good points.
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Other than the comfort situation I would recommend getting riding clothes that you can wash in the sink in the motel and hang dry overnight. That made all the difference in in being able to pack enough for trips you are contemplating. Also pick up some of the camping packing bags that cinch down and pull the air out of the bag. It is amazing how much they can hold when the air is out and everything is compressed. By the way I have both the C14 and an 05 Goldwing for the really long trips.
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CAGE... :yikes:
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Jim,
I had seen a pic with the angled lowering kit for the passenger.
I would like to see pics of your set-up with the Shad 46. I am thinking We could go that route instead of just the back pad.
Addict,
I am 5'-9",220 lbs. The better half is 5'-4", a buck-fifty.(I can say this now because she is not too close by!) I guess we are on the other end of the spectrum from you two. Ha!
I realize everyone has different opinions on comfort.
Spending money on a bike after you get it is what makes it "yours".
It's part of the fun!
Bob, good ideas, never thought about doing that.
Any suggestions on specific riding gear you like?
Thanks all !
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+1 on the rear peg lowering kit.
my peg lowers are the ones I had on my zrx1200, i got them off the zroc forum which is stateside , they work a treat
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Jim,
I had seen a pic with the angled lowering kit for the passenger.
I would like to see pics of your set-up with the Shad 46. I am thinking We could go that route instead of just the back pad.
Addict,
I am 5'-9",220 lbs. The better half is 5'-4", a buck-fifty.(I can say this now because she is not too close by!) I guess we are on the other end of the spectrum from you two. Ha!
I realize everyone has different opinions on comfort.
Spending money on a bike after you get it is what makes it "yours".
It's part of the fun!
Bob, good ideas, never thought about doing that.
Any suggestions on specific riding gear you like?
Thanks all !
The thing about the Concours is that if you are not into 'sport' touring you can change it into a sporty 'touring' bike by adding the corbin seat, hellibars, highway pegs, super tall windshield, and even cruise control.
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I've been across country on mine without issues. And by cross country I mean the US. Not some small country like Liechtenstein.
:rotflmao:
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I would like feedback from those who take the better half on long distance rides.
Thanks in advance,
Pap
My wife and I have done a lot of travelling on the two C-14's.
We did coast to coast 2-up...Canada and USA in 2011 in 14 days. It was approximately 8500 miles.
We've been back and forth to Deals Gap a few times as well...and that's about 4000 miles round trip for us (in a week).
Now, she is only a little thing...5' 3" or so, and 110 lbs soaking wet, but she travels well.
That's with a Sargent seat and Givi E55 top case with Givi backrest pad.
She actually falls asleep back there on the highway.
Anyway, best thing to do is to keep them entertained...lol. Buy a good Bluetooth communicator kit, and talk to them a lot...about whatever. My wife is a city girl, so she always has lots of questions....farms...cows...fields...lol, whatever. I do my best to answer.
The most important thing to do is put a strict limit on their fluid intake...lol. Give her a bottle of water, and tell her it has to last for a week or so....she's only allowed to have one cap-full of water every couple hundred miles or so...lol.
Rem.
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I'd really suggest you take a relatively short trip to see if she's comfortable before undertaking a cross-country trip. I've done both and found that no amount of modifying the C-14 turned it into a really long distance tourer for my wife & I. I can assure you the trip will really be long if the wife isn't comfortable. We just finished a 9,500 mile trip of 6 weeks on a Goldwing and she's ready to go again, a trip to Arkansas (1500 miles) on the C-14 had us both hurting. It's just not for everyone.
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Thanks Rem, I will definitely monitor fluid intake! Lol!!
Philip,
We had an ST 1300 before and we both loved it. I will probably help her out with a lowering kit for her pegs and install some type of floorboards for her as well. We rode the ST all day before with no issues. I actually feel more comfy on the C-14 than the Honda.(just sitting on it, haven't had a chance to ride one. Dang winter !) It feels more roomy for us. The big problem the ST had was it fried my shins riding down the road.
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Small differences will really show up after a couple 8 hour days. We put 130,000+ miles on my ST1100 and she loved it, but the C-14 never fit either of us. You sure don't want to discover a problem 4 days into a cross-country trip. Ditto to the use of "space bags" or what ever they are called, got some at Bed Bath & beyond, pack your clothes, seal the bag and sit on it to force out the air. Really saves space and they are water resistant. We organize things so only one or two bags go to the room at night and don't have to carry a lot to the room.
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My wife and I do a lot of long trips together, but she has her own bike. We ran into a couple once that were going cross-country; he was on a cruiser and she had a Bergman loaded like a rented mule. Maybe your wife would like to be in control of her own bike?
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this is pretty much our normal setup for a week long ride.
(http://i1327.photobucket.com/albums/u672/MAN_OF_BLUES/old%201/ADV%20TAGS/2700955480015463693HmErmp_ph.jpg) (http://s1327.photobucket.com/user/MAN_OF_BLUES/media/old%201/ADV%20TAGS/2700955480015463693HmErmp_ph.jpg.html)
momma has about 15k miles logged as passenger so far. Mostly long multi day multi thousand mile splits.
She seems to have no complaints....even though she is giving the ADV salute 8) ;)
(http://i1327.photobucket.com/albums/u672/MAN_OF_BLUES/old%201/ADV%20TAGS/2391612870015463693apxFRN_ph.jpg) (http://s1327.photobucket.com/user/MAN_OF_BLUES/media/old%201/ADV%20TAGS/2391612870015463693apxFRN_ph.jpg.html)
as noted, compression bags are a must, luggage space is a premium...
I am running with a Shad 42L trunk.