Cycle News

VOL. 52 ISSUE 8 FEBRUARY 24, 2015 P83 are great and plenty spacious, but first you need the key to open them. Several of us had trouble trying to get the key out of the ignition let alone trying to figure out how to start the thing. The key is not a normal key and it took several tries before I fig- ured out the proper sequence. Kawasaki has incorporated what it calls KIPASS (Kawasaki Intel- ligent Proximity Activation Start System) into the new Concours 14 ABS, which is basically a smart key and something new to me. Keep the electronic key in your pocket or on your person and you will never have to deal with digging for it with gloves on or whatever else may impair your ability to find your keys. Simply walk up to your Concours and, once in range, the ignition key, which has been in the bike the whole time turns on. Here's the rub: anytime you want to turn the key by hand or remove it, remember to push down on the key or you will not be able to turn it. And the same goes for the hard bags—push down on the key—a little weird at first but after a few tries I got used to it. Our ride started out with several miles of traffic lights and a few drag races. "You will never win against a ZX-14 powerplant," I kept thinking. And I never did, unless it was against another Concours or ZX-14. This was my first outing on a Concours and even though it was all new to me, I felt pretty good on it right away. As soon as we hit the road, I noticed that the Concours had the sound and feel of a open-class sport bike. The thing wants to go and the power delivery is just enough to give you the sensation of a haul-ass open-class sport bike but with a certain subtlety to it. Even though it has plenty of power, you never feel like it's taking you for a ride or that you have to hold on for dear life. The power delivery is very manage- able but, surprising to me, it was a bit more aggressive than I had imagined it would be. On and off the throttle definitely has a bit of an edge to it. Don't get me wrong, I just figured that being a touring bike it might be smooth- er, but, then again, it's a "super sport tourer." As we got further into our ride, I tried out some of the standard features avail- able on the new Concours. One thing I became skeptical of was the (K-ACT) ABS-linked brak- ing system. Even with its new revised settings, decreasing the front braking effect while you're applying the rear brake, the bike seems a bit nervous. In the standard of two settings, which can be activated on the left side handlebar switch, the effect is minimal, but the increased pres- sure of the advanced setting is too much for me. The front brake and corresponding feel that translates through the wheel and handlebar is, in my opinion, un- nerving. I kept it in the standard setting for most of the day. As we got further out of town I found myself well at home on the Concours. I'm not the big- gest guy at 5' 9" and I thought a big bike like this would require some additional height or mass to handle it. With a curb weight of 690 pounds, you might think you need to be of a bigger build to handle the Concours. Wrong. The bike is very balanced and would seem to be well suited for most-sized riders. All the controls are easy to ac- cess and with the more upright and closer positioning of the

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