Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/467812
VOL. 52 ISSUE 8 FEBRUARY 24, 2015 P85 preload adjuster. The bike feels good with the stock setting, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well the Concours soaks up the bumps and maintains its composure through some of the more tricky areas of the ride. You need a chassis that is stiff enough to handle the massive low to midrange torque of the 1,352cc motor, but you do not want it too stiff to make it unruly. The new Concours strikes a good balance between a plush yet firm chassis setup. Some of the tighter roads that we covered were very sketch. The presence of wet leaves and other debris were a real test for the Concours 14's ABS. But as long as you maintain your concentration, the bike will perform exceptionally well. The KTRC (traction control) was a nice extra, and its active interfer- ence was minimal at best. You will hardly notice it, but I did feel it kick in a few times as I was searching for traction exiting some of the sketchier corners. Even with the harsher-than-I-ex- pected throttle response, the big Concours is quite manageable on these types of roads. I mentioned the new lighter steering earlier, which Kawasaki achieved through a newly de- signed low-friction steering seal. I did not give it much thought at the time, but during our ride, I noticed that the Concours 14 is very easy to maneuver in such tight quarters, which I later attrib- uted to the new steering setup. I gave the linked ABS braking system another try on the higher setting and felt quite distrusting of the front end under braking. Why would you want your control of the front brake to be compro- mised by using the back brake is a mystery to me. The dual floating 310mm petal-style rotors and corresponding four-piston radial-mounted calipers work very well and have excellent feel, but in the advanced linked brak- ing setting, I have a real problem. Surely the ABS system would not lock up the front wheel and is a good thing all around, but linked braking should take front brake pressure and apply it to the rear as on other bikes, not the other way around, or so I feel. Other features like the elec- tronically controlled windscreen was way cool. In the standard position the windscreen is just fine and for most of the ride it did not occur to me to adjust it. Eventually I decided to activate SPECIFICATIONS 2015 KAWASAKI CONCOURS 14 ABS ENGINE: Liquid-cooled, 4-stroke, 4-valve per cylinder, DOHC, inline-4 w/VVT DISPLACEMENT: ...............................1,352 BORE X STROKE: ................... 84 x 61mm COMPRESSION RATIO: .....................10.7:1 FUEL SYSTEM: ............DFI w/four 40mm throttle bodies IGNITION: ......... TCBI w/Digital Advance TRANSMISSION: .......................... 6-speed FINAL DRIVE: .......Tetra-Lever shaft drive FRAME TYPE: ...... Monocoque Aluminum RAKE/TRAIL: .......... 26.0 degrees/4.4 in. FRONT SUSPENSION: ......................43mm inverted, telescopic fork w/adjustable rebound damping and spring preload REAR SUSPENSION: ...............Tetra-Lever w/stepless rebound damping adj. and remote spring preload adj. FRONT WHEEL TRAVEL: .................. 4.4 in. REAR WHEEL TRAVEL: .................... 5.4 in. FRONT TIRE: ..................120/70 ZR-17 in. REAR TIRE: .................... 190/50-ZR-17 in. FRONT BRAKE: ........................................... Dual floating 310mm petal-style rotors w/4-piston calipers, ABS REAR BRAKE: ................ 190/50 ZR-17 in. O/A LENGTH: ................................ 87.8 in. O/A WIDTH: ..................................39.4 in. O/A HEIGHT: ...................52.9 in./57.7 in. (windscreen down/up) GROUND CLEARANCE: .................... 4.9 in. WHEELBASE: .................................59.8 in. SEAT HEIGHT: ................................32.1 in. CURB WEIGHT: ......................... 690.2 lbs. FUEL CAPACITY: ........................... 5.8 gal. COLORS: ..... Candy Lime Green, Metallic Spark Black WARRANTY: 36 Month Limited Warranty KAWASAKI PROTECTION PLUS: 12, 24, or 36 months (optional) MSRP: ...........................................$15,499 "BY COMBINING THE BEST OF ALL THREE WORLDS—SPEED, CHASSIS, AND COMFORT—KAWASAKI HAS, OVER THE RECENT YEARS, UNDOUBTEDLY PRODUCED A BETTER CONCOURS, ESPECIALLY THIS ONE."