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My first 27 miles part 1 of 2
My first 27.
All right, I’ve got my first few miles under my belt. I will you a bit more information on the bike. This is from a guy that really wants to love this bike.
A bit of background. I’ve been riding since I was 8 – I’m currently 48 years old, 5’10” 230 lbs. I ride most very thing but sport bikes. I’ve owned V45 Sabers, BMW K1100RS had the first Concours and hated myself for selling it to buy a house. I currently own an old 1992 Yamaha TDM850, 2004 KTM 950 adventure, and a few dirt bikes. I’m an Iron Butt rider and really love long distance riding. Last Iron Butt was done on a BMW F650ST – Just to piss off a buddy – he did his on a ST1100.
So I went to ride the assembled C-14 at Sun Enterprise in Denver Colorado. They asked me not to put any miles on this bike and to wait for my bike. This gave me plenty of time to walk around the bike and spend some quality time with it.
The dash is a nice mix of old school and high tech. Frankly I like analog gauges for Speed and Tach. Everybody has seen the LCD display for all the other cool stuff.
- Voltage
- Tire pressure
- Current MPG
- Average MPG since last reset
- Distance to empty (range)
- Gear position
- Fuel gauge
- Engine temp
- Two trips meters
- Clock
I think it is a wonderful array of features.
The luggage comes off very simply. Kawi took a page from BMW and has nearly the same functionality. Flip up a little handle to open the case. Lift the bag handle to remove it from the bike. Frankly I think the bike looks great with out the bags. The bags are high on the bike. On multiple occasions, I kicked the bags throwing a leg over the bike. I think with the bags attached you need to throw your leg straight over the seat to avoid kicking the bags. Unlike BMW bags, they are nice and deep. I could only fit one large Modular helmet
Centerstand is standard. Unlike the original Concours – this bike is trivial to put on the center stand.
Tires were Bridgestone BT021 sport touring tires.
On the dash are two big knobs. They allow you to adjust the left and right headlamps independently. So you can have one point straight and the other one just a little higher for better coverage down the road.
I also played with the KIPASS and learned a few things. First I thought it was a really stupid idea. Mostly that came from me not understanding the system. The whole thought of walking away from your key just made me feel sick. What keeps a stranger from just picking up the key, unlocking all your stuff. Well, what I did not realize is the key is locked in place when the fob is out of range. You can not remove the key. Now that makes sense now. You receive one big oven knob like key and two much smaller keys that are hidden in the FOB. So a total of 3 keys. I like that.
Sitting on the bike you will notice that this is no Goldwing. And it is no ZX14. Pegs are right under you butt. Handle bars are high and back just enough to be very comfortable. When I rode a ST3, I found the bars too far forward and felt like I was bent over the tank – humping it… Sorry no real way to describe it. It was uncomfortable having my belly smashed against the tank – plus with the zipper on my jacket potentially scratching the tank. Not here. Plenty of room between my tank and my Buda belly. Just the way I want. The seating position is slightly forward, but not with too much weight on the hands. Just the way I wanted it.
Turned on the bike and played with the windshield. It is smallish, but unlike the FJR, stays in the last position when you turn off the key.
The small bit of storage on the tank is bigger than I expected. It extends to the left and right giving more storage than you might initially expect. The hinges extend into the functional space and make the space look smaller.
As for my sitting on the bike, I am 5’ 10” around a 30-32” inseam. With my 230 lbs, most bike settle down and give me nice flat footing at lights. The C-14 is just tall enough that my heals are up about 3/8 to half inch off the ground. Not flat foot, but not uncomfortable.
As I was about to leave, my bike showed up in a crate. So I quickly arranged the logistics to get me back to pick up the bike. I herded up a fellow cycle nut to take me down on short notice. My 14 year old daughter asked to join me on the initial ride back. I love my daughter!!
I'm working on part 2 now.
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