Been riding motorcycles most of my life. Been on Crusiers since the early 90's and my last two were Vulcan 1500 Classics. But Monday (after a few months of reasearch, reading and waiting) I got the 2008 Concourse 14 and man is it ever a kick in the pants. Feels like riding when you were a kid. Very nimble and comfortable with tons of power and enough standard gagets to make a Trekie smile. This thing is made for the road. Two things I plan to correct are the to short windshield (Kawasaki is coming out with a taller version in August) Reason for the windshield change is I noticed that if I dip my head a mere 2" lower than my normal riding position the world gets very quiet and comfortable. And when you lower the shield you get all the air you could ever want.2nd isthe (1.5") to tall seat height. Right now my plan is to purchase another factory seat and take 1 or 2 inches of foam out of the drivers end. Should work fine considering the Concours has a generous amount to start with.

 

i've heard nothing but good things about the the new 14

 

I guess you and I will have converse between us, since no one else has one, still breaking mines in, has 875 miles. like you, the windshield is a must, some say the factory seat is great, but I know corbin is much better and will make the bike handle better, other than that, what a beast.

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Purchased the same motorcycle on 11/06/2007. The 14 developed a coolant leak from the head gasket at 250 miles. In addition to the leak, the rear tire pressure sensor warning light activated. Kawasaki repaired the motorcycle by replacing the entire engine head. A new rear tire sensor battery was ordered. The leak was diagnosed as a manufacure defect. The batteries for the tire pressure sensors are housed in or near the valve stems. The batteries were designed to last for five years. Oh well. The tires must come off to replace the batteries. This also will be covered by warranty.

I picked the bike up last night and am hoping the worst is behind me. I've replaced the original seat with a Corbin ($477.00) and have ordered a pair of Heli bar risers. The Corbin seat positions you a bit farther back in the sadle and will take a while (2000 miles) to break-in. The rear Corbin sadle positions the passenger higher, making the overall leg positioning and comfort more tolerable. Like you, I plan on replacing the windshield but no time soon. I have to admit, the bike can be a bit warm and the lower windshield helps.

 

welcome to kf MP5150

congrats on your purchase,

there is a thread about replacing the seat on a zx-14 with the one from the concourse, and since you have both it might be a good idea,

 

Hey MP5150, let us know how the Heli bars help. I'm looking at possibly getting those as well.