Kawasaki Concours Forum
The C10, aka Kawasaki Concours - The Original => The Bike - C10 => Topic started by: Irish GTR on November 23, 2018, 12:30:41 PM
-
Do many of you have newer bikes with fuel injection, abs etc. and still hang on to Connie...the reason I ask is that I am lusting after a FJR1300 which in my view is a beautiful looking bike apart from being a more modern motorcycle.
I have a spotless 95 Connie with upgraded brakes/suspension/handlebars etc. and am very fond of the old girl simply because I know it inside out and can tackle any job on it.
Can't see myself keeping 2 bikes but then again...
Who has been through this?
-
Two bikes 2 different era. With the prices of the fjr and C14 being so low you could have both. How long have you had your 1995 C10?
-
'08 C14 ABS
'88 Nekid C10 COGZilla
'78 KZ1000Ltd
all in my garage...
should never have sold my '86 in retrospect....when I bought my C14.
-
I kept my 03 Connie when I bought a 2014 Connie.
I sometimes ride the 03, plus I use it as a spare to allow others to ride with me.
Another enjoyment for me is to tinker with things on the 03.
EZ to work on.
Ride safe, Ted
-
I’m no c10 owner but my other bike was a ‘91 katana 1100 which I did a lot of sport touring on and for most of the last 7 years, it has just been collecting dust. I have a near new radial tire in the rear that is 8 years old and hard as a rock.For touring I had large soft bags, tank bag and travel bag to bungee cord to my Corbin seat.
With the C14 ( and not all of these will apply to fjr!):
1) Fuel injection! Starts instantly in freezing weather , no choke, bike runs great at sea level and at 12,000’
2) better mpg- old bike got 40mpg, c14 gets 50mpg.
3) traction control and abs
4) power! With a reflash, bike is as fast if not faster, than a ‘92GSXR 1100!
After owning a c14, it’s hard to want to ride another bike . I was curious about the new goldwing until I found out it has less luggage space. You never get tired of that power. At sea level, bike wants to wheelie when you gun it entering a freeway.
This bike could be your jack of all trades bike because it’s comfortable, has lots of cargo space, handles well and offers excellent power. Yes, I know new 600cc sport bikes offer similar acceleration
but it’s pretty easy to get up to speed on the big bike.
-
Not to dis your C10 (I have one too!) but the sale value on these now-a-days is very low, so it makes complete sense to hang on to your beautiful 95 AND get something newer.
Yes, its easy spending other people's money!
-
Thanks for the replies, I forgot to mention that my old 92 Connie is still here also minus handlebars, carb parts etc. I kept it as a spares bike for the 95! so I have previous form in not being able to get rid of 😁 either bike would be hard to sell now in Ireland so if I was to be honest it looks like a growing garage🙄
-
Any bike that is 20 year old is worth not more than it’s weight in scrap. However, nostalgia is a powerful thing, no harm in letting it guard that unused corner of garage.
-
So true.
My 2001 is not worth much. The 1995 is worth no more than 500-800. So selling it doesn't always make sense.
Any bike that is 20 year old is worth not more than it’s weight in scrap. However, nostalgia is a powerful thing, no harm in letting it guard that unused corner of garage.
-
it's not about the money...
My '78 KZ off and on, spent almost 13 years total time, in rented storage facilities, before I resurrected it for the second, (and third) time(s...)..
when I bought it, I spent about $3k total, after financing it... if I add up the storage fees, and time spent during it's life being upgraded.... well, lets just say I have paid a couple $K more for "owning" that bike in my garage now, than I did when I bought my '08 C14, new, @$14,238 o.t.d.
don't even get me started on how much $$$$ was dumped into COGZilla, which was a $500 "parts bike" when I bought it...
:banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao:
-
Any bike that is 20 year old is worth not more than it’s weight in scrap. However, nostalgia is a powerful thing, no harm in letting it guard that unused corner of garage.
What something is worth is affected greatly by who you are asking. Look at the price of a 98 Goldwing. Pretty expensive scrap to me anyway. Lots of bikes like that out there. My 05 is such a great cold weather bike that I just don't see myself selling it. Factor in that it's super easy to work on, is cheap to plate and insure and comes with a load of great people to help keep it on the road.....why sell it? Just because the rest of the world doesn't appreciate our C10's doesn't reduce my love for them. If you sell a C10 for $800-$2000, that amount of money isn't going to change your life much. I just don't see a good running C10 ever being worth less than $700.
If someone has a nice C10 within 100 miles for $500, I'm a buyer! How many of us have sold bikes or cars many years ago only to find ourselves wishing we would have kept them? My list of stuff like that is too long. Doesn't seem like many people look very far down the road (I sure didn't) in regards to what something might be worth in the future. How many are wishing they still had that 69 or 70 Chevelle that is now worth a bunch? I know SISF is starting to nod off (WAKE UP STEVE! :rotflmao:) so I'll end with this little bit of honesty......If the day ever comes that any of my cars or bikes are worth a bunch, I would have a hard time letting them go.....like when my grandpa sold his milk cows.....I believe there were some tears involved. Call me nostalgic!
-
Yes, as others have said, it doesn't make sense to sell it (in this case them, since I'm assuming you' throw in the parts bike in the price) at least until you value the storage square footage used more than you do the bikes themselves.
Any bike that is 20 year old is worth not more than it’s weight in scrap. However, nostalgia is a powerful thing, no harm in letting it guard that unused corner of garage.
Well, maybe yes and maybe no depending on the bike. In fact, the value may climb again if well maintained. My 42 year old GT750 is worth more (not by me, but rather in $ on the open market) than my 2010 C14 is.
-
I bought a 2014 FJR1300A in November of 2013 and had a 2003 Concours that I bought new in August of 2002. I had modified the Concours with the engine from a ZRX1200 (and many other modifications to improve handling).
I kept both for awhile since my wife found the Concours more comfortable than the FJR but she basically began to lose interest in riding (mostly due to age and arthritis). I sold it in August of 2014.
The bikes were so far apart as far as technology I quickly lost interest in the Concours. The FJR is so far and away more modern, comfortable and reliable I don't miss the Concours at all.
Dan
-
Thanks Dan, your last paragraph unfortunately sums up where I will be if I go for an fjr..kinda sad but true.
Thanks to all for the replies..pic of the old girl
-
The bikes were so far apart as far as technology I quickly lost interest in the Concours. The FJR is so far and away more modern, comfortable and reliable I don't miss the Concours at all.
Dan
I think 11 years of development would provide a reasonable explanation of the differences of which you speak.
If you were to compare a modern C14 to the FJR it's probably a different story.
-
There will always be something newer, more comfortable and more modern. I have never been married but I think that is why many men have ex-wives.
-
DC concours... interesting analogy..🤔
-
That part is debatable. ST bikes are a dyying breed .Motoguzzi dropped theirs, it’s been decades since Honda updates the st1300 and with electric cars becoming more popular and the decline in gas usage, I doubt japan is putting their brightest minds to make more gas bikes. I’ll say this, Honda makes a new Goldwing every 20 years and I bet the next one won’t be a gasser.
-
My 05 C10 IS my newest bike.
I love it. EZ to maintain, EZ to fix, plenty powerful....could wish for better brakes, but otherwise, hard to fault.
-
This is an interesting question.
I recently (in July) picked up a real nice 2007 FJR. It sits in my garage beside the 2005 Connie I have owned since new.
We can all agree that the two are very different. I truly love the old Concours for a variety of reasons. It has been a comfortable, reliable, fun ride for 12 years. It still looks like new because I religiously maintain it.
The only time I might choose to ride the Concours over the FJR is when the weather is ugly. You can't beat the protection it provides. Aside from that the FJR ,in my opinion, is a better ride in every category. Well, I might give the Connie a slight edge two up loaded.
I don't have time to ride both so the old girl will go to a lucky new owner in the Spring.
I won't get much for it but amortized over 12 years this has been an unbelievably inexpensive bike to own.
No matter what your opinion, there is no wrong answer.
From time to time I will miss my old friend but never when I am aboard the FJR.
-
A C14 can blast through the 1/4 mile about 1.5 secs faster than a C10. It has some serious grunt and that never gets old. I’m not dissing the c10, but when a luxury bike like the c14 has more whoopass than a late 80’s GSX1100R, it is amazing.
When you have a bike that has that, it should help put that c10 in the rear view mirror of your memory.
The c14 is superior in every way. However, think of this-
When the c10 came out, it was a great bike. Even though it is dated and there is better stuff out there, it still is a great bike.
Look at it like this- my ‘06 GTO to a ‘69 GTO.But that doesn’t make the ‘69 GTO any less desirable . Forget that it’s s collector car; it’s still a blast to drive.
-
Had a 2002 C10 and an 08 C14. No comparison in power and braking. C14 hands down is the better one in my opinion. But hey, I'm the one with an Indian Roadmaster now. LOL.
-
I'll add my counterpoint. After 15 years of C10 ownership, I "upgraded" to a C14 in 2017. My initial impression was a little disappointing as the around town torque was not what I expected for 40% more displacement. The brakes and power windshield were the big improvements in my opinion. The handling is improved but I have owned many sport bikes including a zx10r with a few track days. This is still a heavy pig but I knew that going in. The thing I really miss on the C10 is the range and soft suspension. I like to put in 12 hour days and my last trip was in a headwind with me stopping every 150 miles or so on I-40 and my best was 170 before the light came on. The C10 would go 220. That soft mushy suspension that everyone complains about is real nice after a few hours in saddle. I sold my C10 before the first long trip thinking there was no way I would want to go back. Knowing what I know now, I would have never switched. For what I used it for, the C10 was the better suited. I probably should have done the FJR1300 since it is more touring oriented but I like Kawasaki and the C14 looks so much better.
-
It’s not really fair to base a bike’s fuel efficiency on driving in a headwind. It’s like saying my ‘03 Jetta diesel wagon is a fuel hog because it once got only 36 mpg ( it was fully loaded, outside temp was 110
and I was doing around 105 mph!).
With Mcruise on, fuel saving mode too, when cruising long stretches of interstate, I get 50mpg. That gives the c14 a range of 250miles, that’s plenty.Also worth praising is fuel injection, bike runs perfect at sea level or 12k’.
As for comfort, on this bike, it’s more a function of the seat than suspension (at least for me). My once
comfy seargent seat is no longer comfy so I’ll replace it. I really softened up the suspension on my bike with adjustments so I’m happy there.
-
My C14 is an 08 and does not have eco mode. On my last trip of 4K miles, the light would come on around 170 or less assuming I had the nerve to wait that long. Most of my trips are out west and the 30 miles or so remaining after the light might not get you to the next station. A lot of the time I was alone and didn't feel like risking it. My buddy with a BMW 1200 GS was getting the same mpg, he just has a lot bigger tank. I believe the eco mode came about due to complaints on range with the 1st gen. The C14 is an awesome bike and I will probably be riding it for years to come. There were just some qualities of the C10 that really fit my long distance riding style. I even got my bun burner gold on it ;)