So how has this Concours14 been received in its first year?

To be concise: quite well.

Rider magazine (July 2008) awarded the Kawasaki C14 as “Best Sport-Touring Bike” for 2008 and then went on to knight it as “Motorcycle of the Year,” which makes it their top choice for all the categories of bikes they awarded. Here’s what Rider mag wrote: “This stylish sport-tourer…has an impressive list of standard features that are both fun and useful, including KIPASS key fob security, a tire pressure monitoring system, electric windscreen, remote rear spring preload adjuster and large, functional, locking side cases.”

Cycle World (July 2008) bestowed the C14 as the “Best Sport-Tourer” of the year. Here’s what Cycle World wrote about the Concours14: “It moves with an athletic confidence and over-powerful ease like nothing else on the road.”

I have ridden three of the 2008 Concours14′s, and in brief, I like ‘em and agree with Cycle World and Rider in their assessments. The C14 is a technical tour de force in the sport-touring world. Oddly enough, as I much as I like the bike, I’m not head over heels over it. Don’t get me wrong, the C14 is by all reckoning a great bike. I’ll probably get one at some point in the future. The thing is, although I appreciate all the different categories of motorbikes, since I’m primarily a sport-touring rider (and perhaps an old-fashioned one at that), you’d think I’d just gush all over this machine.

Alas, I cannot.

There is soooooo much to like about this bike, but I am of the opinion that this bike was manufactured with a greater emphasis on technical and marketing panache than downright sport-touring practicality.

It’s pretty sexy to say that this is the fastest, most powerful, and arguably the most advanced sport-touring bike on the market as of this writing. From a technical perspective, the C14 represents the culmination of the best in what our world’s motorcycle makers can envision for this category of sport-touring motorcycles.

On the other hand, it’s also the heaviest (dry weight = 615 lbs. with ABS) of all the purpose-built sport-touring bikes, and most importantly, it has the smallest gas tank (5.8 gal) — which is a rather basic feature for a “true” sport-touring rider. For a died-in-the-wool, long-time, sport-touring enthusiast, such as myself, that last point lends this bike more towards the “sport” category than the “tourer” world. That’s fine as a Kawasaki business choice, but for a rider, why not just get a sport bike? Heck, the C14 is based on the ZX14, which is one of the two fastest, mass produced sport bikes in the world. (The Suzuki Hayabusa being the other reigning sport-bike champion).

Stated differently, when I want to get away for a weekend, a week, a month, or longer, I am as interested in lacing through scenic twisties as getting across a continent in relative comfort — and I want as big a gas tank as I can get to reduce those fuel stops!

Although I understand I represent the typical demographic for a sport-touring enthusiast (I may be categorized as a “mature” middle-aged rider), I cannot speak for all such riders. But in simple terms, my personal inclinations tend towards function over pizzazz.

In short, the Kawasaki Concours14 is a fantastic motorcycle and quite an inspiring ride. However, it is more performance weighted than cross-country lighted, in comparison to the current BMW K1200GT, BMW R1200RT, Honda ST1300, or Yamaha FJR 1300. I would categorize the C14 more as a “Luxury Sport Bike” with long-distance livery, than the most practical sport-touring bike for a true long hauling motorbike rider.

In 1977, the KZ900 became the KZ1000, which later became more famous as a police bike used all the way up into the 21st Century.

Also known as a “standard,” the Z1000 is a “naked” bike, which describes a motorcycle stripped down to its fundamental parts. The emphasis is on functionality and ergonomics rather than aerodynamic body panels and fatiguing riding positions common on sport bikes.

The Z1000 is essentially a super sport bike with a clear view of its brawny engine. Lack of bodywork contributes to how easy it is to work on and perform maintenance.

It does have a tiny fairing which seems to push the limits of considering this a “naked.” And speaking of design, the most pronounced visual elements include wedged, sharp angles, an orange seat, and the megaphone exhaust components.

I took the 2008 Z1000 out for a ride and was instantly appreciative of the comfortable, upright seating position and wide handlebars. Before I was out of second gear this inspirationally potent and angular chunk of motorbike put a wide smile on my face.

Whether you like the styling or not, this is truly a “fun” bike, great for commuting, riding through canyons or just playing around.

The bike is uniquely famous as an all-around, reliable beast-of-burden for taking you and stuff along either pavement and/or off-road adventures. As is the norm for any dual-purpose bike, it’s not the “best” machine for either role.

However, as one of a number of bikes that represent a “compromise” between street and off-road, this one is particularly successful, especially if you take into account its worldwide following of obsessed KLR devotees. The KLR is the top-selling, dual-purpose bike in the US market, selling about twice as many motorcycles as the next most popular, which is the Suzuki DRZ400S. (See earlier dual-purpose comparison that includes the 2007 KLR 650 instead of the 2008).

I took the new 2008 KLR out for a spin and was initially influenced by its uninspiring power. With a single cylinder, 650cc, 40 horsepower engine, it’s not going to make you a track-day darling.

Of course my test ride was on the same weekend that I was also riding some of the world’s most powerful sport-touring machines as well as pure sport bikes (and others).

Having said that, the bike has a comfortable, upright seating position, wide handlebars (with new bar-end weights to minimize vibrations), and generally cozy ergonomics (I’m 5’10″). It is quite a relaxedly enjoyable ride, as long as you can recalibrate your wits around appreciating this machine for its merits, instead of comparing it to something it’s not designed to be (such as a powerful street bike or light-weight dirtbike). It certainly has more than adequate power for riding dirt and gravel roads, up and down mountains, as well as riding you relatively comfortably at 75mph on highways.

Here are some of the changes for 2008:

A few of the most notable upgrades include dual headlights for added visibility (instead of one); an enlarged frame-mounted, half-fairing for better rider protection from rain and cold; improved front and rear brakes for better stopping power; upgraded suspension for better handling; wider spokes for increased wheel rigidity; firmer seat for longer-distance comfort; wider forks for better stability; a bigger luggage rack to carry more stuff; and a larger radiator for 20% better cooling efficiency.

Aesthetically, I like the new dashboard with rounded gauges, as well as the new, aerodynamic look of the entire bike, which includes new hand guards, fenders, side panels, and engine guard.

The 2008 KLR also as an alternator now rated at 17 amps (versus 14.5 on the old bike). Kawasaki claims that the system has enough power to deal with heated grips and other accessories, as well as the new (and brighter) dual-headlights.

There are also a number of engine tweaks, too. The big-bore, single-cylinder engine still features four valves, liquid-cooling, and double-overhead cams. However, for 2008, there’s an improved cylinder head, new cam timing and revised ignition to boost performance.

One of the primary features I am glad they did not change is the fuel capacity: The KLR still boasts a 6.1 US gallon tank, which is great for long rides to and through remote areas.

Kawasaki intended the upgrades to make the KLR a more “tour ready” dual-purpose motorcycle. The above enhancements accomplished that, albeit while adding 49 pounds to the bike’s weight, which, per Kawasaki’s specifications, brings it up up 386 pounds (without fuel, lubricants or and any other fluids).

The seat height is 35 inches, so it’s not going to be easy to get on an off for all riders, and that additional height includes about 8 inches of ground clearance. By the way, technically, the ground clearance in the new KLR is a little less than in the earlier model, however, per Kawasaki, it results in more usuable and improved suspension travel.

Click here to see the full Kawasaki 2008 KLR specifications.

One of the best numbers is the price: at only $5349.00, this is one of the best values for adventure riding, including on highways and fire roads, as well as serving as a fuel-efficient commuting and urban bike (approximately 45-60 mpg).

Ultimately, this is a remarkably practical bike. And for me, as a motorcycle camping rider, and being particularly fond of riding across deserts, over mountains, through canyons — and definitely not always on the pavement — I see one of these new KLR 650′s in my future….

Kawasaki made the unusual move of announcing the “2008″ Concours14 — last September in 2006. That’s right. In “2006″ they announced a “2008″ model.

Last December, one of the three running “C14″ prototypes at the time was on display at the International Motorcycle Show in Long Beach, CA in the LA metro area: and it was attracting a lot of attention. I checked on it regularly and it never ceased to have a crowd surrounding it.

The bike has caused a stir since its announcement for a number of reasons:

1. It’s a completely brand-new, 1400cc, sport tourer.
2. It supplants the two-decade old 1000cc Kawasaki Concours. And although they share the same name, and they both have shaft drives, full fairings and come equipped with hard luggage, they are not evolutionary models: This Concours14 represents a revolutionary, all-new jump in technology for the beloved bike. For years, it has been rumored that the 1000cc Concours would be discontinued to make room for a more modern sport-touring bike, but year after year, it proved to be merely that: a rumor. Very few motorcycle models have been around for over 20 years with only minor changes and the original Concours has a passionate following. So, when the 2008 Concours14 was announced it also marked the end of the 1000cc Concours bikes, which meant that there would be no 2007 model at all with the Concours name.
3. The Concours14 is based on the Kawasaki ZX14, which is, in itself, an all-new sport bike – its first model year was 2006. It is renowned for speed, power and smooth handling as well as being one of the world’s fastest production sport bikes. With all this underlying the C14, it has been anticipated with high expectations.

Here in the USA, MSRP for the C14 with ABS compares favorably to its primary competition:

• BMW 2007 K1200GT with ABS, $18,600
• BMW 2007 R1200RT with ABS, $16,650
• Honda 2007 ST1300 with ABS, $15,499
• Kawasaki “2008″ Concours14 with ABS, $13,799
• Yamaha 2007 FJR 1300 with ABS, $13,799

There’s plenty of the latest and greatest techno features on this sport tourer: You can see all the specs at Kawasaki. I’m pretty interested in the “Tetra-Lever Shaft Drive” as well as the sensors on the front and rear wheels that monitor tire pressure and then display the info on the instrument cluster. In particular, Kawasaki says this about the shaft drive:

“Featuring a special four-link design, the Tetra-Lever shaft drive system significantly reduces driveline lash during sport riding and helps ensure smooth acceleration when exploiting the engine’s incredible power output. In fact, power delivery to the rear wheel is so smooth and so direct that it gives the same natural ride quality as a chain.”

Having many coast-to-coast motorcycle tours under my belt with chain and mostly shaft drives, and being a shaft drive advocate for several decades, I consider that Kawasaki description to be quite intriguing: Will the Tetra-Lever live up to those words…?