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First post Request for advise

mudumbas220

Member
Member
Good day everybody. I am Sinu, bought a 2014 Kawasaki Concours 14 ABS last week. Very excited. I would appreciate your advise on the following -
1. The bike is awaiting registration so have not taken it for a ride. Once the registration is done should my first stop be the mechanic shop for a full service. The previous owner has maintained the bike very well. He had recently changed the oils. But the bike has been sitting in the garage for a year. He had mentioned that it maybe time for valve setting, how would you know if it is time. The bike has done 28,440 miles till date.
If the answer to the above is "Yes" can anyone advise me a trust worthy mechanic shop close to West Springfield, Massachusetts.
2. The previous owner was advising me to take extended warranty of 3 years on the bike. Could someone help me where I could get one.
3. I have been hearing that you could get a key less fuel cap can anyone share the link please.
4. Is it advisable to get an after market exhaust for the bike. If so which is the best pipe for this particular bike.
I thank you all for your help. And looking forward to be riding with you all some day soon.
 
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  1. If NH is not that far away, reach out to @gixerhp about the service work he does.

  2. Read this post to purchase extended warranty. https://forum.concours.org/index.php?threads/gtpp-36-month-extension-for-339-updated-2-23-2013.4338
Please look at the Event Calendar and look for nearby New England events you can attend to meet others. Also, consider joining the club by converting to a full member.
Hi, thank you for your response. I am in MA unfortunately. I will convert to a full member shortly. Thank you for sharing about the extended warranty. Is it good to get it. Any idea what all it covers and would you have to take it to the same service center or any mechanic would accept. I am sorry I have no idea how warranty works on bikes.
 
Good day everybody. I am Sinu, bought a 2014 Kawasaki Concours 14 ABS last week. Very excited....
Once the registration is done should my first stop be the mechanic shop for a full service. The previous owner has maintained the bike very well. He had recently changed the oils.

I'd just ride and enjoy your bike, sometime in the next few months get the valve service done and documented. If you're going to get the extended 3 yr warranty, do so immediately upon getting title ownership to the bike (there a funny time schedule rule on buying warranty extentions). [BTW, I got mine, but never needed it]. ... also suggest getting full insurance coverage before taking delivery of the bike - to include collision and comprehensive add'l coverages.

... and encourage everyone to attend regional C-14 meets / activities to meet others, talk rides and see bike modifications in person. I joined the COG group, and am glad I did; if you join soon your info should be in before the date cut-off for inclusion into this year's printed member book.

Personally, I'd wait on bike modifications until:
* attended a couple of COG meets
* have full and comfortable riding gear, and
* put some miles on your new bike - outfitted as is by prior owner.

And if you're newer to riding in general, or riding in the northeast - something beyond the new C-14 - contact the northeast area director, who posted above, for additional nearby suggestions. Welcome!
 
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Welcome! All good points above! Focus on registering it with good insurance as stated, comp& collision. I would definitely get the 3 yr contract, I just got a front TPMS replaced under it and that was about half of what the contract cost is.. IDK what part of Mass you're in but I'm in CT and would help with service if you want. I've done everything myself up to this point including valve adjustment which was a chore the 1st time but that goes with the territory. Keyless gas caps are available, just Google or Ebay search it. Driven makes nice products. As far as exhaust I would get the ECU flashed 1st and see how you like it. There are a few choices for exhaust with prices ranging from a few hundred to several hundred. Black widow is a great product for a great price.. Any questions feel free to post/ask.. This community is great to answer and help :)
 
Hello ill message you my contact info. For the valve adjustment and service.
Im just over the border in Nashua, NH
 
Welcome! All good points above! Focus on registering it with good insurance as stated, comp& collision. I would definitely get the 3 yr contract, I just got a front TPMS replaced under it and that was about half of what the contract cost is.. IDK what part of Mass you're in but I'm in CT and would help with service if you want. I've done everything myself up to this point including valve adjustment which was a chore the 1st time but that goes with the territory. Keyless gas caps are available, just Google or Ebay search it. Driven makes nice products. As far as exhaust I would get the ECU flashed 1st and see how you like it. There are a few choices for exhaust with prices ranging from a few hundred to several hundred. Black widow is a great product for a great price.. Any questions feel free to post/ask.. This community is great to answer and help :)
Wow amazing thank you for all the info and appreciate your offer. Maybe we could meet up for a ride. I am in West Springfield, MA. Where in CT are you located..
About the warranty I tried to get one but the previous owner let it lapse in 2018 and Pete said that they could not add warranty. If you have any other ideas on how i could add that warranty please let me know.
 
Warranty...go to the link provided by S Smith. This is the same warranty the dealers try to sell you when a new bike is purchased. It covers pretty much everything the original warranty covers. This warranty is through Kawasaki so any Kawasaki dealer will except it.

First question is does your C14 still have the original factory warranty? If so you can extend the warranty for considerably less than what the deanship normally wants. I extended my 09 twice. (most you can do) for a total of 9 years with the factory and two extensions. I used it once when my final drive started leaking in 2013. Hasn't leaked since.

I typically don't do extended warranty's but piece of mind for 9 years was worth it to me. I also have a tendency to keep vehicles for a long time. I still have the first car I bought in Sept 1970. :) It's a 55 F100. I need to get it back on the road one of these days. Hardest part will be cleaning out the fuel system.

Black Widow seems to be popular right now for cans or exhaust. They have things on ebay regularly but seem to be waiting for new inventory at this time. I wish they would hurry up. I am going to go with a full exhaust one of these days.

Congrats on the C14 and welcome to the forum. Like S Smith suggested check the event calendar for your area and find a rally or other event. COG guys and gals are great people.
 
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Wow amazing thank you for all the info and appreciate your offer. Maybe we could meet up for a ride. I am in West Springfield, MA. Where in CT are you located..
About the warranty I tried to get one but the previous owner let it lapse in 2018 and Pete said that they could not add warranty. If you have any other ideas on how i could add that warranty please let me know.
Hey, I'm in SE CT near the casinos. I'm often in Mass on rides tho. Idk if you can even add it at this point. I think once it's expired you can't but I'm not 100% sure.

Chris
 
Hey, I'm in SE CT near the casinos. I'm often in Mass on rides tho. Idk if you can even add it at this point. I think once it's expired you can't but I'm not 100% sure.

Chris
If the original warranty was extended by the previous owner and has never lapsed, you can extend it. Let oem warranty or extended oem warranty lapse and there are no more opportunities to extend the warranty through ma kaw. I guess if you really want a warranty, you could get one through the aftermarket.
 
I'm GLAD I never wasted my money original owner 2011, does it cover tires?
Tires are expensive on the 1400 and they get used up quickly. That being said, a set of good tires makes life extremely worthwhile. Getting my Street Smart 4s next week and I am already getting excited.
 
Warranty...go to the link provided by S Smith. This is the same warranty the dealers try to sell you when a new bike is purchased. It covers pretty much everything the original warranty covers. This warranty is through Kawasaki so any Kawasaki dealer will except it.

First question is does your C14 still have the original factory warranty? If so you can extend the warranty for considerably less than what the deanship normally wants. I extended my 09 twice. (most you can do) for a total of 9 years with the factory and two extensions. I used it once when my final drive started leaking in 2013. Hasn't leaked since.

I typically don't do extended warranty's but piece of mind for 9 years was worth it to me. I also have a tendency to keep vehicles for a long time. I still have the first car I bought in Sept 1970. :) It's a 55 F100. I need to get it back on the road one of these days. Hardest part will be cleaning out the fuel system.

Black Widow seems to be popular right now for cans or exhaust. They have things on ebay regularly but seem to be waiting for new inventory at this time. I wish they would hurry up. I am going to go with a full exhaust one of these days.

Congrats on the C14 and welcome to the forum. Like S Smith suggested check the event calendar for your area and find a rally or other event. COG guys and gals are great people.
Hi Tim, thank you. I contacted Pete whose contact was listed in Simth's message. Unfortunately my extended warranty expired in 2018. And it cannot get extended from his side as it lapsed. Should I contact Kawasaki and see if they would offer me an extended warranty.

Black widow sounds good. I will look into it.

I will try and Join up for a ride soon.

Again thank you.
 
I'd just ride and enjoy your bike, sometime in the next few months get the valve service done and documented. If you're going to get the extended 3 yr warranty, do so immediately upon getting title ownership to the bike (there a funny time schedule rule on buying warranty extentions). [BTW, I got mine, but never needed it]. ... also suggest getting full insurance coverage before taking delivery of the bike - to include collision and comprehensive add'l coverages.

... and encourage everyone to attend regional C-14 meets / activities to meet others, talk rides and see bike modifications in person. I joined the COG group, and am glad I did; if you join soon your info should be in before the date cut-off for inclusion into this year's printed member book.

Personally, I'd wait on bike modifications until:
* attended a couple of COG meets
* have full and comfortable riding gear, and
* put some miles on your new bike - outfitted as is by prior owner.

And if you're newer to riding in general, or riding in the northeast - something beyond the new C-14 - contact the northeast area director, who posted above, for additional nearby suggestions. Welcome!
Thank you. Will take your advise. I got the full insurance. Waiting on the rego and title. Should be with me week. Want to make sure get this extended warranty before that comes through.
 
If the original warranty was extended by the previous owner and has never lapsed, you can extend it. Let oem warranty or extended oem warranty lapse and there are no more opportunities to extend the warranty through ma kaw. I guess if you really want a warranty, you could get one through the aftermarket.
Original owner took the extended warranty. But yes let it lapse in 2018.
 
Well darn it. But these seem to be fairly reliable machines for the most part if you take care of her. I change brake fluids on every thing that uses it on an annual basis. I change the motor oil at a higher frequency than the book recommends. Because of that final drive gets changed every other motor oil change.
 
Hey Mudumbas, Welcome to COG, after a short period of time you will realize it's the best bike forum out there, well worth the cost of membership. I'm located in the north east part of MA in Gloucester, about a 2 hour ride from Springfield.
I have a 2010 C14, at 27k I had the valves checked/adjusted, the throttle bodies synchronized and new spark plugs by another COG member that was highly recommended on the forum. I thought my bike ran pretty good before the work was done, had no problems. After the work was done the bike ran even better, noticed the difference in the steady sound of the engine right at start up and the long ride home was even better. That first "break in" valve adjustment is important though. Once the first adjustment/tune up is done the bike stay in tune for longer period. Just stay on top of the fluid changes, engine oil, brake and clutch, and final drive and the bike will put lots of smiles on your face. One other detail that is VERY IMPORTANT is to make sure you always have a spare key fob! If you lose one, or one is damaged and you don't have a spare to copy it's VERY expensive to have a new one made. When you get your bike all tuned up by Gixerhp (Kevin) he can answer all your questions about FOBs and any other question you have on the bike. Congratulations
 
Hey Mudumbas, Welcome to COG, after a short period of time you will realize it's the best bike forum out there, well worth the cost of membership. I'm located in the north east part of MA in Gloucester, about a 2 hour ride from Springfield.
I have a 2010 C14, at 27k I had the valves checked/adjusted, the throttle bodies synchronized and new spark plugs by another COG member that was highly recommended on the forum. I thought my bike ran pretty good before the work was done, had no problems. After the work was done the bike ran even better, noticed the difference in the steady sound of the engine right at start up and the long ride home was even better. That first "break in" valve adjustment is important though. Once the first adjustment/tune up is done the bike stay in tune for longer period. Just stay on top of the fluid changes, engine oil, brake and clutch, and final drive and the bike will put lots of smiles on your face. One other detail that is VERY IMPORTANT is to make sure you always have a spare key fob! If you lose one, or one is damaged and you don't have a spare to copy it's VERY expensive to have a new one made. When you get your bike all tuned up by Gixerhp (Kevin) he can answer all your questions about FOBs and any other question you have on the bike. Congratulations
Thank you very much for the detailed message mate. I will get the membership shortly.
Thank you for your advise. I will contact Kevin as soon as my rego is completed..
 
You've received some very good information from other COGgers.
One thing I haven't seen is discussion about aftermarket Slip-on mufflers.
ie; I've seen discussion about the Black Widow Full System.

Slip-on's are easier/cheaper to install than installing the entire header system.
There are multiple Slip-on's available. Offer improvement's on sound/looks/performance.
Work well with a ECU Flash.
Black Widow Slip-on was mentioned. Another good/inexpensive Slip-On is the Delkevic.

Another thing that was only lightly discussed was a Flash of your ECU.
Most will agree; A re-flash is the single/best thing you can do for your bikes performance.
A good Flash helps improve performance from idle to peak RPM's.
(I personally have and like the Mountain Runner Premium flash from Shoodaben Engineering)

Ride safe, Ted
 
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+1 on the Mountain Runner Premium from Shoodabeen. I was impressed with the stock power of the bike, then I got the Mountain Runner flash, smoothed the bike out so it wasn't so jumpy in the low RPM range and gave even more power from mid to high RPM. Then I got the MRP flash this year...impressed again!
 
+1 on the Mountain Runner Premium from Shoodabeen. I was impressed with the stock power of the bike, then I got the Mountain Runner flash, smoothed the bike out so it wasn't so jumpy in the low RPM range and gave even more power from mid to high RPM. Then I got the MRP flash this year...impressed again!
+2
 
You've received some very good information from other COGgers.
One thing I haven't seen is discussion about aftermarket Slip-on mufflers.
ie; I've seen discussion about the Black Widow Full System.

Slip-on's are easier/cheaper to install than installing the entire header system.
There are multiple Slip-on's available. Offer improvement's on sound/looks/performance.
Work well with a ECU Flash.
Black Widow Slip-on was mentioned. Another good/inexpensive Slip-On is the Delkevic.

Another thing that was only lightly discussed was a Flash of your ECU.
Most will agree; A re-flash is the single/best thing you can do for your bikes performance.
A good Flash helps improve performance from idle to peak RPM's.
(I personally have and like the Mountain Runner Premium flash from Shoodaben Engineering)

Ride safe, Ted
Thank you for your suggestions will look into them and keep you updated
 
Thank you everyone for the advises.
1. I finally got the extended warranty after calling around about 15 companies. I got a good deal I feel after a good bargain from different qoutes. I paid 1000$ for 5 years 100,000k miles, 0 deductible, tire and Wheels package included and free tow included.
2. The registeration is taking a long time. My next goal is to get the valve tuning.
3. Then the slip on and flash.
 
I purchased my tire/ wheel warranty from the dealer at time of new bike purchase. Believe mine is 5 or 6 year, 100% coverage - no cost deductible and price was $500.
 
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