Just wanted to say howdy from SW Houston. Proud owner of a new 2021 C14 ABS.
I do have a few issues with the performance compared to previous Kawas I've owned and put tens of thousands of miles on, but this bike is super nice and after 1,100 miles so far I'm not going to throw it away. LOL I did the 600 mile 1st service myself and enjoyed it very much. The oil filter was stuck on (factory used Gorilla Glue?) so I had to take it to the dealership so they could use their impact tool to loosen it. I rode it back home and finished the fluid and filter change myself. Not too many issues overall but there are a few that have me learning a new riding style.
Throttle response is super choppy from closed to barely open, especially at lower speeds and when shifting. When riding two-up I'm almost afraid to shift from 1st to 2nd because the passenger gets thrown back when I ease off the clutch and just touch the throttle. Momma isn't too keen on the feeling of me "driving fast" (which I don't do very often anyway), and the snap of the shaft drive when shifting is not helping me get her on the back for repeat rides.
Another beef I've got is with the forward sloping seat, that is guaranteed to crush the pilot's nads into the gas tank (especially when engine braking or braking hard). Who came up with that design anyway? I'll reserve my additional comments for private conversation. LOL
The fact that this came with halogen bulbs still has me scratching my head. I didn't spend more than $100 on replacement LED bulbs (that I was able to install in less than 20 minutes), so why Kawasaki decided to make it a new owner task is a conundrum. It's not like it would have radically changed their engineering or revenue, but it sure might have sold a few more machines had they updated to 21st century lighting all the way around.
Anyway, thought I'd say hi and ask if anybody has mod/make/model/source suggestions. Check my profile for the list of what I've already added and what I'm planning to upgrade in the months ahead.
Safe riding and hope to see y'all out on the road soon, AB
I do have a few issues with the performance compared to previous Kawas I've owned and put tens of thousands of miles on, but this bike is super nice and after 1,100 miles so far I'm not going to throw it away. LOL I did the 600 mile 1st service myself and enjoyed it very much. The oil filter was stuck on (factory used Gorilla Glue?) so I had to take it to the dealership so they could use their impact tool to loosen it. I rode it back home and finished the fluid and filter change myself. Not too many issues overall but there are a few that have me learning a new riding style.
Throttle response is super choppy from closed to barely open, especially at lower speeds and when shifting. When riding two-up I'm almost afraid to shift from 1st to 2nd because the passenger gets thrown back when I ease off the clutch and just touch the throttle. Momma isn't too keen on the feeling of me "driving fast" (which I don't do very often anyway), and the snap of the shaft drive when shifting is not helping me get her on the back for repeat rides.
Another beef I've got is with the forward sloping seat, that is guaranteed to crush the pilot's nads into the gas tank (especially when engine braking or braking hard). Who came up with that design anyway? I'll reserve my additional comments for private conversation. LOL
The fact that this came with halogen bulbs still has me scratching my head. I didn't spend more than $100 on replacement LED bulbs (that I was able to install in less than 20 minutes), so why Kawasaki decided to make it a new owner task is a conundrum. It's not like it would have radically changed their engineering or revenue, but it sure might have sold a few more machines had they updated to 21st century lighting all the way around.
Anyway, thought I'd say hi and ask if anybody has mod/make/model/source suggestions. Check my profile for the list of what I've already added and what I'm planning to upgrade in the months ahead.
Safe riding and hope to see y'all out on the road soon, AB