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What have your done to your C14 today

Got my seat and trunk done today! Can't wait for some cool hours to get it field tested, but it will get a good evaluation on a couple of 500 mile days to/from the national. Very happy with the extra high-density foam feel and the, er, cooling channel for the junk...so far.
Anyone need a stock seat cover in excellent condition?
 

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Changed oil/filter & final drive. Replaced battery even though it showed no signs of being weak. At 6 years & 9 months old I didn't want it to give out to or from Nationals, particularly in the dessert somewhere. Cheap insurance as far as I'm concerned!
 
At the end of April I bought a new 2022 Concours. Since then I've had some money leave my possession.

  • Had Steve perform his amazing wizardry on the ECU - went with the Shoodaben Mountain Runner Premium flash!
  • Wired for BatteryTender
  • Added FuzeBlock
    • Removed the toolbox and 3D printed a custom bracket to mount the FuzeBlock in the toolbox location
  • Added Cruise Control
  • Added Top Block Tip-Over protection (crash bars)
    • Powder coated satin black so they match the lower black body work. Pricey, but I'm thrilled with how it looks!
  • Added TechSpec-USA Gripster Tank and Lowers Grips
  • Added Murph's Handlebar Wedges
  • Added Air-Flow seat cover
  • Added AST dual helmet locks to the bottom of the luggage rack
  • Added Mounts Lab Ram Ball stem mount - very nice hardware if you're looking to do a steering stem Ram mount
  • Transferred Zumo XT mount from my 2012 C14 and wired to FuzeBlock
  • Transferred Two Brothers Slip-on from my 2012 - bought and installed repack kit from RevZilla since I was swapping the muffler
  • Transferred Phil's Rack from my 2012
  • Transferred the Top Box from my 2012 and put on color matching paint panel
  • Transferred saddle bag liners from my 2012
  • Transferred Cee Bailley's XL windshield from my 2012 - had to buy a few parts from Ron Ayers Motorsports
  • After 600 mile break-in, changed filter, engine oil, and final drive oil
  • Ordered Road 6 GT's for the front and rear - will swap out what's left of the stock tires with the Road 6's at the National Rally (thanks Arrowlane for bringing a changer and giving up some of your time!)
I think I'm done with farkles......said every motorcycle rider at least 20 times.
 
At the end of April I bought a new 2022 Concours. Since then I've had some money leave my possession.

  • Had Steve perform his amazing wizardry on the ECU - went with the Shoodaben Mountain Runner Premium flash!
  • Wired for BatteryTender
  • Added FuzeBlock
    • Removed the toolbox and 3D printed a custom bracket to mount the FuzeBlock in the toolbox location
  • Added Cruise Control
  • Added Top Block Tip-Over protection (crash bars)
    • Powder coated satin black so they match the lower black body work. Pricey, but I'm thrilled with how it looks!
  • Added TechSpec-USA Gripster Tank and Lowers Grips
  • Added Murph's Handlebar Wedges
  • Added Air-Flow seat cover
  • Added AST dual helmet locks to the bottom of the luggage rack
  • Added Mounts Lab Ram Ball stem mount - very nice hardware if you're looking to do a steering stem Ram mount
  • Transferred Zumo XT mount from my 2012 C14 and wired to FuzeBlock
  • Transferred Two Brothers Slip-on from my 2012 - bought and installed repack kit from RevZilla since I was swapping the muffler
  • Transferred Phil's Rack from my 2012
  • Transferred the Top Box from my 2012 and put on color matching paint panel
  • Transferred saddle bag liners from my 2012
  • Transferred Cee Bailley's XL windshield from my 2012 - had to buy a few parts from Ron Ayers Motorsports
  • After 600 mile break-in, changed filter, engine oil, and final drive oil
  • Ordered Road 6 GT's for the front and rear - will swap out what's left of the stock tires with the Road 6's at the National Rally (thanks Arrowlane for bringing a changer and giving up some of your time!)
I think I'm done with farkles......said every motorcycle rider at least 20 times.
If you want help spending more just say something.. lol
 
Fitted my MCE Engine & Pannier Guards, with my water bottle holders aka Ikea Cutlery Drainers... 😁

Both bikes now parked up, but will be out on the Grey one tomorrow..

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Will be interested to see how you like the position of water bottle holders, in my region and crossing the country I get lots of bug splats there.

Thought I was seeing double-vision but nope you got two C-14’s there. Nice!

Wayne, Carol & Blue
 
Will be interested to see how you like the position of water bottle holders, in my region and crossing the country I get lots of bug splats there.

Thought I was seeing double-vision but nope you got two C-14’s there. Nice!

Wayne, Carol & Blue
I've had them on the bikes for the past 10 years.. I switched the originals to the grey one and bought new ones to go on these MCE guards. I've never had a problem with bug spatts etc on them.

Yes I have 2 ☺️😂
 
I've had them on the bikes for the past 10 years.. I switched the originals to the grey one and bought new ones to go on these MCE guards. I've never had a problem with bug spatts etc on them.

Yes I have 2 ☺️😂
Our region we get blasted - especially @ late night riding…

I like the look of the guards and holders, rear guards some manufactures rear guards I think were too big and resulted in scraping on spirited riding especially on off-camber corners - those look just enough to prevent damage without being a risk 👍.

Wayne, Carol & Blue
 
Our region we get blasted - especially @ late night riding…

I like the look of the guards and holders, rear guards some manufactures rear guards I think were too big and resulted in scraping on spirited riding especially on off-camber corners - those look just enough to prevent damage without being a risk 👍.

Wayne, Carol & Blue

You can't get the guards any longer from MCE as they went out of business quite a few years ago.. I had to wait for a friend to get rid of his bike, before these became available. had them re-powder coated and now look new.
 
Walked into Cycle Gear and they had a sale going on Bridgestone S-22's, I know, not the tire many here will choose but I'm ok with them. Out the door, everything, mounting, balance, disposal, tax, two tires $360.
 
When I first got this machine, one of the first things I did was inquire about a Kawasaki shop manual. I asked here and was told, no, they don't do that anymore, you know it's 2022 and you have to get with the program and go tech and download the manual as that's all they do. Anybody who knows me knows that I don't do that, I figured, well, they've made it quite a few years like the C-10, really how much has changed regarding things that I'd use it for, I'll just get someone's old used manual, better than nothing.

Went online the other day, BOOP, there it is, in black and white, plain as day, printed 2022 C-14 factory shop manual to have and to hold in ones hands. Order online, ship to your house $180, order at dealer for cash, ship to a dealer, $156. What do you think I did? They call in 7 days.
 
I think you're pretty predictable Dave. 😉🙂 As for the price to get the darn thing, OOOOUUUUCCCCHHHHH! $180???? 😳😳🤬 You'd think that they'd be nice regarding the price, since their reputation of having stellar network of dealers, that are fully capable of handling most issues, is hit and miss at best. I could go on.....🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
 
That $180 was tax and shipping to my house. I can remember paying about $120 for my C-10 manual about 17 years back. Riding to the dealer to order and then picking it up it on two nice sunny days at 40 miles round trip has got to be good right?
 
U.make me feel guilty....! When I got my 2010 back in 2015. I paid $30 with shipping for a hardly used fsm. Not a drop of dirty oil grease or fingerprint on.thise pages until urs truly dove in...lol. gotta love fleabay
 
U.make me feel guilty....! When I got my 2010 back in 2015. I paid $30 with shipping for a hardly used fsm. Not a drop of dirty oil grease or fingerprint on.thise pages until urs truly dove in...lol. gotta love fleabay
That's a steal! Where's the cuffs? 😂
 
Made a longer bracket for the 2 brothers muffler. The T-Rex tip over bar was touching the muffler. After reading the thread about vibration from the muffler reaching the frame, I decided it was time to quit procrastinating and just do it. I haven't ridden it yet but expect a vibration I was feeling to be reduced or eliminated altogether. Even if it doesn't, it needed to be done to create space between the two.IMG_20230623_121700_982.jpg
 
Love that blue color, wish I had a choice when I got mine last year......Why is EVERYTHING black now?

I finally picked up my C-14 shop; manual. It's nearly 2 inches thick! Has to be 1000 pages easy. Very detailed, much more so than my C-10 manual of 15 years ago, and not because of the more advanced bike, it seems to go into much more detail than the other manual, glad I have it now.
 
Whats on the grip? Let us know how you like the levers.
I will report on how they do, especially after I get to a track day later this summer.

So the grip, well...it is ribbed for my comfort. The long story is that I have one of the first issued pairs of Motoport gloves. I love them, but the material they used for 'grip' on the palms and fingers has worn smooth over the miles. I eventually installed Grip Puppies that really addressed the size and comfort complaints on the C-14, and they were plenty grippy for a couple of years, but they too eventually started to smooth out. One day before a long ride I improvised by digging in my collection and found a large, thin O-ring and looped it back and forth on the grip and behold!! I can control throttle with no fingers curled, just palm pressure, and the ribbing is like a therapeutic massager. When I need to replace it will be free or cheap, so it may stave off having to renew the Grip Puppies for a while.
 
Today I broke down. The Master Fuse blew for some strange reason and the bike just died. I was able to get to a pull in and off the road. Recovery came after 2 hours, and we replaced the blown 30A fuse. Still nothing. I now had power to my extras but no power to the ignition. Bike dead. Had to wait another 3 further hours for a recovery truck to take us home.. I am at a loss to why there's no power to switch it on, yet the fuse has been replaced.

Bike will have to go to Kawasaki as I have no idea what the problem is. 😭😭

8e06b684-db66-488d-b91b-075887d2bcf1.jpg41f1101b-225e-46e7-a323-ed6798dfa678.jpg
 
Today I broke down. The Master Fuse blew for some strange reason and the bike just died. I was able to get to a pull in and off the road. Recovery came after 2 hours, and we replaced the blown 30A fuse. Still nothing. I now had power to my extras but no power to the ignition. Bike dead. Had to wait another 3 further hours for a recovery truck to take us home.. I am at a loss to why there's no power to switch it on, yet the fuse has been replaced.

Bike will have to go to Kawasaki as I have no idea what the problem is. 😭😭

View attachment 36347View attachment 36348
That stinks! I am hopeful that you can get her back on the road soon!
 
Today I broke down. The Master Fuse blew for some strange reason and the bike just died. I was able to get to a pull in and off the road. Recovery came after 2 hours, and we replaced the blown 30A fuse. Still nothing. I now had power to my extras but no power to the ignition. Bike dead. Had to wait another 3 further hours for a recovery truck to take us home.. I am at a loss to why there's no power to switch it on, yet the fuse has been replaced.

Bike will have to go to Kawasaki as I have no idea what the problem is. 😭😭

View attachment 36347View attachment 36348
Let us know what the problem turned out to be...good thing u have a back up...
 
Finally got the bike home a couple of weeks ago. New 2022 that was in Portland OR, had it shipped to Pennsylvania. Unfortunately work and some family health issues have kept me from tinkering and riding as much as I normally would have. But I did get a chance to add an Akrapovic slip on and a Givi V47 top case.

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Most definitely!!! Did you find what went wrong with yours yet??
No not yet. I un-plugged the ignition, clocks/dash and all my extras and the 30A fuse still blows. I even swapped the battery with my other GTR, and didn't make a difference. Bike will be collected by Bournemouth Kawasaki on the 18th, so they can fix it.. I'll be there to see what the problem was. I think it could be a regulator/relay shorting out.. :confused:🤔
 
Found the problem why the 30A main fuse kept blowing.

First off I swapped the Starter Relay with my other GTR, and that wasn't the fault. Next was to search for the Regulator/Rectifier which I found above the swing arm.. What a stupid place to put it. 🤦‍♀️ A nightmare to get the plugs off, anyway I tested the continuity on the pins and it wasn't doing what it should. I contacted Bournemouth Kawasaki who suggested I take the one off the other bike and try that before ordering another, as in their words "once it's ordered it can't be sent back" :confused: So back to the other bike to struggle getting that one off. After an hour of swearing it was off. Connected to the dead bike and, Hey Presto, We have life.

Put the Regulator back on it's original bike and ordered a new one for the dead bike..

I had to remove the hugger on both bikes to give myself a little bit more room, as it's not the best place to get your hands in to. The other option would have been to take the rear wheel off, if I wasn't getting anywhere.

Now I've learnt a bit more about the bike, that I didn't know before.. :)
 
And so have we, we just didn't have to do the work!

Thank you for posting this.

Agreed, thanks for the follow up on this b'g'14'!

Found the problem why the 30A main fuse kept blowing.
Next was to search for the Regulator/Rectifier which I found above the swing arm.. What a stupid place to put it. 🤦‍♀️

Well it had to go somewhere and there just isn't a whole lot of options on a motorcycle...unless you want to make it 300 lbs heavier. o_O

;)
 
*This was a couple days ago*
Put an Earthx ETX24C in to replace a Shorai. When I put it in, it read 13.34V on the multimeter, the following morning it read 11.8V on the display gauge. So yesterday I spent the day trying to find a parasitic draw with no luck.
Took longer than I'm proud of to realize the fuses in my meter were blown, but after that, when I'd put the meter leads between the negative cable and battery, I'd get about a 75mA draw, and after a few seconds it would drop to 2.5mA.

So anyways, no luck there but I gave the bike a good wash and wax. She's looking pretty good now!
 
Pulled the latch assemblies out of the bags and wash them three times and hot soapy water. Lube them up with some graphite and they just didn't seem to work that well as a matter of fact they didn't seem any better than what I started. So I got disgusted installed them again in the bags and surprisingly they work really well after that. not sure what the problem was
 
Bought a set of wheels off E Bay and mounted Road 5s on them. Front wheel is installed with new wheel bearings and ready to go. The new rear will go on when the old one is worn out. Tried to strip the black paint off with a $38 can of aircraft paint remover which I have done in the past on my Busa. This time it was a no go.... that coating is baked in I guess... going to have them bead blasted in the future and really clean them up. The paint of them now is horrible, but, its black... so not much to see right now. Looking forward to seeing if the TPS sensors are going to work. These wheels had been sitting outside for years from what I could see.
 
Took my bike down to Fred H to have the valves adjusted, carb sync etc.

All the exhaust valves were out of spec. 5 of them measured at .006 and 3 were at .007. The intakes were all tight as well, but ok. 8 measured at .005.

I have 26,760 miles on the odometer.
 
Took my bike down to Fred H to have the valves adjusted, carb sync etc.

All the exhaust valves were out of spec. 5 of them measured at .006 and 3 were at .007. The intakes were all tight as well, but ok. 8 measured at .005.

I have 26,760 miles on the odometer.
Sounds like your first valve check at this mileage?

Wayne, Carol & Blue
 
Took my bike down to Fred H to have the valves adjusted, carb sync etc.

All the exhaust valves were out of spec. 5 of them measured at .006 and 3 were at .007. The intakes were all tight as well, but ok. 8 measured at .005.

I have 26,760 miles on the odometer.
I am so glad that I adjusted the valve clearances this spring at 15,400 miles. There were 13 of 16 with tight clearance. She ran absolutely amazing all summer with great power and awesome mileage. It is a huge job, but well worth it. Likely will need to check again during the spring of 25. Watching Fred’s excellent videos gave me confidence to tackle the job.
 
Washed it since it was still covered in bugs from my last trip 2 months ago. It still cleans up nicely even though it's starting to get up in miles! 😄

Should have rode it since it was such a nice day yesterday.
 

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Pulled the latch assemblies out of the bags and wash them three times and hot soapy water. Lube them up with some graphite and they just didn't seem to work that well as a matter of fact they didn't seem any better than what I started. So I got disgusted installed them again in the bags and surprisingly they work really well after that. not sure what the problem was
What kind of graphite did you use? I've always used the powder, which works well when you can get it where you need it, but recently tried the liquid formulation (Lock Ease), which is really slick. It's graphite in a solvent base with really low surface tension, so you can squirt it into the lock (or anything with tight clearances; hinges, sliding parts, etc) and it wicks into the spaces. After the solvent evaporates, it leaves the graphite behind in places you can't effectively get it with puffing the powder type.
 
Sent my ECU to get flashed finally, stow the questions on who did it, won't tell. And, sent my passive FOB to get cloned by Ed. This is new stuff to me as I needed both of them to talk to me in 1983 speak, it took awhile of emails and phone calls for me to figure out what exactly I needed to do and why I was doing it, it all worked out. It will be awhile to eve3n check this stuff out after I get it back as the bike is packed away and it's snowing right now, so a few months at least.
 
Yesterday I moved it from the back of the garage to the front. Added the new to me side spoilers, extenders I got from Hank.
Added air to the tires, plugged the battery tender back in and just looked at it.

Should be able to take it for a spin this weekend.
 
Replaced the brake and clutch fluid. Used about 36 oz (three 12 oz bottles of Bel-Ray Super DOT 4 brake fluid). The previously installed speed bleeders from Murphs work great and really ease the process. Bled the front brake master cyclinder first followed by the front brake calipers. Moved to the rear caliper - inside bleeder first then the outside. Moved to the clutch master cyclinder and finally the clutch slave cyclinder. The clutch master cyclinder had a lot of black grunge from the clutch. Got it all cleaned out with paper towels and Q-tips. A real pain to get at the clutch slave cylinder bleeder. I attempted to remove the lower fairing on the left side but could not due to the previous installation of Top Block bars. Oh well... Anyhow, this process was overdue. The last time I flushed the brake and clutch fluid was May 2019 at 28,451 miles. Currently have 43,850.
 
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Just got my cloned passive FOBS back from Ed, they work perfect! Best $70 I've spent in awhile. And, I just got back my flashed ECU unit. Not gonna say who did it but his name rhymes with Steve. I'll have to wait awhile as the bike is packed away till they stop salting the roads here, about 3 weeks hopefully.
 
Just got my cloned passive FOBS back from Ed, they work perfect! Best $70 I've spent in awhile. And, I just got back my flashed ECU unit. Not gonna say who did it but his name rhymes with Steve. I'll have to wait awhile as the bike is packed away till they stop salting the roads here, about 3 weeks hopefully.
Ooooh, I think you are really gonna like how it feels post flash!!
 
Replaced the brake and clutch fluid. Used about 36 oz (three 12 oz bottles of Bel-Ray Super DOT 4 brake fluid). The previously installed speed bleeders from Murphs work great and really ease the process. Bled the front brake master cyclinder first followed by the front brake calipers. Moved to the rear caliper - inside bleeder first then the outside. Moved to the clutch master cyclinder and finally the clutch slave cyclinder. The clutch master cyclinder had a lot of black grunge from the clutch. Got it all cleaned out with paper towels and Q-tips. A real pain to get at the clutch slave cylinder bleeder. I attempted to remove the lower fairing on the left side but could not due to the previous installation of Top Block bars. Oh well... Anyhow, this process was overdue. The last time I flushed the brake and clutch fluid was May 2019 at 28,451 miles. Currently have 43,850.
Curious about the speed bleeders. Are they basically a check valve? I have the bleeder valve from Motion Pro and a vacuum bleeder unit. Doing fluid replacement soon and thinking the speed bleeders might be the way to go.
 
What Bud said...yes, the speed bleeders are check valves. Murph's kit provides all seven bleed bolts: front brake master cylinder, front brake right caliper, front brake left caliper, rear brake inside bleeder, rear brake outside bleeder, clutch master cylinder, and clutch slave cylinder. In operation, you simply open the caliper bolt a quarter turn and then start operating the lever. Make sure to keep the resevoir full of brake fluid. You don't have to repeatedly open and close the caliper bolt, you just leave it open until you are done. The check valve closes each time you release the lever to keep air out of the system. Very slick and saves a bunch of time.
 
What Bud said...yes, the speed bleeders are check valves. Murph's kit provides all seven bleed bolts: front brake master cylinder, front brake right caliper, front brake left caliper, rear brake inside bleeder, rear brake outside bleeder, clutch master cylinder, and clutch slave cylinder. In operation, you simply open the caliper bolt a quarter turn and then start operating the lever. Make sure to keep the resevoir full of brake fluid. You don't have to repeatedly open and close the caliper bolt, you just leave it open until you are done. The check valve closes each time you release the lever to keep air out of the system. Very slick and saves a bunch of time.
Very nice. I will need to grab a set before I rebuild the rear master and change all fluids prior to the riding season.
 
This works well too if you have a compressor. Can do multiple bikes, cars , etc.
 

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Rode in to work, 20 degrees F at the low point, but should be close to 60 for the ride home. Yesterday I changed oil in the engine and diff, as well as bled all the brakes. (Thanks SpeedBleeders!)
 
Fired her up for the 1st time this season
Topped the tires up and headed out on a 80 mile out and back.
Did all the maintenance this winter.
Got pulled over. Doing 67 in a 45.
Nice LEO
Asked me about the Connie, no ticket.
Got lucky as I hit 100+ several times.
Nick
2014 C-14
 
Finally pulled the trigger and purchased a full heated gear setup.

Jacket Liner, pants liner, socks, and the permanently mounted dual controller. I’ll be buying the gloves when they have them back in stock.

Performed the install on the bike today. Really happy with how it turned out. Will find some “cooler” knobs for the heat controller, but overall could not be more pleased with how it looks.

It’s raining far too much for a shakedown run, but I’ll get that done soon.
 

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Looks factory runnerboy! Nice job. This will really open up riding opportunities for you now that you'll be more comfortable, it did for me. There's just too much salt on the roads here now, we keep getting snow, I did measure for a Puig air deflector though.
 
Finally pulled the trigger and purchased a full heated gear setup.

Jacket Liner, pants liner, socks, and the permanently mounted dual controller. I’ll be buying the gloves when they have them back in stock.

Performed the install on the bike today. Really happy with how it turned out. Will find some “cooler” knobs for the heat controller, but overall could not be more pleased with how it looks.

It’s raining far too much for a shakedown run, but I’ll get that done soon.
Tell me about your seat cover please...who, what where and how much...
 
Looks factory runnerboy! Nice job. This will really open up riding opportunities for you now that you'll be more comfortable, it did for me. There's just too much salt on the roads here now, we keep getting snow, I did measure for a Puig air deflector though.
Strawboss,

Thanks. I agonized for hours on where to place things, but glad I took the time.

The hope is indeed to extend the riding season AND provide some comfort on the occasion I get caught far from home in some really cold weather. Last year got caught in Jackson WY with 19 degree weather + wind chill and found myself 1200 miles from home and unable to find lodging.
 
Tell me about your seat cover please...who, what where and how much...
Konehead,

When I bought mine, the company was called Air-flow Seat Covers. I think they got bought out and now are called Wind Rider Seat Covers.

It is a quality product that fits well, and provides much cooling on warm days. It even provides some benefit if it happens to rain because it keeps your butt off the seat.

It does ultimately raise your effective seat height a bit (estimated 1/4” to 3/8”) so if you’re at the edge of comfortably touching the ground, it may bring you outside that zone.
 
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