2008 Kawasaki Concours 14 Photo Gallery

Kawasaki introduces the most powerful sport-tourer in production with the Concours 14, a design which the Japanese manufacturer envisions will carve out its own genre - the Transcontinental Supersport Tourer.

Our test rider is a retired motorcycle cop with a penchant for speed.

That's right, Tom has a doctorate in motorcycle studies. He wrote his disseration on the correlation of throttle tendencies and socio-economic background.

An analog speed and tach hem in an LCD display screen.

The KI-PASS system incorporates a small key fob, but a standard ignition key is also required.

If you don't have your small key fob, the C14 won't start up.

The Concours 14 luggage can store a full-face helmet.

The Concours 14 luggage look great, tying into the C14's design lines.

Our tester found the new Tetra-Lever Shaft Drive to be very effective, with the smooth new design feeling more like a belt drive.

The Concours 14's touring credentials are supplemented by the on-the-fly adjustable windsheild.

The Concours 14 features variable valve timing, which alters camshaft profiles at various rpm ranges. The new feature is a first in its class design aimed at improving engine efficiency.

Our tester found the new Tetra-Lever Shaft Drive to be very effective, with the smooth new design feeling more like a belt drive.

KI-PASS utilizes a standard ignition key and a small transponder fob, which must be within five feet of the bike in order to start the ignition.

Standing for Kawasaki's Intelligent Proximity Activation Start System, KI-PASS is an anti-theft device.

A two-position windsheild is on-the-fly adjustable on the Concours 14.

Did you take some acid and start reading? Maybe so, cause this photo is trippy man!

Vision-blurring speed is delivered on the C14 via its monster motor.

Will the all-new Concours find itself on the rocks in a Super Sport-Touring Shootout?

The new Connie sure looks good.

Tom gave the Concours 14 a thumbs up, but suspects the new design will have a hard time supplanting its Super Sport-Touring rivals the FJR1300 and BMW K1200GT.

That 1352cc motor will attract many a rider like moths to the horsepower flame, but the real question regarding the Concours 14, and one we can't wait to answer, is where the new design stands amongst its Sport-Touring peers later this year.

It's got the right lines and a sweet motor, but can the Concours 14 best its compeititors in the Sport-Touring class?

Okay, so it looks good and has a dreamy engine, but the new Concours also sports a competitive $13,799 MSRP ($12,899 for non-ABS version), which puts it in a straight-up head-to-head showdown with the ABS-standard $13,799 FJR1300.

A right-side 4-2-1 system takes the place of its Ninja cousin's dual cans, and also allows a better view of the new Tetra-Lever design on the left.

Will its killer motor, no doubt many riders will find the Concours 14 a Sport-Touring offer thay can't refuse.

The 1352cc Inline-Four, sourced from Kawasaki's ZX-14, ensures the new Concours flies down those yellow lines at a law-shattering, or shall we say, rapid pace.

The 2008 C14 will rip down those yellow lines pronto.

Ole! The slipper clutch on the new Concours 14 is a very forgiving design, which eliminates lunging on downshifts. Our test rider liked it quite a bit.

Winding roads may not be its forte, but the C14 will compel you to find them.

With its 59.8-inch wheelbase, the C14 doesn't suffer from instability but it isn't the most nimble of handlers either.

An inverted 43mm telescopic fork and the rear Tetra-Lever unit provide suspension on the C14.

Heated grips were not included on the intro test bikes, although aftermarket units could be plugged into the C14's accessory power outlet located next to the cockpit display.

Tom found the new Concours to be comfortable but noted that true long-distance evaluation wasn't possible due to the short-ride nature of a press introduction.

Also contributing to the superb braking performance was the $900-optional ABS system fitted on our test bike.

Sonoma County backroads were the setting for our Concours 14 first ride.

The front's radial-mounted four-piston caliper configuration features a separate pad for each piston to improve feel and performance, as does the radial-pump front brake master cylinder.

With the rip-snorting ZX-14 drag-racing motor as its base, we expected nothing less than jaw-dropping acceleration from the new Connie.

Featuring a top-of-the-line setup, the Concours has a pair of 310mm petal discs up front and a single 270mm petal disc out back.

Digital fuel injection ensures the rapid acceleration is controlled with a throttle response described by our tester as "smooth and predictable."

The radial-mounted four-piston caliper and dual 310mm rotor braking package up front on the Concours 14 is superb, with the $900-optional ABS taking care of business without the pulsating sensation felt on most ABS designs.

The motor in the Concours isn't a complete clone of the Ninja's, incorporating first-in-its-class variable valve timing to increase engine efficiency by altering camshaft profiles in different rpm ranges

The Connie's hydraulic clutch utilizes a radial-pump master cylinder and provides superb feel at the lever and during engagement.

Utilizing the same motor which ground out 169 rear-wheel ponies when we dynoed it on the ZX-14 ast year, the sport-touring Concours 14 has plenty of horsepower to spare from the liquid-cooled DOHC design.

Sourced from the mighty ZX-14, the Inline-Four is what makes the new C14 a real kick in the pants.

While it isn't the swiftest of designs in transition, the Concours 14 provides a very stable 59.8-inch wheelbase and solid suspension package.

On on-the-fly adjustable windsheild provides touring comfort, combined with a relaxed riding position.