Kawasaki Concours 14 Review

Used Buyer Review

The Concours 14 is one of the most underrated sport-tourers ever built, and the used market prices reflect that unfairly. You're getting a 1400cc inline-four that'll shame sportbikes off the line while hauling you and a passenger across three states without complaint. The shaft drive eliminates chain maintenance, the panniers are genuinely usable, and that engine is basically bulletproof if the previous owner wasn't an idiot about oil changes. That said, go in with eyes open. The electronics on early models (2008-2011) are primitive by today's standards — no traction control, basic ABS. Heat soak at stoplights in summer is legitimately miserable; your inner thighs will know about it. The suspension is set up for loaded touring, so solo riding feels wallowy until you dial in the preload. Check the throttle bodies for sync issues and inspect the shaft drive output seal — common weep point on higher-mileage examples. Buy a clean 2012-onwards example under 30k miles and you've got a legitimate bargain. These things routinely run 80,000 miles with basic care.