Concourse 14

[Rob Schwartz]

So I attended the Montreal Motorcycle show this past month and, among other
tasty things, got a first hand look at the new C14!

First impressions:
1. Looks great!  Great lines in general with a couple minor issues: the
HUUGE exhaust canister - becoming all too common nowadays; it looks quite
large from the front, though I'm sure it will provide execellent protection
from the elements.

2. Sits very similar to how I remeber the GPS with GenMar risers.  It's
quite comfortable though the reach to the bars is a little long over that
stretched out gastank.  Again, a lot like how I rememeber my '95.

3. Nice hard bags!  They were quite large and looked VERY nice though I was
unable to play with them (none of the saddlebags were operable on any of the
bikes there! >:-|)

4. Ample passenger accommodations.  It's no Hondapottamus, mind you, but
it's roomy enough.

So yeah, I liked it.  I prefer the rider ergos on the FJR still, but that's
just me.  I look forward to taking a ride (on both!) someday.  Maybe I'll
get down to Americade for some test rides (the Connie won't be there, I'm
sure, but the FJR, ST13 and others might make it worth the hassle).

Is the new "Connie" ready for another 20+ years in the showroom?  I
certainly hope not.  I'd like to see it enter a normal 4-5 year product
cycle where we'll see regular improvements and updates to technology,
functionality and style to keep it on the competitive cutting edge of the
2-up ST market.

-Rob