Kawasaki Concours 14 vs. FJR1300: Which is the Ultimate Sport Touring Bike?

[@scottthurman6135]

I have a 2015 FJR1300A and my buddy has a 2016 Kawi Concours. We trade bikes now and then.. Things I don't care for on the Connie is no cruise and the VVT..My FJR will eat it on top gear roll ons..Of course I only have a 5 speed and his is 6 which also gives a little less RPM cruising in top gear. On outright performance the Connie is faster..Don't care for the brakes on the Connie. If you try trail braking through corners, too much front brake is applied..I don't feel it handles quite as well as the FJR in corners...If you get the right color, I do like the looks of the Connie..I think the Connie's tranny shifts a little smoother..Especially in lower gears..All that being said I would probably be just as happy with the Kawi as the FJR..Both great bikes...

[@cascadian19]

Thanks, good info. I have one question - who uses the rear brake to trail-brake?

[@FlashBro-r4w]

Great points! I have a question because I’m currently looking into buying a 2013 concours with 17K miles on it. So my question is… is there much of a difference in an older year vs the newer 2016 year u have?

[@mrriesen9004]

Cruise would be nice, I bought a $20 throttle wrist saver for mine and it worked great. I only use it when I'm cruising on interstates otherwise a prefer the throttle .

[@louisbaxter6603]

hello everyone. I own a 03 ST1300, 97 CBR1100XX and recently purchased a 09 Concours14. I've owned and ridden a lot of bikes in between. The one thing I've never done is try and make one feel like one of my others. They ALL have there pros and cons. A lot of what it boils down to is making the most of any bikes positives and minimizing its negatives by way of experience and skillset. I absolutely love all motorcycles and realize different strokes for different folks. XX super linear silky smoot power train. C14 still learning its like and dislikes. Installing new tires and brake pads, and adjust the suspension after i get a baseline from familiar tire brand. But at the end of the day I believe I'll still be the most confident in complete " go mode" onboard my 109k miles ST1300. Fortunately its not the best at anything. IT'S VERY NUETRAL AND GREAT AT EVERYTHING. Time will tell. Food for thought.....

[@MannyScoot]

The ST1300 is the Queen in my book..... I owned three and this one I have now has 74,000 miles and she is like new..... Love them and they will never let you down !

[@dracdrum]

As a person that has owned both, I would agree on most of the points. Not sure what year your FJR is, I had an 08. I had a 2010 Connie. Pre 2016, I'd likely go with a Connie for 6th gear. Other than that they are pretty much equal in most regards. Low speed maneuvering, I think the FJR is more nimble and easier to manage, but at speed they are nearly identical. In 13 FJR added throttle by wire, and that was a bit weird (at first, I image you learn quick, I just demoed one.) On power, the Connie does have the top end, but in the low RPM, the FJR is WAY torque-ier. Cruise is a factor, but I never had a bike with cruise, so not much of a factor for me. The TPMS monitor for the Connie is VERY nice to have. I have missed it on every bike that didn't have it.

[@ToddBryantsr]

Wind noise is totally based on your height and the position of the adjustable wind screen,. Also this affects your ability to hear the engine. I am 5'10 and I ride with a Scorpion AT-950 helmet. Completely retracted I get wind buffeting. If I lift the wind screen up a bit -- all I hear is the engine. Additionally the Kawasaki is the only production bike that has the positive neutral finder.

[@cleatusbarncoat8642]

I’m ok with minimal engine noise on my 2012 Concours 14ABS. Much prefer the wind and the quiet. And only go with bluetooth music for 15 minutes at a time.

[@AT2021Rocker]

Heavy, no cruise but stable as hell at high speed, excellent sport touring bike. Loved my 2012!

[@billh4301]

I think you left out the biggest negative on this bike, NO cruise control. Even sport bikes and the kawasaki Versys has it.

[@douglasgrosch228]

Just get throttle lock 20 bucks. Easy fix ..how often use that..I don't on tail of dragon with mine

[@rugershooter5268]

@@douglasgrosch228 throttle lock and cruise control are 2 different things. If your not getting on the interstate then you probably don't need a sport tourer. If all you do is ride back and forth on the dragon then you'd be plenty happy with gsxs750.... doesn't have cruise control to weigh you down

[@rugershooter5268]

Yes, I really wanted the concours but Versys1000 having cruise control won......but after 5hrs on that seat it felt like hot railroad spike rammed up butt......Corbin fixed that problem, went on same trip, after 5 hrs my butt was ready for 5 more

[@RRRRefuelRideRace]

A short but nice comparison. I enjoyed. Cheers.

[@schzx14]

1st gen Concours 14 looks better than 2nd gen Concours 14. But newer FJR’s look better than both. And yes, cruise control would be nice. But the Kawi engine makes up for all of that. But we’re all simply going to say the bike we ride is the best. Haha.

[@josemanrique458]

Kawasaki Concourse 14 is the king , no competition. If you're not willing to ride it the way it was meant to be ridden stay away from this bike!

[@Killswitch-ON]

I put new tires on mine and man how agile the bike became. Felt much lighter and twistier than my other bike (vfr800) which had pretty good tires, but some years old.

[@homeslice1958]

Good comparison, thank you. However, I respectfully disagree about the Concours being more attractive than the FJR1300. In my personal opinion, the FJR is by far the better looking motorcycle. Also, the Concours' displacement is 1352 cc, so it's really only 54 cc bigger displacement than the 1298 cc of the FJR.

[@SanFranciscoRiderr]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right? great input

[@RRRRefuelRideRace]

I feel the same. The FJR looks a lot better in my opinion too. :) By the way both are great bike. Drop by to check my content when you can. Cheers,

[@MarkPalmer1000]

Concours 14 was gone after 2022, the FJR1300 gone after 2023. That means you go to BMW and spend twice as much for a K1600 to get a high performance touring bike with shaft drive now.

[@foolish4bulls]

FJR is not done

[@mrriesen9004]

Just bought the Connie and went on a tour down to the Bearstooth with 3 other guys on BMW, 800, 900, and a 1300S. The 800 was vibrating at 120 km, the 900 was uncomfortable at anything over 120 km and the seat was terrible, the 1300s was in the same league at speeds over 120km. However, the boys on the 800 and 900 did enjoy the twisties alot more than I did on the Bearstooth otherwise the Kaw just ate the miles up, fast and comfortable.

[@douglasgrosch228]

once you put pipe and ecu tune it really helps low smooth power for mountain riding twist -handle just needs 55 tire on it

[@dleebox2268]

These are really nice bikes, i would really love to own one at 55 years old👊🏽😎

[@foolish4bulls]

I’m 65 on a BMW RT. It’s all what you enjoy, not your age

[@brandynborsi4748]

I own a 13 concours14 and I’ve ridden an 07 fjr1300 a few times. To me the concours vs the early model fjr is better in every department. Transmission, clutch, suspension, riding position, and brakes are better in my opinion. Power out put is much stronger too. I haven’t ridden the 6 speed fjr yet to be fair.

[@MannyScoot]

The Honda ST1300 gets the award !

[@alenfora1400]

I own a 2002 fjr non abs maybe in the future a newer fjr or the gtr they are almost the same

[@wulfmaer8919]

What year is your FJR 1300?

[@SanFranciscoRiderr]

2009

[@TroyCenter]

Your are wrong. The FJR is iconic and looks far more beautiful than the concourse. My friend, you’ve been Kawi slapped.

[@TroyCenter]

Nice bike. ;)

[@FlashBro-r4w]

It’s the rider not the bike

[@1504strikehold]

I bought the FJR the first year it was available in the USA and needed a 500-dollar deposit to preorder! I drove it for 2 or three years and the key lock cylinder came out of its moorings on the hard luggage and i needed to duct tape the pannier closed. My throttle hand was numb after an hours drive from vibration! The Yamaha was shit and i never went back after test driving the concours14. I am on my third concours after hitting a deer with my first one and foolishly trading the second one for a BMW r1200rt! No comparison from yamahaaaaa crap to Connie heaven!!

[@sdrammm696969]

Yes sir

[@larrymorris7569]

I guess if the K1600 didn't exist, this would be decided.

[@JenniferJohnson-o6u]

Verda Groves

[@pauldark3044]

Beautiful bike, wouldn't call them sport touring anymore though, that's more like the 1000sx, H2sx, R1200rs etc, but they are sporty compared to a Goldwing

[@levpesa2022]

*PromoSM* 😣