demmoed c14 & fjr

[jnk]

went to bikes blues and bbq in fayetteville, ar. thurs/fri. rode my ms down thur morn left home @ 4:30 am rode a blk c14 decided i needed to ride it again fri. i thought i should give the fjr a shot as well so rode it fri too.
1st i found the c14 to be veeery smooth and powerful handles veeery good as well. i love the sound of the engine when you rev it. i was a little concerned about the height as i only have about a 29" inseam( with cowboy boots on) but i found it to be very manageable but i have ridden a lot of bikes that were taller than me over the years. i would however get a lower seat but i don't think i would lower the bike. i did find it a little tall for mounting and dismounting, those bags stick way up there. also it does put out a quite a bit of heat on your inner thighs and blows quite a bit of heat on your foot and ancle. i don't know if there is a way to help that but it could be uncomfortable when the temp gets into the mid 90's and above as it does for a fair amount of the summer here in ks. it was only around 85 when i demmoed .
2nd the fjr is also a very nice bike it has ample power and handles veeery well i think maybe a little better than the c14 and the heat is almost nonexistant, it is much easer to mount and dismount.
i found the seat to be quite uncomfortable, and there is a lot of hand numbing vibration coming through the handle bars. i also did not like the transmission it is clunky and when taking off from a stop i would hear a clunk. also it needs a 6th gear as it is buzzy at 80 mph in 5th this was annoying to me as well. the windscreen is much more useful than that of the c14 as i was able to raise it to the point of getting a calm pocket of air which would be nice on those cold mornings, but the windscreen bounced around a lot which may bother some.

in conclusion. i found both bikes to be very nice offerings and each had pluses and minuses the buzzyness of the fjr is a turn off for me ( i wish it had a 6th gear) however i might get used to it in time but the vibration would have to be seriously reduced for me to own that bike and maybe with aftermarket grips it could be.
the c14 would be nearly perfect if the heat could be better managed. it is somewhat dificult to mount and dismount but i love how smooth it is even at speeds i excess of 80mph.
so i am undecided as of yet. there is no way to add 6th gear to the fjr, which is a biggie for me. but i might be able to reduce the vibration with aftermarket grips.
i don't know if the heat could be reduced on the c14 with some insulation on the inside of the cowlings by the thighs that would imo make it much more interesting.
IF ANYONE HAS SUGGESTIONS PLEASE CHIME IN

edit
oh and i put just short of 1000mi on my ms in 2 days and i feel good enough to do another 500 right now so the meanie aint too bad either

[dsmack]

JNK ~
You're lucky to have the chance to actually ride the two bikes. That doesn't happen often enough in this day and age.

I related here a couple of months ago that I had bought a 2006 FJR to add long distance touring capabilities that my old Zephyr 750 didn't have. While I was in the selection process, I looked carefully at the C-14, the Feejer, and the ST-1300 Honda. All are very nice bikes, with varying strong and weak points. Each of us has to figure out what is going to work best for US, then buy to suit that need.

For me, it was the seating position and height of the C-14 that swung the deal to the Feejer. I am inseam challenged, with stubby little 28" legs. Because of the difference (slight) in height, coupled with the slightly less wide seat, the FJR fit me better. I am able to flat-foot the Feej by sliding forward a bit on the seat. Could not do that on the Connie.

I don't know how many miles were on the test bike you rode, but my FJR with 4,000 miles on it shifts like butter. In reading the ton of info over on FJRforum.com, it seems usual that the tranny is a little "clunky" until it gets broken-in a bit.

You seem to really perseverate on the 6-speed tranny... Different strokes, I guess. With approx 140HP on tap, and a torque curve that is remarkably flat, I find the Feej to be acceptable, if not preferable with the 5 speed. It loafs down the slab at 75 - 80 MPH with no noticable buzziness. I've had it a bit north of 120 a couple of times, and didn't note any lack of smoothness at those speeds either. In reading a lot of the posts on this and other boards concerning the C-14, many riders report better fuel mileage while running in 5th gear, saving 6th for runs well above legal speeds on the slab...

My bike has heavy bar end weights installed, so perhaps that helps smooth things out a bit?

I guess it all boils down to what lights YOUR fuse!

We, as riders, are really lucky to have three nice alternatives to consider, eh? Any of the three will serve you well, depending on what's most important to you... Enjoy the search!

Just an aside... your post would be much easier to read if you used capital letters to begin sentences... but you knew that, right?

Let us know how your quest for the bike turns out!
Don

[twhite]

The dealer I bought mine from in Thomasville GA. bought an 08 c14 for himself. He added some insulation under the tank plastic and a few other areas and said it helps. I think the 09s are not as bad. Mine doesnt seem to be. However ALL of the STs including the BMW r1200rt is going to be hot. Ride hard.

[num1husker]

Great write up guy's, one thing to add:

We, as riders, are really lucky to have three nice alternatives to consider, eh? Any of the three will serve you well, depending on what's most important to you... Enjoy the search!

I can't speak for the C-14 haven't ridden one but it is on my short list and the the FJR (rode several) it is a great bike also, along with the Honda ST1300 (rode a couple of these also), one bike I haven't seen it compared to is the Triumph ST-1050 Sprint. Now I am a bit partial because I own one, but it fit's in very well with this group of bikes.

Now about the C-14, there probably will be one in the garage by next spring sitting next to my Vulcan Classic, but still not ready to pull the trigger on this one. I want to make it my full tourer with the right mods.

One other bike with ST qualities I have is an Aprilia Falco, now this bike has some great character but not one I'll put 20k a year on.

[twhite]

The triumph I think does belong in this group. I have heard the 1050 triple rocks. I almost bought a tiger but decided on the c14 instead. Nothing wrong with Triumph. Ride hard.

[Gank]

Nice write up JNK.

As far as the heat of the C14, there definitely was some kind of "fix" for right-side heat because my service guy asked me if I had it installed. It's probably in the form of insulation, but either my bike already had it when I bought it, or I never thought it felt hot compared to my Vulcan.

For all of these bikes, I feel that you come away a winner. There really is no bad choice. For guys with shorter legs, I can totally see not wanting a C14. I have a 32 inch inseam, and it's still taller than I prefer. I've learned to be very selective when I park to avoid having to walk it anywhere.

[rbentnail]

Originally Posted by Gank

Nice write up JNK.

As far as the heat of the C14, there definitely was some kind of "fix" for right-side heat because my service guy asked me if I had it installed. It's probably in the form of insulation, but either my bike already had it when I bought it, or I never thought it felt hot compared to my Vulcan.

For all of these bikes, I feel that you come away a winner. There really is no bad choice. For guys with shorter legs, I can totally see not wanting a C14. I have a 32 inch inseam, and it's still taller than I prefer. I've learned to be very selective when I park to avoid having to walk it anywhere.

This was one of the biggest reasons for me not to get a C14. My 30" inseam makes it difficult to walk my FJR on occasion, so I too am selective when I park.

[NCDave]

As the song goes....short people got no reason to live!