Getting the fairing back on required some fiddling as the previous owner's drop had bent the metal piece it attaches to and I'd fixed the cracks in the fairing so they all lined up true now. I ended up heating it up and bending it back to its usual position and it all went together. The bike's now ready for a safety but I'm having trouble getting a response from Lloyd, my usual go-to local mechanic. Hopefully I can get the paperwork in order and get it on the road next week.
Sunday 16 May 2021
Chasing down a clutch slave cylinder leak in a 2010 Kawasaki Concours C14
Getting the fairing back on required some fiddling as the previous owner's drop had bent the metal piece it attaches to and I'd fixed the cracks in the fairing so they all lined up true now. I ended up heating it up and bending it back to its usual position and it all went together. The bike's now ready for a safety but I'm having trouble getting a response from Lloyd, my usual go-to local mechanic. Hopefully I can get the paperwork in order and get it on the road next week.
Thursday 13 May 2021
Concours Arts & Crafts
Solve the top-box situation
I've never had a fancy, colour matched top box before. The one that came with the Connie is a Givi-based device and I have another Givi box that would slot right in there, but I want the fancy back.How to get the fancy back? The stock one broke off when the former owner tipped over a in a parking lot and snapped it off. It broke one of the bars that hooks into the base and cracked the other.To solve the breaks and restore the bike to normal removable top-box function I'd need to replace the broken tab. The former owner threw a couple of bolts through the bottom into the frame mount, but this leaves two bolts poking out if the top box is removed and means the top box is basically permanently attached to the bike, which isn't ideal if you're heading into a hotel for the night when on the road.
The solution was to take some steel frame and bolt it to the bottom of the top-box while poking it through the hole so it would act as the broken off tab. The Dremel helped me clean up the holes and the steel frame fit snugly through the break. I bolted it to the bottom of the case with low profile stove-style heads so they won't interfere with the base and then used Gorilla construction glue to seal it all. Once it's dry I'll sand it down and paint it flat black and then it should be back to regular service.
I'm very happy with the final results. I used the Dremel to round the metal tab I made so it matches the stock one and the box slides on and off like stock. The Gorilla construction glue sealed very strong and securely. Painting it all flat black makes it all but invisible, not that anyone would see it on the bike anyway.
Solve the paint scratches from the drop
UPDATE
Monday 10 May 2021
Kawasaki Concours 14 Project Updates: Easy Fob Battery Swaps and clutch gaskets
It takes a 2025 lithium battery which you can find anywhere, I found this one hanging up in a Shoppers Drug Mart. Pop out the battery, pop the new one in the slot (make sure the negative side is up), and snap it all back together again. It took all of two minutes. No reason to send that job to the dealership.
Friday 7 May 2021
Kawasaki Concours C14/GTR1400 TPMS (tire pressure measurement sensor)
Now that I've gotten this sidelined C14 closer to road-ready I'm seeing a tire pressure warning from the front tire. Both tires are fairly new with good tread and they hold pressure well (both were still right on 42psi after 2 stationary weeks in wildly swinging spring Canadian temperatures), so this isn't a low tire pressure issue, it's a sensor battery issue.
COG has a very handy thread on it here. The key take-aways here are: TPMS appears to be very temperature sensitive and can get crusty when not used for some time as this spider nest covered bike has. Once warmed up, TPMS can come back to life. I only went around the block on the bike yesterday and it was only 8°C at the time, so not exactly 'warm'. As one poster mentions, he's ridden for decades without TPMS so if it's not working it isn't the end of the world. For me, the best advice here is how to turn off the panicky dash warnings that prevent you from seeing anything else:
"a simple push and hold of the top button along with a push and release of the bottom button will light up a red warning light, and return the display function to normal when your TPMS battery is low. Also, BDF offers a simple plug in device which restores the range function and eliminates that annoying "LOW FUEL" flashing message."
It appears there are some UI (user interface) issues with how Kawasaki designed the C14 dashboard. Having only ever owned bikes with analogue dash boards I'm finding this digital fussing kinda funny. They may not be all fancy with multiple levels of information, but a well designed analogue set of clocks lasts forever, is easy to read and doesn't spaz out and distract you from riding. Kawasaki really should have thought this through better.
TPMS in the Concours works through a radio sensor inside the tire that monitors tire pressure in real time. I'd (foolishly) assumed this was somehow mounted in an accessible way around the air valve on the outside of the wheel but of course it isn't.
This handy home-mechanic goes through the process of getting into the tire in a gen-1 '08 Concours, finding the sensor and looking at the battery. Kawasaki appears to have soldered the battery in (at least on '08s), which makes replacing the battery without replacing the whole unit tricky, but this guy gives it a go anyway. Soldering onto a lithium batter is brave! They like to explode when heated.
The rear tire pressure sensor is identical:
Kawasaki SENSOR,TPMS 315MHZ Part # 21176-0748
When someone asked how expensive they are to replace in that COG thread, someone else replied, "very." They're out of stock on Amazon. New ones are going for $300CAD a pop on eBay, so yes, very.
Sunday 2 May 2021
Sense of Achievement! Concours C14 Windshield Fixed
The three bolts at the top that connect the instrument bezel and two lower bolts hold the whole assembly in. You need to take the bolts out of the instrument bezel too, but you don't need to completely remove it or take the front body work off either. With bolts removed and the binnacle loose, you can slide the whole unit partially out, remove the power plug in the back and slide it the rest of the way.
With it out on the bench I cleaned all the connectors and also loosed the motor out of its housing and cleaned it all out as well. With the assembly out I could check the power coming and and both up and down were at battery voltage, so the relays, switch and back end of the circuit were all good.
Motor's on the left next to the big round thing. With the contacts cleaned and the motor reseated I gave it a go and off it went...
While it was out I greased all the components - it's very quiet when it runs. Nice, smooth action too.
Thursday 29 April 2021
Tiger Tales: finding twists and turns in a straight line desert
In early April I rode for over an hour to get to River Road out of Horning's Mills. That's a 60 minute ride to get 13 minutes of corners, except Ontario, in its wisdom, has decided to make the whole thing a 60km/hr zone now, so you're going so slowly you end up tipping over rather than enjoying the corners.
Last weekend I headed south to near Campbellville, another 45 minute slog to get a couple of curves. I don't usually head that way often because it's perilously close to the GTA, so you not only get tedious roads but also a lot of tedious people. It took me a couple of tries to get a clean run at it, but even then you're waiting forever for the odd corner.
Not all Ontario is this dull. As you head east you get into the lake of the woods and the Canadian Shield which offers some interesting riding options, though the road conditions are still rough.
Maybe one of these days I'll get a chance to head out Peterborough/Ottawa way and enjoy the curves the Shield and the lake of the woods offer.