2012 Kawasaki Concours 14: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2012 Kawasaki Concours 14
Only 4 defect reports have been filed with NHTSA about the 2012 Kawasaki Concours 14, which is too few to compute mileage percentiles or a risk score. The reports reported other visibility problem.
When each failure gets reported
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other visibility problem | glass | 2 | 2 | — | 23 | — | 0.8 | $150–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Master cylinder or brake booster failure | brakes | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.4 | $450–$2,200 | Critical |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 1k | — | 0.4 | $300–$1,800 | High |
Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Other visibility problem
In november 2013 I purchased a new non-current inventory 2012 kawasaki concours 14 motorcycle. Prior to riding it this spring I installed a larger aftermarket national cycle v-stream windshield for increased wind protection. During my first ride I was surprised at the amount that the national cycle v-stream windshield flexed in wind. Within 20 miles of riding the excessive flexing resulted in the original kawasaki plastic windshield mounts breaking. I purchased another set of kawasaki mounts, they lasted 35 miles and also cracked. When comparing the thickness of the oem original kawasaki windshield to the national cycle v-stream aftermarket windshield I found the national cycle v-stream windshield to be .018 inches thinner than the original kawasaki windshield. The larger surface area and thinner construction of the national cycle v-stream windshield coupled with the reduced clamping pressure provided by the oem kawasaki windshield mounts (due to the national cycle v-stream windshields thinner construction) appear to cause excessive flexing resulting in windshield mount failures. I am fearful the mounts could completely fail…
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kawasaki concours 14, equipped with a national cycle v stream windshield. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the windshield began to move. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that the bolts were fractured. The contact stated that he replaced the windshield and the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 10. The VIN was unavailable.
Other brake problem
Under certain conditions, use of the rear brake pedal can cause an unexpected, sudden grab of the brakes. This problem can be demonstrated by applying the rear brake pedal after lightly applying the front brake lever. Based on many discussion threads on the cog-online.org and zggtr.org web forums, this is a common issue reported for the concourse model motorcycles since they began being delivered with a linked braking system. The rider does not have the ability to disable the linked braking system. In a limited traction situation, I believe this grab could be sufficient to cause the rider to crash. On the above mentioned forums, many riders comment that they have stopped using the rear brake pedal to circumvent the situation. This is a dangerous action because they are not able to make use of the full capabilities of the braking system on their concours., and for riders who also own motorcycles with non-linked brake systems, it is especially dangerous because they have now trained themselves to not intentionally apply any rear brake. Other posters on the forums have replumbed their brake systems to reduce the impact of this…
Recalls on the 2012 model year
NHTSA has issued 5 recall campaigns covering the 2012 Kawasaki Concours 14, affecting an estimated 2,860 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.
The campaigns cover electrical system:wiring:fuses and circuit breakers, fuel system, gasoline, electrical system and service brakes, hydraulic. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.
Recalls also distort complaint counts. Publicity about a campaign reminds owners that complaining is possible, so reports for a recalled component often spike after the recall rather than before it.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS
194 vehicles 2015-02-27- Defect
- Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. (Kawasaki) is recalling certain model year 2009-2013 Kawasaki Concours 14 and 14ABS motorcycles manufactured May 8, 2008, to February 20, 2013, and modified for police authority use. The additional police accessories may cause the 30-amp main fuse to blow. Also, the additional police wiring harness may chafe leading to a short, which may blow the main fuse.
- Consequence
- If the fuse blows, the engine will stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Kawasaki has notified the affected police departments and will send trained personnel to repair the motorcycles, free of charge. The recall began April 13, 2015. Owners may contact Kawasaki customer service at 1-866-802-9381. Kawasaki 's number for this recall is MC15-02. Note: This recall is an expansion of recalls 12V-134, 13V-370 and 13V-387.
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
337 vehicles 2013-08-27- Defect
- Kawasaki is recalling certain model year 2009-2013 Concours 14 police motorcycles. The improper installation of additional police accessories may cause multiple safety issues such as fuel leaks, reduction of braking ability and loss of electrical power to the engine, resulting in a stall.
- Consequence
- These issues increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Kawasaki has notified that affected police departments and will send trained factory personnel to the departments to repair the motorcycles. The recall began on August 21, 2013. Owners may contact Kawasaki at 1-866-802-9381. This campaign is being conducted independent of recalls 12V134 and 13V370 for blown fuses on authority bikes.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
61 vehicles 2013-08-16- Defect
- Kawasaki is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Concours 14 police motorcycles. The additional police accessories may cause the 30-amp main fuse to blow. Also, the additional police wiring harness may chafe leading to a short, which may blow the main fuse.
- Consequence
- If the fuse blows, the engine may stall increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Kawasaki will notify owners, and dealers will correct the electrical system problems, free of charge. The recall began on September 3, 2013. Owners may contact Kawasaki at 1-866-802-9381. This campaign is an expansion of recall 12V-134.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
13,289 vehicles 2012-07-20- Defect
- Kawasaki is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 Concours 14 (ZG1400 A/B/C/D) motorcycles. Due to a gap between the brake pedal and guard, small stone or debris can become trapped, creating a brake drag. This can cause the rear brake to overheat, leading to rear brake damage and lock-up or failure of the rear brakes. The front brakes may also be affected on ZG1400C models.
- Consequence
- If the brakes lock up or fail, there is an increased risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Kawasaki will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear master cylinder rod end and remove the brake guard (if installed), free of charge. The safety recall began on July 37, 2012. Owners may contact Kawasaki at 1-866-802-9381.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
273 vehicles 2012-03-30- Defect
- Kawasaki is recalling certain model year 2009-2012 concours 14 police motorcycles. The additional police accessories may cause the 30-amp main fuse to blow. Also, the additional police wiring harness may chafe leading to a short, which may blow the main fuse.
- Consequence
- If the fuse blows, the engine may stall increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Kawasaki will notify owners, and provide instructions to mitigate electrical system failure, free of charge. The safety recall began on april 5, 2012. Owners may contact kawasaki at 1-866-802-9381.
Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.
Every year of the Kawasaki Concours 14
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
What the reports on file say
The complaints recorded against the 2012 Kawasaki Concours 14 are other visibility problem (2 reports, around 23 miles), master cylinder or brake booster failure (1 report) and other brake problem (1 report, around 1k miles). With a sample this size these are anecdotes rather than a pattern, and they are shown because somebody looking at this exact car would rather see them than nothing.
Why this page is short
A model year needs about 8 reports before percentiles mean anything, and this one does not have them. Complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road, so a thin page usually means a rare car, a new car, or a car whose owners do not file.
Other years of the same model do have enough: 2008. The mechanical parts are often shared across those years, so their pages are the better guide to what this one is likely to do, with the caveat that a shared part is not a shared production line.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed