With the new Concours, Kawi created its first traction control system. Unlike the ABS, the rider can disable or enable KTRC, and can do so on the fly. The new TC system isn’t level selectable, like, say, Ducati’s DTC, and it isn’t intended to allow a rider to go faster on their Connie. It is largely a safety feature. Click here for the full review.

Hit the jump and see how the new traction control system (KTRC) works.

Motorcycle communities are a huge resource for any kind of project or help you might need.  It’s incredible the amount of stuff people post and the effort they put into it!

arturo3rd on Kawiforums.com posted some great tips and photos on how to shave down your motorcycle seat for a more comfortable ride.

Things you’ll need:

• flat screwdriver
• pliers
• sharp knife(steak)
• rough grit sand paper
• staple gun

I’m unsure if all motorcycle seats are made of the same material so be wary before you start if your motorcycle isn’t a Kawasaki.

Head over to the Kawiforums to see full instructions and pictures on how arturo3rd did it.  See the rest of the post for a few more pictures of the job.

Adjectives fail me.  This almost seems like one of those sci-fi movies where an evil scientist tries to cross two deadly animals together to create the ultimate killing machine.

So what are we looking at?  It seems to be the deformed love child of a Citroën Xantia and a Kawasaki 1000 RX.

This custom project, called “Snaefell“, cost its creator about 15000 Euros and 10 years of part time work. I have to wonder “why?”.

I guess if you really love the thrill of riding a motorcycle but none of your friends and family do, this concept makes sense.  Or not.  Would they want to be seen in this?  Hopefully those windows are tinted.

Check out the rest of the post for more shots of this… hybrid.

Do you absolutely love Kawasaki?  Are you constantly trying to keep up to date with their racing team?

Thanks to our recent involvement with Twitter, I’ve discovered Kawasaki’s new desktop widget to help you Kawasaki super fans stay up to date.  What is a desktop widget?  It’s just a simple program that is geared towards feeding you news and media.

If you are running a Mac or PC, you can have your Kawasaki info right on your desktop, right next to your stock quotes ticker and your stash of Megan Fox pictures.

Kawasaki also launched their online widget which you can implement into iGoogle, MySpace and Facebook.  That’s handy!

See the rest of the article to see some screenshots of the desktop widget on a Mac and learn what you can do with it.  Head over to Kawasaki.com to download it!

Are you stuck on the idea of getting a sportbike but feeling a little light in the money clip? Luckily for you there are lots of price conscious solutions on the sportbike market. This list will give you a good idea about what kind of bike you can get for as little money as possible.

Since it’s inception Motorcycle.com Specs has been the best place for bikers and enthusiasts (like you) to voice their opinions; there has been a lot to spout-off about too! Over 528 Motorcycle models have been updated for you to review in 2009 alone. It’s great to see what the Motorcycle Community has to say about the bikes they ride. We’ve taken all your reviews and ratings (good and bad) to figure out which sport bikes our viewers ultimately chose as the best SportBike of 2009.

But… Reviews are still rolling in (so go review your bike if you haven’t already!) you never know which machine may be the victor before years end. Without any further adieu and with no spoilers.. drum-roll please.. The Top 10 Sportbikes of 2009 by Viewers Choice..

Roger Hayden will not compete in the 2009 Daytona 200 after being granted a leave of absence by the Monster Energy Kawasaki race team.

Mike Preston, Kawasaki Road Racing manager, says the leave is due to personal reasons.

“Roger is a valued member of the extended Kawasaki family, and the relationship is one of mutual respect and understanding. We look forward to him rejoining the team as soon as possible,” says Preston.

Former Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookie Cup racer Leandro Mercado will fill in for Hayden to join Jamie Hacking in riding the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R in the historic race. The 17-year-old from Argentina finished third in the 2008 AMA U.S. Rookies Cup with two wins and six podium results.

Among the many bikes set to be unveiled at the New York Cycle World International Motorcycle Show next Friday, is a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 tricked out by Steve Kehler at Tricked Out Custom Cycles (TOCC).

This ZX-14 sportbike was created as a rolling testament to the success Rickey Gadson earned during his 25 years of motorcycle drag racing. Gadson, an eight-time world champion, will join Kehler for the official unveiling of the bike during the New York IMS show.

In addition to Metallic Diablo Black, Sunbeam Red and Candy Thunder Blue, the 2009 Ninja 250R will be available in a Special Edition Lime Green and Metallic Diablo Black combination. The great-looking paint scheme of the new Special Edition Ninja 250R which features Kawi green with black side panels, echoes the MotoGP ZX-RR.

This is a strange time to release such a bike since the British motorsports site Autosport.com recently reported that the Japanese manufacturer will announce its withdrawal from MotoGP racing on Jan. 5, 2009, leaving John Hopkins and Marco Melandri without a ride. I don’t imagine they would be interested in shelling out four G’s of their hard earned cash to buy one of their own but my guess is that plenty of other people will be interested in living the dream.

2008 was an interesting year in the world of motorcycles. But the biggest stories of 2008 have left some big questions for 2009. What’s in store for the New Year? We’ll soon find out. Here are some of the top news stories for 2008.