For 2010, Kawasaki gave the Concours 14 sport-tourer its first upgrade since the bike's complete makeover in the 2008. While the heart of the bike remains relatively unchanged – the ZX-14-based motor and the chassis – the new Concours features a number of changes aimed to improve rider comfort and safety, and Kawasaki gave us a chance this week to experience these improvements firsthand by inviting us to Palm Springs, California, to sample the new machine on the twisty mountains roads that surround the famous desert resort community.

Kawasaki told us that almost all of the changes made to the bike were inspired by current Concours owners after having asked many of them what they would like to see "fixed" on the bike, and one of the first response was to reduce heat coming off the motor and onto the rider – for many, this was a big problem. So Kawasaki redesigned the bodywork for better heat dissipation, which I did, in fact, find to be greatly improved. An exhaust-pipe guard was also added to the upper part of the exhaust midpipe to help reduce heat when the bike isn't moving.

A better windscreen was way up there on the owner's list of priorities to address, so the new Concours gets a 70mm taller windscreen with a wider top section to reduce upper-body turbulence and buffeting. There are also new air passages under the windscreen in the dash to alleviate low pressure in the cockpit area, thus, further helping to reduce turbulence and noise.

I found the windscreen to perform much better than before; however, at 6-foot-1, I still catch some turbulence at the top of my helmet with the screen fully raised – but by slightly hunching, I can easily tuck in behind the screen for total blockage from windblast. Even with the screen set in the lower positions, buffeting is surprising tolerable. Definitely better than before.

Also, there are also now four preset height settings for the windscreen to choose from, which means you can set the height of that the windscreen rises whenever you turn on the power. When you turn off the power, the windscreen retracts to its lowest setting, when you power up again, the windscreen raises to one of the four heights you have chosen. Like before, the electronically adjustable windscreen operates from a button on the left handlebar.

The new Concours now comes standard with heated grips; why they didn't do that in the first place, I'll never know. The rheostat dial is found on the left-fairing panel, right in front of the new lockable storage case, and has variable temperature settings, rather than just the usual two. With air temperatures pushing 90 degrees on this day, cold hands weren't a factor on this ride, but, just for kicks, I clicked on the heated grips anyway and found that, yes, they do indeed work. I quickly felt heat through my lightweight leather gloves on the hottest setting.

The mirrors have been raised by 40mm to help deflect wind off the rider's hands, too.

To make life a little easier, Kawasaki moved its new "mode" button from the dash to the left switchgear, so you no longer have to remove your hand from the grip to make changes.

The new Concours now has an "outside" thermometer that reads on the LCD screen. The sensor is mounted in the air-intake duct.

The new storage compartment I mentioned earlier is slightly larger than the previous one, and automatically locks when traveling over 25 mph, and unlocks when moving under two mph. It also locks when the key is off. The location of the old storage box has now been modified to accept magnetic or non-magnetic tank bags. Kawi even installed two hooks for attaching the bags.

Kawasaki fitted the Concours 14 with its first traction-control system, KTRC (Kawasaki Traction Control), which can be enabled or disabled on the fly. When wheelspin is detected, a three-way control – that effects engine airflow, ignition timing and fuel delivery – goes into action, snubbing power to the rear wheel, albeit smoothly. Kawasaki says the KTRC system is a "safety feature" and is not meant to "improve speed or sport performance."

The system, which can be turned on or off by a switch on the left handlebar, adds no weight to the motorcycle since it uses the existing ECU and ABS sensors from the Concours' second-generation ABS linked K-ACT (Kawasaki Advanced Coactive-braking Technology) system.

As with the previous model, the new Concours offers ABS as an option, but it has been upgraded, as well. The new second-generation ABS system is similar to the linked system found on the Kawasaki Voyager, which is said to be 25-percent smaller and 30-percent lighter than the Voyager's system. The ECU has been improved as well.

The Concours' linked ABS K-ACT system features a dual-mode system, which you can adjust via a button on the left handlebar (but not while in motion), how much pressure the front brakes receive when you initially press the rear-brake lever. The two modes are Standard and High Combined. In High Combined mode, there is a more pronounced linked effect from the beginning of the pedal stroke, which means that when you apply the rear-brake pedal (while leaving the front-brake lever alone), you feel the initial braking power up front; in the Standard mode, that front-brake feeling is less pronounced, giving you a more desired natural sensation when things get a bit more "sporty" on twisty roads.

I found the difference between the two modes to be quite noticeable, but only when I consciously rode without using the front brake, which I really wouldn't do normally. Using the Concours' brakes like I would on any other non-linked bike, I found the brakes to be extremely powerful, especially when using both controls manually, simultaneously. I found for smoothest operation on curvy roads to rely totally on the front-brake lever and leave the rear-brake pedal alone. Otherwise, the ride can get a little herky-jerky when using both brakes manually.

Testing ABS and traction control (especially traction control) in real-life conditions is, well... risky business, so Kawasaki brought along a skid pad (kind of like a Slip 'N' Slide) and an outrigger-equipped Concours to safely demonstrate just how good its new ABS and traction-control system works – and, boy, do they ever! The KTRC, however, was a real eye-opener. Let's just say that after my experience on the skid pad, I can say that I'm now a full believer in traction control, for sure on big sport-touring bikes.

KTRC is only offered on the Concours ABS. For just $700 more than the standard Concours, you get both traction control and ABS on the Concours 14 ABS. What a deal!

The Concours comes with new BT021U Bridgestone tires, which have thicker rubber and are supposed to wear better than the previous grips.

Oh yeah, Kawasaki also updated the KIPASS key system. Instead of getting two key fobs when you purchase the bike, you now get one key fob (which you would keep in your pocket) and a small card-type key for emergency/backup use. The new card key includes an immobilizer function, but no remote activation, so you can leave it in the bike when you walk away and it will remain locked.

As far as color, hope you like Candy Neptune blue, because that is the only color it will be offered in.

The standard, non-ABS Concours 14 has an MSRP of $14,599, and the Concours 14 ABS with K-TRC has an MSRP of $15,299.