Sport Tourers

[tkent02]

The nice thing about BMWs is you can buy them old and cheap and still have a bike that willl last years and years and trouble free years, no matter how many miles you ride. You will get your money back when you sell it. Parts are cheap because you don't buy very many. And they are as comfortable as anything made, especially the older ones.
Come ride that R1100RT, you would like it. Super torquey, but an easy engine to operate, very easy to work on. It runs about like a GS1100G without the 7,000 RPM kick, only smoother and with much better gas mileage. Like all BMWs, the brakes are excellent. I'll put the seat on the low setting for you, it's easy to reach the ground.

 

[eddie21]

You can't know max warp unless you have a road like his one

Very true! Trevor and I were talking the other day how living on Vancouver Island can be a little constricting when you just want to get away from traffic and let it loose. This photo was taken on Hwy50, the 'Loneliest Road'. For an Island guy it was great to find myself cruising at a high rate of speed for miles on end with absolutely zero traffic... we don't get that on the Island!

Also agree that these heavy sport tourers shed a lot of weight once you start moving. The C14 is a big bike and I certainly understand it can be a handful for a smaller person.

 

[bccap]

Just watched a Kanadian motorcycle magazine style show. Two guys were touring on BMW's. They almost looked like Bergmans. I don't know what they were ?

 

[Guest]

The Sprint was very much on my short list as a replacement for the crashed K11...
Do you take it two up ever? If so, what does your passenger think?

We have a Wing for that duty for now but I hope to have a report from the wife on a bit of a long ride on the Sprint with her on the back. I don't think she could do the miles I did even if it good for a day trip for her. The only thing I have found that makes for a happy pillion is the Wing if you are going to do a multi-day ride.

Hey Jim, how big is that top box? Will it hold a laptop?

Depending on the lap top I think it should be no problem at all, give me the dimensions of yours and I'll check to see if yours would fit laying flat. I've had huge sleeping bag in there with other stuff. The side boxes will hold a full face helmet no problem.

 

[eddie21]

Just watched a Kanadian motorcycle magazine style show. Two guys were touring on BMW's. They almost looked like Bergmans. I don't know what they were ?

They were touring the Catskill's on 600cc BMW maxi scooters.

The host of the show ends every episode with-

"Keep your feet on the pegs and your right hand cranked"

 

[cowboyup3371]

Depending on the lap top I think it should be no problem at all, give me the dimensions of yours and I'll check to see if yours would fit laying flat. I've had huge sleeping bag in there with other stuff. The side boxes will hold a full face helmet no problem.

My work laptop is a 13-inch Dell; figure about 20" diagonal for my laptop bag which includes all the gear I'd need to connect to my equipment when called in at night.

 

[Tim Tom]

This is my new sport tourer. 1992 ninja 600r.

Unlike most of the bikes you mentioned its light. Super light. Good wind protection for me, and even loaded down with some soft bags and camping gear it will handle like a surgeons scalpel. I am taking it to Nova Scotia in July and expect the bike will be perfect. It works for me and my riding style but I suspect it wouldn't be the first choice touring bike for many..

However do yourself and your wallet a huge favor and skip a 2013 bike. There are tons of late 90's and early 00's bikes that will do everything a brand new bike will, but for much, much less.

 

[cowboyup3371]

This is my new sport tourer. 1992 ninja 600r.

Unlike most of the bikes you mentioned its light. Super light. Good wind protection for me, and even loaded down with some soft bags and camping gear it will handle like a surgeons scalpel. I am taking it to Nova Scotia in July and expect the bike will be perfect. It works for me and my riding style but I suspect it wouldn't be the first choice touring bike for many..

However do yourself and your wallet a huge favor and skip a 2013 bike. There are tons of late 90's and early 00's bikes that will do everything a brand new bike will, but for much, much less.

Nice looking bike and thanks for the advice.

 

[Joe Nardy]

One factor mentioned several times in this thread is the desire/need for two-up riding. Two-up riding is the main reason I bought the FJR. With the saddle bags (standard) and top trunk (optional) Cathy and I have done many long trips, as long as 5500 miles. Having a comfortable passenger 'compartment' is critical if two-up riding is part of your equation.

I agree with the 'less is more' philosophy as far as one-up bikes. My last one-up bike was an '04 VFR800 and my current is an '09 Aprilia Shiver. Both were plenty fast and great handling. I do not see the need for a liter bike for one-up riding. The VFR was a great all-around bike but was too tight in the knees for longer trips. The Shiver is more upright and much more open in the legs. It really is more of a Motard or Hooligan bike but is certainly comfortable enough for weekend trips. Neither the VFR or Shiver were equipped with hard luggage. Neither were as comfortable as the FJR, which fits me and Cathy perfectly.

It sounds like you want hard luggage as part of your sport-tourer. This somewhat limits your choices but be aware that Givi and others make luggage kits for a lot of bikes such as the Bandit series. Once you have hard luggage it will be difficult to do without. Hard luggage is secure, waterproof, and, if well designed, very easy to take off and put on.

Another segment of bikes that make great sport-tourers are Adventure bikes. I have ridden with BMW GS, Triumph Tiger, and even KLR riders that really tear up the road. Adventure bikes have great open seating positions with wide handlebars and narrower rubber than make steering very light. They also usually offer hard luggage options. The Adventure bags are usually big ugly boxes but often hold more than the stylized bags on most sport tourers. My next two-up sport-tourer may very well be a big Adventure bike.

It sounds like you are looking for a mostly one-up sport tourer with hard luggage. Factory hard bags are available on the VFR. The BMW 800 series bikes would be another great option. The Triumph Tiger 800 would be a great choice. One quirky choice is a Kawasaki Versys. They are available with factory (Givi) bags and are very capable all around bikes. They are also ridiculously cheap. I was actually looking for a Versys when I found the Shiver.

You mention buying brand new a couple times. There are definitely advantages to buying new but I doubt I will never buy a brand new bike again. There are too many beautiful low mileage bikes a few years old for significant discounts over new, especially living up north where we have long winters. The guy I bought my '09 Shiver from had about $13K in the bike including purchase price, taxes, accessories, and extended warranty. I bought it in '11 with around 5K miles for $6K. Deals like this are readily available so if you have the $$$ you can really make out on a nearly new bike. Some banks and credit unions will even finance used bikes so you can get the great deals even if you don't have the cash in hand.

Thanks,
Joe

 

[Joe Nardy]

One other factor which will help define your choice is whether you require shaft drive or can accept chain or belt drive. Shaft drive is very nice, especially on the more powerful bikes. I have found that liter bikes are much harder on chains than bikes like the VFR and Shiver. Liter bikes also tear up tires significantly quicker, especially if you do a lot of two-up riding with the bags loaded up.

Thanks,
Joe

 

[cowboyup3371]

Thanks for that information Joe and it definitely helps answer a couple of questions. My two-up riding really only consists of me and either of my two daughters as the wife just isn't into it and I'm not pushing her. The eldest, 15, is already wanting her own bike so any two up with her will be short-lived to say the least. The younger, 11, has more time but we have issues with her falling asleep on very long and/or boring rides in the truck. In fact, one time she actually did fall asleep on my 550T and about scared the bejeezus out of me. We since discovered she has some medical reasons for it and hopefully they'll be cleared up soon.

New is not a priority but I like the looks of some of them. If I can find a 90s or early 00s model of the same basic style that will do just fine. But this was trying to help figure it out in my head as I keep wondering what if. Of course, the first priority is to get my 550 back on the road so I can ride and at least enjoy what I have. I also know I'll never get rid of my 550 as it is fun to ride when I'm not wrenching on it.

Either way, I have learned a lot already and will try to save this thread off so I can refer back to it later.

 

[Joe Nardy]

The younger, 11, has more time but we have issues with her falling asleep on very long and/or boring rides in the truck. In fact, one time she actually did fall asleep on my 550T and about scared the bejeezus out of me.

Cathy falls asleep on the back of the FJR all the time............a quick twist of the throttle usually wakes her up.

 

[Tim Tom]

+1 on a Ninja 650r or Versys. The 650cc parallel twin motor, not the sportier 4 cylinder ZX model. You can add some givi hardbags and a top case and have a great, comfortable, lightweight bike with enough power for highways, and good handling.

But it isn't a 600+lb monstrosity (which is a very good thing!) And they are cheap, and being Japanese will never break down, and the parts are plentiful if you wreck.

 

[Baatfam]

OK...that fact that you don't need 2up capability opens up all kinds of options, as stated above.

I would not have the BMW K-bike if I didn't need to go 2up....

But I might have a BMW F800ST....
http://oldboystoys.com/2010/08/24/motorcycles/bmw-f800st-motorcycle-review/

 

[bbjumper]

Although I haven't ridden many of the "sport tourers" I bought my R1100RT two years ago and don't know how I could be happier. I finished a 3k mi. trip back to Austin and east Texas in April and had a blast. The Beemer has a great fairing, averaged 45 mpg overall which is better than my average on the Zook, handles great in the twisties which surprised me and you can carry a ton of junk, enough for two weeks plus camping gear. in addition to being one of the most comfortable bikes I have ridden, 1000 mi. days are definitely doable.

I'm sure that other bikes are just as capable but you can get one of these oil head RT's in great shape for $ 3,000 and up depending on your budget. There are numerous documented cases where these things reach the 300k mark in the original unmolested engines. You'll probably need to get into the transmission and final drive to go that far but what tha hey.

Like most bikes if you maintain them as per the manual they are efficient, reliable. But for my money the Beemer's are a great value and will pretty much run forever.

Cheers

 

[earlfor]

OK...that fact that you don't need 2up capability opens up all kinds of options, as stated above.

I would not have the BMW K-bike if I didn't need to go 2up....

But I might have a BMW F800ST....
http://oldboystoys.com/2010/08/24/motorcycles/bmw-f800st-motorcycle-review/

I think the only glaring shortcoming of the 1200 Bandit is its' passenger comfort for extended riding. For a young passenger, for a few hours, it is fine, but not much longer than that before it will be uncomfortable for them (my opinion). If just infrequent, short duration, passenger carrying ability is needed, I would seriously consider a B12.

 

[subforry]

I looked at a new Suzuki GSX1250FA and it felt and looked cheap. Yes it was cheap ($8k new) but I wanted something that felt more top of the line.

I would not worry about getting a liter or bigger bike. They all weight so much that if you keep the RPMs down, not much can happen. But they sure are nice when you are going up a hill at highway speeds.

For me and my limited skills, all the bike listed are too big to lane share. I would want the smaller older versions of these bikes. I am currently looking at the BMW K100.

Sounds like a fun motorcycle buying adventure.

 

[Baatfam]

I am currently looking at the BMW K100.

Sounds like a fun motorcycle buying adventure.

And don't forget the K75s...they are very popular, lighter and smoother.

For you:
http://www.motobrick.com/

http://www.k11og.org/forum/index.php

http://www.ibmwr.org/ktech.shtml

 

[tkent02]

And don't forget the K75s...they are very popular, lighter and smoother.

For you:
http://www.motobrick.com/

http://www.k11og.org/forum/index.php

http://www.ibmwr.org/ktech.shtml

I had a K75S in Scotland one year, loved it. We did a lot of two up riding although not much multi day stuff. It was a great bike, and absolutely the smoothest running motorcycle engine I have ever ridden. I wish it was available with the K1100RS fairing, if it was I would have one now.

They did make a K75 RT, but I liked the smaller RS fairing a lot better.