Sport Tourers; Where Art Thou?

[Rider]

I've come to the rather inescapable conclusion that sport touring motorcycles are among the rarest forms of transportation on Earth.
No matter where I go - unless it's to a bike rally - they are invisible. Nowhere to be found. On a motorcycle trip recently on my FRJ1300 covering about 1,400 miles I spotted ...

• Probably 3 BMW R1200RTs
• 1 BMW K1200S
• 1 BMW R1100RT
• 1 BMW R1150RT
• 1 Triumph Sprint
• 2 Honda ST1300s
• 1 Honda ST1100
• 1 Kawasaki Concours14
• A couple of "I can't quite make that one out"s

In all those miles. In great motorcycle country.
The rest were old beat standards, dirt bikes, Gold Wings and, of course, Harleys.
Thousands and thousands and thousands of Harleys.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
But it really brought home to me once again, after riding for so many years, that the sport tourer is an odd bird that defies convention and appears not to appeal to very many people, which I find puzzling. To me, they're bikes that do so many things well (as long as it's on pavement).
What's your theory as to why sport tourers don't sell very well?

[Incredulous]

I believe it is the fact that there are inherent compromises that neither the "sport" group nor the "tour" group are really prepared to accept.

Many that are looking for the sport attributes complain that the sport tourers are too heavy and don't have a sophisticated enough suspension, yada, yada, bitch, moan, ad naseum. (they want a GSXR-1000 that does not make them sore in the morning).

Many of the touring folks want true recliner like seating position and the wind protection of a civic with its windows rolled halfway down, telephone, stereo, coffee maker, active radar, (most car-like ride possible). If Lazy-Boy actually made the motorcycle seat you might be able to sell an FJR to this group.

Just look at the ridiculous farce the FJR 1400 thread turned into.

The other thing is that the majority of riders don't actually ride that far. Just look at how many bikes on this "adventure" forum are sold inteh flea market with < than 10k miles.

I just bought a used Bandit 1250 that I have put a couple of "touring" accessories on. Mostly because I could not afford the FJR that I wanted.

My sportbike friends call it a fat, slow pig and my touring friends want to know how I can stand having my knees bent that far for more than an hour...yada yada...

But I can go out and hang with/have a good time with either group.

Me and the Bandit are going to go cover ~1200 miles on the long 4th of July weekend.

[Rider]

Originally Posted by Incredulous

Me and the Bandit are going to go cover ~1200 miles on the long 4th of July weekend.

You go!
The Bandit's a terrific sport tourer and don't let anybody tell you differently.

[erda]

Originally Posted by Rider

The Bandit's a terrific sport tourer and don't let anybody tell you differently.

Just got back from a 7500km trip from Alberta through Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho and back home. My Bandit and the wife's 650R both performed flawlessly.

Interesting to note that most of the bikes we saw were cruisers (mainly Harleys) with few 'dual sports' (mainly BMW 1200GS, and a few V-Stroms). We saw only a handful of 'sport touring' bikes during the 25 days we were on the road.

[joe cool]

">Here's a pic of my 08 Norge.

[rocker59]

Sport-Toured on this, this morning. 180 miles, 2-up for breakfast at Tipton Ford Missouri...

[erda]

Originally Posted by joe cool

...Here's a pic of my 08 Norge.

Looked at the the new Norge at the bike show earlier this winter. Favourably impressed! Too bad the dealerships in this part of the world are so sparse-and you couldn't pay me enough to go into the Edmonton dealer.

[drikko]

Do Laverdas count as sport tourers?



Now before you ridicule the amount of gear, I was carrying for someone else who had a sporty aprilia and no way of carrying much...

It even goes on dirt!




Am planning a 2 week trip soon having bought some super lightweight and compact camping gear. Hope it doesn't fall off again, this occasion being caught by Sleepy John, nearly took him out following behind! Have modded the rack now so it doesn't eject the load Lucky I had my Lavera carb adjuster with me...

[PaulGir]

Originally Posted by Incredulous

I believe it is the fact that there are inherent compromises that neither the "sport" group nor the "tour" group are really prepared to accept.

Many that are looking for the sport attributes complain that the sport tourers are too heavy and don't have a sophisticated enough suspension, yada, yada, bitch, moan, ad naseum. (they want a GSXR-1000 that does not make them sore in the morning).

Many of the touring folks want true recliner like seating position and the wind protection of a civic with its windows rolled halfway down, telephone, stereo, coffee maker, active radar, (most car-like ride possible). If Lazy-Boy actually made the motorcycle seat you might be able to sell an FJR to this group.

Just look at the ridiculous farce the FJR 1400 thread turned into.

The other thing is that the majority of riders don't actually ride that far. Just look at how many bikes on this "adventure" forum are sold inteh flea market with < than 10k miles.

I just bought a used Bandit 1250 that I have put a couple of "touring" accessories on. Mostly because I could not afford the FJR that I wanted.

My sportbike friends call it a fat, slow pig and my touring friends want to know how I can stand having my knees bent that far for more than an hour...yada yada...

But I can go out and hang with/have a good time with either group.

Me and the Bandit are going to go cover ~1200 miles on the long 4th of July weekend.

And if you tweak the suspension of that Bandit with Ohlins shock and Race Tech valves in the forks,
you can enjoy embarrassing mediocre GSXR 1000 riders on twisty roads.(Oh the ignominy, being held at bay by a rider on an "old man's" bike heh,heh)

[nachtflug]

[QUOTE=Incredulous;19020433
The other thing is that the majority of riders don't actually ride that far. Just look at how many bikes on this "adventure" forum are sold inteh flea market with < than 10k miles.

[/QUOTE]
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=1c7_1354378358

[Disco Stu]

grr. the clutch on my new-to-me k1200rs has started slipping. some oily residue buildup on the right side where the engine and transmission bolt together. I guess I'll tear it apart and see what she needs for christmas.

[Disco Stu]

Originally Posted by Disco Stu

grr. the clutch on my new-to-me k1200rs has started slipping. some oily residue buildup on the right side where the engine and transmission bolt together. I guess I'll tear it apart and see what she needs for christmas.

I finally got it torn down this week. JFC, those swingarm pivot bolts were in there tight!

[GeoAggie]

Originally Posted by nachtflug

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=1c7_1354378358

Unbelievable. I guess that can happen to us all but on video?????

[zDollar Bill]

Originally Posted by nachtflug

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=1c7_1354378358

Looks like those FJR's are to wide and the saddle bags fall off too easy!

[motocopter]

Originally Posted by zDollar Bill

Looks like those FJR's are to wide and the saddle bags fall off too easy!

Yeah, they should stop the rider dead in his tracks and make him take the steps down to the lower level!