[Haakon]

Hello! ive been thinking of selling my zx6r j1 00model for something more "trip" friendly (i must be getting older ). Me and my girlfriend both feel that its hard on the body to ride long distances on a sports bike, she lay curled over me so i hold her weight too (she broke her back a few years ago, so she gets uncomfortable sitting in weird positions). Bikes are very expensive here in Norway, and i still want something "fast/fun" to ride when im riding on my own. So i have been thinking of maybe getting two motorcycles, one for touring and one for more speed/fun.

I have been looking at a few different "old" motorcycles, 70-95models(fj,gpx,gsx,xj,etc,etc) from japanese manufacturers, but i got very little knowledge about what would be a good touring/trip bike for us.
How are the brakes, suspension, engine and other components compared to a 2000model sports bike.

What would you recomend?
- Minimum engine size for about 130kg/286lb (Me and her in total)
- Which bikes to stay away from
- Brands (most interested in japanese, but open for most)
- Model years
- Your experience
- Easy to get parts

There are probably more i could write, but i guess you get the idea, add more if got more. Just ask if there is something else you would like to know! :smile_big:
Thank you for replying!

 

[hogcowboy]

You might be able to have your cake and eat it too with one bike. I had a 1988 BMW K100 LT and it can tour nice and slow of carve canyons and mountain roads all day. I loved that bike. Had 66,000+ miles on it with maintenance done on schedule. But I had a good dealer and mechanic too. I only sold because in Texas the BMW dealers just were not as good. Like they took shortcuts or something. I just didn't trust them. I did however have to change the seat and if you got one, you would want to change it too for girlfriend. But to be honest, with a back injury, she may never be very comfortable on a bike. But the BMW is one suggestion from me at this time. Oh, never underestimate what a Harley can do either. Most never push a big Electra Glide Ultra but I can tell you they can keep up with the canyon carvers but you got to work then hard. They'll do it if you want to.

 

[WintrSol]

The Goldwing and F6C (Valkyrie) bikes are also rather sporty, while being good long-distance touring bikes.

 

[Retired Guy]

With your girlfriends back problem it's going to be hard to find something she can ride for any long distance. I had a '94 1500 Goldwing but my wife, with her back problem, could only ride about 30 miles before she had to get off.
You'll probably just have to have your girlfriend go with you on any test rides to get her reaction.
There are lots of bikes capable of touring, try looking at something with the air adjustable shocks. It may help. Good luck hunting!

 

[ketchboy]

I spent years (110 thousand miles worth) on my CB750 K1. A third of that was two up with my wife. Living in Los Angeles at the time, that bike took me to Canada, the Dakotas, Montana, New Mexico, Arizona, Mexico and all over California. I did have to overhaul it once. Once the suspension is upgraded, fork oil and rear shocks, the seat is built the way you want, you can spend hours riding with no fatigue. Put on a fairing, saddle bags, and a boot, and you're good to go.

Also had a mid 70's GL 1000. Another fine bike for touring.

Almost all the 70's, early 80's bikes are good for touring and canyon carving. They're simple, so you can work on them, and very reliable. Right now, my most current bike is a 1981 Suzuki gs1000. No complaints. BMW is another great touring bike. I don't know much about the Guzi, but there sure were a lot out there in the day.

Personally, I would stay within the 750cc and up range for engine size.

 

[Unkle Krusty]

The early 850 Guzzi were good touring bikes. Lousy brakes, the newer ones with discs are better. The XS1100 Yamaha has a great engine and shaft drive. Comfortable, not a great handling bike but still nice. Fuel mileage could be better. The 1100 Suzuki, GS I think, was a nice bike, similar to the Yamaha with a chain. Handled better than the Yamaha.

None of these, and the other bigger bikes will handle as well as a good sport bike. Something that has good handling, good performance and comfort, are the newer Triumphs. I have a 96 900 Trophy, that is a good fit between the older XS1100 and a newer sport bike.

I keep spare bikes for the 79 XS1100. Exhaust pipes are hard to find when going a bit too old.

UK

 

[seagullplayer]

In our parts you can steal a Honda VTX these days. They stopped making them in 2009, ours is an 05.

I'm 215lbs alone. My wife and I "tour" on ours and is pretty sporty one up.

There are also a lot of Honda Shadow variants out there that should work for you.

Now if you are one of them people that feel like you need to lay on a bike to for it to be sporty, you may not be happy with one bike for both functions. That's not me, but it is for lots of others.

 

[GrumpyGrizzly]

I'd definitely go the Gold Wing myself as I already have 3.75 goldwings now (One is a donor for parts). I remember 20+ years ago taking my wife from Denver down to Colorado Springs on my 83 Aspencade and she'd bring a book to read on the back.. One trip, I felt her helmet bumping me in the back of my helmet.. I was thinkin "WTF" and I turned over my shoulder and she was sound asleep..

You can't get a much smoother ride than that..

 

[Critter]

Grumpy you are doing better, this one is only 2 years old When you first join the forum you get all the messages you haven't read and some of those are several years old.