Can someone please explain the difference between a touring bike and a sport touring bike.
kemosabe421
The simple explanation-
Sportbike:
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Sport-Touring Bike:
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A sportbike is a sportbike, pretty much designed for racing or at least just for going fast. A sport touring bike is either a sportbike capable of touring or a touring bike that is very sporty, depending on the bike and your view.
Sport touring bikes are bigger, more comfortable, usually come with some kind of hard luggage and always have a lot more space and options for carrying cargo, are designed with passenger comfort taken into consideration, have bigger windshields, more upright seating position...
Sportbike:
Sport-Touring Bike:
A sportbike is a sportbike, pretty much designed for racing or at least just for going fast. A sport touring bike is either a sportbike capable of touring or a touring bike that is very sporty, depending on the bike and your view.
Sport touring bikes are bigger, more comfortable, usually come with some kind of hard luggage and always have a lot more space and options for carrying cargo, are designed with passenger comfort taken into consideration, have bigger windshields, more upright seating position...
I am not an expert but it seems to me that the real difference between the various types of street bikes is the riding position and the optional equiipment you can attach to the frame.
Sport bikes have the rider basically lying across the tank in a very compact position enhancing the aggressive handling capabilities of the bike design. The bikes are essentially a frame to house a high performance engine with only the minimal amount of features for a rider to hold on and control the engine and brakes.
Touring bikes allow for a very comfortable upright sitting position required for spending long hours in the saddle. The bikes are designed to carry lots of stuff and even extra passengers. Most bikes will allow an extra passenger but nobody really cares if they are comfortable or safe, they are not a design criteria except on big touring bikes.
Sport touring bikes are therefore a compromize between the two extremes above. The rider sits more upright so they are comfortable over long distances but not quite as spread out as a touring rider. The bikes are narrower and allow for greater lean angles and more aggressive riding but they also give up carrying capacity and passenger comfort. These bikes are also less likely to be equipped with sound systems, cruise control, GPS, etc.
Life is a compromise. Advise I got when I was buying was to purchase the bike that comes with all the equipment I wanted because adding them after the fact is both expensive and sometimes difficult if not impossible. On the other hand buy any of them and you will still be having a lot of fun because fun is designed into all of them.
Good Luck :thumbsup:
Sport bikes have the rider basically lying across the tank in a very compact position enhancing the aggressive handling capabilities of the bike design. The bikes are essentially a frame to house a high performance engine with only the minimal amount of features for a rider to hold on and control the engine and brakes.
Touring bikes allow for a very comfortable upright sitting position required for spending long hours in the saddle. The bikes are designed to carry lots of stuff and even extra passengers. Most bikes will allow an extra passenger but nobody really cares if they are comfortable or safe, they are not a design criteria except on big touring bikes.
Sport touring bikes are therefore a compromize between the two extremes above. The rider sits more upright so they are comfortable over long distances but not quite as spread out as a touring rider. The bikes are narrower and allow for greater lean angles and more aggressive riding but they also give up carrying capacity and passenger comfort. These bikes are also less likely to be equipped with sound systems, cruise control, GPS, etc.
Life is a compromise. Advise I got when I was buying was to purchase the bike that comes with all the equipment I wanted because adding them after the fact is both expensive and sometimes difficult if not impossible. On the other hand buy any of them and you will still be having a lot of fun because fun is designed into all of them.
Good Luck :thumbsup:
Gojira, thanks for the respect - I don't disagree with your statement at all so I am not sure we are actually stating something different. I didn't say that sport bikes aren't designed for performance and have lots of technology to optimize that design.
I was simply saying they don't come with or come designed to add all of the features that touring bikes generally consider as standard equipment or bolt on extras.
If that isn't the part that you disagreed with then please be more specific.
I was simply saying they don't come with or come designed to add all of the features that touring bikes generally consider as standard equipment or bolt on extras.
If that isn't the part that you disagreed with then please be more specific.
I think the OP was asking for the difference between a sport tourer and a TOURER, not a sport bike... but the information is still good to have.
A Tourer will have more creature comforts... think of this as a large comfy Cadillac, with lots of cargo space, bells and whistles and a great, comfy ride. It is designed to make you comfortable on long hauls. An example is Honda GoldWing.
A Sport Tourer, also of late have been adding more bells and whistles, but they offer a little more attitude in performance and handling, with perhaps a little less cargo space. Think of this as a sporty sedan, like an Audi or bmw... perhaps not as cushy a ride as the caddy, but certainly makes up for it in performance and handling. They are also built with long hauls in mind, but for the sportier person who still wants to do perhaps some canyon carving, and rip the throttle open from time to time just for the fun of it. An example is the Kawasaki Concours 14 pictured above.
Not that you can't do this in a Tourer, but Tourers are not built for performance, but for good solid power (they're usually no slouches either with their big powerful engines!), and decent handling. But a good rider can take a full dress tourer and carve some canyons pretty well too...
Tourers also have lots of bling and chrome parts, ST's have less of that as their goal is more performance oriented.
Then you have Cruisers that fall into the Tourer category, which typically are mid sized bikes with some touring amenities that are OK for long hauls with soft or hard saddle bags, floorboards, sissy bar, windshield, etc; but still offer a little more nimbleness than larger full dress Tourers, and make it a little easier to also use the bike for short trips, and maneuvering around town. The nimbleness also allows for a little easier canyon carving as well than in a bigger Tourer, but certainly not like a Sport Tourer will.
These are not definitive statements, but just some general "guidelines." :tongue:
I'm sure more experienced people will chime in with their vast knowledge as well. I was looking into a Sport Tourer, so I was very interested in the C14, but that may be my next (or other) bike
A Tourer will have more creature comforts... think of this as a large comfy Cadillac, with lots of cargo space, bells and whistles and a great, comfy ride. It is designed to make you comfortable on long hauls. An example is Honda GoldWing.
A Sport Tourer, also of late have been adding more bells and whistles, but they offer a little more attitude in performance and handling, with perhaps a little less cargo space. Think of this as a sporty sedan, like an Audi or bmw... perhaps not as cushy a ride as the caddy, but certainly makes up for it in performance and handling. They are also built with long hauls in mind, but for the sportier person who still wants to do perhaps some canyon carving, and rip the throttle open from time to time just for the fun of it. An example is the Kawasaki Concours 14 pictured above.
Not that you can't do this in a Tourer, but Tourers are not built for performance, but for good solid power (they're usually no slouches either with their big powerful engines!), and decent handling. But a good rider can take a full dress tourer and carve some canyons pretty well too...
Tourers also have lots of bling and chrome parts, ST's have less of that as their goal is more performance oriented.
Then you have Cruisers that fall into the Tourer category, which typically are mid sized bikes with some touring amenities that are OK for long hauls with soft or hard saddle bags, floorboards, sissy bar, windshield, etc; but still offer a little more nimbleness than larger full dress Tourers, and make it a little easier to also use the bike for short trips, and maneuvering around town. The nimbleness also allows for a little easier canyon carving as well than in a bigger Tourer, but certainly not like a Sport Tourer will.
These are not definitive statements, but just some general "guidelines." :tongue:
I'm sure more experienced people will chime in with their vast knowledge as well. I was looking into a Sport Tourer, so I was very interested in the C14, but that may be my next (or other) bike
Tourer: usually big engine in the 1100 and up range. Strong low RPM torque and good midrange for cruising on the highway. Big windshield for comfort. Big bags to store stuff so you can go long distances and travel and tour places. Reasonable back seat for a passenger. More luxurious ones come with radio (satellite or ground radio), air conditioning/heater, GPS, etc. The chassis tends to sport a long wheel base for comfort and stability on the highway. The suspension is designed for comfort in mind.
Sport Tourer: think of it as a streamed down tourer with an engine and chassis designed more toward the sporty end. The bags will not be as big or wide as a tourer because that would create excessive wind resistance. The wheel base will be shorter than a tourer and the suspension tuned even more toward sport riding without compromising too much comfort.
I believe that the manufacturers try to differentiate themselves in the market by different aspects of each type of bike. Some with claim their big tourer (e.g., Honda Goldwing) is big but "feels like a sport bike" -- so the suspension is probably tuned a little stiffer to get some cornering performance with little to no compromise to comfort. Others will say they have more room for a sport tourer. I think of the sport tourer as a compromise between pure tourer and pure sport bike. I think tourers are great to travel on but you miss out on the twisties. Sport tourers will allow you to enjoy the twisties but you will also be able to get to them in comfort.
Personally, I don't like the look of most sport tourers. But there are days when the comfort combined with reasonable handling would be worth it. It would be great to be able to strip the sport tourer so you can have a sexy pure sport bike and bolt on stuff for long trips.
Tourers usually look like long distance riding bikes and so they look ok. But they will never look like a sexy sport bike.
This reminds me of the sport sedan cars out there vs. the sedans.
So sport bikes are like 2-seat convertible sport cars (Porsche 911, Boxster, etc.), sport tourers are sport sedans (Acura TL, Infinity G35, Nissan Maxima), and tourers are like big sedans (Lexus LS-400).
Dennis
Sport Tourer: think of it as a streamed down tourer with an engine and chassis designed more toward the sporty end. The bags will not be as big or wide as a tourer because that would create excessive wind resistance. The wheel base will be shorter than a tourer and the suspension tuned even more toward sport riding without compromising too much comfort.
I believe that the manufacturers try to differentiate themselves in the market by different aspects of each type of bike. Some with claim their big tourer (e.g., Honda Goldwing) is big but "feels like a sport bike" -- so the suspension is probably tuned a little stiffer to get some cornering performance with little to no compromise to comfort. Others will say they have more room for a sport tourer. I think of the sport tourer as a compromise between pure tourer and pure sport bike. I think tourers are great to travel on but you miss out on the twisties. Sport tourers will allow you to enjoy the twisties but you will also be able to get to them in comfort.
Personally, I don't like the look of most sport tourers. But there are days when the comfort combined with reasonable handling would be worth it. It would be great to be able to strip the sport tourer so you can have a sexy pure sport bike and bolt on stuff for long trips.
Tourers usually look like long distance riding bikes and so they look ok. But they will never look like a sexy sport bike.
This reminds me of the sport sedan cars out there vs. the sedans.
So sport bikes are like 2-seat convertible sport cars (Porsche 911, Boxster, etc.), sport tourers are sport sedans (Acura TL, Infinity G35, Nissan Maxima), and tourers are like big sedans (Lexus LS-400).
Dennis
The difference between a sport touring and touring has been stated.
The difference between Spout touring and Sport are different though. Sport touring bikes don't always come with all the gear / storage and don't always come with massive engines. That's just the usual case. The biggest characteristics (as was explained to me) are the gear ratios for high performance versus a smoother performance and the ride characteristics. A Sport Touring bike is going to ride much smoother for the longer distances and won't have significantly less performance characteristics. Still high performing, just not like a true sport bike can deliver.
I personally LOVE the sport touring bikes.
The difference between Spout touring and Sport are different though. Sport touring bikes don't always come with all the gear / storage and don't always come with massive engines. That's just the usual case. The biggest characteristics (as was explained to me) are the gear ratios for high performance versus a smoother performance and the ride characteristics. A Sport Touring bike is going to ride much smoother for the longer distances and won't have significantly less performance characteristics. Still high performing, just not like a true sport bike can deliver.
I personally LOVE the sport touring bikes.
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