What Sport Touring bike to get??

katana 600 06

I have a katana 600 and I love it. It's great when you find an open road with lots of conners and will not kill you on rides longer than 300 miles.

I have an '02 Sprint ST. It's a great bike, IMO. I have not taken it on any long trips yet, though...but I hope to next year. It's quite comfortable for several hours, gets good gas mileage (47-51) and lopes along at 80-100 effortlessly. If you expect to encounter much bad weather, the fairing/windshield maybe could be better, since I live in AZ it hasn't been a big deal for me. Another nice thing is that you don't see one every day. Overall I'm very happy.
Tim

If I were to pick a sport tourer today it be the Sprint or the Kawasaki Concours, probably the Sprint would win though.

Ducati ST4S.

I really like the FJR1300, but I would be sorely tempted by the new Concours 14 with the ZX14 motor.

Uesque said:

I really like the FJR1300, but I would be sorely tempted by the new Concours 14 with the ZX14 motor.

Click to expand...

The new concours 14 is an amazing machine--simply amazing

I have a 2001 Triumph Sprint ST and it is a very comfortable bike. Good amount of power too. I also have a Suzuki Hayabusa now which I feel is just as comfy even being over the tank more.
I am toying with the idea of stripping the Triumph down to a naked bike to somewhat resemble the Speed Triple. I have never seen anyone do this before but the bikes are very similar once the fairings are removed.

Shawn

I took the MSF course this past weekend and one of the instructors had a Concours with almost 100k miles on it. He says the only maintenance he ever really has to do is change the oil once a year. I've always like those bikes and now I'm pretty sure the next one I get will be a Concours.

My husband has an FJR 1300 and loves it, even on the 500 mile days. We have a buddy that has the new Concours 14, the 5th bike in his stable. The jury is still out on his favorite. He also has the FJR 1300, Gold Wing, Road Star...I think he rides the Gold Wing most, but this is full blown touring, not sport touring.

If I had 5 more inches on me, i think it would be the FJR!

Although the ST1300 apparently gets better mileage, I would lean towards the Connie14. A few reasons that come to mind:

Bigger displacement/better torque numbers
REAL motorcycle fr/rr brakes - not linked or integrated
Newer shaft technology
better weight bearing capacity
Standard tire pressure sensor system

The electronic do-hickery would be something to get used to, but it seems like they waited until they got it right before fielding it. From a couple of new owners (long-tour riders), I get the impression they won't ever need viagra after riding the thing, but might need surgery to remove the semi-permanent grin.

Bottom line: The Connie14 has major cajones and kicks major tail.

The most recent issue of Rider rated ST1300, FJR, Connie and the Beemer, and the ST still came out on top.

I have been eying the Sprint....have a moded BMW R1100S that I love at the moment. Being that I am a "and" person it would mean getting a 5th bike....not sure but the Sprint is for sure on the short list...has ABS plenty of power....drooool

I like the looks of kawi's concourse..

Without all the baggage it looks like a large sports bike ... W/, ehhh its still cool looking...

Police ride BMW's I believe so thats one thing to consider... (in my area their are Harley and BMW Motor Cops)

Don't know much about them, but I noticed the police in Kansas City ride Kawi's. Must be good bikes!

Speaking of the super-troopers, most of the cops in Oregon have gone away from the Beemers and to the ST1300. I guess that whole maintenance thing with the German bikes was killing 'em, and there was no savings by being able to remove the rear wheel easily.

Although the ST does come out a little higher for reasons of better mileage and dealer support (questionable), I think the reasons I mentioned would still make the Connie the better choice.

I would only know what the biker mags say and if I got it correct, it said the valve adjustment on the ST was every 26000 miles and on the 14 it was every 15,000 miles. The ST also had a longer warranty. I'd probably go for the 14.

I currently have a ST3abs, my first sport touring bike, its fun to ride. Im 6' 200 lbs and it hauls me around pretty darn QUICK!!. Ive got about 8000km on it now, no leaks, no problems. it has its quirks. But it looks SHARP!! and runs good.

Why not a Tiger? There is a new 1250 Bandit out too, just to add some confusion to the equation!

The Tiger will probably be my next bike. I love my st its fast and easy on the butt. you can do more with a Tiger or something in that class of bike. I'm wanting to take 'the road less traveled' now.