Considering a Sport Touring Bike

I have a BMW S1000XR now. Favorite street bike I’ve owned. Great for commuting, mountain rides and trips for a couple days. Added a Sargent seat that my wife tolerates. Engine is wonderful.

 

I love my FZ-09, if I were to switch from a naked bike to a long distance tourer, I'd be buying a Tracer GT. That Yamaha triple is so addicting.

 

Maybe a little more sport than tourer. I was sorely tempted to buy this one https://advrider.com/f/threads/840-mile-2013-triumph-speed-triple-r.1386410/
I think you may have to be member to view the flea market on ADVrider. Basically a brand new bike for the half the price of what they were selling for new.

 

Wind buffeting is a common complaint on the 1190 S as well. I got this and it helped a ton:
https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle...470pak8TdtT-vqssbNdmYKbWTIxGaMuEaAqTMEALw_wcB

I also use earbuds with replacement foam tips that make it very nice to ride all day:
https://www.complyfoam.com/

 

What's the advantage of the Tracer over FJ? Until an earlier post, I thought the Tracer was just the newest name for the same bike.

 

The Tracer is an entirely different machine and quite interesting. If I wasn't in the ADV mode right now I'd have one.

 

you saying I have to do my own googling?!? Fine...

 

Main reason I would get the Tracer GT over an FJ is for the factory cruise control and I believe it gets a fully adjustable fork setup like the 2017+ FZ-09.

The rear shock is still the biggest weakness though (easily fixed with some $$$)

 

Man, I'm drinking Bourbon watching Game 7...I can hardly type

 

Here's a good comparison between the bike I love and yours I found on ADVrider:

"Has anyone considered an S1000XR? I've owned an 1190R for a few years. Amazing ride and addictive power, but had trouble with the seat/leg heat, and front wheel speed wobble above 110 mph. Was a great commuter though with a different front screen (Madstad). Wished for CC but the throttle lock worked very well. Did NO offroading, no experience and no roads near me in Cincinnati. Decided on a 100% road worthy S1000XR. Now I have a KTM engine that is shitloads of fun in a street worthy package. VStream screen, electric CC and I can ride all day at highway speeds. Is tremendous fun in twisties. Electronics package has proven to be very reliable, as is the electronic suspension. First bike my wife will ride 2 up on for short periods--baby steps. Have hit >150 mph more times than I have fingers and it is rock stable. Have lofted the front wheel mid turn while rolling on throttle. Very stable. Currently at 26,XXX miles. Only complaint (have to have something) is that it is very loud. Need earplugs every time. Did ride a LC 1200GS for a few miles and was surprised that it seemed to vibrate more than the S1000XR, had significantly mess power and wasn't particularly comfortable.

But, to condense the review, the BMW S1000XR scares me in the same thrilling way the 1190S did but with less "issues". They are also significantly less in cost than the 1200GS bikes.

--Brian"

 

I ended up with a Triumph Sprint GT. Plenty of room for the wife, not a terrible pig riding solo, factory luggage option, 1050 triple is a nice motor.

 

Gotta’ decide which side of the hyphen you want to be on; sport or touring. You have bikes from both sides listed. If it’s mostly you and you value your time on the bike, stay left. If you value your wife’s comfort and happiness, stay right. With your budget and some time to browse, you can get both.

 

Since someone already brought up FJ's......Ever considered going old school? I bought a '85 FJ1100 when new. Still ride the hell out of it but it is now my sport/touring bike. A very nice bike can be had for 3 grand with all mods done like 17" wheels, hard bags, blue spot brakes, shock, handle bar risers, etc. Downside (for some) would be carbs. I'm not afraid to take it any where at any time and it's as fast I ever want to go on the street.

 

Are the Multis that good? I don`t have any friends that have them.

 

Tracer GT (Fj09 in a different package) is much lighter. Has essentially the same features and technology as an FJR. The FJR is quick and nimble for a sport touring bike, but, with the weight savings, you won’t feel like you’re sacrificing anything performance-wise (except maybe top speed, so, you won’t be scaring any farmers) with the smaller engine in the Tracer. A few sacrifices are the smaller tank on the Tracer which will take it from about 240 mi between fills on a distance ride to about 200. No adjustable windshield on the Tracer. Side bags smaller on the Tracer, but, same mounting setup as the FJR, so, if you can find some used ones off of an FJR (fyi...side bags on the FJR are same from 2003-present), it’s an easy swap. FJR is maintenance free shift driven, Tracer is chain driven.

 

I’d also be looking at adventure bikes. They sit up higher so you have better visibility in traffic, and the suspension is much better on rough pavement or even hitting say a board in the road, etc. I had a tiger 1200 and it was awesome. The electronic cruise should be a must have on your list and the motor was fantastic. I’m sure you could find a nice one in your price range.

 

I have a 2008 BMW K1200GT (later 1300), which is essentially a touring version of the K1200S (BMWs first I4 across the frame "sport bike"). Had no real interest in one, but ended up renting one on a fly-ride vacation and liked it a lot. Still too expensive for me, but then the economy tanked (2008 timeframe) and deals could be had.

Definitely leans toward touring, and is a big, heavy bike (depending on what you are used to). But if you are really taking a trip on it two up and there are some curvy roads in the middle somewhere, it works great. Has some complex systems, but most of the problems are known and there are plenty of well-maintained examples out there. Just another bike to consider.

I'm hoping Ducati comes out with a V4 version of the old Ducati ST.

 

Most of my buddies have gone the adventure bike route, I just can’t completely get into them.