I had to chuckle pretty good when I went to Eddie's house and ask him to do my GT+ seat, because at that time, the Sargent seat was still 4 or 5 months away from release to the public. When I told him that, he laughed and said....that's OK, I "Fix" Sargent seats too after someone buys them and they aren't happy with them. Probably a lot of people would have viewed that as "cocky" or just full of himself, but I had already experienced a "Eddie" mod a time or two before and I knew what he was capable of doing with a seat. He agreed to do mine since I was a past customer (mine was the very first Eddie mod for the GT+ bikes) and I told him about the forum that I was/am on that has a section for the GT and asked him if he wanted me to let others know (I knew he was "retired") and I wasn't going to spread it around unless he was OK with it. He decided that he would do it, but instead of lightning fast turn-a-rounds, he wanted everyone to know that it could be a week to 10 days..........the rest was history.
Mr Copeland did an amazing job on my 2014 FZ-09 seat. I've never had a seat before that I could ride all day without a complaint! I sent him my wife's Ninja 650 seat which was a Kawasaki abortion....the magic happened a second time. Good for him on retirement though I was thinking of sending my Tenere 7 seat in ....
This is true. We recently had a gentlemen come to school on one for the day and he loved it on the road and on track. Such a cool and comfortable bike. Beautiful blue color too.
Multistrada. Get one with the top box for passenger support. I think a lot of the bikes listed above don’t meet the “all day comfort” requirement. I have a 1260 and it has tons of power and I can still ride it all day. I also occasionally volunteer as an official rider for Ironman. The last time I did it my official said it was the most comfortable bike she had been been on as a passenger.
Heavier sport touring bikes such as the FJR/Concourse are pretty obsolete comparing against newer stuff unless ridden in isolation. I wouldn't touch a belt run desmo Multi with the new style motor V4 valves at 37k. I've had nothing but reliability from my KTM GT I bought new in 19' and I also think the Austrian bikes are easier to work on if there is a problem. A 1250RT is significantly lighter than a k1600 for flip flopping twisties in comfort. Another mention at a reasonable price would be the Zuk GSX1000GX over the GT version. It's literally a less expensive version of a XR.
Please don't take this as me bragging, but Eddie did my FZ09 right after I bought it in Oct. 2013. It was the very first FZ09 seat that he did. Since I was on the FZ09.org forum, I posted up about it and it pretty much instantly became a hit maker for him. I honestly don't know even ONE person that liked or could tolerate the original FZ09 seat. Over on the FZ09 forum, that Eddie mod to the FZ09 seat was nicknamed.....the Vern mod from Eddie. That seat mod totally changed the bike for me and I ended up doing 350 - 400 mile days on it in the twisties down here.....more times than I could count. Oh, and he also did my wife's FZ07 seat too. That was another one that needed some serious "Eddie magic"
The Concours 14 does look interesting. Isn't that based off the ZX14? From what I know, a pretty bulletproof engine. I'd definitely be happier with a Japanese bike. Are there any years/revisions that are better than others? Looks like there's one fully decked out just a few hours away.
I bought an older (06) FJR for the same exact reason OP. The dude I bought it from was some type engineer (can't remember), and wired up an electronic cruise control system, with a 4 button piece in the front that's factory looking, along with a garage door opener button. All as clean as the factory. I use the cruise control, but not the door opener. The cruise works just like a car as far as brake taps, coast, resume, etc. Anyway, the bike has plenty of power, handles very well as it hides its weight really well once moving, has abs, etc. I love the movable windscreen, and all day rides have been no problem and very fun. I've been thinking about selling it, and probably will regret it if I do, but such is life, lol. If you ever make it down to the Charlotte area, hit me up and you can check it out.
My 2013 FJR1300 has right over 106,000 miles so I'm partial. FJR has like 145hp and has no problems 2 up with all bags full and can go like stink when I want it to. Will cruise along and munch miles on interstates, meander along the BRP and it'll scratch it's way thru Deal's Gap, 181,221. etc. I've been able to ride the similar bikes like the BMWs, C14,ST, GW, etc, but still have the FJR.
Concours is zx14 "based" and would click your checkmarks. I know someone posted Busa and probably meant as a joke (maybe not) but, they are a great sport touring platform. Has the power and comfort level you are seeking. You just have to get over the "stigma" One of my buddy's has one and loves it for touring. Good luck, post what you decide on. Congrats on you and the Mrs. starting to "live again" sans children. The Mrs. and myself did the same thing in 2005. Been on the dirt street, track, supermoto, etc... ever since. Our current sport tourers are 2013 zx10r's. More sport than tour but, not unbearable for us, yet. Ski
Its a lil heavy but lots of fun to ride on open & windy roads. My buddy had traxxion dynamics carts & a matching penske rear which made the bike way more confidence inspiring. Only reason he sold it is because it dont work as well in an urban jungle vs a GS.
I had two C14's. Used for almost daily commute downtown ATL, and also did Atlanta > Northern Cali > Atlanta ride on one. Lots of two up riding. Bone stock. Bike looses it's weight once you start moving. Brakes, suspension, motor - all fantastic. I never owned a BMW, so can't compare. The used FJR that I briefly owned was not for me, sold it in about a month. Newer C14's got more electronics, and slight fairing redesign. I had older ones, one was a non ABS. Worked like a charm. I imagine newer ones are even better.
Go ride a R1300GS, it will do everything you wanna do better than the leg cramped sport tourers will. Plus some of the best roads in the southeast have a bit of gravel in the middle, that won’t stop the GS like it will a Connie or FJR.
The H2 SX model was introduced in 2018. I have an '18 H2 SX SE model. They started hanging electric suspension on it the following year, and it got forward facing radar recently.
Both the OP and others here are all over the place with suggestions... if a Diavel is the baseline an FJR or C14 will feel like an obese dinosaur (cause they kind of are). I've owned 2 FJR's (sometimes at my age it takes a reminder to stop bad behavior) and ridden C14's. Sure, a lot of the weight "disappears" once you get rolling, but if you manage to drop the thing on an off camber surface or just need to move the thing around in a garage (God forbid uphill) you will be hating life. For big, heavy traditional ST bikes BMW's across the board do the best job of feeling way lighter and more nimble than they should. The people suggesting ADV's are spot on, there's a damn good reason they outnumber ST's in the showrooms and on the road by a huge margin. If you want the ADV comfort and performance but care little about doing any terrain more serious than a gravel road? You're in luck... several choices out there with 17" wheels. In between would be ones with 17/19's, plenty of them too.
This - just toss a rear box on it from Duc or aftermarket. Boss loves ours even after having ridden on a Wing and a Harley full dresser.
Kawasaki Ninja 1000SX(Now 1100SX) had a 20' model with suspension upgrades by Traxxion Dynamics. Put nearly 40k miles on it and it never let me down. Purchased a Triumph Tiger Sport 800 back in Feb and really like the upright ergos and the triple engine platform is really nice. Just got back from a 5 day 1900 mile trip which included some interstate slabbing and two lane back roads. Loved the Kawasaki but I was needing something with a more upright riding position and a little lighter. The TS 800 ticks the boxes important to me.
I demoed the new 1100 a couple of weeks ago. It may have been the smoothest engine i've ever sampled. Nice compromise between sporty and comfy if you're a sportbike guy.
What about FZ1’s for commuting/touring? Those have always interested me if I ever got to this point. I think I’m about there, but it’s been 10 years since I got plowed into on my bike by that dipshit texting, and that was the last I rode on the streets. So naturally a bit hesitant. I like the idea of an FZ1 more and more to stave off some car mileage. I’ve been half assed looking for one, but know nothing about them really.
