Deciding between sport-tourer vs. touring bike

[RadioHowie]

I'm 6'4" and 270

Oh, my friend, we MUST get together one day, enjoy some adult beverages and compare stretch marks!

Also being 6'4" and 270, we must be twin sons of different mothers...with about a 20 year difference in age.

A couple of MANLY MEN!!!

 

[NMRoadRunner]

I need to mention that minimum age for riding a Goldwing is 65 years. Not sure about the new BMW's. And whats up with the Camping photos of everyone on thier laptops? You can do that at Starbucks! <_<

 

[wheatonFJR]

...

 

[Fred W]

I'm 6'4" and 270

Oh, my friend, we MUST get together one day, enjoy some adult beverages and compare stretch marks!

Also being 6'4" and 270, we must be twin sons of different mothers...with about a 20 year difference in age.

A couple of MANLY MEN!!!

I believe the 270 (witha little wiggle room), but 6'4"?

I'm going to need some proof on that claim Howie. I've seen piccies of you on the Feej with your gray flow in the breeze, no less, but you didn't look like 6'4". :glare:

Photo graphic (not photo genic) evidence.

 

[RadioHowie]

That's because the event horizon of my "HUGE BELLY" created photonic distortion in the image, but yes....6'4" of **** piled high.

 

[garyahouse]

Howie

Where'd the rear seat go?

Gary

darksider #44

 

[RadioHowie]

Howie

Where'd the rear seat go?

Gary

darksider #44

Fart de-lamination and decay.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Every reason given is a valid argument, both for and against. One of the deciding factors that nobody mentioned is the weight of the bike when it falls over. If it does, it will never be on a flat level surface with enough room to easily lift the bike back up. Since my father was in his 60's when we bought the FJR and he knew from past experience that some sort of tipover would be inevitable, the Gold Wing was ruled out. Plus it makes you an old person instantly. The FJR will keep you young, as long as it doesn't kill you.

 

[TouringRider]

Every reason given is a valid argument, both for and against. One of the deciding factors that nobody mentioned is the weight of the bike when it falls over. If it does, it will never be on a flat level surface with enough room to easily lift the bike back up. Since my father was in his 60's when we bought the FJR and he knew from past experience that some sort of tipover would be inevitable, the Gold Wing was ruled out. Plus it makes you an old person instantly. The FJR will keep you young, as long as it doesn't kill you.

I agree, just got my FJR at 63. :lol:

 

[suar]

I've been riding touring bikes for 20+ years (mostly Wings), and sport-tourers (the FJR) for two months. I would love to keep both, but it isn't practical - I can only ride one at a time. One of the biggest factors in the decision will be ... how is the FJR on long trips? The Wing is pretty much ready for long rides right out of the box. Not so for the FJR, but with the difference in price, one could add a lot of farkles to an FJR and still not be close to the price of a Wing.

While my experience on the FJR is limited, one thing I have noticed is that it adds to the fun of a twisty road, but does take away some of the feeling of accomplishment. The FJR handles so well, it makes riding through twisty roads very easy, and very fun! The Wing handles very well for a bike bike, and riding through twisty roads is always fun. The difference, for me at least, is on the Wing, when I've ridden a twisty road well, I feel like I've really accomplished something!

It's a big decision - but it doesn't have to be a permanent decision - whatever you decide, if you aren't happy at some point, you can always go with the other choice!

Suar

 

[Falko]

Are you also keeping the sportbike? If so, then tourer. If this is a replacement, the FJR as the tourer will be disappointing for a while.

 

[2ndchildhood]

Are you also keeping the sportbike? If so, then tourer. If this is a replacement, the FJR as the tourer will be disappointing for a while.

Planning to keep the sportbike. That makes a tourer more sensible.

Thanks

 

[Willie]

Are you also keeping the sportbike? If so, then tourer. If this is a replacement, the FJR as the tourer will be disappointing for a while.

Planning to keep the sportbike. That makes a tourer more sensible.

Thanks

All good posts so far. Our experience is a little bit different on the FJR. We have done multiple 5000+ tours on the FJR, a bunch of 1000+ weekend jaunts, and daily treks on the average of 300 miles. Our FJR is pure stock, including the seat. We try to keep off the interstates and travel the back roads with the largest being the old US Routes. Our miles tend to be 300 - 400 miles per day with plenty of stops. We do alot of grand tours. My post is too show a stock FJR works as well.

You can't go wrong with a Wing, ST1300 or the FJR. Have fun trying to make the ultimate decision. Someone mention Victory Vision. I had a chance to test ride one of these and was quite impressed with it. It would make a great tourer as well.

Willie

 

[Bugnatr]

If your going two up and want passenger comfort- get the Wing. Better yet rent one for a couple days and then try to get her to ride on something else.

I've rented a few and logged 8k miles on the Honda, they are a very balanced machine. If my wife rode more than a few times a year there would be a Wing at my house.

But she does not so I'm keeping the Feejeer.

 

[2ndchildhood]

I also started looking at used BMW tourers, just out of curiosity, and was surprised to see how affordable a bike without huge mile on it is. I'm sure service for a Beemer is pricey, and I don't know anything about comfort for 2up but they seem to be one of the gold standards for long distance travel.

 

[stevec677]

If you are looking at used BMW tourers.....

Last year one of my riding buddies traded his K1300GT in for a K1600GT. His wife says the K1300GT was more comfortable then the K1600GT. Just one passenger's opinion, but they have logged a lot of miles.

 

[NBB]

I went through this same selection process last year. For myself, I only have room for one bike in the garage, so where do you begin..

Do you intend to use it for the daily commute? -> FJR

Are you a bit limited on garage space? -> FJR

Comfort on long trips (as supplied from the manufacturer) -> Touring bike

SEG riding the twisties -> FJR

There are many more items that I factored into my decision to get a FJR over another model, but this bike fits more of my needs for using it for more than just on long rides. With selected farkles, this bike is easily capable of both the touring runs and still be fully nimble for the daily uses as well.

Good luck on your search for what will work best for you.

-K

 

[garyahouse]

For me, the fun factor has a lot to do with it. When I twist the throttle, something needs to happen. The FJR, compared to the average touring bike, enters warp drive above 6k rpms. Though I rarely go there, it's just a twist away. Sadly, most of the time the speed limits keep me on impulse power.

Gary

darksider #44

 

[2ndchildhood]

I am trying to entice my wife to travel by motorcycle but, realistically, I anticipate she'll only go on a few trips a year and shortish trips at that (100-300 miles/day). Therefore, I think the FJR or BMW sport-tourer would work better for me than a dedicated touring bike. Thanks to all for weighing in.