How Did We Get Here?

[hppants]

As we remember the Day in Infamy, I got to thinking about all kinds of history. Granted, I think more about that kind of stuff now. I listen to old people much more. I'm an educated man, but I'm quickly realizing that a degree from the University of Hard Knocks trumps any 4-year school in the world.

But I digress....

It's easy to understand how our cousins, The Pirates (er... those Black and Orange guys) came to be. WWII veterans came home with money in their pocket and a whole new level of understanding for the "Live every day free" theory. In the absence of horses, the motorcycle becomes a very desireable form of transportation for a young man. They buy the only motorcycle available here and start a gang. Decades follow and now their sons (and a few daughters) - the Baby Boomer Generation - is retiring (or approaching retirement) and have disposable income. Like everyone their age, they want to relive their childhood. Some technilogical advancements and changes have evolved for their motorcycle. But for the most part, at least in my opinion, it's stayed the same. Heck, until just this year, the basic motor design has been completely unchanged. Clearly (and brilliantly from some perspectives), the H/D has stuck to its brand basically unchanged.

But for us (the S/T rider), I'm not so sure how we got here? To be sure, we have to pay homage to the Honda CB750. That bike deserves credit for starting the American metric bike craze that still lives today. But from there, how did we get to the FJR (and it's sisters)? A lot of "morphing" has taken place, and I'm not too sure I can follow the lineage.

I have theories, but I'd rather read what you have to say first.

 

[beemerdons]

Luckily for BeemerDonS I grew up in a family of Motorcyclists, all of my Family rode bikes, as well as all of their Friends! My Grandfather Ed, my Grandmother Alta, my Mom Veda and my Dad Ed all rode Indian Motocycles exclusively. That is my Father Ed Stanley on his 1936 Indian Scout, fairing/windshield and saddlebags all hand made by him. When I rode my first Harley-Davison XLCH to show it off to them they all four sang this little ditty to me: "Harley-Davidson's made out of tin, you ride them out and then you push them in"!

What sold me on the motorcycle life was riding around Southern California in the fifties behind my Uncle Drew on his Triumph Thunderbirds. Uncle Drew was the "Black Sheep" of the Family because he rode Triumphs instead of Indian. Uncle Drew, a Pearl Harbor Survivor, took me everywhere with him on his Triumph; up to Malibu for lunch, Big Bear Lake for ice cream and San Diego to swim.

 

[Bounce]

Surely the bike mystique attracted me as a youth. I was able to ride others' Briggs & Straton mini bikes, Honda Mini Trail 50s, Bridgestone 125s, and such before I got my first bike. In between those 2 things was a real infatuation with the choppers of the late 60s and early 70s (casket tanks, etc.); very impracticable but works of mechanical art.

Once I started spending my own money on bikes and keeping them working, my infatuation with HD quickly faded. When I got into distance riding, reliability became even more important for me. A string of 3 different kinds of Gold Wings in about 12 years kept the reliability aspect covered but the fun drained out of them after a test ride on a Triumph Sprint ST. Dealer networks and reliability rumors (and chain drive) lead me away from the big T and toward the FJR. I've never regretted it.

 

[bluesdog]

But for us (the S/T rider), I'm not so sure how we got here? To be sure, we have to pay homage to the Honda CB750. That bike deserves credit for starting the American metric bike craze that still lives today. But from there, how did we get to the FJR (and it's sisters)? A lot of "morphing" has taken place, and I'm not too sure I can follow the lineage.

How the ST evolved: "It is the pervading law of all things organic and inorganic, of all things physical and metaphysical, of all things human and all things superhuman, of all true manifestations of the head, of the heart, of the soul, that the life is recognizable in its expression, that form ever follows function. This is the law." -- Louis Henry Sullivan

And us ST riders are clearly evolved sufficiently to recognize excellence in design

Personally, the FJR appeals aesthetically, as well as being all the things I look for in a motorcycle, (or at least most of them). I'm told my father loved motorcycles, but to my knowledge never owned one. One of my uncles loved his Indian so much, that well into his late 80s he would go AWOL from the old folks home and go riding...

 

[Redfish Hunter]

I may be misinterpreting your question. Are you asking about the evolution of the Sport Tourer and the FJR or are you asking about what led us as individuals to the Sport Touring motorcycle?

Either way, this is an excellent thread and has some fantastic potential. I am somewhat jealous that I did not think of it.

 

[hppants]

I was asking about the evolution of the Sport Touring motorcycle. How did we (the industry, the market, the demographic) from the beginning to the sport touring motorcycle?

Although I'm not opposed to reading individual experiences either.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Only my opinion but here is how I see it. There is not space to list all of the great bikes that led to this point.

In the beginning, there were Harleys and they were good. Then in the late '60s came the Honda CB750 and it was good. The Brit bikes of that era were long on soul and short on reliability. The incoming Japanese bikes of the early '70s began to alter the motorcycling world. Vibration, oil leaks, poor suspension, weak brakes, and slippery tires were the order of the day. No one knew any better.

In 1975 Honda introduced a hideously ugly hippopotamous of a motorcycle and they called it the GoldWing. It was a 1000cc horizontally opposed 4 cyl with liquid cooling and shaft drive. This was in my opinion the ugliest thing on two wheels. (I wish I had one now!) A Vetter WindJammer Fairing and Saddlebags added to the ugliness but this was a motorcycle that could be ridden coast to coast reliably. Harley had the Electra Glide with a 1200cc V-twin and AMF stickers. The AMF stickers had an adverse affect on reliability.

Yamaha introduced the XS-Eleven. A powerful bike with a powerful presence. Again, with accessories from Vetter this shaft driven monster could take you coast to coast. In my mind the XS-Eleven is the Great Grandfather of the FJR. This was a truly do-it-all motorcycle.

1981 Honda updated the GoldWing. Available with factory matched fairing and saddlebags and an 1100cc engine this was arguably the finest long distance motorcycle available at the time. At the same time Honda had a unique Sport Tourer called the CBX. This bike had an inline 6, factory matched fairing and saddlebags. The bags were very thin and the whole package looked very similar to the only other "Sport Tourer" available, something made in Germany by a company called BMW...

1984 Honda updated the GoldWing. A more integrated fairing, a bump to 1200cc and a dry weight around 746 pounds made this the finest LD tourer on the road. An anti-dive front fork, air suspension, and this was the cutting edge of luxury touring.

1984 also saw Yamaha introduce the FJ1100... This bike was revised in 1986 to become the FJ1200. These were "Sport Tourers" but they lacked the bags and comfort that many LD tourers wanted.

The other 3 Japanese manufacturers fought back. Suzuki had the Cavalcade. Kawasaki had the Voyager XII. And Yamaha? Yamaha introduced the proud grandfather of the FJR, a wonderful bike called the Venture Royale. This bike featured a re-tuned version of the V-4 from the V-Max with a full fairing and saddlebags that somehow managed to look narrower and lighter than anything in the class.

Kawasaki introduced the Concourse. A 1000cc inline 4 tuned for reliability this bike moved the sport touring segment forward. I still think of this bike as the best BMW competitor of that era. The bags, the fairing, the whole package looked very BMW like. Soon BMW would introduce the K series (flying brick) to supplement the old Boxer twin.

1990 Honda introduced the ST1100. A true compromise, this was a big bore Sport Tourer and provided power, handling and long distance capability. This bike gave a sporty alternative to the heavy-weight tourers while giving up little in the way of comfort.

In 2001 things get confused. Honda introduced the new 1500 GoldWing. It looked (and was) huge. The GoldWing and its competition had already begun to create a new way of riding. Common, everyday folks could buy a bike and ride anywhere in the country and then ride back home without breaking down. They could carry plenty of luggage and stay comfortable.

But, not everyone wanted to ride a motorcycle that heavy. Early protests against the heavy weight touring bikes had resulted in some hit and miss propositions. The Honda GL500 and GL650 SilverWing was a smaller lighter version of the GoldWings of the early '80s. A liquid cooled V-twin turned sideways like a Moto-Guzzi coupled with integrated fairing and narrow saddlebags, it was not a sales success. Honda tried something called the Pacific Coast which looked to have Sport Touring potential but lacked one critical ingredient. Power. It was too slow. BMW continued to build Sport Tourers that were the best representation of a segment that was a relatively small niche. For all practical purposes BMW owned the Sport Touring category.

2003 gave us the FJR and the ST1300. I have always felt that the FJR was the direct offspring of the perverse mating of a Yamaha R1 and a Honda GL1800 GoldWing. But in Yamaha lineage, the XS 11 and the Venture Royale led into the FJR.

 

[RaYzerman19]

I think also we just have to look in all those motorcycle museums we've been to and see the variety of innovations, starting with the motor-powered bicycle, Pierce Arrows and the like. There were in-line engines, Vees and singles, all sorts of new little companies sprouting up, many quite crude by today's thinking..... the British invasion I think brought us the 'standard' bikes that had performance, one that was different was the Triumph Trident, the Japanese followed with their offerings of lighter 4 cylinder powerhouses............ and we got here. Harley for some reason just chose their path and stuck to it..... funny the cruiser crowd is the biggest segment. I always wanted performance over the heavy cruisers. The race bikes had fairings, and somehow that spread to the street......