So here is my Sport-Touring set up on my Firebolt.
I used the Tourmaster Cortech Deluxe Duffle Bag on the rear seat. The duffle bag puts most of its capacity to the sides (due to its tube shape). So, it didn't crowd my big ass by taking up precious seat room for the rider. Unfortunately, the Firebolt doesn't have any bungie knobs to tie the bungie chords to. I had to run the bungie lines to the passenger footpegs and the rear license frame. This had the lines rubbing up against the bodywork. The rearmost part of the duffle bag also rested on the bodywork. I ended up fitting the areas of the bodywork with those clear sheets of body protectors that I cut to fit the rear cowl. This protected the finish from getting scratched/stained from the rubbing contact of the bungie lines and duffle bag.
The Tourmaster Cortech Super-Mini tank bag didn't work quite so well. It tended to shift to the right during riding. I think the Buell tank bag's mounting arrangement works better as it fits tighter against the "tank" and should prevent shifting. In addition, the Super-mini tank bag is very small. All I could fit in there is a camera, wallet, a small bottle of water, and small knick-knacks. It can't even fit a map that is folded up.
I've done a 450 mile day on my Firebolt so I know distance isn't a factor with its riding position--surprisingly enough. I did spend 11 hours on it at one point, with a lunch break. It really surprised me how I was able to do that and NOT felt like a pretzel afterwards. I didn't even cramp up. I even rode the bike in light rain for hours and the front fairing provided pretty good protection considering its size.
Overall, I was surprisingly impressed with its long distance capability. I mean, it's a dedicated sportbike afterall! Among its strong points:
Great suspension - it's not soft but because it's high quality, it has compliance AND control. Not once did it ever felt harsh and we encountered some big bumps and dips during some portions of our tour.
Relaxed Engine - we did some major slabbing. Having lots of torque and low engine speed at cruise makes a big difference in feeling very relaxed.
Belt Drive - 1,200 miles and I never touched the chain, oops I mean belt!
Light Weight - At the end of a long day, the last thing I want to do is to have to wrestle a heavy bike. Even just moving it around after parking it is easy. This reduced the amount of energy I needed to excert to ride the bike over long periods. This probably explains why it didn't get me overly tired even after 12 hours of riding.
Shortcomings:
120-130 mile range to reserve - Sometimes it's a pain to have to look for fuel in the most desolate of places. Ideally, 150 miles is better. But the bike was consistent even under varying riding conditions. So at 100 miles, it's time to start thinking about gas.
No Bungie Knobs - trickier to attach luggage to.
Plastic "Tank" - small too so limits bag choices.
