Newb Question, Sport Tour Bike Model Suggestions....

[birdrunner]

Hey Chedderhead, some fine options and thanks for the idea about folks helping me with the "delivery" logistics.  I am very much into doing a fly n ride as part of the purchase experience.

I'm looking to "do the deed" for next riding season which will have to wait till ~end of April 2012.  I'm doing the prelim research now cuz our dang winters are just so friggen looooooong so I have to keep the motor running in other ways so to speak.

I'd really like to find one of those 2009 dealer left overs but fat chance on that come next year (saw one last month for $7K, up here they are $10K for a '10).

Thanks again folks!

You should adjust your personal info to give readers an idea of where in the world you live,  don't have to be too precise,  but we'd like to know which region to insult when you post.

[scharfg]

Good idea, done!

Insult away  

[birdrunner]

Good idea, done!

Insult away  

Well if you're from Terrace, PG or Smithers, I was wondering ...

If you parents were to divorce, would they still be cousins?

[scharfg]

Damn you are good!!  

Thanks for making my day!

[birdrunner]

Well,  I've got friends in Terrace.
 

[scharfg]

Hey that's kewl.  Terrace is a good place to have friends especially if you like to catch and eat salmon!!  Yum Yum....

Take care.

[scharfg]

Update folks.

I took that 2000 Bandit out for a test ride yesterday.

OMG!!!!  

I was very impressed, low vibes, flickable, good brakes, tonnes of power, reasonable wind protection I think I found my next bike!

Thanks again for all your help along this journey.....

[Jay S.]

One thing that will surprise you with the 1100cc+ SPORT-tourers (heavy emphasis on sport) is that they really come into their own starting around 50mph or so.

You've got all that added weight, the extra wheelbase, an engine that doesn't start really pumping out the ponies below, say, 7K rpm. What you wind up with is a bike that is just starting to get interesting as you approach the faster speed limits. The reason you like your Vulcan in the twisties is probably because your Vulcan IS more fun in 20mph, 30mph, and 40mph twisties than a ZZR or Blackbird would be. I'd say the best descriptor for those bikes would be to call them Hyper-Tourers. They are just insanely awesome, and just starting to breathe fire, at 80mph+.

Now, load up a passenger and 70lbs of luggage and the equation changes. Maybe the comfort that the 1200cc I4 beast of a bike gives you at 50-100mph+ is exactly what you want in that case. But still, down at low speeds, you're limited by the tires more than the motor (assuming it's geared low enough). Put the bike in the proper gear and 600-800cc's is more than enough to launch you and a passenger forward to the next turn... and if your passenger falls off, then a light 600-800cc machine will stomp a ZZR, Blackbird, or Bandit, etc in twisties that are limiting you to 50mph or less in the straights.  It becomes about brakes and mass. And here, the 1200cc+ beasts will give up some ground to something smaller, lighter and/or more nimble (VFR, Sprint, etc).

So what I'm saying is, choose your mission profile. Want to hit 100mph+ with a passenger on the back and full luggage? ZZR/BB win. I4's win. But if you want to push yourself in low-speed backwoods twisties, then these may not be the ideal bikes to fit your mission. Look more towards the Sprint or VFR (for the flatter torque curves and lighter weights).... or the B1250S which is set up for more torque down low. Or sure, a 750cc Katana.

Literbikes... they're always faster, but they're never pushed to their limits for as long on the streets before you run out of guts or pavement. And let's face it, if it were truly all about speed, we'd all just buy a ticket on a 737 and go three times faster than the bike will take us. So it's gotta be about the ride and the experience of flogging a bike, right? So if you're going solo, get something you can flog, not something that's going to stay in first gear up to 70mph.

As you surely already know, riding a slow bike fast is more fun than riding a fast bike slow. My CB1 (400cc's) was great fun in the city and tight twisties... It just couldn't tour worth a damn due to its small size and lack of power. The SV was closer to ideal. It had more power, was a bit bigger, handled competently in twisties... but still, it'd start feeling a little bit weak up around 65-80mph (though, to be fair, it's not very powerful compared to what a 650cc engine could be capable in a more sport-oriented package). And if I had a passenger and some luggage on the SV, it would really stop feeling so much like a sportbike, and start feeling like an over-loaded drag-inducing missile at anything above 50mph.

So I think something in the neighborhood of a high-output 750cc is the perfect blend of touring capability and high speed competence for a solo sport-tourer who packs light and is looking to hit some serious twisties with a very occasional passenger. You can still pack a good burden on it, yet it won't leave you sitting in first gear all the time with a bored left foot when you're trying to ride the tighter roads. Or maybe a Buell? That might be worth considering if the maintenance issues with a defunct brand don't scare you off.

Based on the fact that you like your Vulcan in the twisties, I suspect that "that connection" you get from "working" a bike through a set of turns is more rewarding for you than what you see on a stopwatch at the end of the ride. So based on that, I'd warn you against getting "too much bike" for your intended mission... it'd be like bringing a gun to a martial arts contest. Oh sure, it's a great tool for ass-kicking, but no matter how many blackbelts surrender to your firearm, it doesn't really prove anything to yourself or anyone else. And it's not very rewarding (I doubt they'd give you a trophy).

So I say, find something that, on the low end, you will need to work a little harder with because the flogging is the fun part (eg CB1), but that still offers you satisfying torque to pull away from 50mph, 70mph, 120mph or whatever cruising speed that you expect to normally carry while fully-loaded (eg ZZR/BB). In the end, I think you'll find that whatever bike best balances these two attributes for your style of riding will be the one you fall in love with for sport-touring.


Other thoughts for solo SPORT-touring not involving an insane number of miles/day...

Daytona 675 with hard bags
Any recent 600/750SS with hard bags (the I4 engines will keep you working for your smiles, but see what speeds you need to hit to reach the power band in first, and then see what reducing that will do to your RPM's at cruising speed. There's a trade-off there and it's kind of ugly if you decide to ride the interstate much)
VFR800
BMW F800 ST
Ducati ST2 / ST4

This might be one of the greatest motorcycle forum posts of all time. Well said brother.  

[Justin]

This might be one of the greatest motorcycle forum posts of all time. Well said brother.  

It may also be one of the longest  

[DredheadV2.0]

It may also be one of the longest  

Ben isn't known for his brevity.

He IS one sexy beast, though.

[jfurf]

It may also be one of the longest  

Shit. Probably not even his longest this week today.

[scharfg]

Hey folks I hope you are getting a lot of riding in this summer.

I've done my one long trip of the year at the end of May, travelled to northern New Mexico on my Vulcan (6000 miles), was suppose to be on my '09 Wee but turns out my wiring harness was fried (bike was running fine, only sign was some melted/exposed wires) so I had to trade bikes as the harness was on 3 weeks back order (welcome to Canada eh!).

Anyhows I'm still doing the research for next season's sport touring riding, top of the list is still the Bandit although I would like your input regarding the '11 Yami FZ1, it has about the same torque as the bandit with ~30 more HP and is lighter.  They put a semi fairing on it this year to help with the elements.  I ask because my friend who owns a ZZR and is telling me to get a ZZR rode both the Bandit ('08) and an older FZ1 and he said the FZ1 was very powerful and reminded him of his ZZR.  I'm worried the FZ1 won't have the low end torque in every gear like the Bandit so I may have to ride it in the higher RPM's and that it won't be as comfortable for those 10+hr days in the saddle.

Anyone experienced the '11 FZ1 version?

Ps: the 2011 Bandit appears to be ~$2000 less retail over the FZ1

[birdrunner]

Hey folks I hope you are getting a lot of riding in this summer.

I've done my one long trip of the year at the end of May, travelled to northern New Mexico on my Vulcan (6000 miles), was suppose to be on my '09 Wee but turns out my wiring harness was fried (bike was running fine, only sign was some melted/exposed wires) so I had to trade bikes as the harness was on 3 weeks back order (welcome to Canada eh!).

Anyhows I'm still doing the research for next season's sport touring riding, top of the list is still the Bandit although I would like your input regarding the '11 Yami FZ1, it has about the same torque as the bandit with ~30 more HP and is lighter.  They put a semi fairing on it this year to help with the elements.  I ask because my friend who owns a ZZR and is telling me to get a ZZR rode both the Bandit ('08) and an older FZ1 and he said the FZ1 was very powerful and reminded him of his ZZR.  I'm worried the FZ1 won't have the low end torque in every gear like the Bandit so I may have to ride it in the higher RPM's and that it won't be as comfortable for those 10+hr days in the saddle.

Anyone experienced the '11 FZ1 version?

Ps: the 2011 Bandit appears to be ~$2000 less retail over the FZ1

Save yourself the money,  buy a used XX, drop $2000.00 into suspension, and have a bike that's better than either.   (I may be biased     but there is a hint of truth there)

[jfurf]

I'm worried the FZ1 won't have the low end torque in every gear like the Bandit so I may have to ride it in the higher RPM's and that it won't be as comfortable for those 10+hr days in the saddle.

What is "higher RPMs" for you? If you're used to riding cruisers with big-bore, long-stroke v-twin engines, 5000 rpms might seem high to you at first. But honestly, after a little while on an oversquare dohc inline-4, 5000 rpms is nothing. My guess is that the FZ1 engine will give you plenty of juice in every gear as long as you're not lugging it.

I mean, it's a detuned R1 engine. How much more power do you need?