Good Sport Touring Bike?

[138742]

Hello,

I am looking for a new bike and I was aiming for a sport touring. I live in Seattle, WA and go to school in Boston, MA. I am planning to ride back and forth during the summer instead of flying, so I am looking at racking up around 12-15 thousand a year. I was thinking about the Sprint St, Ducati ST3, or Honda Interceptor. Also while on this note, does anyone know about the longevity of a motor that is well maintained and serviced? Does a a v-twin do better than a V-4 or inline 3? Sport Touring motor and a sport bike motor? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Brian

[quicksilver]

You have a good list.

You might add FJR (winning the current polling at the moment for STN top bike).

Chain drive is a disadvantage for this long of a road trip.

You should look at valve adjustment intervals for each bike.  That is a major maintenance cost.
I think VFR is every 16K and FJR is every 24K.

Also, with this kind of serious highway journey, perhaps a Goldwing or BMW LT would be more appropriate.  Bigger and not as nimble, but comfier for serious seat time.

Also for that kind of ride, you'll waqnt a communicator for in helmet music and phone.
Autocom and Starcom are popular brands.

Boston to Seattle in the winter? You'll need a big windsheild and heated gear too....

[motorgod]

I've had a 2005 FJR since, well, Sept 2005.  I have just under 30K miles on it.  I would recommend it w/o hesitation.  With that said, you are going to get replies that will cover all sport tourers out there.  The FJR requires a new seat (rick maier), self installed cruise control (not a throttle lock), larger windscreen, and like most bikes, music.  The newer FJR's have addressed the heat issue some whiners whine about.
It also depends on your budget.  The new beemer GT has cruise control and GPS installed.  But the price is about $7k more than the FJR.  Its going to come down to what fits you best.  Hopefully you'll find some out there to at least sit on.  Good luck in your hunting.

Oh yeah...there are several FJRs w/ 100K+ miles on them out there.

[torags v2]

It appears your preferences are for sport bikes. Those bikes may be more at home in twisties.

My definition of a sport tourer is a BMW R1150 RS. Smaller fairing - lean forward seating.

That's my choice, but I believe its not the best choice for your use. A fuller faired bike would be better when you hit the cold.

Tires should not be Z rated (chicken strips after long hwy miles makes cornering disconcerting).

Your final drive ration and tank size will determine radius. The sports bikes have higher ratios and smaller tanks.

You should have hard bags they will last longer and you can stuff more laundry to do at home like my son did.

That's a bitch of a commute.

Think about a BMW 650 for local use around Boston and fly home for the checks.

[Highway Star]

If the realities of student finances douse your bike desires.  Suck it up and get a tried and true ride with long legs and long life.  Tried and true rides aren't sexy but are less expensive and fully sorted out.

ST1100
Connie
GPZ1100/Ninja
XX

They may be dated but they can do the job nearly as well as the new bikes.

[old wanderer]

While I might be the lone voice here, look at an Aprilia Futura....Good solid very comfortable bike that does almost everything well.
And at each end of the trip you will have one of the most beautiful bikes on the road.

[ss2]

Brian, as far as longevity I'll tell you this.  Maintenance has everything to do with it.  Keep your engines happy and they return the favor.  Any inline will last the same as a twin or the V4.  But, IMO, I'd expect the V4 to fail first due to the number of components.  If I were making the decision you have, I'd choose the Sprint or a VFR without the V-tech.  A friend has done numerous cross-country trips on his '98.

I'd say the FJR is a good practical choice.  IMHO, it's like a Nighthawk 750 with a nice fairing and only 5 gears.  Which, as you have a CB750, might be a perfect fit.  I personally find it somewhat uninspiring.  Very commuter friendly, but not fun for the twisties.  

I'd say the R1150RS would be cool in that the maintenance is easy.  You'll have the same maintenance intervals as the Duc, but you'll be able to do the services in less than half the time.  Both with dry clutches allow you to spread the oil changes to these intervals.  If you're using it just for the commutes, then you'll be set with doing maintenance about every other round trip.  The boxer engines are supposedly long lasting, and if you pick up a used one, depreciation isn't bad.  The ST3 is a classic design, so comparison for depreciation is pretty much moot.  I would expect to pay extra in the long run for the Duc maintenance (belts), but if you like it, then go for it!  

The Futura is cool.  But only really cool if you have a dealer nearby.  I know it's cliche to say that these exotic italian bikes can be hard to get parts for.  Like George Carlin says: Stereotypes exist for a reason -- they're true.  I ride with a Futura owner and a Mille owner.  Each of them needed something specialty within 20,000 miles of ownership.  Both had fault code problems that needed software updates.  Which, if you could download them yourself would be great, but the adapter tools are only available at dealerships.  Other than that they have been really reliable bikes.  Guys with Futuras know they are a steal of a deal.  But if you're down and no dealer, you're pretty much screwed.

Triumph will still hold the unreliable tag, but new owners will tell you otherwise.  The new 955 and 1050 engines tell a new tale of the New Brit Order.  Sprints are great machines.  I've been looking at them for awhile.  As for LD use, I think it's the most versatile of your selection.  A powerband that never gets boring, and maintenance in between the inline 4 and the twin.  The cheap parts seem to have disappeared from the lineup.  A great choice for many reasons.
 
Fact is that there aren't really any bad bikes out there these days.  Go with what your heart wants and what fits on the test ride.
Good luck with your searching.  Test rides are good.

[ToadRide]

I've made my B12 Bandit the sports tourer of my dreams. It's got the comfort, the speed and the looks. And after road testing several others ranging in prices of 4 to 12 thousand bucks more, I am really glad I settled for mine at 12000 Can., taxes in.

[birdrunner]

Many sport bikes can be comfortable enough for mega miles.

If you looking used,  find a nice Blackbird.  Lots of them are available, and it isn't hard finding people with over 100,000 miles on them.  The motor is bulletproof.  
 
Other good choices:  ZZR1200, Bandit 1200, Concours, ST1100.

[ben1364]

Hello,
I am looking for a new bike and I was aiming for a sport touring. Does a a v-twin do better than a V-4 or inline 3?
Thanks Brian

These are all good machines.  Depending on your budget, there are others that might be better for long rides in varying weather, including the BMW R1200RT which is an outstanding sport tourer which comes with an electronic cruise control and outstanding ergonomics for the long distance rider.  It is somewhat biased toward touring.  The Honda ST1300 and the FJR at lower price points are also good machines if they fit you and if engine heat is not a consideration.

All other things equal, the engine configuration (in line, V or horizontally opposed is all a matter of packaging and weight.  For example, a V-4 is lighter and more compact (shorter/lighter crankshaft) whereas an in line 4 (up to about 2300 ccs.) is smoother running.  Note that I said all other things equal.  There are exceptions to every rule.

[138742]

Hello again everyone,

Thank you kindly for all your information and suggestions. It seems that everyone is quite happy with all their rides, so I need to look at those bikes I haven't considered yet.

To answer an earlier question, I will be riding back to Seattle at the end of June to be home and head back in September for school.

[JoeKC]

I was mere days away from buying a used ST3 (the 748 was an awesome, trouble-free 22K mile experience, despite my HD friend's opinion that I'd be stranded every other day) when a pal at work put me onto a guy who wanted to offload his Futura.  I got the Futura for half of what the ST3 would've cost me and I'm very pleased with the bike overall- good ergos, great panniers and attractive lines.  The Rotax motor has a sterling reputation from what I've gathered on ApriliaForum.com.  Anyway, I'm happy with mine overall.  If you get one, go red (simply stunning in direct sunlight).  The only thing it gives up to the ST3 is the desmodromic sound.  That I'll miss until my next Ducati.  It seems twins are where it's at for me.  I don't think I'll go back to 4 cylinders unless I switch to a K12GT or such.

[Smiffy]

If you plan riding "solo" then you could do a lot worse than a VFR. I have owned three now, (750, 800 and VTEC) and loved all of them, with none of them ever letting me down once (apart from a puncture on the VTEC  )...
But as soon as the wife wanted to come out on the bike with me, I found the 800 engine a bit of a "gasper" when fully loaded.
I looked around for something with a little more midrange grunt and ended up buying a brand new ZZR1200. A very nice bike, with loads of torque for two up touring but the worst stock seat imaginable. My first mod was to swap out for a Corbin, which improved things slightly but the wife was never 100% happy on the back of it. She's not a big girl by any stretch of the imagination, but Kawasaki just didn't provide enough room for a passenger on what was supposed to be their ST model.
I soon changed again for a ZZR1400 and she finds this much more comfortable...with no modifications needed apart from a higher screen to save me from the windblast....
A friend of mine has an FJR which he loves, and keeps trying to talk me into having a go on. But they just don't do anything for me on the looks front to be honest. Other friends have Pan Euro's which they swear by, and I think if the ZZR1400 hadn't come along, and my arm was twisted to buy another bike which was going to be comfortable for the wife, the Pan Euro would be sitting in my garage now.
A very good bike, with Honda's legendary reliability and build quality. And comfortable for day long journeys.
And the Police use them over here too....and if you have ever seen a British bike cop going at full chat on one, or have ever tried to stay with one on the road you will discover............they handle!!
Rob

[Sport]

Hmmm, need I say more?  Best bargain in motorcycleland so you might as well go all the way.

[Mini4x]

I really miss my CBR-1000-F when it come to slabbing the miles away... that bike was so well mannered in the highway.  big tank, comfy seat..  wish I knew what I had when I had it.

[county]

Honda Blackbird
Kawasaki ZZR
Suzuki Hayabusa

And the Kawasaki ZX 14 if you want the newest.

With proper maintenance any of these bikes will do more miles than you will.

These bikes are the ultimate sport tourers.  Put on an automatic chain oiler, accessory plug and heated grips.

[zzr pilot]

Don't forget to add an Audiovox CCS-100 cruise control!!!

[jwhite518]

You're only riding cross country twice a year, but you're owning the bike year round. Get something you're going to love those other 50 weeks. You can make it cross country on anything.

[ben1364]

You're only riding cross country twice a year, but you're owning the bike year round. Get something you're going to love those other 50 weeks. You can make it cross country on anything.

Sounds good but I think he intends to make two round trips per year totaling what, about 12,000 miles?  I think a sport touring bike is in order.  Any of the sport touring bikes discussed above are fine but I would recommend a test ride on an R1200RT if it fits the budget.  It is an exceptional long distance touring bike and is surprisingly flickable bike when the situation dictates.

[adamjava1]

if your legs are long enough and you dont mind having  a set of non-metric tools in the garage you should take a ULY for a test ride

its REALLY comfortable on highway and hella-fun on city streets