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Sport Touring bike recommendation

3K views 26 replies 15 participants last post by  ervin260 
#1 ·
Ok, I know this may not be VTX related but looking for some advice on getting a good sport touring Bike. For the record, My X is & always will be a keeper & she ain’t going anywhere so this will be a second bike.

As much as the X is a great bike in so many aspects it’s still a metric cruiser & I can’t hit the corners as hard as some of the other guys I ride with who have sport touring machines. A lot of riding I do is some of the more technical roads here in Ontario such as the 518 which is known as Ontario’s “Tail Of The Dragon”

I’m looking at getting a ZX-14 Concourse (shaft drive, probably a 2008)

I’ve read great reviews on it & want to know if any of you have a sport touring machine? I’m trying to stay within my budget which is approx. $10K.

I’m open to any suggestions so please chime in!
 
#4 ·
Hard to tell...
The sport touring thing didn't work for me. Years ago I bought a second bike, a sport tourer (FJR1300) addition to my VTX 1800. I wanted something nice, with hard bags and with rain and wind protection for long trips. Rode it a few hundred miles and parked it and sold it later. That time my VTX was taken apart for modifications, so I didn't ride for a coupe months (despite of still having the FJR). It just wasn't fun after the VTX. Later I bought a second VTX 1800 and made a touring bike of it. To me riding is not about the comfort, how smooth the ride is of how fast I can curve the twisties. It's about feelig the vibration, the wind, the sun, the smell of flowers and trees,watching the scenery, having fun. I always say, if you don't like riding, go with car or on a sport bike. You can get to your destination quickly and jump off the bike and do whatever you like to do. If you like riding, you don't need to go fast, because it's about being on the road not about getting to your destination quickly.
 
#13 ·
Hell, the vtx is a touring bike. You already have one side of the coin, get yourself a sports bike and you will keep up with your mates. There are many to choose from and being as second hand bikes are so cheap something low mileage wont cost an arm and a leg. If you don't like it, ditch it and try something else. Speed = smiles. Life is short. Live for today.
 
#17 ·
Based on some of the responses I’m seeing here I feel that maybe I was not clear in my OP as to why I want a sport touring bike in addition to my X.

It don’t matter how skilled of a rider a person may be, a metric cruiser can not take the corners like that of a sport touring machine. I love taking my X into the twisties & have scraped my floor boards more times that I want to remember.

Although Ontario Canada is relatively flat & straight there are some very technical roads here that will give you some sidewall sizzle.

A pure sport bike is just not for me. For me to consider a motorcycle, I have to ask myself if it’s a machine I can ride all long & I’m past the age + my back, shoulders & legs cannot handle that position for very long before the pain & discomfort sets in..

One guy I occasionally ride with has a BMW S1000 Super sport. A few of us rode down to the Ottawa River in July & we swapped bikes for about ½ hour or so. Although the bike felt like I was riding on a rail & handled flawlessly it’s just not for me.

When I got back on my X I had leg cramps for the duration of the day as I’m not used to riding in that position.

I know most ppl here are from the U.S. of A but if ever trekking northbound here is website of some of the nicest roads in Ontario.



https://ridethehighlands.ca/





There is a plethora of great roads in Canada especially in the west coast & the Rockies.



Ride safe brothers
 
#22 ·
I bought the last year made of the 2002 Honda ST1100. Paid $3,800 and it had 38,000 miles. That was 12/31/2015. It now has 82,500 miles. It's a V4 shaft drive. Engine is closest to bullet proof you can get with then easily going to 250,000 miles. It's perfect for me to jump between my ST and my 2006 VTX 1800C2. Takes the twisty roads easily. I ride it 3 days a week to work 51 miles around trip, and the VTX 2 days, and on weekends for just cruising I ride the VTX. ST has 7.4 gallon tank which means I can go twice the distance than my VTX. So you can sure buy one for quite a bit less than $10,000. I purchased both bikes for a total of $8,000. ST is very nimble for being as heavy as it is.
 
#23 ·
Not really sport touring but has any of y'all ridden the Indian. FJT1200? I rode one at the Hot Springs rally last month. Wow, what a blast. Only rode for a few miles on a predetermined course but the best I can figure 3rd gear 9grand is approximately 87 mph with lots more to go. With a electronic wheelie preventer,and a traction control among other things, o and they never told me about the powerband, almost like a Yamaha yz. With 120 hp neat toy.
 

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#24 · (Edited)
Concours 14

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I had a Concours 14 for about 4 years. It's a fantastic bike, but it was too uncomfortable for me personally to do multi-day trips on it. It has a very aggressive forward-leaning sitting position, even with an aftermarket set of risers and seat on it. I could do L.A. to vegas trips on it as it was perfect for shorter trips, but I would be pretty uncomfortable on trips over 3 days. Now that's just me, but for you younger guys, that might not be a problem at all. That engine is a gem, silky smooth, reliable, and very powerful. I eventually went back to cruiser style touring bikes for the comfort factor, but I miss the "fun" factor of the sport-touring bikes.
 
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