What's a good sport touring bike for IBA use

[Beard Fitness]

The Triumph Tiger Sport 660 is an excellent choice for IBA rides, offering a perfect balance of power and comfort. Pair it with Viking Bags for ample storage, ensuring you're well-equipped for long-distance touring adventures. With its versatility and reliability, this combination is sure to enhance your touring experience.

 

[Stephen!]

The Triumph Tiger Sport 660 is an excellent choice for IBA rides, offering a perfect balance of power and comfort. Pair it with Viking Bags for ample storage, ensuring you're well-equipped for long-distance touring adventures. With its versatility and reliability, this combination is sure to enhance your touring experience.

When did the forum hire advertising bots?

 

[igneouss]

Lots of modifications can be made to most any bike: pegs, windscreens, bags, aux tanks... However, some things you can't change. For example (if you are serious about this stuff) you need enough electricity to run heated gear and aux lights. Another data point that (in my opinion) matters a lot is weight. We talk lots about fatigue management, I believe that bike weight is a significant factor that gets ignored in many conversations.

 

[Rusjel]

Hi Dave,

thought I’d add my perspective having had a C14 for three years and 100k and a GL1800 the last three.

Lane filtering is legal in Oz and where the lanes are more generous filtering on the GL hasn’t been a problem. I do realise from my limited rides in the states that the lanes are narrower there and theres the legal issues in some states.

I’ve had at least 5k riding FJRs, owned the C14 and have had a couple of good rides on the ST1300. The C14 is the sportiest feeling of the three. Note ‘sportiest feeling’ rather than ‘sporty’. The Engine is more aggressive and the steering sharper than the FJR, but a well ridden FJR would not be left behind. Also the FJR is better at the low speed stuff. I preferred the all round raw and sporty feel of the C14 and when it’s on the pipe it’s pretty addictive. However the long term seating position isn’t as good as the FJR and it was more of an effort for my wife to get on board, even after I had the seat customised.

the revelation out of the three Jappers is the ST. Less visually appealing than the other two ( to my eye) and more of a stodgy reputation, at least in Oz. But when you actually ride one, it handles sporty riding just as well as the other two, is only just trailing in the motor output stakes, the pillion seat is more accessible and is better at eating miles than either of them. I think it’s a better all round bike. A friend of mine, also an IBA rider has put a few dollars into modifying the screen seat and updating the suspension and the bike responded brilliantly. He got better results updating the suspension on the ST than I did with the same tech on my C14.

the only thing I find unpalatable on the ST is that Honda accord dash, but that’s just my opinion! The other thing of course is that the STs have been out of production for longer so are therefore older. If you are considering Japper sports tourers, the ST is worth consideration.

 

[Bernard Sullivan]

I strongly recommend a VStrom 1000. Amazingly good ergonomics; almost sport-bike handling, torque to pull tree stumps, and factory governed to a max 136. One of two bikes I wish I'd never let go. Some years ago I did 690 miles in one day without blinking and wasn't beaten up and the end of it.

 

[oldmcclelland]

I love my Honda ST1300 PA. I was able to get a 2017 that was a one owner and never in fleet ( police) service. I’m willing to learn how to care for the linked brake system because it’s a wonderful aide for safe braking when you’re on mile 900 of a 1500 mile ride.
I’ve done both a SS and BB on it; narry a problem. I find it’s fuel capacity exceeds my ability to stay in the saddle safely.

 

[EricV]

@Bernard Sullivan - The VStroms have done a lot of IBA rides, but on this forum, suggesting that you did half a ride in comfort isn't much of a recommendation. Less wind protection than bikes with more fairing. And the VStroms are not sport-touring bikes, imho, having owned one.

@oldmcclelland - The ST1300 has a justifiable legendary reputation in the LD arena. Sadly, out of production and limited bike specific farkles now days. It's a good bike for shorter riders too. At 5'11" I always found it a little cramped, sort of like the MG Stevlio. Still lots of ST1300s out there if you look.

 

[Patrick Ford]

You do realize you just described a '03-'08 GL1800 with a fuel cell to the T, right?

Normally I would perhaps offer the C14 or FJR up, but while you could use the pillion seat, unless the wife and daughter are pixie sized, it's no where even close to the comfort and ease of boarding/off boarding of the GL1800. Later GLs will give you ABS and some more electronics if memory serves. Better still, look for one that's had the suspension upgrades done, which isn't uncommon to see.

The FJR has much better stock fuel capacity at 6+ gallons, but for the times you need it, a pillion seat fuel cell would do the job and be easy to remove when not needed. And used ones are out there too.[/QUOTE
You can’t compare a 2000 1500 to a GL 1800. Completely different bikes and so much improved over the 1500. Ride one and you will be sold.

 

[Bernard Sullivan]

Anecdote not about Iron Butts but making a relevant point: Back in the days when I rode a 1978 Suzuki GS850 with the banana seat and crash bar pegs, my son and I rode every mile of the Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway together. Even then I was a semi-couch potato. He was only a year past being a state-ranked high school cross country runner. He was on a Yamaha Seca 750 with a king/queen seat and no crash bar pegs. I could move all over the Suzuki, forward and back on the seat, feet on the pillion pegs, forward pegs, crash bar pegs. I had a throttle lock that allowed me, on rare straights, to let go of the bar and stretch my back and roll my shoulders. He was folded up in one position like a grasshopper on a BB. At the end of our riding days I was good for another hundred miles and he was gray with fatigue. And don't think I didn't rub it in. Point being, of course, that some ergonomic flexibility is an asset on the long haul.

 

[keithu]

I know the original request in this thread was for a sport-TOURER with good passenger accommodations. But I'd just like to give a shout out to the SPORT-tourers out there. I did many long days and a couple LD rallies on my FJ-09. I know at least one person in this community who keeps a Tracer 900 for two-up work, having downsized from an FJR. And Heracles Boardman finished well in the 2023 IBR on a Tracer 9 GT.

Here's my FJ-09 in full LD config:



I'm a big proponent of touring on lighter bikes. It can be done. But remember I'm the crazy guy who used to tour and rally on this:

 

[Ricardo Machado]

if OP is still looking for a Sport Touring, I just posted my K1600 for sale, great bike, good for commute, great for any Long Distance Event, plenty of storage space

https://forum.ironbutt.org/index.php?threads/need-a-rally-ready-bike-you-found-it-k1600gtl.6785/

 

[Dave28117]

.......
I'm a big proponent of touring on lighter bikes. It can be done. But remember I'm the crazy guy who used to tour and rally on this:

View attachment 11877

I had one too! no major touring work on it though.

 

[keithu]

I had one too! no major touring work on it though.

Nice! The TT600 is the best handling bike I've ever owned, and I was surprisingly comfortable on it. I was actually more comfortable touring on the TT600 than on the BMW K100RS I had previously. The Triumph's legroom was tight, but the reach to the bars was shorter, the OEM seat was pretty good, and most importantly it was smooth at highway speed. The K100 handlebars buzzzzed so bad it was like holding an orbital sander in each hand. I rode the TT600 in three Cal24 rallies with two top-4 finishes.

My knees were 20+ years younger when I did all that though, I don't think I could handle touring on the TT600 now. But I still regret selling it.