What's a good sport touring bike for IBA use

[Dave28117]

This is probably a good group to ask since we all ride such a wide variety of bikes.

I'm selling my 2000 Goldwing. While it's great for long distance mile-eating, it's not so good for my commuting purposes and around town. my favorite bike I've ever owned was a 2005 Kawi C-10. it served my faithfully for 13 years. Longest I've ever owned a bike.

My thoughts/requirements at this point:
- comfortable for commuting use (25 miles each way mostly highway at 70-75)
- good around town as well, dropping my granddaughter off at school
- day trips with the wife on the back and must be comfortable for her (the goldwing was fantastic for this, but we won't be touring long distance as originally intended)
- able to knock off IBA certified rides (not rally use) I have some of the rides still on my bucket list like completing the I40E2E which I missed on my last CC trip)
- fuel capacity for IBA needs
- would really prefer FI and modern electronics this time
- I will be buying used. I can't afford the prices of new bike. Budget is 5k to 10k USD.

My thoughts so far are FJR or BMW. we have test-ridden a FJR in the past and it was comfortable for the wife and is the only other bike I thought was close to the C10 in size/comfort. BMWs 1200RT perhaps. not sure of size for local riding. Was thinking about Honda 1300 but looks pretty big. I've owned a C14 before and it's not passenger friendly for the wife. Perhaps a Triumph Trophy or Moto Guzzi Norge but hesitant for dealer network and repairs.

so give me ideas how to spend my hard-earned cash!

 

[Dave28117]

BTW....my other bike right now is a KLR650 which I use for lower end ADV riding. it's not geared for the work commute, but it nice and light for around town use. It just doesn't carry groceries like the GW or C10 did.

 

[EricV]

My thoughts/requirements at this point:
- comfortable for commuting use (25 miles each way mostly highway at 70-75)
- good around town as well, dropping my granddaughter off at school
- day trips with the wife on the back and must be comfortable for her (the goldwing was fantastic for this, but we won't be touring long distance as originally intended)
- able to knock off IBA certified rides (not rally use) I have some of the rides still on my bucket list like completing the I40E2E which I missed on my last CC trip)
- fuel capacity for IBA needs
- would really prefer FI and modern electronics this time
- I will be buying used. I can't afford the prices of new bike. Budget is 5k to 10k USD.

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.

 

[Dave28117]

1800 is too big. We rode a C10 and were very comfortable related to seating room. the FJR was also roomy enough. keep in mind, just day-rides. no more than 200 miles.

 

[EricV]

FJRs have proven to be 150-200k mile motors. Lots of them can be found in your price range with a wide range of goodies, often with low miles. The major service is valve adj/check every 26k miles. Usually around $300-400, depending on the shop and how familiar with the job they are, (same shim under bucket found on other bikes). The only common fail during the task is pinching the valve cover gasket and causing a leak. The coolant will be dumped during the valve check/adj. I wouldn't necessarily shy away from a late model bike with 100k on it Vs an older model with less miles, all things being equal and depending on what you have in mind for it. I put 160k on an '04A.

For reference, '03 was the first model year in the US. ('01 in the rest of the world). US '04/05 model years had optional ABS. Blue pucks on the front calipers mean NO ABS. Silver pucks mean ABS. In '06 Gen II started and ABS came standard. OEM Cruise Control started in '13. Speed was regulated in CC at a lower speed for '13. (100mph?) It moved up in '14.

All FJR windscreens are power adjustable and from the factory they auto retract when the bike is shut down. Many owner's didn't like that feature and it can be disabled by unplugging a ground loop wire in the exiting harness behind the dash. (Or easily reinstalled if desired)

The aftermarket is huge for the FJR. The cost of ownership is very low.

 

[yon]

Personally, I'm leaning towards upgrading to an FJR some time next year. Seems to be a great IBA bike and lots of people have them. But I haven't been able to ride one to see if I like the seating position.

If I end up not liking the FJR, I will probably go with a Versys 1000. I already own a Versys 650 and a 300 and was able to ride a used 1000 around the parking lot of a dealer last year. I felt right at home on the 1000.

 

[igneouss]

If you fit comfortably on an FJR then it's a good choice. Well proven. Sadly I do not fit comfortably on the FJR.

 

[rneal55555]

1800 is too big. We rode a C10 and were very comfortable related to seating room. the FJR was also roomy enough. keep in mind, just day-rides. no more than 200 miles.

An 1800 Wing rides a lot smaller than it is. I previously had a 2004 Connie and a 99 Yamaha Royal Star Venture st the same time. The Connie was a commuter and one up LDR bike, the Royal Star was the 2 up Tourer, an 1800 Wing has taken the place of both of them.

That said I'm currently looking looking for a bike to keep in Europe with a budget of $5000. Fuel Injection and ABS are a must older BMW RT's and Honda ST1300's current front runners. An ST1300 is vary comparable to the FJR.

 

[tigerstripes]

The Rt 1250, 1200 is a great one up bike . Great for around town hops and highway . It is not a great two up bike as the seat configuration pushes the passenger foreward into you putting you in an uncomfortable riding position .

 

[Dave28117]

The Rt 1250, 1200 is a great one up bike . Great for around town hops and highway . It is not a great two up bike as the seat configuration pushes the passenger forward into you putting you in an uncomfortable riding position .

interesting to know. I used to own a C14 and it did the same thing. question though, with an aftermarket seat, is it better? I've heard that on the C14 it helps, but never tried it.

 

[tigerstripes]

interesting to know. I used to own a C14 and it did the same thing. question though, with an aftermarket seat, is it better? I've heard that on the C14 it helps, but never tried it.

Im not sure i didnt replace the seat as most of my riding till i met my wife was one up

 

[c10]

Ive owned a FJR and it was great with the 6.6 gallons of fuel. Easy riding could net 303 miles to bone dry out of fuel . Average riding was 250 miles and stop for fuel . FJR , and C14 both have some heat to contend with . My Hayabusa is cooler than both .

BMW RS though is better than all three listed above . So cool to ride even in triple digits as there is no engine heat adding to the ambient air temps like most motorcycles . A quick tank mod take the bike from 4.8 to 5.198 gallons .

125 plus pounds lighter than the others , and two up comfort . My 265 pound 6' 2" friend on my RS with a RDL saddle , and little 5' 1" 145 pound me

If you work on your own stuff BMW is easier to service

 

[igneouss]

If I was starting from scratch today: noodle around to find the last 2 IBR reports. You will find a list of finishers that includes bikes. Pick out the 3 most common. Go to dealers and sit on them. See which seems to fit you the best. Take test rides if at all possible. Next, go to events like the upcoming JAX party and spend time in the parking lot. Don't be shy LOL. You could do the same at the Texas event or the start of the LDX in Iowa (although not as much time for riders to chat).
If you get that far you will have a clear favorite.
All that said, if you are in a hurry or on a budget, just go find a decent used FJR. They seem to offer the most bang for the buck and are reasonably plentiful on the used bike market. I'd have one but they just don't fit me for LD riding.

 

[Rambar]

This is probably a good group to ask since we all ride such a wide variety of bikes.

I'm selling my 2000 Goldwing. While it's great for long distance mile-eating, it's not so good for my commuting purposes and around town. my favorite bike I've ever owned was a 2005 Kawi C-10. it served my faithfully for 13 years. Longest I've ever owned a bike.

My thoughts/requirements at this point:
- comfortable for commuting use (25 miles each way mostly highway at 70-75)
- good around town as well, dropping my granddaughter off at school
- day trips with the wife on the back and must be comfortable for her (the goldwing was fantastic for this, but we won't be touring long distance as originally intended)
- able to knock off IBA certified rides (not rally use) I have some of the rides still on my bucket list like completing the I40E2E which I missed on my last CC trip)
- fuel capacity for IBA needs
- would really prefer FI and modern electronics this time
- I will be buying used. I can't afford the prices of new bike. Budget is 5k to 10k USD.

My thoughts so far are FJR or BMW. we have test-ridden a FJR in the past and it was comfortable for the wife and is the only other bike I thought was close to the C10 in size/comfort. BMWs 1200RT perhaps. not sure of size for local riding. Was thinking about Honda 1300 but looks pretty big. I've owned a C14 before and it's not passenger friendly for the wife. Perhaps a Triumph Trophy or Moto Guzzi Norge but hesitant for dealer network and repairs.

so give me ideas how to spend my hard-earned cash!

Might try a good used BMW K1300S. I have put 100,000 on mine and it is still working great for me.

 

[Dave28117]

Might try a good used BMW K1300S. I have put 100,000 on mine and it is still working great for me.

the S won't work for passenger accommodations. However, I went and looked at a 2015 R1200RT. they downsized it a bit in 2014 and the size now is exactly what I'm looking for. It's going to come down to a decision by my wife as to whether she likes this BMW or an FJR. Either will be just fine for IBA rides, commuting to work, around-town work, and day-trips with the wife.

 

[Marc BEAULAC]

An 1800 Wing rides a lot smaller than it is. I previously had a 2004 Connie and a 99 Yamaha Royal Star Venture st the same time. The Connie was a commuter and one up LDR bike, the Royal Star was the 2 up Tourer, an 1800 Wing has taken the place of both of them.

That said I'm currently looking looking for a bike to keep in Europe with a budget of $5000. Fuel Injection and ABS are a must older BMW RT's and Honda ST1300's current front runners. An ST1300 is vary comparable to the FJR.

Get a NT700v (Deauville) in Europe. Plenty of them there. good power and shaft drive.

 

[Auburn]

the S won't work for passenger accommodations. However, I went and looked at a 2015 R1200RT. they downsized it a bit in 2014 and the size now is exactly what I'm looking for. It's going to come down to a decision by my wife as to whether she likes this BMW or an FJR. Either will be just fine for IBA rides, commuting to work, around-town work, and day-trips with the wife.

The FJR is a great 2 up platform. we had about 60K 2up miles on this bike, three trips to Alaska, and many trips all over the western half of the US. We have moved onto the new generation of Goldwings because the weight is carried much lower that the FJR (or the BMWs).

On our 06 FJR, I installed a Givi 357 top rack to hold the top case. The stock grab rail is plastic and cracked under the seat. I made a custom plate (red in the pictures below) that allowed me to move the stock top case back 2 inches to let my better half sit straight up and give her more room. I used the stock mount that I separated off the bottom part of it to allow bolting to the custom Givi mount. She also wears a spine protector inside her Aerostich suit. She takes pictures while we are on the move and frequently stands up on the pegs and leans on the top case. One other thing that really helps strength the subframe is to add a Bushtec trailer hitch - even if you don't tow a trailer. It triangulates the subframe to the main frame which significantly strengthens the back of the bike. For reference, Marissa is 5'2" tall. A Russell Day Long seat is a must. I did convert the rear pegs to bolted on flat boards for her comfort.

Example of typical picture she took while standing on the pegs leaning against the top case. On the Dalton about 30 miles south of the Artic Circle monument.

 

[HACKLE]

Dave, I know Triumph stopped making them in 2016 but you'd have to have a look at a Triumph Trophy 1215 SE. More than enough room two up, more than enough power, great fuel economy. The only downside is there's a lot of plastic to remove for servicing. See past that and you have an excellent base for your next rally bike. Look at James Epley's results. And I'm sure you could pick up a clean Trophy with limited mileage in the States. They come up regularly on the Trophy forum for sale. Cheers.

 

[Dave28117]

Dave, I know Triumph stopped making them in 2016 but you'd have to have a look at a Triumph Trophy 1215 SE. More than enough room two up, more than enough power, great fuel economy. The only downside is there's a lot of plastic to remove for servicing. See past that and you have an excellent base for your next rally bike. Look at James Epley's results. And I'm sure you could pick up a clean Trophy with limited mileage in the States. They come up regularly on the Trophy forum for sale. Cheers.

I did notice that one. two concerns. First, they are not very available....as in....they are just hard to find. Second, availability of parts/service. While I do most of my own service, I wonder how quickly I can get parts in if/when I need them. I'm open to thoughts in that regard as this thread is about investigating the options. (with my bias/needs injected)

I looked at the M/G Norge as well, but it's also an older model and parts, as I understand, as harder to come by.

 

[SteveAikens]

I went and looked at a 2015 R1200RT. they downsized it a bit in 2014 and the size now is exactly what I'm looking for.

I picked up a '15 RT on 6/19 with 18k. Just under 70k on it now. After playing crap games with the dealership's - so-called - mechanics that made the bike worse to ride every time I took it to them, I contacted "boxflyer" [Brad Smith] and he agreed to do a major service on the bike for me. Best decision I've ever made.

I live in Clovis, NM, Brad lives in New Hampshire - which is only 2K from me. I rode up spent a few nights while I sat and got educated on what to look for and how to do a proper full service on the bike watching Brad work.

The dealership service was bad enough that there were times when I was headed out for a long ride, that I took my 07 RT with [now] 135k on it instead of the '15. The 07 is the bike I did the IBR on.

The difference in having someone like Brad, that honestly knows what they're doing to service the RT's, and the guy at the dealership is truly significant. The bike now runs/handles better than it ever has, since I've owned it.

My point in this thread is, how good a sport touring bike is for IBA use isn't just about "the bike." The quality of the service on the bike has a major part in how suitable - how good - the ride is when doing IBA rides.

That's my two cents worth.