What is your definition of a sports tourer?

[jcheston]

The prose below contains my favourite definition of a sports tourer. I thought that I would share it:

 

To judge from the artwork that I have seen from certain designers, a sports tourer is one on which it is possible to scrape the knee while cornering and yet carry a pillion passenger. To judge from recent history, a sports tourer is what was last year’s sports model, and the year before was the state-of-the-art super-sports racing replica – except that now it has wider wheels, better tyres, and less adaptable suspension.

 

... [i would] venture my own idea of what such a motorcycle should be.

 

A sports tourer should, in the first place, be able to carry enough clobber to make a journey of touring length a practical undertaking despite the probability of a drastic change in the weather en route. It should have sufficient range on a tankful not only to go a greater distance than any rider would want to travel non stop (that could be arranged by making it uncomfortable), but further to go as far as might be necessary to find petrol at night or on a Sunday in Ross and Cromarty [a former county in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland]. Finally it should be quick enough to make getting to Ross and Cromarty a reasonable proposition from Surrey [about 650 miles] in a couple of days’ civilised riding between leisurely breakfast and well dressed dinner.

 

That says it all, really. The fine details of performance matter less than the manner in which it is delivered. If the ‘bike can snap out of its cruising mode to blast through a traffic gap at the drop of a cog, rather than at the drop of two, so much the better. If it can cruise at 130mph with no more aerodynamic turbulence to batter the rider than at 90 or 100 per, so very much the better. Most important of all, though, is that it should not be hard work.

 

You may make of racing, and of the pseudo-racing with which the roadgoing super-sporting rider sublimates his thwarted track instincts, what you will; but touring is not an athletic activity. A touring motorcycle, no matter how sporting its demeanour, must not require substantial inputs of muscle-power to work the brakes or the clutch, or to hang onto the grips lest one be blown off the back. There is no virtue whatever in arriving at one’s destination tired.

LJK Setright, Motorcycle Review magazine, 1989

 

[Boffin]

I miss LJK's articles. Always well thought out and well presented. His views on sports-tourers sums it up for me.

 

Andy

[John Bentall]

I heard him speak once - pure magic. He was in his seventies, had an enormous white beard and looked like a rabbi from the Russian Steppe. Unbelievable!

His views on touring quoted above are not entirely unrelated to his interest in BMW machinery.

[RSR]

But I was much younger then.

[Boone60]

Cruise at 130 mph?

 

Rules out my RT.

[RichEdwards]

His definition describes my GT perfectly.

[jcheston]

I heard him speak once - pure magic. He was in his seventies, had an enormous white beard and looked like a rabbi from the Russian Steppe. Unbelievable!

His views on touring quoted above are not entirely unrelated to his interest in BMW machinery.

 

LJKS's appearance was, I think, a consequence of his becoming a Lubavitch Jew whilst living in Texas in the early '80s. If I recall correctly, he regarded BMW as being the world's second best engine maker , the best being Honda. He described in both CAR and Bike magazines in the UK of the pleasures of riding an R100RS from England to the South of France in order to test drive a new 6-series BMW. He reported that whilst other bikes were theoretically faster than the RS over a mile or two, none was able to keep up beyond that because of the protection afforded by its fairing. He was not convinced of the benefits advanced for the engine/transmission layout of the K100 series, however, but praised BMW for pioneering ABS on bikes.

[Rideoften]

Best description of an R1200ST I've heard to date.

 

Ride Safe

Rideoften

[Penforhire]

Neat description but unless "clobber" includes a reasonable fairing (either smooth or low wind blast) and primary rider comfort (not just pillion) then I find his description lacking those.

[leikam]

There seems little difference between his definition of a sports tourer and a non-sporting touring bike. Wherever he says "sports tourer", replace it with simply "tourer" and I think you will find that nothing is lost. Throughout, what he is describing is what makes motorcycle touring practical and comfortable.

[EffBee]

Get there fast.

 

In comfort.

 

With all your stuff.

[Kitsap]

Get there fast.

 

In comfort.

 

With all your stuff.

 

That include your Gerbings EffBee? CUSoon, maybe tomorrow

[grasslander]

R1200ST - R100RS

[vfrcauv]

Sport Touring to me is riding solo or two up on twisties, sweepers, including the Blue Ridge Parkway, at a moderate pace. To ride smoothly with graceful lines is fun stuff! My riding consists of mostly day riding in the NC/SC/Tenn/Va areas on a Vstrom and KLR. Enjoy the ride to & from the Dual Sport riding areas at a moderate pace on the KLR too. Here is a photo of Route 181 North of Morganton NC that is a pleasant set of sweepers:

 

 

 

 

[dhanson]

His definition describes my GT perfectly.

 

+1 on Perfectly

[Quinn]

Sport Touring to me is riding solo or two up on twisties, sweepers, including the Blue Ridge Parkway, at a moderate pace. To ride smoothly with graceful lines is fun stuff! My riding consists of mostly day riding in the NC/SC/Tenn/Va areas on a Vstrom and KLR. Enjoy the ride to & from the Dual Sport riding areas at a moderate pace on the KLR too. Here is a photo of Route 181 North of Morganton NC that is a pleasant set of sweepers:

 

 

 

 

 

Blatent hijack:

 

I was on 181 last Sunday coming back from Thanksgiving in Tenn. We had just bought a pick and cut your own Christmas tree that still had ice on it. In coming down 181, there were actually three bicyclists on their way up. Absolutely miserable, dripping wet, freezing, windy weather and there were these guys pedalling up a steep (11 mile) hill. I don't think I was ever that young or that stupid. I've heard an adventure discribed as a miserable time looked back on; so I guess they were having an adventure and looking forward to bragging rights on Monday at work.

 

End of hijack.

 

 

[vfrcauv]

Blatent hijack:

 

I was on 181 last Sunday coming back from Thanksgiving in Tenn. We had just bought a pick and cut your own Christmas tree that still had ice on it. In coming down 181, there were actually three bicyclists on their way up. Absolutely miserable, dripping wet, freezing, windy weather and there were these guys pedalling up a steep (11 mile) hill. I don't think I was ever that young or that stupid. I've heard an adventure discribed as a miserable time looked back on; so I guess they were having an adventure and looking forward to bragging rights on Monday at work.

 

End of hijack.

 

 

Sometimes I slow down and watch/follow those guys down the hill. They really go fast and ride close together. My Sport Touring definition of fun does not include riding 181 in the rain, fog, and ice! Will leave that to the Adventure Sport Touring Riders!

[russell_bynum]

Sport Touring is something you do, not something you ride.

[Tony_K]

Sport Touring is something you do, not something you ride.

 

HA ha! That's what we call a B-slap over here in the in the hood.

[motoguy128]

A sportbike that has enough comfort and luggage capacity for long trips. To meet that requirement, it can drift pretty far from "sport" and come closer to full-on "touring" bike.

 

For me, the RT needed the added requirement of being a good 2-up machine meaning it had to have lots of passenger space, a large well padded seat and good legroom.... and even more luggage capacity.

 

The RT and GT seem to fit that definition perfectly. Their basic platforms are both based on more sporting designs. In contrast, the LT for example, it a gear specifically towards loaded, long distance touring wiht it's design allowing for some more sporting attributes.