Lately, I’ve been thinking about adding another steed to my stable, maybe later this year. I love my cruiser but I have been yearning for a bike that has the handling and horsepower of a high performance sports bike and is also comfortable for long distance touring. So I’ve been looking at these sport-touring bikes as potential candidates for my next bike. The pictures below are of the 07 models but I would probably get a used one. Which one would you buy?!
Yamaha FJR 1300A
Kawasaki Concours 14
BMW R1200 RT
Moto Guzzi Norge 1200
Triumph Sprint ST
Motorcycle Diaries 
Kawasaki Concours
Babe, I like the Yamaha or the Moto Guzzi! ‘ )
G
Envious Droooooool :D. I do say the yam looks very intimidating.
Kawasaki Concours 14 is the way to go. It has the ZX 14 engine which is a beast of a bike, so it is the powerful bike among all the bikes you have mentioned. Handles like a sport bike and geared towards long rides. An awesome ride all around.
I think you sould go for the Honda or the Yamaha
They all look awesome and the specs on the ones I looked at were very similiar. I’m figuring they will each ride and feel a little different. So, I guess I’d go for the one that felt the best riding and was a good deal.
Kawasaki Concours 14 is the best of this list!!
The Triumph is a bit of an odd one out in your list; It’s much smaller than the others and isn’t anywhere near as comfy. I think the Kawasaki is the best of the bunch.
concours should be a good bet. all the reviews I could read on that bike simply praises it. great blog, btw. have fun and ride safe.
-joy
WOW, a lot of concours fans here!
my money would be on the kawasaki as well. everything i’ve heard praises the machine and it will most certainly keep you smiling for some time. i’ve debated about getting one myself for those extended trips.
I’m absolutely tickled with my Triumph. I have a speed four. It’s perfectly comfy on 6 hour rides (not bad for a naked sportbike). It runs great, looks great, sounds great…
Have you considered the new Triumph Tiger? It’s more tour-y, and has the same motor as the Speed Triple, thus giving you torque AND high end performance.
Now that you’ve had some input, which way are you leaning? I’m going to upgrade my ST1100 this summer and I’ll be interested to see what you end up with and why. Right now the FJR1300 or the Kawi 1400 GTS are at the top of the list.
I vote for concours, looks like miss sporty however kawasaki is interesting as well
Kawasaki Concours 14.
Good to see another Desi out there. If you ever are around New York City or Tri-State area let me know, I can go out for a ride with you :).
Funny, I don’t see any Harley Davidsons as choices….haha. Hi Vinnie, if it were me I’d take the BMW. Proven long distance ride. Most of your “iron butters” ride BMW’s.
So many choices….
I think in the end, I’ll be getting a bike that I find a great deal on, possibly aHonda ST1300 or a Yam FJR. I still need to figure out how I’d pay for it…
I don’t really need a car, do I? !!1 🙂
Really great bikes on your list! I’m considering the BMW R1200R and hope to test ride one this summer. I have a friend with FJR and he loves it! You’ll have a tough decision selecting from that group.
I like honda…..looks cooool dude!!!
Don’t consider anything that Piaggio sells (Aprilia/Guzzi) unless you like the idea of no dealers, no parts, no mechanics and no warranty work…….after they make these bikes …nothing else works.
What is the best touring bike?
I’ve had a bunch of bikes in my life, and now I’m thinking of buying something to go touring on. Most of my bikes have been sportbikes or standards, and I really like sport touring bikes, but I also …
the concours 14 has 154 hp at rear wheel…..enough said
I’m considering the same thing for a while and here’s my take:
* BMW RT: Love it! This would be my second choice. I’ve rented this bike multiple times, putting about 4K miles on it riding all over Arizona and NM, and loved every mile. This bike is a mile muncher and is still fun in canyons, but heavy, making it more of a committed touring bike, and less of an all-around bike (of course we all need a separate track bike 🙂
* I rented the FJR last summer and rode all over Washington and parts of Oregon, but wasn’t impressed with that bike. The center of gravity is screwed up, so the bike doesn’t feel solid. You can actually feel the frame flex, weird, and the engine has a wallop of high-end HP, but you have really have to rev it before it kicks in, which I personally hate (I ride a v-twin sport bike)
* Triumph ST: Had a short ride on a 2002. The engine felt good, but the bike was pretty top-heavy, and didn’t feel comfortable enough for touring.
* Motto-Guzzy, Honda ST: Sat on them at the last motorcycle expo here in NYC. Both felt VERY heavy, especially compared to the ….
* Kawi 14: Holy crap this bike feels, and specs, great. I’m dying to ride this thing. I’m tempted to buy it based on the reviews, specs, and from sitting on it alone. It is by far the lightest feeling touring bike I’ve ever sat on. If the engine can deliver the low/mid power that normally lacks in inline-4s, then we may have the perfect sport-tourer.
The only one of these bikes I have ridden is the new Concours but it’s hard to imagine how a person could be very disappointed with that bike. My first thought was “solid as granite – smooth as ice cream.” It’s not just the engine. Every control I touch gave a feeling of creamy smoothness. I have an older Concours, which is quite crude by comparison but still not a bad bike. My true love though is my Multistrada. It is more comfortable by a wide margin and is a ton more fun. It’s not for every one. Minimal weather protection, more maintenance, and tall. I’ve always wanted to ride the FJR but have never heard this type of negative comment about its handling. Being a rental bike, I wonder if there was something wrong with the setup or tires. I live in Washington. Who rents them?
The Connie. Get the larger windshield, handwarming grips, and don’t ride in shorts as the engine sheds heat like crazy. Those are the only flaws…except the speed and handling of this artfully balanced machine might put your drivers license at risk 🙂
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