Are sport-touring bikes really comfortable?

[tricker]

clint submitted in an argument?? son of a %%%%%! when i see vinnie tomorrow i'll have to tell him hell froze over

[tricker]

Originally Posted by intimid8er

Now..now...

There's absolutely no shame in drinking like a Viking and going home alone.


NSFW....turn the volume down before hand.

quality... you never dissapoint

[buster]

So er.. back on topic, an 800cc underpowered with two up, nope! Anne & I are regular rally goers and we cruise all over the place, fully laden with kit and camping gear, the M will achieve over 100MPH with two up and it will still out accelerate most cars. You don't need another bike, just a new seat. The Saddlemen explorer is what I put on mine and we have done a 250 mile trip in a onner, except having to stop for 10 minutes for a refuel and no probs.

That being said I do now have a sports tourer and we have yet to do a decent run on it. The ST is a Diversion 900, a mere 100cc difference in the engine. I will have to learn to ride a different way as the ST is an inline four and has NO engine braking whatsoever.

In fact thinking back to when I had a 250, it would do 85mph flat out, irrespective of load, it just took longer to get there.

[07M50zAllDaWay]

Originally Posted by buster

So er.. back on topic, an 800cc underpowered with two up, nope! Anne & I are regular rally goers and we cruise all over the place, fully laden with kit and camping gear, the M will achieve over 100MPH with two up and it will still out accelerate most cars. You don't need another bike, just a new seat. The Saddlemen explorer is what I put on mine and we have done a 250 mile trip in a onner, except having to stop for 10 minutes for a refuel and no probs.

That being said I do now have a sports tourer and we have yet to do a decent run on it. The ST is a Diversion 900, a mere 100cc difference in the engine. I will have to learn to ride a different way as the ST is an inline four and has NO engine braking whatsoever.

In fact thinking back to when I had a 250, it would do 85mph flat out, irrespective of load, it just took longer to get there.

Buster,
I'm actually OK with the seat. The Limited came with the stock gel seat, and I have no problem running the tank out of fuel before stopping. I definitely need a windshield to keep from getting beat to death by wind. Also, after a couple hours, my right hand feels like the aftermath of an electric shock. Maybe a throttle boss and possibly a bar change are in order.

[intimid8er]

Originally Posted by 07M50zAllDaWay

Buster,
I'm actually OK with the seat. The Limited came with the stock gel seat, and I have no problem running the tank out of fuel before stopping. I definitely need a windshield to keep from getting beat to death by wind. Also, after a couple hours, my right hand feels like the aftermath of an electric shock. Maybe a throttle boss and possibly a bar change are in order.

I had one of them cheapie ten dollar throttle bosses on mine. Great addition.

Have you tried maybe rotating the bars slightly towards you?

[tricker]

crampbuster helped with the problems i was having with cramping in the hand

[buster]

Originally Posted by 07M50zAllDaWay

Buster,
I'm actually OK with the seat. The Limited came with the stock gel seat, and I have no problem running the tank out of fuel before stopping. I definitely need a windshield to keep from getting beat to death by wind. Also, after a couple hours, my right hand feels like the aftermath of an electric shock. Maybe a throttle boss and possibly a bar change are in order.

AHA! yes I did put both of those things on, I fitted a Puig Custom 2 Screen, which isa small neat screen and does a brilliant job of smoothing the airflow, I didn't want one of those large cruiser screens as I feel they completely contradict the muscle cruiser look of the M.

I also fitted one of the throttle lock type cruise control things ... I tell you it is heaven sent, and for the bar change I have one of the Jeff Arnold riser sets, which will bring the bars about an inch closer to me.

It sounds as if you had the same, very easily fixed issues I had, except for the seat, the standard stocker was gruesome and Anne hated the stock pillion pad.

[KenBandit]

My current stable has a Bandit 1250SA and a GL1800. In the past I've owned an FZ1, Vulcan 1500, ST1300, and 919. I ride with many sport tourers and have ridden just about everything out there at one time or another. Take this with a grain of salt, but here's my .02 on sport touring comfort and ability.

The GL1800 is the bike of choice for serious comfortable mile munching with a passenger. Don't let it's weight fool you. That big V6 puts out ungodly amounts of torque and, with the right rider, can perform like it's on rails in the twisties. Not for the faint of heart due its size and weight. TOUR

The ST1300 is like a small Wing. It weighs a ton and has more tour in it than sport. It's a chore around town and at low speed. Decent power, great brakes, fair handling. Very comfortable. sport TOUR

Kawasaki C14 - Recently spent a day on a C14 and was underwhelmed. IMO, the magazines are way to quick to crown a new champion based mostly on HP. The C14 has great power, but you have to wring it out pretty good to get there. This is not ideal for 2-up riding. Way too much heat for my liking. Amazing brakes, good handling, but high COG that makes garage and parking lot maneuvering challenging. Very comfortable. SPORT tour

Yamaha FJR - my personal favorite sport touring bike. Great power, probably the best handling ST bike out there with the possible exception of the BMW K1200GT, good braking, good passenger comfort, and very nice stock suspension and handling. Decent comfort. SPORT tour

BMW K1200GT - an amazing motorcycle. If it weren't for the price tag and the final gear nightmares, this would be the best sport touring bike on the planet. Great power, great handling, good brakes, good comfort. SPORT tour

This month's Rider magazine has a great article on the Suzuki Bandit. They modified one to make it a very capable sport tourer -- top case, side cases, slip-on, aftermarket seat, and windshield. Their verdict? Taking into account the price of the bike, $8,000, and the cost of the add-ons, it was right up there with the best of the sport tourers for about $4000 less than a typical stock sport touring rig and weighs a couple hundred pounds less than any of them. In it's Holeshot-modified format, the 500 pound Bandit puts out 135HP and makes 95 ft lbs of torque and almost all of that power comes at you below 5K RPM. That's nice 2-up sport touring goodness!

[Clint]

Originally Posted by KenBandit

In it's Holeshot-modified format, the 500 pound Bandit puts out 135HP and makes 95 ft lbs of torque

Great post, Ken.

[Rickster]

I have the side bags, top rack, and a Laminar lip (windshield) on my Bandit, but with the stock seat, 300 mile days are about the most I want to do. I sure would like to hear some first hand reports on seat options, I have read what the ad's say, but you can't believe everything you read.

"In it's Holeshot-modified format, the 500 pound Bandit puts out 135HP and makes 95 ft lbs of torque and almost all of that power comes at you below 5K RPM."

135hp Wow! That's about a 25% to 30% increase. It would be fun, but the stock motor is already a blast, and never at a loss for power, even at 1500rpm (in 6th gear) it still pulls hard enough to pass with out downshifting. Have you done the Holeshot mods to yours?

[KenBandit]

Originally Posted by Rickster

I have the side bags, top rack, and a Laminar lip (windshield) on my Bandit, but with the stock seat, 300 mile days are about the most I want to do. I sure would like to hear some first hand reports on seat options, I have read what the ad's say, but you can't believe everything you read.

"In it's Holeshot-modified format, the 500 pound Bandit puts out 135HP and makes 95 ft lbs of torque and almost all of that power comes at you below 5K RPM."

135hp Wow! That's about a 25% to 30% increase. It would be fun, but the stock motor is already a blast, and never at a loss for power, even at 1500rpm (in 6th gear) it still pulls hard enough to pass with out downshifting. Have you done the Holeshot mods to yours?

I'm currently riding the Bandit with a GSX650 seat and it's much better than the stock Bandit seat. It sells for around $175. But the one that seems to get the best reviews is the new Holeshot / Corbin seat. It goes for about $400. Suzuki also sells a gel seat for the Bandit made by saddlemen that gets high marks - see the p. 86 article in this month's Rider magazine on how they converted a stock Bandit into a touring machine. The gel seat runs about $250.

I've done the Holeshot Stage 1 mods to the Bandit. This is the slip-on, TFI tuning box, K&N air filter, o2 bypass module, and PAIR system block off. This takes her up to 115 HP. The header takes it up another notch - 20 HP - but it's not for sale yet. Dale is in the final stages of prototype modification and expects it to be ready in the Fall.

[intimid8er]

Originally Posted by Rickster

and a Laminar lip (windshield) on my Bandit, but with the stock seat, 300 mile days are about the most I want to do. I sure would like to hear some first hand reports on seat options,

How's the Laminar working?

I followed through on my threat to get the Roxs' risers.

Plus I got the Airhawk.

So far. So good.

[Rickster]

The Laminar works good. 90% of the bugs go above the helmet visor.

I have the taller "TOURING" unit, but the shorter "STANDARD" unit my son put on his Buell Lighting isn't as good.

[Rickster]

Originally Posted by KenBandit

I'm currently riding the Bandit with a GSX650 seat and it's much better than the stock Bandit seat. It sells for around $175. But the one that seems to get the best reviews is the new Holeshot / Corbin seat. It goes for about $400. Suzuki also sells a gel seat for the Bandit made by saddlemen that gets high marks - see the p. 86 article in this month's Rider magazine on how they converted a stock Bandit into a touring machine. The gel seat runs about $250.

I've done the Holeshot Stage 1 mods to the Bandit. This is the slip-on, TFI tuning box, K&N air filter, o2 bypass module, and PAIR system block off. This takes her up to 115 HP. The header takes it up another notch - 20 HP - but it's not for sale yet. Dale is in the final stages of prototype modification and expects it to be ready in the Fall.

Thanks, I did read the write up's on other seats, and they all sound good, but I know you don't always get what you think your buying.

That's interesting about the 650 seat, I didn't notice it feeling better when I sat on one at the dealers, maybe I'll have to go back and give er another sit.

Did the stage one kit get rid of the slight surging problem?

On a scale of one to ten, the stock pipe being a two, and a un-baffeled Harley being a ten, how much louder is the holeshot pipe?

[The Rider]

I owned a Honda VTX 1300 for 5 years and just bought a 08 Kawasaki Concours. I never thought I'd say this but I'll never go back. I really loved my VTX 1300 but wanted to try something different. I've been looking at the Connies for a year now. The bike is very fast and very comfortable. I have several upgrades on it already. Absolutly my favorite bike I've ever rode. I ride with a group of guys that have everything from Harley street Bob, BMW, Yamaha FJR, Suzuki 650, Buell just to name a few and this bike tops them all on my list.