touring bike ?

[Davehutch-hutchs 0]

Mel suggested today we bought another bike for touring , never thought about it before , she said because she sits up so high behind me it gets her neck when we are above ##mph ,so what would you recommend ? , I would say if we did go for a touring bike it would want some poke and pleanty of luggage ,

[dick65 0]

Yamaha fjr 1300
Honda pan European 1300

but I doubt you'd get them in your garage Dave   

[obalanga 0]

i'd second that. Fjr 1300 is pretty roomy, great range and better value for money compared to ktm, gs 1200, tenere etc etc

[gravelrash 0]

Honda CBR 1100XX Superblackbird - lots of bike for the money Dave, this is an early model and I think still got carbs but not bad for under £2000 depending on your budget you could go for a newer injection one!
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201404033019734/sort/recpriceascdefault/usedbikes/model/cbr/make/honda/page/3/quicksearch/true/postcode/dl13pn/radius/90?logcode=p



if you do decide on a second bike hope you like it as much as the BKing mate!

[dick65 0]

hard to find a low milage bird these days   

[fr499y 0]

FJR 1300
lovely bike, plenty of power and light for what it is. Boxes are a decent size, stock seat is pretty damn comfy and the screen is big enough for most people under 6 foot. ( plus adjustable on the newer models )

BMW R1200RT
heavier than the fjr but not by a huge amount, again plenty of torque and power, bit flatter feeling when riding due to the engine layout but super smooth ride! better seat than the FJR, luggage is roughly the same as the FJR ( possibly a bit bigger? might have to measure up to be sure ) roughly the same sort of price range for a few year old bike. BMW reliability and built like tanks!

Honda ST1300
Big heavy bike, brilliant for touring but they do take up a bit of room, heavier than the two above but silky smooth! Boxes are big enough to put the kitchen sink in. Screen is bigger than the FJR, Fairing is a lot wider, but the good thing is the mirrors clip on and off so if you do knock them off, they will clip back in ( regular thing with us to knock them clean off whilst getting them out the gate!! )

out of the three above, FJR would be my first choice as it would better fit your riding style

There is always the smaller tourers

VFR 800
Cracking bikes, plenty of poke, handle like they are on rails and pretty comfy. Screen isn't bad for a sport tourer, the bars are low but not as low as sports bikes ( still too low for me to ride comfortably ) but the v-tec takes a lot of getting used to! Has a chain though!

F800GT
Again, plenty of poke ( suprised me to be honest!! ) bit of a whippy bike to get used to but a boosterplug and a decent end can soon sorts the running out to give you a rocket of a twin! Stock seat is not bad, BMW comfort seat is lovely but does raise the bike up a bit from stock. No chain to worry about as its belt drive and has a long life span. Heated grips, traction control, electronic suspension etc make it a good buy if your looking for a smaller second bike that will do it all

Plenty of 'sport tourers' but if your serious about distance, stick to one of the proper ones!

I've tried some more than that but they are the only ones i can think of that might be suited.

[Robbie 0]

Yamaha FJ1300 or Kawasaki 1400GT

[Davehutch-hutchs 0]

thanks lads , its gave me something to think of, but TBH I think the problem is as I am getting more and more confident on the king I am getting faster and faster with mel on the back , And the only problem we are having is the wind catching Mel 's neck , But she is fine traveling along at 80 Mph , The king does everything I want and we have the luggage sorted now , So I am not saying NO ,but am in no rush and see how we get on

[Neill 0]

Dave put a cushion under yer backside and some platform boots it will lift you higher and deflect the wind from Mel's
head, then you can spend the money you would spend on a tourer on some goodies for the king

[madsod 0]

@Robbie wrote:

Yamaha FJ1300 or Kawasaki 1400GT

test ride both great bikes

[lee1 1]

seems like a good idea Dave if your planning lots of touring and need to pack more luggage and save mels neck

some good bikes suggested   

[BanditMike 0]

Anything I was going to suggest is pretty much covered already. Take your time mate and get the right one. Then enjoy       

[Tony nitrous 0]

I thought the same.

King is great fun but not a great tourer.
It'll do it but its far from ideal.

I've had ZZR11's and Hayabusa's.
I'm happy touring on a naked bike,
I don't find a need to hide behind Tupperware.

GSX1400 has HEAPS of grunt,
Takes my tank bag and top box,
has good seats and leg room front and rear,
a grab rail and a decent size fuel tank.

ZRX / XJR / GSX14 all tour well and have
some old Skool classic muscle bike style.

[Tony nitrous 0]

Some of the bikes and riders I know that do
the highest mileage (and have fun doing it)
dong have traditional tourers. "Touring" is more
a state of mind than a bike. If its fun and comfortable
you'll enjoy it more than a loaded down overweight
Barge with below average road manners.

Why I'd tour on a big naked before a Honda ST.

[Davehutch-hutchs 0]

@Tony nitrous wrote:

Some of the bikes and riders I know that do
the highest mileage (and have fun doing it)
dong have traditional tourers. "Touring" is more
a state of mind than a bike. If its fun and comfortable
you'll enjoy it more than a loaded down overweight
Barge with below average road manners.

Why I'd tour on a big naked before a Honda ST.

  

[madfatjake 0]

Has to be Triumph Sprint GT. Fantastic value, I've had one for a couple of years now and would not change it.

[fr499y 0]

@Tony nitrous wrote:

I thought the same.

King is great fun but not a great tourer.
It'll do it but its far from ideal.

I've had ZZR11's and Hayabusa's.
I'm happy touring on a naked bike,
I don't find a need to hide behind Tupperware.

GSX1400 has HEAPS of grunt,
Takes my tank bag and top box,
has good seats and leg room front and rear,
a grab rail and a decent size fuel tank.

ZRX / XJR / GSX14 all tour well and have
some old Skool classic muscle bike style.

Touring on your own is one thing, but touring with a pillion and them being comfy is where these other bikes come in. Most bikes that you can tour on ( aka pretty much anything ) are fine for rider, but not pillion. Try doing 100+ miles on a perch 6" higher than the rider with your knees under your chin, it ent gunna be comfy!

I could travel all day on my old KTM ( if it worked ) or my ducati, but the gf was crippled after 20 minutes or so on the back. This is where 'touring' bikes come into it. Muscle bikes are also good for it like you say, the xjr, gsx, zrx etc, mainly down to the riding style, the flat seat and low pillion pegs.   

[obalanga 0]

@Tony nitrous wrote:

Some of the bikes and riders I know that do
the highest mileage (and have fun doing it)
dong have traditional tourers. "Touring" is more
a state of mind than a bike. If its fun and comfortable
you'll enjoy it more than a loaded down overweight
Barge with below average road manners.

Why I'd tour on a big naked before a Honda ST.

..... a state of mind..... i like that.

[smilinjack 0]

Starting to see things my way Dave   your problem I think will be almost certainly having a less powerful bike. That's the first thing. It can be done though, and you need to, because the best tourers are behemoths and I think you may do better going down a little for something that's a bit more fun to ride. I'd certainly say Sprint GT is a front runner in my book. Pans, FJRs, BMW et al are just fooking monsters and when fully loaded can be a pain in the ass. I can honestly say I'm happier on my VFR now than my ZZR, for example. What I'd do with a bigger bike now I shudder to think.   

[Macie_UK 0]

Sidecar on the King   

[Davehutch-hutchs 0]

@Macie_UK wrote:

Sidecar on the King   

I will ask olive what she thinks   

[Tony nitrous 0]

Hayabusa with a raised bars "comfort kit"

All the best bits of a B-King with several better features.
Comfort, tourer-friendly with a sporty edge.

[stantheman 0]

@Tony nitrous wrote:

Hayabusa with a raised bars "comfort kit"

All the best bits of a B-King with several better features.
Comfort, tourer-friendly with a sporty edge.

i agree

[Davehutch-hutchs 0]

@stantheman wrote:

@Tony nitrous wrote:

Hayabusa with a raised bars "comfort kit"

All the best bits of a B-King with several better features.
Comfort, tourer-friendly with a sporty edge.

i agree

but I test rode the busa ,and couldn't get on with the riding style,thats what made me go for the king because I loved the power , and I think the king is a lot more comfy   

[fr499y 0]

and from being a pillion on a busa, its f****ng horrible

[Macie_UK 0]

@fr499y wrote:

and from being a pillion on a busa, its f****ng horrible

And they look like a barge.

[smilinjack 0]

@Macie_UK wrote:

And they look like a barge.

Well, I don't think they'd win any beauty contests, although I'd say the same about my ZZR. In fact, I can't think of a good looking really big bike. Once you get to about 1200cc it seems to be a design requirement to be ugly as sin (sorry to any members, me included   )

But did you mean a barge, or a narrowboat common mix up these two.  

[Macie_UK 0]

@smilinjack wrote:

But did you mean a barge, or a narrowboat common mix up these two.  

Nope definately a barge - just reminds me of the old SRADs that I think are hideous   

Back on topic Dave, if you are going to keep the King, a fully blown tourer is the way to go I reckon.

[Davehutch-hutchs 0]

Deffo keeping the king m8 , and I could tour all day on it too , think Mel will be ok too if I don't do silly speeds

[Robbie 0]

Dave and Mel :-)

[Davehutch-hutchs 0]

@Robbie wrote:

Dave and Mel :-)

wait till olive Mel sees this     

[BanditMike 0]

                 

 

[jezza 0]

Best thing you can do Dave is go to a bike superstore with Mel and sit on a few bikes, trouble is with suggestions is that we are all built different and what's comfortable for one person will not be comfortable for another.......I doubt there's a bike out there to suit me as pillion, I sat on the back of Robbie's and had to shoehorn it back out of my arse (he still sniffs the seat now).
Draw up a shortlist  go out test riding and then go on from there.

Or ask at bike meets, see if someone will let  Mel  sit on the back and possibly take her for  a quick spin then ask her verdict if she likes it then try and test ride one for longer.

@fr499y wrote:

and from being a pillion on a busa, its f****ng horrible

I think someone got scared.  

[Davehutch-hutchs 0]

@jezza wrote:

Best thing you can do Dave is go to a bike superstore with Mel and sit on a few bikes, trouble is with suggestions is that we are all built different and what's comfortable for one person will not be comfortable for another.......I doubt there's a bike out there to suit me as pillion, I sat on the back of Robbie's and had to shoehorn it back out of my arse (he still sniffs the seat now).
Draw up a shortlist  go out test riding and then go on from there.

Or ask at bike meets, see if someone will let  Mel  sit on the back and possibly take her for  a quick spin then ask her verdict if she likes it then try and test ride one for longer.

@fr499y wrote:

and from being a pillion on a busa, its f****ng horrible

I think someone got scared.  

   and I can remember seeing the pic of you on Robbie's, And yes I know he still sniffs it   

[Tony nitrous 0]

Busa looks ugly / odd because it was designed to work well,
Not to be fashionable or look pretty.
250mph Land speed racers and 7 second drag Busa's still rule.

Comfort?
Change the bars and you get better leg room, a nicer seat
(Not wide and thin like the Kings)
Foot pegs are a little more rearset but that's fixable.

I ride a high bar Busa and a B-King back to back,
and do big mileage on both. As a tourer the only thing
that the King does better is stop.
My older Busa has crappy 6 pots, no upgrades bring them up to radial spec.

Done 2000k / 1250 miles in a weekend with a happy pillion on the Busa
who refused to go on the King after the first ride.

"What bike" is always a personal taste thing
but for me a Hayabusa is a great option.

UGLY is not relevant unless your more interested in
looking at your bike than actually riding it.

Remember boys and girls.....
"B-Kings and Hayabusa's,
Ali and Tyson didn't win beauty contests"

 

[madsod 0]

@Davehutch wrote:

@Robbie wrote:

Dave and Mel :-)

wait till olive Mel sees this     

    

[Tony nitrous 0]

Or........

[Tony nitrous 0]

or.......

[Davehutch-hutchs 0]

@Tony nitrous wrote:

or.......

I could IF and only IF for some reason I couldn't ride a bike no more this would be another option

[Robbie 0]

My bike had to go to therapy after this...

[jezza 0]

must admit I've changed the bars to helibars, seat to a zero gravity , footpegs to vario pegs and have now also changed the front brakes to radials , if i need to be somewhere I will do journeys in one go if I can an only stopping for petrol,comfort is a must if you want to munch miles.......anyhow my    busa is a thing of beauty,nowt wrong with a nice rounded arse as I'm always telling the other half.

[fr499y 0]

@jezza wrote:

@fr499y wrote:

and from being a pillion on a busa, its f****ng horrible

I think someone got scared.  

Hardly, just from the comfort point of view i found it bloody horrible. admittedly, it was more comfy than i was expecting, just still felt like a perch  

Hard to beat a muscle bike for a good all rounder though. If i still had my xjr Dave, i would of let ya take it out with Mel.

[Tony nitrous 0]

All the big retro nakeds make great tourers,
But two-up with luggage and not trying to set land speed records
the GSX1400's extra torque is very useful and noticeable.

[Davehutch-hutchs 0]

been out today done 200 miles with mel on the back , didn't go over *** mph , still had fun ,and a good day was had by us both , so think keeping the top speed down a bit is the answer   

[dick65 0]

you can enjoy the scenery more as well   

[Davehutch-hutchs 0]

@dick65 wrote:

you can enjoy the scenery more as well   

and stil had a lot of fun getting to *** mph