Cheap commuter

They just don't seem to have sold over here.

I must say, I'd like a big fast sports-tourer but just about everything
offered these days is just too big, heavy and thirsty.

If we take 110bhp at the rear wheel as a decent minimum, then what do we
need to add? OK, torque: always more useful on a tourer than brute BHP.
Comfort. An absence of windblast - why is it that *so many* so-called
touring bikes manage to screw this up? Luggage capacity. And a decent
fuel range - say 180 miles between fuel stops. Oh, and the ability to
average well over 40mpg while charging hard would be nice, too.

Top speed? Not as important as the ability to maintain a decent cruise:
say 90-100 two-up, all day. But 140mph minimum top whack.

And wrap the whole thing up in under 220kg fully wet.

I'm thinking of the touring bikes I've owned over the years (not the
same thing as sports-tourers, of course: never owned one of them).

Guzzi Spada - amazing comfort, economy, good handling and brakes, 200+
mile range, slow.

BMM R100RS: as above with slightly worse handling and brakes, a bit less
slow.

Kawasaki GT750: comfy, reliable, similar performance to R100RS, good
range, and naked, of course, but you could add windscreen and panniers
easily (and I did). Brilliant cheapo touring hack.

Yamaha 900 Diversion: GT750 on steroids with a useful half fairing. Very
capable. Dull.

Triumph Trophy: comfy, fast, good handling, well built, fun, appallingly
thirsty

BMW K1100LT: Even comfier than the Trophy, way more economical,
otherwise very similar.

The ideal? Probably the Trophy engine, with the BMW's economy and shaft,
in something like a Diversion package with a slightly bigger fairing.

 

Hayabusa!

 

Tis frustrating that something that would be so easy to build (bar
possibly the weight limit without making it hugely expensive) doesn't
exist. I've been thinking about similar things recently as my parents
are moving to Italy in a couple of months, & have come to the
conclusion a self-build is the only way to get what I want, possibly
based on a Raptor 1000.

 

Back in the day, it was just a case of buy the biggest bike available
like a Z1300 and stick a Vetter Windjammer on it!

 

Exactly. I'll be looking at doing a quick-release fairing though, so I
can ditch it when I get there for playing on the twisties.

 

Indeed. Although I have to say I'm toying with the idea of getting a
double-bubble. The only downside I've found to the ZZR is it gets a
bit blustery over the ton, particularly into a headwind.

 

It's not a bad strategy at all. Or buy a Bandit 1250 with all the kit on
it?

Actually, thinking about it, what nakeds would readily convert into a
decent tourer? That Honda CB1300 comes to mind. Not much else. Or grab a
naked BMW R1150 and shove a screen on it when the time comes. Brian
Giles, BMW guru of Tonbridge, has such a beast (actually, I think it's
an R850R) as a courtesy bike, and it's stunningly effective.

 

Rain protection and (to a degree and at a trade-off on performance) fuel
economy. But yeah, I see what you mean.

 

I'm off to view one of these on Saturday morning. N plate with 28k.
Couple of scratches on the tank but otherwise seems to suit my needs. No
luggage but priced accordingly and it does have a bigger screen and
supposedly comfier seat.

Not bothered about dull, if I can get the 900 over the 600 for the same
price I'll be happy enough.

 

How can they get such a basic thing wrong? The adjustable screen on the
K11 is absolutely fantastic. You can set it just *so*, and if it starts
raining harder, just flick it up maybe another few millimetres.

I habitually ride behind it now with my visor flicked part-open. No
buffeting, better ventilation, just great.

To be fair, BMW have always managed to get fairings better sorted than
anyone else I can think of[1], with the possible exception of the old
Moto Guzzi Spada fairing which challenged the airhead RS fairing in
everything except really heavy rain.

Not even the Pan Euro 1100 fairing worked for me.

[1] And why is that? Can't figure it out.

 

35Kgs heavier than a Raptor, much less power, & no match on the twisty
stuff.

Vincents! I dread to think how many touring miles my dad & brother have
clocked up on theirs. Brother's off for another 6 week trip this year
on his, assuming he rebuilds the blown engine in time. Bloody
unreliable Brit crap, it's only lasted 37 years since the last rebuild.

 

I've long suspected a lighter bike would be more fun than manhandling
our current ones around. I'm really enjoying riding the recently
acquired GS as it's lighter than most of the others we have and I
think that's proving the point for me (Yes, I know 'lighter' and 'GS'
in the same sentence is an oxymoron!).

I realise the manufacturer's figures are misleading but I've assumed
they're all misleading in a similar way so give some sort of
comparison (weight is in kilograms and dry unless otherwise stated):

GTR - 308
Harley - 300
FJR - 291
FJ12 - 261 (wet)
ZZR11 - 228
GS - 225
Bus - 215

Most of the modern ones are well off your 220kg figure. The Bus
surprises me as it feels heavier than the GS when I'm pushing it
around; perhaps because it's a lot lower (or the figure I Googled is
wrong).

Trouble is any bike we have needs to be powerful enough to eat up the
miles, comfortable for long distance two-up riding, capable of
carrying a reasonable amount of luggage, have a reasonable range and
not handle like a complete dog (Harley excepted for all of those!)
which somewhat limits the choice.

Kevin

 

*Waves* One for sale mid-June. 59 plate 2010 model. All the toys.
8500 miles (at least, it will then, it's 7000 now). FDSH. £5500.

 

Ben wrote:
[Bandit 1250]

I assume yours is faired, or is it the GT? You can get a brand new
unfaired one for that, and a faired one for £5995

 

Ah, I didn't realise it was the GT.

I could have read your sig properly I suppose )

 

Fully faired GT with all the hard luggage.

New ones are nudging 7 grand, pre-reg around 6500.

I think it's a fair opening price.

 

In fact, there's only 6 on Autotrader at the moment...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/search/...ine-size-bikes/1070cc_to_1335cc/sort/priceasc

 

The late model ST4S, my yellow one rather than the red, meets all the
requirements and the fairing has been the next best thing to an R100RS.
117bhp. 217kg. 160mph. Overdrive gear.

It would be quite cool if you could make a mold and replicate the 100RS
fairing on a universal QD mount. Injection moulded plastic (coloured). Twin
4" HID lights and an adjustable screen (added). But for around £250.

Someone, PowerBronze?? made a couple of decent fairing designs but the
prices were silly.

 

Waaaaaaay too heavy

 

snip>

If I ever get my arse into gear and sort out then sell the outfit I'll
almost certainly replace it with an R100RS. They're superb bikes for
riding across the continent, their luggage capacity is right up there
with the best and (most importantly) a decent one will only go up in
value.

Probably because BMW know how to make fairings while the others go for
looks rather than function?