Best sports tourer for medium-long distance all weather commute?

[Banditbandit]

You're a little off track if "Style" is more important than the main task that needs to be performed well.

Fuck - and here I was thinking that style and class were hugely important ...

You need comfort, economy and reliability.

Yeah ??? I want FUN !!!!

Enough horsepower to power through a head wind ... but not enough to chew out rear tires faster than necessary.

Sorry - Bandits can be rough on rear tyres if you use the throttle as it is meant to be used ...

The bigger the bike .. the heavier it is .. and also this adds to faster tire wear. Low speeds in city traffic isn't fun on the bigger (sport) bikes. And unless your Home/Workplace route only involves open road speeds ... look for something comfortable to use in slower traffic too ... (and can lane split with ease .. ??)

The initial budget is one thing ... the weekly/monthly running costs are another. Fuel is the cost most look at ... but each month ... you'll most likely spend more on tires. Add servicing costs (oil/filters/brake pads etc) and you may find it isn't cheap to commute by bike.

That is true - but fuck me, it's a lot more FUN !!!!

Fun .... ?? well that depends a lot on weather too.

Yeah ?? For wimps maybe = the rest of us just ride ...

Even the gear you wear for the commute may differ from the usual day/weekend rides.

True that - my daily commute is in modern Fabric jackets and dragging jeans - my weekend rides are in full leathers .

[willytheekid]

You want value for money?

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/moto...-709019691.htm

...and its nearly run in!!

or

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/moto...-700747850.htm

(price is a tad to high tho...could talk them down possibly?)


And yes...I friggin LOVE mine, best all rounder I have ever owned!! (does everything close to perfectly!)
and the engine!!...omg!!!, that whine of the gear driven cams over top of the V4 growl


and the RF900's are also a fantastic bike!, again, GREAT all rounders and they go for dirt cheap (people have forgotten how good some of the old 90's bikes are...they may be old, but they can still hold there own even against todays "sports tourers" )


Best of luck, and I hope you find the bike that makes you smile

[Swoop]

What Willy said.

The VFR is a great commuter. Slender enough to slip through traffic and good rain protection as well.

Longer distance touring, it is nigh on perfect. Very comfortable seat, good riding position and when you get to a twisty section she'll fall back on her race pedigree and show you a good time.

[imdying]

Fairings are gay, so are jap bikes.

So what's the deal with Triumphs? They've gone out of there way to design (and manufacture) in the Japanese style? What does that make them? Tom Cruise / John Travolta bikes? Bikes in the closet? Why would he want a pretender when he can have the real deal?

[imdying]

Yeah, I've heard they're a great machine. Unfortunately I just can't get excited about the adventure tourer style bikes. Dunno why - my first bike was an enduro/motocross style bike.
Cheers, Alex.

I can understand that, but would still be worth riding one... when I read your original post, that was the first thing that came to mind.

[The Reibz]

You need a Hayabusa or zx14r. Nothing else really needs to be said

[Devil]

Hi all,

Been thinking about trading up to something with some weather protection for my daily commute.
I live about 75kms from work, in a rural area near water, so I get a lot of fog for about the first half of my ride on cold mornings.

Other than the obvious advantages of rain and cold protection, could I expect to get any improvement in fogging on the outside of my visor from a decent fairing?

I've been looking at various options for a used sports tourer, including Honda VFR, Suzuki RF900, Suzuki Bandit, Yamaha FZR600 (a bit old now), Triumph Sprint ST, and even Honda superblackbird (quite a bit faster than I need, but seem to be great value for money).

All of those bikes are reasonable bikes in their own right, but I wouldn't consider any of them if weather protection was the main criteria. The best advice so far in this thread (for weather protection) is the DL650 and the FJR etc.

The VFR, RF, Bandit etc might have weather protection for your balls only. Don't do squat for your upper body.

[alexp36]

The 650 is naked - I put a Skidmarks flyscreen on it - it catches a lot of flies - but gives bugger all weather protection

The 1250 has what we used to call a Bikini fairing - I think that might be what you mean by a half fairing .. that's OK ..

But weather protection? I'm not that worried about it - I come from the days of wearing two pair of jeans and an army greatcoat to keep arm - bugger dry, never happen ... so a the modern gear is just wonderful. I kinda think that if you're worried about weather protection buy a car - then you get a stereo as well ...

For around $5grand I'd suggest this: (You didn't specify an engine size) It has the full fairings

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/moto...-708396410.htm

Or for just a little more, this GSX650F - the TNAB - the same engine with GSX forks and other bits ..


http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/moto...-696745112.htm

The later models are all a little more pricey ..

Thanks Banditbandit, I mainly agree with what you say, and I used to say I wasn't worried about weather either. Which is why my current bike has no fairing.

But, I've been commuting year round, for an hour each way, sometimes with headwinds, day after day, in cold wet conditions in winter, for about 2 years. Not to mention night rides at about 1am coming home from band practice, about 95kms from South Auckland.
Some (any) protection from wind, rain, and cold starts to sound good.
And no, I don't want to swap for a cage :-)

Back to the important subject - the bikes.
Both those ones you posted look good. Particularly like the GSF650 (I like black). Sadly that one is probably just out of my price range.
I had looked at Bandits, but didn't see that 1200. New listing maybe?

BTW - as far as I know, a bikini fairing is a little round thing that pretty much just covers around the headlight, plus a windscreen obviously. A half fairing extends slightly lower, and is not necessarily round, and is often designed to be the top half of a full fairing.

[Headbanger]

Why would he want a pretender when he can have the real deal?

Mate, if you want the cock, you go get the cock.

[alexp36]

You want value for money?

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/moto...-709019691.htm

...and its nearly run in!!

or

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/moto...-700747850.htm

(price is a tad to high tho...could talk them down possibly?)


And yes...I friggin LOVE mine, best all rounder I have ever owned!! (does everything close to perfectly!)
and the engine!!...omg!!!, that whine of the gear driven cams over top of the V4 growl


and the RF900's are also a fantastic bike!, again, GREAT all rounders and they go for dirt cheap (people have forgotten how good some of the old 90's bikes are...they may be old, but they can still hold there own even against todays "sports tourers" )


Best of luck, and I hope you find the bike that makes you smile

Thanks Mr thekid. Yes - I've been looking at the VFRs on TM, saw both of those. The red one has 111k on the clock. I'm aware of Honda's reputation for reliability, and the guy states the bike has a service history, but I'm not a mechanic, so it seems like a gamble to me. Still, it's one to keep in mind, especially given the "ONO" part on the ad. Must admit I'd love to just get a bank loan, and get a much newer VFR. They look really nice. Too many other debts at the moment, sadly.

[alexp36]

What Willy said.

The VFR is a great commuter. Slender enough to slip through traffic and good rain protection as well.

Longer distance touring, it is nigh on perfect. Very comfortable seat, good riding position and when you get to a twisty section she'll fall back on her race pedigree and show you a good time.

Thanks for that Swoop. You do make them sound pretty good This is what I like about web forums - you can build up a pretty good idea of what you want by getting a number of peoples opinions. Cheers.

[alexp36]

I can understand that, but would still be worth riding one... when I read your original post, that was the first thing that came to mind.

Thanks imdying
Interesting handle you got there by the way.
They really that good? I'm curious now. What have they got over a more conventional sport tourer type bike?

[alexp36]

You need a Hayabusa or zx14r. Nothing else really needs to be said

Yeah, in a perfect world, I'd love to own something like that, although there's no way I'd ever get even near the best out of it. On road or track...
What sort of mileage do you get out of a back tyre on that 'bus? Out of interest.

[The Reibz]

Yeah, in a perfect world, I'd love to own something like that, although there's no way I'd ever get even near the best out of it. On road or track...
What sort of mileage do you get out of a back tyre on that 'bus? Out of interest.

Depends on how many burnouts I do. Got 10k out of this last one is

[alexp36]

All of those bikes are reasonable bikes in their own right, but I wouldn't consider any of them if weather protection was the main criteria. The best advice so far in this thread (for weather protection) is the DL650 and the FJR etc.

The VFR, RF, Bandit etc might have weather protection for your balls only. Don't do squat for your upper body.

Thanks for replying Devil. I do really like the look of FJRs. And I've always considered myself a fan of Yamaha. Don't know if I've ever actually seen an FJR up close. I should start going into some dealers to have a better look, and see what else is out there.

Are you saying the VFR, RF, Bandit, etc. have a fairing which is too low to do much? Guess I need to get off my arse, do some test rides, and find out for myself, LOL.