Sport tourer........

[DragonRider]

I am getting closer to getting the Venture back on the road and I am thinking if I do, I dont need two touring bikes, so might get rid of the V Star and buy a Sport touring bike. I am thinking a used Concours or ST1100 or ST1300. There are a few others I am looking at, but those two are at the top of my list. I have a co-worker I ride with and he is a trial member here that rides a Concours, and I will be trying it out soon, funny thing is, he wants to buy a 1st Gen for a second bike. He has been helping me with my Venture project. The V Star is a great bike, but Charlene doesnt ride it with me, she is not as comfortable on it as she is the Venture. So some time in the near future you might see me ride up on something other than the Venture or the V Star.

Edited April 17, 2012 by DragonRider

[ACE50]

Totaly agree. I'd like to add a Concours 14 along side my RSTD!

[K-Rider]

Some one wise once told me " Everybody needs a backup bike". I cant remember who that was but it sounds like words to live by to me.

[reddevilmedic]

both the honda and kawi are nice looking, but ive heard great things about the honda blackbird! cbr xx.http://www.topspeed.com/motorcycles/motorcycle-reviews/honda/1996-2007-honda-cbr-1100-xx-super-blackbird-ar41683.html.

[RedRider]

For sport-touring, you may also want to check out the Yamaha FJR.

 

For the money, the Connie is hard to beat. If you are looking for a serious mile muncher, the ST or FJR are really nice. You may also want to look at an older BMW. The R1150GS is a real workhorse.

 

RR

[flb_78]

The Kawasaki Concours ZG1000 is a tough machine and much like the Ventures, they built them for over a decade and didn't change a thing so used parts are readily available.

 

http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/Gallery/Kawasaki%20ZG1000.jpg

[DragonRider]

I almost bought an early Concours before I bought the Venture. There are so many nice sport tourers out there, its not going to be an easy decision.........the price will be the big factor.......promised the wife, will not spend any more that what I make on the V Star......but I might have a little extra saved away to add to it by then. And the FJR and the BMW along with a few others are on the list.......but price of maintenance is also a concern.

[OldBear]

The old first gen Concours were about the best buy in motorcycling. A new one during the last year of production was about $7k There are a zillion of 'em out there and they were made for 20 years with no real changes. Check out the COG website and you can probably find a decent deal on one!

[jfoster]

I traded my rstd last year on an '07 ST1300A. So far I've been very pleased with it. I added some air deflectors under the mirrors from Cal Sci which made a world of distance in air management. I love how smooth they are in the wind and how well designed they are. The fjr and concord may be same, but cant say. I added a speedohealer, which was a pain compared to installing one on a rstd, but other than that very easy to maintain.

[paysaw]

I had a 83 Venture before I bought my ST1100.St1100 are reasonably priced and easy to get parts for. A great bike for technical riding and very low in maintenance.Also owning one I can tell you they get great fuel mileage.I can go about 500 kms on a tank.But I still want to get another first Gen again.Love the old bikes.Conny's are great too as well as FJR's.Ps ( very fast too) hehehe:backinmyday:

[OldBear]

I had an 07 FJR.... Great bike, but I found it to be sneaky fast. I'd be bopping along minding my own business at about 60 or so and look down and see the speedo passing 90! Yikes!. Did it a BUNCH of times. It was so smooth that you really couldn't tell HOW fast you were traveling. Wife couldn't get comfy on it or it would still be in the garage. (Probably a good thing it's not or I WOULD have got nailed by smokey for speeding:shock3:) It had some turbulance issues around the helmet, but they were the same regardless of your speed.

[twigg]

Nearly all of the options mentioned in this thread lean more to the "touring" side of Sports/Touring.

 

Indeed, they are all popular choices for the LD Riders, and some of them do starship mileages.

 

If you want something that trends to a bit "sportier", without the cramp and backache that goes with the uncompromising riding position, I'd throw in the Honda VFR800 as a very solid choice.

 

The FJR is very popular, and I certainly wouldn't turn one down. For a few years I owned its predecessor, the FJ1200A. Loved it, but it was definitely a "Gentlemans Tourer", albeit an extremely fast one!