Suggestions for touring bike

[macgyver]

Hi all,...new to the forum (Great forum tho,..laughed my arse off last night at some of the posts) So Im after some suggestions on a good touring bike that will be a comfortable ride for 300k's on a fairly regular basis. Ive been out of the bike scene for too long now so Im not really up to speed on the various models available. Not new, but not too old, around the 1000cc, good looking bike, but must be comfortable, (300k's every fortnight) and of course reliable,..$$$$,..dunno really, 6K to 8K I guess. So whatta y'all think???
Cheers,...Macgyver!

[51 New West]

Triumph 955 Sprint ST

[Jomac]

Triumph 955 Sprint ST

Wondering why you specify the 955's as opposed to any of the 1050 sprints?

To the OP; 300kms a fortnight isn't really that far if you're not old, why restrict yourself to a tourer?

[tonka128]

Sports tourer - Blackbird (1100, goes nice, eats up the miles on a long ride (been on and off mine for 8 hours today through the hills) should be able to pick up one in your price range

[truewheel]

Can't you just make one out of a few toilet rolls, some number 8 wire and gaffer tape?

[Cosimo_Zaretti]

To the OP; 300kms a fortnight isn't really that far if you're not old, why restrict yourself to a tourer?

I was thinking the same thing, but I guess not everyone wants to fang it hard around corners. No point folding yourself up on a supersport if you're mainly interested in enjoying the scenery.

[Flaymar]

i do over 1500km's a fortnight, on a blackbird, and couldn't be happier.

[RB 2 11]

Love my Triumph Sprint ST 1050. They don't make it any longer, and the new GT is def more of a Tourer. The ST lends itself more to the "Sport" side of touring. Have done a couple of 1100km long weekends on it.

[macgyver]

Yep,..300k's is not that far I appreciate, that will be one way, then 300 back again a week later. But its all freeway riding so no corners etc to really enjoy. I reckon abour 95% of travels will be ridden this way so not looking to be folded up like a half-shut pocket-knife. (Although pocket-knife might come in handy with the dunny rolls and gaffer tape.....thanx Truewheel).. Thanks for the suggestions guys,...given me something to think about.
Macgyver.

[51 New West]

Jomac - I've not ridden a 1050, and there are a lot of comments posted on the TriumphRat forum from people who have ridden both that the 955 is more comfortable. Be cheaper too, and do the same job.

[Chuck Steak]

BMW K1100RS, around 94-96 models. Beautiful torquey engine, shaft drive, ABS, and top notch standard pannier setup. They go for around 6-7K. Or you could go for an LT if you prefer the more upright riding position, but the RS is the more versatile bike

[Nod]

You cant go wrong with a Suzuki V-Strom... unless you are a short-arse, then it may be a bit tall. They do a DL1000 but I would seriously look at the 650 first as it has plenty enough power for touring, gets heaps better fuel economy, runs cooler all the time, no mechanical issues etc. You can buy a new 650 for around $10k and there are plenty of good secondhand examples available in the 6-7K range.
I traded mine in for a VFR800, its a hopeless tourer in comparison and the wind noise hitting the helmet off the fairing makes it too uncomfortable to ride without earplugs.

[BikeRider]

Bandit 1200 (1250 now maybe). I had an original in '96 and thought it was an excellent all round Bike except for the small petrol tank. They're cheap new, they're reliable but (and no offense to current owners, each person is different) I found it a little boring. The plus side is there is a massive list of accessories and magazines raved about it being the best responding bike to power-ups because it was so de-tuned. The new model has it's own purpose built motor as opposed to my original using old GSXR1100 motor designs.

[Spike139]

You cant go wrong with a Suzuki V-Strom... unless you are a short-arse, then it may be a bit tall. They do a DL1000 but I would seriously look at the 650 first as it has plenty enough power for touring, gets heaps better fuel economy, runs cooler all the time, no mechanical issues etc. You can buy a new 650 for around $10k and there are plenty of good secondhand examples available in the 6-7K range.
I traded mine in for a VFR800, its a hopeless tourer in comparison and the wind noise hitting the helmet off the fairing makes it too uncomfortable to ride without earplugs.

the vfr800 is hopless or the wee-strom??
and the good thing about the v-stroms is you don't have to buy a 15 year old bike to get one in your price range.
although for "straight road touring" your options are extremely open, cruisers will also do the job
in the end you'll get a hayabusa

[Nod]

Compared to the wee-strom I find the VFR hopeless as a tourer.
The wee will get close to 450ks to a tank (same capacity as VFR) around town and about 350ks on the open road loaded up, whereas the VFR does about 300-350 around town.
The VFR is more a sports riding position so the lower back and wrists feel it after a few hours but I do find the VFR seat more comfy/less painfull on longer trips.
The wee screen is a bit rubbish and causes buffeting which gets pretty tedious fast, I had a V-stream screen which looked a bit weird but was awesome at redirecting the wind. That screen made the bike so quiet to ride it was like being in the car with the window down a bit. The VFR screen and the aftermarket Doublebubble I have now both push the wind directly into my helmet, so even at low speeds the wind noise is shocking without earplugs.
The other thing I loved about the wee-strom was the realestate available between the tank, bars and dash to mount accessories. I could mount my radar detector and GPS on the dash without blocking the view of the guages or having to look down at the handlebars/tank to see them.
The VFR also has the side mounted radiator and runs pretty hot, the fans are on a lot to keep the temp right and the heat on the leg can get a bit much on a hot day when stopped. The wee ran cool, in 45000Ks I never had the fan come on (yes it did work) and the bike just performed faultlessly.
The VFR is a lot more fun in the twisty stuff, but if I was after a bike to ride over east again I would definately look at another strom.
If you are only doing 300k runs then this is probably irrelevant, you could just buy a Hyabusa and be there in an hour!
A bandit would be another good option worth looking at.

***Please note, I'm talking about the 2004-10 DL650 V-Strom aka wee-strom, not the new one that looks completely different.***

[AndyS]

You cant go wrong with a Suzuki V-Strom.

Never owned one, but never read a single review that wasn't glowing in its praise.
Still one the best value bikes on the market today.

[filbert]

Never owned one, but never read a single review that wasn't glowing in its praise.
Still one the best value bikes on the market today.

never owned one either but did have a short (100km all up) unsupervised test ride, if you're after 1000cc grunt to make riding easy then it's most likely going to come up short, but if you want something that rewards rider input then it's a great bike, if you can hold higher rpm through the twisties the power builds and there is enough there to have some real fun, not all that dissimilar to the sv650 it's loosely based on.

The new/current model is good for up to 500kms from a tank and will tootle along at or above the speed limit for highway touring without complaint, you will have to knock it back a cog or two for quick acceleration when passing but it still winds up ok in top for lazy passing, i would ride across australia on one and even having ridden much more powerful bikes i wouldn't be sad for too long if it was the biggest or only bike i could have, i would just learn to ride it better and make use of what it has

[Para045]

Sports tourer - Blackbird (1100, goes nice, eats up the miles on a long ride (been on and off mine for 8 hours today through the hills) should be able to pick up one in your price range

+1 5char

i do over 1500km's a fortnight, on a blackbird, and couldn't be happier.

Yep I do around the same and love mine, got it with ~32k now she has 114k

[emrys74]

I vote the 1050 over the 955 any day riden both and the finish on the 1050 is better and in all is a nicer ride.

but also the bandit is a good option as are blackbird and the VFR even the Fazer is a nice ride have a couple of mates with them one dose 1000km a week and the other rides up and down to busso for his job (FIFO) and is very happy with it.
only way you'll know is to go for a ride most of the bike these days are reliable and quick.

[ReCon]

I have the 6 fiddy Veestrom and it's a great bike for riding any sort of distance or time related rides. After having sports bikes, traileys amd motards , this is great to just sit back and enjoy what's going on in the countryside instead of looking for the next rest stop.

Have no issues with the wind noise from the visor [shortarse], and the seat is great considering what you read in the reviews.
The twin sounds ok and goes well enough for a 230 kilo bike, and yes the fuel economy is great.

Only issue I find is the 24 litre tank is lethal if you are of small stature and need to physically need to move the bike around .It is top heavy and you notice the weight shift over on you if you are not ready for it. You can feel it slightly when riding 2 up as well , but I think that could be more my size than the bikes attributes.

It is a physically big bike , as everyone who see it comments , but as a cruiser/adventure bike , it is a great big lounge chair to ride , which is good for the days when you just want to take it easy.