Is the classic sport-touring motorcycle doomed to extinction?

dduelin said:
Last week I filtered through downtown Atlanta traffic for 5 or 6 miles. Anywhere your handlebars fit the rest follows. The ST1100 is a bit more than 1” wider than my 2018 DCT. Why so wide? Wing’s weight and CG is lower and it’s as easy or easier to manage at slow speeds than any big bike I’ve owned. Price? The cheap seat crowd knows to let someone else buy new and pay the depreciation tax.
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Was that Atlanta interstate filtering, or downtown city streets filtering?
I've been privileged to sweat while not moving through Hot 'Lanta more than once, as I live in neighboring Birmingham.
I still remember that hot August Friday afternoon on I-20 West, creeping along the breakdown lane beside stuck cars, and sliding back in the left lane once it began to slowly move again. I did this for about a mile, and I was once again slowly passing cars on the left hand shoulder, until 2 cars ahead of me was a GA State Trooper who spied me in his mirror, and flipped on his lights. I reluctantly pulled back in the lane, waited a few more minutes, and I was about to put the side stand down and walk up to him to plead my case... full riding gear, 98 degrees F., and I was roasting... just as I put the stand down, traffic began to move again and I didn't have to have the conversation.
I don't ever blitz up the shoulders, as I vividly remember slicing - not puncturing, but slicing - a brand-new, uber-expensive Michelin sport bike tire that never saw 500 miles on it. Sometimes the breakdown lanes are like walking through a public landfill. At that time, I was only doing about 15mph, and even when I went back to look for the sharp object, I never found it.
 
I'm finding this thread an interesting read. So many opinions, so many "definitions" of bike categories, both old and newishly invented (by the buyers or manufacturers, I'm not sure which).
But let me go back to quote the original article that Andrew Shadow posted a link to.

" Wax romantic if you must about a bygone era of sport-tourers, but the simple fact remains that these bikes only ever did three things well: They were comfortable for two people and their luggage, went reasonably fast in a straight line, and handled reasonably well on a curvy road.
In retrospect, the bar looks awfully low. Why settle for “reasonably fast” when you can have a factory supercharger and turn 10-second quarter-miles? Why settle for paved roads when you can add dirt to the menu at no extra charge? Why settle for a 700-pound bike that needs a reverse gear when there’s a middleweight alternative that’s faster, lighter, and better looking?"

The first part seems to fit well with many of us ST riders and I know lots would add "with shaft drive". The second part seems to be asking me to think about what do I really want and need if I replaced the beloved ST? Now that I'm getting to a more mature age (full disclosure, 73 last week) and can't sling the ST around the garage like I used to, I've been been doing a lot of thinking about all that.
Personally, I am quite happy with "comfortable for two people and their luggage, reasonably fast in a straight line, and handles reasonably well on a curvy road".
The ST does all of it now, so I conclude if the replacement can do the same and is lighter, it will put a smile on my face. Shaft, chain, ride modes, fuel injection, traction control, digital dash, I don't really care, a smile on my face will do me just fine. A low bar? Maybe for some, but I'm OK with that at this stage of my life.

PS that motorcycle ergonomics website, cycle-ergo.com and the Motorcycle News reviews are great for research.
 
STFlips said:
I'm finding this thread an interesting read. So many opinions, so many "definitions" of bike categories, both old and newishly invented (by the buyers or manufacturers, I'm not sure which).
But let me go back to quote the original article that Andrew Shadow posted a link to.

" Wax romantic if you must about a bygone era of sport-tourers, but the simple fact remains that these bikes only ever did three things well: They were comfortable for two people and their luggage, went reasonably fast in a straight line, and handled reasonably well on a curvy road.
In retrospect, the bar looks awfully low. Why settle for “reasonably fast” when you can have a factory supercharger and turn 10-second quarter-miles? Why settle for paved roads when you can add dirt to the menu at no extra charge? Why settle for a 700-pound bike that needs a reverse gear when there’s a middleweight alternative that’s faster, lighter, and better looking?"

The first part seems to fit well with many of us ST riders and I know lots would add "with shaft drive". The second part seems to be asking me to think about what do I really want and need if I replaced the beloved ST? Now that I'm getting to a more mature age (full disclosure, 73 last week) and can't sling the ST around the garage like I used to, I've been been doing a lot of thinking about all that.
Personally, I am quite happy with "comfortable for two people and their luggage, reasonably fast in a straight line, and handles reasonably well on a curvy road".
The ST does all of it now, so I conclude if the replacement can do the same and is lighter, it will put a smile on my face. Shaft, chain, ride modes, fuel injection, traction control, digital dash, I don't really care, a smile on my face will do me just fine. A low bar? Maybe for some, but I'm OK with that at this stage of my life.

PS that motorcycle ergonomics website, cycle-ergo.com and the Motorcycle News reviews are great for research.
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And that is why I am going to hang onto my 12 year old V-Strom. It seems to be the "Do It All" bike for me.


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The VStrom 650 is a very good choice, affordable, good tech, light and good enough power...

Passing takes a little planning and the alternator output is a little low when you want lots of heated gear, those were my only two nit picks on the one I had and I could have lived with it just fine... it was great in the twisties.

I'm curious how the 800 is by comparison.
 
Mellow said:
The VStrom 650 is a very good choice, affordable, good tech, light and good enough power...

Passing takes a little planning and the alternator output is a little low when you want lots of heated gear, those were my only two nit picks on the one I had and I could have lived with it just fine... it was great in the twisties.

I'm curious how the 800 is by comparison.
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IMHO ugly front face and tube type tires. After that I am sure it is just fine. Fix those and I might just give it a look or two. Also it is a Parallel twin instead of a V-twin
 
FastST said:
Is there a performance or and other difference between 2 engines?

Yeah, it is hard to justify the prices on bikes today.
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Don't really know but the V-Strom is suppose to be a V-Twin where as the 800 is not really a V-Strom in the true sense with a parallel twin engine. All the manufactures are going parallel twins.' I call it the P-Twin. Just like the rear engine air cooled VW beetle, verses the front engine water cooled pretend beetle. To each his own I guess..
 
Uncle Phil said:
If Google can be trusted -

The Honda ST1100 (Pan European) has a width of 36.8 inches.
The Honda ST1100 (2002 model) weighs approximately 635 pounds (288 kg) dry.
  • Wet Weight (with full fuel tank): Approximately 700 pounds (sounds light - 736 pounds comes to my mind)

The 2018 Honda Gold Wing has a width of 36.4 inches.
The curb weight of the 2018 Honda Gold Wing varies depending on the model, but generally ranges from 787 to 842 pounds.

Interesting information.
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The width of a 2018 Wing varies by model. The DCT Goldwing I own is 35.6” in width.
 

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Sadlsor said:
Was that Atlanta interstate filtering, or downtown city streets filtering?
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I-75. Between lanes…. Not on the shoulder or breakdown lanes….. on the way to Nashville last week.
 
Riding on the shoulder in traffic can be faster, (than between cars) but it's asking for a tire puncher. Plus, it's not too safe, cas someone may want to move over for some reason to stop and likely won't check the mirror as they don't expect anyone there. Since you are going relatively faster, may not be enough time to react.
I'd prefer to filter on a dividing lines (between cars).
 
ChucksKLRST said:
IMHO ugly front face and tube type tires. After that I am sure it is just fine. Fix those and I might just give it a look or two. Also it is a Parallel twin instead of a V-twin
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Only the DE version has tube type tires. The base and touring models are more road oriented and have tubeless. The road biased ones are on my list to consider. The reviews of the parallel twin have been overwhelmingly positive. I happen to like the front face. Now if only I can get a test ride to confirm I like everything else.
 
RobbieAG said:
Only the DE version has tube type tires. The base and touring models are more road oriented and have tubeless. The road biased ones are on my list to consider. The reviews of the parallel twin have been overwhelmingly positive. I happen to like the front face. Now if only I can get a test ride to confirm I like everything else.
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Thanks for the info. Will have to look into this closer as my local multi brand dealer did not have any road models on the floor. Not many Suzuki dealers around any more.
 
Uncle Phil said:
As I noted 'If Google can be trusted'. ;)
Man, I though everything Google told us was true .... :eek: :biggrin:
Now where did I put that deed to my beach front property in Arizona?
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I used Google for finding the Honda website pictured in my comparison reply. If you use Google and don’t vet or corroborate the “hits” the bots can lead you wrong.
 
dduelin said:
I used Google for finding the Honda website pictured in my comparison reply. If you use Google and don’t vet or corroborate the “hits” the bots can lead you wrong.
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There is a reason they call it 'artificial intelligence' - because it is 'artificial' (not real) ... ;)
 
Uncle Phil said:
There is a reason they call it 'artificial intelligence' - because it is 'artificial' (not real) ... ;)
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In this case the correct width was from the horse's mouth but what you used for your information was not complete therefore not correct.... ;)

Don't go for the first hit a Google search gives. Vet it, usually only takes a minute.
 
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