Is the classic sport-touring motorcycle doomed to extinction?

What I like about the St 1100 is the weight gives me a smoother ride than my Mazda 2 cage. And any vehicle that hits the ton with ease I consider sporty, and slow down as fast. oh did I mention it out corners the cage on highway on ramps.
 
Donk said:
I've been "sport touring" on a Honda NC750X this summer. I'm riding the thing like a supermoto in the twisties while running 200 miles out of the tiny tank of regular gas on the highway. AND I have witnesses! You are not going to tell me what a 750 can't do. It does it well too.
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I’m glad that guy didn’t tell me I couldn’t ride it more than 100 miles at a time before the two SaddleSore 1000s and BunBurner 1500 on my 700 adventure style styled bike with the tiny gas tank.
 
My first two criteria on looking at a motorcycle with the intent to buy one (not just to drool on it), is (1) that the engine size be less than 1000ccs. (2) that it weigh less than 500 lbs.

I know the big sport touring bikes are fun and all, but they aren't for me. I've had cars with smaller engines and a quarter of the horsepower and they did just great. My 66 VW Beetle was only 1300ccs and had about 40 hp...and made it cross-country to Colorado and up Pike's Peak. ;)

I've put about 8600 miles on the XR this summer. It continues to amaze me .
 
I rode the BB to the Kawasaki dealership in Burnaby earlier today and looked at a used [$24,999.000 / 23 35,000 km / 20,000? miles] H2 SX SE. There were a couple of different panniers on the floor beside the bike, neither of which would stow a helmet, but you had to imagine if a top box would work on it. Have to say of some of the new bikes it looks ergonomically not too bad. If I was in the market for a new Sport Touring type of bike, price isn't bad, plus it's got a supercharger.
 
st11ray said:
I almost bought this until I found a really good deal on a '23 Super Tenere.
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The "this" in his link is the V85TT. I thought I was going to buy one too, until I rode one. Very turbulent wind management, worse than my '21 890 Adventure otherwise an ok bike. I felt it was a little lacking in the go dept. Believe it or not the V100 Mandello is quite good as far as wind management. Motor is very smooth yet you still know it's there. Daboo could you let it slide by? I think it's only 40cc and 15lbs over your limits.
 
the Ferret said:
Yea I miss kick starters, points, condensers, drum brakes, clutch, brake and throttle cables, petcocks, tubed tires, conventional light bulbs, speedo and tach cables, Windjammer fairings, Bates saddlebags ,carburetors, non O ring chains, bias ply tires etc. Dang progress lol ;)
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I'll take umbrage at some of that list.
-Kick starters as a backup on machines that can accommodate ain't a bad idea. I'm thinking any machine that might get you miles away in the woods....
-Clutch and throttle cables. Many bikes still use clutch cables, they work. The idea of a fully electronic throttle is absurd. The only advantage is when the CC or traction devices need engine control. I have only ever replaced a throttle cable on one vehicle, and I'll owned many, many vehicles, and worked on more. Trading mechanical simplicity for electronic complexity for little gain is not a good idea.
-Petcocks. I like the idea of manually shutting off the fuel in a gravity feed system. I've had many machines with these setups and there is rarely an issue.
-Speedo cables. Again, never had to replace one, so where is the issue?
-Carburetors. I'll take a carb on a bike, or any smaller machine any day over electronics. ST1300, and others have ECU issues that my 1100 will never have. I have two 9.9hp outboards on my boat, they are FUEL INJECTED. I know for a fact that eventually something will fail, and one or both will quit. They will probably quit at an inopportune time, and I will not be able to repair them. Yes, they are amazingly efficient, start instantly and run very well. But when they fail, it will be bad.
-Bias ply tires. They still have their place. Still run them on the ST1100. Radials are not needed in some applications.
 
rwthomas1 said:
I'll take umbrage at some of that list.
-Kick starters as a backup on machines that can accommodate ain't a bad idea. I'm thinking any machine that might get you miles away in the woods....
-Clutch and throttle cables. Many bikes still use clutch cables, they work. The idea of a fully electronic throttle is absurd. The only advantage is when the CC or traction devices need engine control. I have only ever replaced a throttle cable on one vehicle, and I'll owned many, many vehicles, and worked on more. Trading mechanical simplicity for electronic complexity for little gain is not a good idea.
-Petcocks. I like the idea of manually shutting off the fuel in a gravity feed system. I've had many machines with these setups and there is rarely an issue.
-Speedo cables. Again, never had to replace one, so where is the issue?
-Carburetors. I'll take a carb on a bike, or any smaller machine any day over electronics. ST1300, and others have ECU issues that my 1100 will never have. I have two 9.9hp outboards on my boat, they are FUEL INJECTED. I know for a fact that eventually something will fail, and one or both will quit. They will probably quit at an inopportune time, and I will not be able to repair them. Yes, they are amazingly efficient, start instantly and run very well. But when they fail, it will be bad.
-Bias ply tires. They still have their place. Still run them on the ST1100. Radials are not needed in some applications.
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Yep, we all get to pick and choose what features are important to us and choose bikes accordingly. I used to be kinda upset that bikes didn't come with kick starters anymore...and petcocks. But it hasn't been an issue for me in the last dozen motorcycles and several hundred thousand miles. They start every time, they run well, they stop well, they handle well and a light comes on to remind me to stop and get gas.

Having ridden for 59 years I will tell you IMO, that today's motorcycles are light years ahead of those we rode in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90's in every aspect.
 
My concern isn't generally a specific feature set, but the reliability of it. I do think the "keep it simple, stupid" principle is a good one, though. I don't get a warm fuzzy feeling with all the computerized stuff. That said, Honda's tend to be complex, yet reliable, which is why I gravitate towards that brand.
 
I prefer, Make it Simple Stupid, for me progress is when something is more reliable and better than before. I don't miss have to set points and replace condensers every 5000 miles. Electronic ignition is one of the most progressive change to cars and bikes. Computers not so.
 
Going to and from Virginia last week I went by the big Honda dealer in Shawnee, OK. The entire parking lot was lined with side by sides and not one motorcycle to be seen from I 40. I have stopped in that store several times in the past to do some motorcycle stuff shopping. Got my son a helmet there once when we were on a trip. Sad to see that motorcycles are taking a back seat but if there is one constant in this world it is change.

Long ago my basis for any motorcycle was it had to go at least 200 miles on a tank of gas at 80 mph. The first one was a Honda V 65 Sabre with the factory fairing but not factory bags. Threw some soft bags on it and went sport touring for 85,000 miles on that one before moving to an 86 K100RS. Two of those got me over 200K with nary a hiccup that left me on the side of the road. Couple of St 11 and 13. Latest has been two FJR's. 08 and 14 and now the RT. Still have the 14 FJR and still love it. It gets equal time with the RT. Love electric windshields now. Don't go off road, at least on purpose, so the ADV stuff holds no interest for me but looking at what is on the road now days I would be in the minority.

Whatever floats your boat then just ride it. If you stand on the side of the road and count the motorcycles that come by my bet is at least 85 out of a hundred will be Harley's. That's about it for the inseam challenged among us. I get that. Have had many discussions over the years with folks who ask what should I buy? I always tell them get something that you can get both feet flat on the ground. And then here come all the instructors who want to tell you, no just one foot is needed, yada yada. No one will ever convince me that one foot flat on the ground is equal to both feet flat on the ground. It ain't as stable. If the Good Lord only wanted us to put one foot down we would only have one leg and foot. If he really wanted people to play soccer we would not have arms or hands. Same thing.

Apparently, Sport Touring is not dead. At least not here!
 
Mophead said:
Going to and from Virginia last week I went by the big Honda dealer in Shawnee, OK. The entire parking lot was lined with side by sides and not one motorcycle to be seen from I 40. I have stopped in that store several times in the past to do some motorcycle stuff shopping
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Wow crazy stuff. I bought my ST1300 there in 2009. they used to have about 15 goldwings on the floor at any time. I noticed the Honda dealer in Harrison AR was all closed up last week. Corinth MS is the nothing but ATV's now.
 
I have been to that dealership many times (daughter went to college in Shawnee) and know what you mean.

But.... get off the interstate and go to some of the smaller town "motorcycle" dealerships... most are now called "powersports" or "motorsports" dealerships, not motorcycle.

There is one dealer in Poteau Ok, that has - I kid you not - hundreds of side by sides, UTVs, ATVs, ect ect on their lot. In a small - "one McDodalds" town!

I guess to stay in business, they have to sell what is selling. It's sad to me as I remember the days when you went to the Honda dealer, or the Suzuki dealer.. Not the Honda/Yamaha/Harley/Polaris/Seadoo/Ect/Ect dealer.

Odie1
 
Our local dealership looks much the same with regard to 4-wheelers. They even dropped Suzuki. I think they just have Yamaha and Royal Enfield now. But there are a ton of ranches around here so it makes sense. Probably the only bikes that sell are ADV-type bikes.
 
Mophead said:
Whatever floats your boat then just ride it. If you stand on the side of the road and count the motorcycles that come by my bet is at least 85 out of a hundred will be Harley's. That's about it for the inseam challenged among us. I get that. Have had many discussions over the years with folks who ask what should I buy? I always tell them get something that you can get both feet flat on the ground. And then here come all the instructors who want to tell you, no just one foot is needed, yada yada. No one will ever convince me that one foot flat on the ground is equal to both feet flat on the ground. It ain't as stable. If the Good Lord only wanted us to put one foot down we would only have one leg and foot. If he really wanted people to play soccer we would not have arms or hands. Same thing.

Apparently, Sport Touring is not dead. At least not here!
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I feel sorry for taller people that can flatfoot both feet and especially those that can do it with bent knees. They lose out on learning how to manage a tall seat motorcycle in challenging situations and slow speed maneuvers. Telling people to settle for a pony with they can ride a stallion does them a disservice. I would hate to have heard that 50 years ago and then settled for low seat bikes the last 485,000 miles.
 
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